Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) revealed the winners of the DSS Apprenticeship Programme 2010, paving the way for ten brilliant minds to participate in the highly successful Business Administration and Marketing internship. From four universities in two countries in 2006, the DSS Apprenticeship Programme now targets more than 50 higher education institutions in 10 markets in the Middle East and North Africa, including participation from Syria for the first time.
Marking its 5th edition, the award-winning annual training and industry-exposure programme will be joined this year by Asma'a Mohammed Al-Maraghi (University of Bahrain, Bahrain), Yomna Amr Safwat (American University in Cairo, Egypt), Razan Moh'd Nael Al-Masri (University of Jordan, Jordan), Yusra Rashad Nowilaty (Effat University, KSA), Sabeeka Sulaiman Al-Fuzai (American University of Kuwait, Kuwait), Wessam Al Najjar (American University of Beirut, Lebanon), Kapriel Vahan Kalenderian (University of Kalamoon, Syria), Ali Abdullah Bin Saif (Sultan Qaboos University, Oman), Aysha Mohd Al Saleh (Qatar University, Qatar) and Afra Anbar Al Falasi (Dubai Women's College, UAE).
The winners will get hands-on experience working on assigned projects, visiting and auditing key DSS events, and working closely with the DSS team, gaining valuable training and real-life exposure to best practices in business administration, marketing and events management.
Laila Suhail, CEO of Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment (DEPE), an agency of the Dubai Economic Department (DED) and organizers of DSS, said: "We are pleased that the DSS Apprenticeship Programme has grown from its humble roots to include new countries each year, with Syria participating for the first time in 2010. The programme trusts that youth have the capacity and creative means needed to contribute to the development of a better future. Thus, by actively involving talented young minds in DSS, we nurture their creativity and allow them to impart their skills and talents in enhancing our marketing and business efforts. We do hope that in return, participating students will learn from the opportunity to work with the industry's leading experts and gain valuable experience."
In the midst of tight competition, students were judged on the quality of their essays – which focused on how to market DSS if they were given the position of Chief Marketing Officer – their character, ambition, potential to make valuable contributions to the continual enhancement of DSS, and their ability to commit to the programme's schedule. A jury comprising of key DSS representatives and other marketing professionals evaluated the students' applications and selected one winner from each market to represent his/her country in the programme.
In her winning essay, UAE winner Afra Anbar Al Falasi said: "Getting people to actively participate in signature DSS competitions such as a green project or a fashion design contest would result in not only promoting local talent but also in providing visitors with very personal and interactive means of remembering DSS."
Commenting on Afra's participation, Suhail said: "We are glad to have Afra in this year's DSS Apprenticeship Programme. She has demonstrated a great deal of potential to make valuable contributions to the continual enhancement of DSS. As a UAE national, we believe that she will take the initiative in displaying warm hospitality and encouraging a sense of camaraderie among the nine other winners."
Dr. Monica Gallant, Chair, Business programs at the Dubai Women's College said: "We are very proud of Afra's participation in the DSS Apprenticeship Programme 2010. We believe in her capacity to excel and her capability to learn. We hope that she will be able to acquire further knowledge and skills from this internship, and enjoy the whole experience."
Many students preferred to center on the youth as the main target audience of DSS. Bahraini winner Asma'a Al Maraghi's essay said: "Acknowledging the very different needs teenagers have compared to other age classes, I would consider running a series of events targeting teenage kids."
Egyptian winner Yomna Safwat mentioned in her essay: "My strategy would focus on the enormous population of people under 30 across the MENA region, whilst highlighting Dubai's unique geographic position."
Focusing on attracting the youth entails promoting DSS using digital and social media, as Lebanese winner Wessam Al Najjar explained: "Technology is now what the world is talking about. Traditional marketing is still very important but a bigger part of the population is also internet-savvy and technologically advanced."
Syrian winner Kapriel Kalenderian added in his essay: "As Chief Marketing Officer I would focus on promoting DSS and attracting more visitors by increasing the usage of the internet as a communications and marketing tool. Placing ads on social platforms would possibly reach a wider network in a more cost-efficient manner."
Although the youth are seen by these students as a potentially huge market for DSS, Omani winner Ali Abdullah Bin Saif believes that travelling businessmen should be his priority in creating a targeted DSS marketing campaign. He said: "I would encourage businessmen attending official conferences and business meetings during DSS to bring their families along by offering them special packages."
On the other hand, some winning students still look at traditional marketing as quite effective. Sabeeka Al-Fuzai from Kuwait commented: "It is necessary to create new events to satisfy adults and teenagers. My strategy would involve introducing further events tailored to the interests and needs of this particular audience, offering them a unique DSS experience at reasonable prices."
Yusra Nowilaty from KSA said: "As Chief Marketing Officer for DSS I would encourage corporations to further sponsor DSS in order to create a win-win situation in which both sides benefit from the positive image of their partner."
Cross-country marketing is what Jordan's Razan Al-Masri will push through. Her essay noted: "I would promote DSS and Dubai as a destination abroad, in order to encourage people from other countries to visit Dubai, with booths set up in shopping malls and viable areas offering product samples, sweepstakes and tourist information."
Qatar's Aysha Al Saleh holds on to the power of word-of-mouth and she would "approach long-term customers loyal to DSS to talk about DSS in different mediums such as the internet, using the advantage of these people as spokespersons for the brand."
After the intensive two-week internship, the apprentices will be asked to present their fresh and creative ideas to the DSS senior management, based on their first-hand observation of this year's event, with the aim of incorporating these ideas in future DSS editions. Many of the recommendations of winners from previous editions of the DSS Apprenticeship Programme have been successfully applied while planning forthcoming editions of DSS.
For the duration of their two-week stay in Dubai, students will be hosted by Southern Sun Qamardeen Hotel, situated in the vibrant Downtown Dubai district, home to the student apprentices for the fourth consecutive year.
The DSS Apprenticeship Programme was one of the major factors cited by the jury in awarding The Dubai Shopping Festival Office (now DEPE) the Travel & Tourism Award at the 2008 IPRA Golden World Awards in London held last year.
