Residents Vote Mall of the Emirates as ’Best Shopping Mall in Dubai’

For the second year in a row, Mall of the Emirates has beaten off stiff competition and been voted the Best Shopping Mall in Dubai by the city’s residents.The accolade is part of the second annual Best in Dubai Awards, which gives the chance to choose winners in several categories including hotels, restaurants, spas, customer service and even radio stations. A record number of votes were received online as thousands of residents visited the www.bestindubai.ae website. Mall of the Emirates competed against 68 malls in the initial rounds and thereafter with four other finalists.Fuad Sharaf, Vice President, Mall of the Emirates, received the award on behalf of the mall’s management and said that this year the award was even more special given that new shopping malls have opened in the city in the last year.“When an award bestowed on you comes from the people of Dubai, it means a whole lot more. We are grateful to our patrons for this honour and we continue to strive each day to make their every visit to Mall of the Emirates an enjoyable and comfortable experience.7rdquo;Sarika Aidasani, a regular visitor to the mall, calls it the perfect one-stop shop destination. “Mall of the Emirates has everything a person would need, from daily necessities to luxury. It’s easy to walk around, less complicated layout and you don’t need to wear trainers to go shopping to this mall. I simply love Mall of the Emirates.7rdquo; While for 27-year old Dubai resident Alaa Demachkie it is almost like a second home. “Mall of the Emirates is just the place for us to be whether it’s a weekday or weekend, whether it’s for movies, a good meal or shopping. There’s so much variety and comfort here. I am so familiar with the mall now and I just love being here.7rdquo;Ever since it first opened its doors in September 2005, Mall of the Emirates has continued to win the admiration of residents and tourists alike. With one of the best retail spreads and entertainment offerings including the region’s first indoor ski resort, Ski Dubai, it is no wonder than that the mall has won over 15 international and local industry recognitions and awards in just under four years.

UAE’s Biggest Singing Talent Hunt Contest Gets Underway at The Arabian Center

Arabian Center, the latest hot spot for shopping, leisure and entertainment in Dubai, in association with the Channel Radio 4 Network, is hosting Arabian Center Radio Star 2009, a talent hunt for new and undiscovered singers from the UAE.Arabian Center Radio Star 2009 is being held in three languages – Arabic, English and Hindi, across the three Channel 4 Stations – 107.8 Radio Rabia (Arabic), 104.8 Channel 4 FM (English) and 89.1 Radio 4 FM (Hindi) respectively. The entries for each of the three channels will be short-listed and divided into two sub categories – below 14 and above 14. The Grand Finale will choose 18 winners- 3 in each category, in three languages, making the Arabian Center Radio Star the largest talent search contest for singers in the UAE.The contest is open for registration until June 12, 2009. Eager applicants can register and audition for the Arabian Center Radio Star at a special studio set up at the Arabian Center mall.During the five-week long period of the contest, Channel 4 Radio Network will broadcast live from the mall where the presenters will bring live auditions and updates to the radio listeners. The broadcast of the contest will be aired live on Channel 4 every evening from Arabian Center.The selected singers will compete in the semi finals and the Grand Finale, to be held on June 25, 26 and 27, 2009 on each of the three radio stations, will be held at Arabian Center and broadcasted live.Winners of the contest will walk away with prizes worth AED 150,000/-. The above 14 category winner from each station will get a chance to record a hit single which will be aired on each station, respectively, for a week.Apart from the opportunity to be recognized for their talent for singing, the contest also offers the opportunity for radio listeners to meet with their favourite Radio Hosts at Arabian Center.Speaking on the event, Mr. Tim Jones, COO, Arabian Center said, “Radio Star 2009 is a wonderful platform for new and undiscovered talent to be recognized. We have already witnessed some really good talent and voices that deserve to be heard. We invite all those who have the passion and dream to be a singer to come and take advantage of this amazing opportunity. One of the most exciting parts of this contest is the chance for the winner in the adult category to record a hit single which will be aired on each station throughout the week.”“We are excited to be a part of this contest to hunt for the best singing talent in the UAE along with Channel Radio 4 Network. We have already received an overwhelming response from those who are coming in for the auditions and are positive that the contest will be a huge success,” he further added.