As the Ibn Battuta Mall gears up for a summer filled with entertainment and events, Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, Nakheel, has expressed his delight at being invited to join the league of 12 Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS 2005) Key Sponsors.
DSS 2005, held in Dubai from June 22 to September 2, has unleashed summers of fun and learning in Dubai since the summer of 1998; since then the festival has experienced unbridled success each year becoming the trend-setting event of the region, attracting millions of visitors, and facilitating billions of Dirhams in sales.
As a Key Sponsor, Ibn Battuta Mall will feature a diverse range of fun and entertainment activities throughout the ten-week festival. Organised under the theme ‘Big Fun for Little Ones’, DSS 2005 kicks off this Wednesday with ‘Flower Surprises’ when three tones of natural flowers will be showered on visitors to shopping malls throughout the opening week, including at Ibn Battuta Mall. The world’s largest ‘themed’ mall will also play host to the Flower Carnival, Flower Hair Displays, and Oriental Flowers Fashion Show among other flower-themed events.
Ibn Battuta Mall is also proud to be hosting Dubai TV who will be broadcasting live from China Court three times a week. ‘Ghanawi’, a one-hour variety show aimed at the whole family, will feature song dedications, interviews with artists, weekly top five videos, and news of the latest album and video releases; the program will take place every week on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays at 7.30pm throughout the duration of DSS 2005.
Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Executive Chairman, Nakheel, said: “We are proud and honoured to support the Dubai Summer Surprises 2005 and to be one of their renowned and prestigious Key Sponsors. Ibn Battuta Mall was conceived to celebrate Dubai’s increasing role as one of the world’s top shopping destinations and its uniquely themed environment is designed to reflect the distinctive combination of heritage and cosmopolitan lifestyle that is the very essence of Dubai.
“’Big Fun for Little Ones’ is a fabulous concept for this year’s festival; Ibn Battuta Mall’s stunning and historically accurate architecture, inspired by the travels of legendary Arab explorer Ibn Battuta, is the perfect setting for both entertainment and education. We hope to inspire youngsters to learn about heritage and history, and also to experience something new; however, the DSS 2005 is also about fun and enjoyment and we will be providing a plethora of events and activity to entertain the whole family. The addition of Dubai TV, broadcasting live from China Court, is a major addition to our already extensive program of events; their presence in the mall will certainly provide some ‘Big Fun in little China!’”
Visitors to Ibn Battuta Mall will also get the chance to win substantial cash sums and exciting prizes throughout the duration of DSS 2005. The ‘Strike It Rich – Win Up To AED 3 Million’ joint promotion with the Dubai Shopping Malls Group (DSMG) boasts the highest ever prize total offered by the DSMG to date and includes the chance to win the Grand Prize of AED 1 million/-, a luxurious home at the Jumeirah Beach Residence, and a Toyota Land Cruiser; visitors will also get the chance to win a weekly prize of AED 50,000/- preloaded onto a Mashreq Bank Mastercard.
To mark DSS, a traditional café has been created in the heart of Ibn Battuta Mall. Located in the Persian Court, the cafe is decorated in the traditional style with hand-woven mats and carpets. Two hostesses offer dates and gahwa, the traditional Arabic coffee from 5pm to 10pm daily invite guests to take a look at traditional crafts like woven barasti (palmfrond) mats and food coverings as well as other tools and materials used in the past.
Tunisia Court is also the venue for the sales of the tickets for the Grand Dubai Summer Surprises Raffles offering a BMW740Li 2006 model and a bumper prize of Dh100,000 cash.
Ibn Battuta Mall will also be participating in DSS 2005’s theme-specific weeks including the "Sweets Surprises," (India Court) "Arts Surprises" (China Court), "Colour Surprises" (Andalusia to India parade); "Adventure Surprises" (China Court), "Cartoon Surprises'' (China/India Court); "Knowledge Surprises" (India Court); and the concluding “Back-2-School Surprises”.
Saeed Al Nabouda, DSS CEO, said: “It’s a matter of pride for us to have the support of such a big and extraordinary Mall in the region. Ibn Battuta Mall joining the list of key sponsors of DSS 2005 shows the impressive success of the event in boosting trade and tourism in the Emirate. The DSS office encourages all companies and organisations to participate in the 10 theme-specific weeks and to make a joint success of this Government of Dubai initiative which sees the largest participation of the private sector. The Ibn Battuta Mall represents the overall growth of Dubai which is seeing the realisation of mammoth projects aimed at making the emirate one of the major tourist destinations in the world.”
