ArabWeeks

Elekta Electronics, an innovator and leader in home appliances organised the annual cooking competition on 25th of February in Jeddah under the slogan of “Tastes of Jeddah”.

An overwhelming response was received from the public; more than 800 ladies registered and attended the event. Elekta successfully finalised the annual “Tastes of Jeddah Cooking Competition.” This year’s theme, “cuisine of the world at comfort of your home”, is the perfect recipe for one single culinary solution to various gourmets with green, healthy lifestyle: nutritious and delicious foods created using Elekta’s innovative cooking technology such as faster cooking process and higher energy. Winners in each category were selected based on various parameters, such as taste, time and quality of presentation skills.

Mr. Nishad K. A., General Manager of Elekta Electronics KSA said, “We are glad with the overwhelming response of the competition, Elekta’s Cooking Competition definitely attracts interest of Saudi women with latest technology home appliances. And organizing and sponsoring such events encourage women to enjoy cooking.”

The contestants finalised for the contest through registration which was done by interested participants through Elekta’s Facebook page and submitting the recipe. The Competition was judged based on three menu categories. Main course and appetizers as mandatory while dessert was optional. Out of all the registered contestants candidates were chosen through raffle draw. The competition was divided between two main categories, one where 10 participants compete individually and simultaneously the other competition which had five teams consisting of two ladies, mother and daughter, sisters or friends. At the End of the competition two winners were selected one from each category by Jury.

We are investing in the cooking category at a local level by continuing to provide consumers with premium cooking appliances that combine smart technology with stylish design. The Elekta cooking competition is a creative platform for Elekta to showcase its great products and also other range of cooking appliances, while also reinforcing our premium positioning and encouraging people to enjoy cooking using Elekta products, Nishad K. A., General Manager of Elekta Electronics KSA “

On Wednesday February 5, 2014, the travel and leisure retail industry witnessed  the biggest change yet to happen in the kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Fursan Leisure  officially launched the first lifestyle concept store of its kind to provide travelers  from Saudi Arabia the ultimate leisure experience through a newly developed  contemporary shopping experience at Hayat mall. Fursan Leisure’s CEO, Mr. Daniel  Ponzo, opened the new concept store to the public on Wednesday evening with a  ceremony attended by Fursan’s staff, prominent media figures, stakeholders and  customers.  “Our goal is to enhance the culture of shopping for leisure products and services and take the industry to a whole new level in Saudi Arabia  through Fursan Leisure. Clients in the kingdom deserve the best, and we  at Fursan Leisure aim to provide the best of everything the market has  to offer via our newly developed Fursan Leisure concept stores”  – Daniel Ponzo, Fursan Leisure CEO Clients can stop by Fursan Leisure concept store in Hayat Mall to pick up a  brochure, to chat with a knowledgeable staff about anything travel and leisure  related, or simply to get ideas and inspiration for their next vacation. At Fursan  Leisure concept store in Hayat Mall everyone is welcome; males, females, families,  Saudis or expats along. One convenient store location will take care of all travel  needs from booking flights, hotel reservations, visa processing, travel insurance,  train tickets, car rentals, or any other service related to travel and leisure around  the world. With access to more than 250,000 hotels worldwide and contracts with  suppliers for specific services, Fursan Leisure’s clients are sure to find what they are looking for. The strategic location of Fursan Leisure concept store at Hayat mall  makes it very convenient for clients to finalize all their vacation bookings and  reservations without majorly interrupting their daily plans. This concept store is also especially suitable for females who are looking for travel experiences tailored to  their needs with in a family friendly environment. Aside from products and services,  Fursan Leisure’s main goal is to provide the client with the ultimate leisure  experience and leave the client with unforgettable experiences. For more  information about Fursan Leisure concept store visit us at Hayat Mall, Gate 6 –  ground floor, in Riyadh or connect with us online via our social media networks.

Harvey Nichols Riyadh are pleased to support the inaugural Saudi Design Week with a series of events, talks, screenings and a book signing involving two of the world’s most influential fashion and design creatives.

During Saudi Design Week Harvey Nichols will host several exciting fashion-design related events, which spring from the endeavors of vintage clothing store Decades founder, Cameron Silver, and film director Deborah Riley Draper. Cameron Silver and Deborah Riley Draper will both be speaking about their work as part of the Saudi Design Week official talks programme on Tuesday 11 February at King Faisal Foundation.

Cameron Silver

Cameron Silver opened the doors of vintage fashion boutique Decades in 1997 and his understanding of fashion history saw him named one of Time magazine’s “25 Most Influential Names and Faces in Fashion” in 2002, as well as fast become a favourite pundit on E! Entertainment, the Style Network and “Fashion File.” Pulling looks from Decades’ deep closets, he styles celebrities for major red carpet awards appearances like the Golden Globes, and the Academy Awards. He has also written about luxury, from shopping to travel to his front row perch at the haute couture presentations, for Harpers Bazaar and Style.com, and others. Silver recently narrated the fashion documentary Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution about the legendary 1973 fashion show that heralded American fashion and African-American models like never before. His coffee table book for Bloomsbury, Decades: A Century of Fashion was published in 2012.

www.cameronsilver.com

Deborah Riley Draper

Deborah made her directorial debut in 2012 with the award-winning documentary Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution, the story of the epic fashion battle at the Chateau de Versailles in 1973. Throughout an extensive career in advertising, Deborah has impacted the client campaigns for Fedex, ING, HP, adidas and Coca-Cola classic and held account management roles at Omnicon agencies Tracy-Locke and Millsport and Publicis agency Burrell Communications Group.

www.versailles73movie.com

Instore at Harvey Nichols Riyadh

Experience

Vintage Decades and Chanel Pop Up Shop

Throughout Saudi Design Week, Harvey Nichols Riyadh will be home to a vintage Decades and Chanel Pop Up shop, curated by Decades founder Cameron Silver.

Watch

Versailles ‘73

Throughout Saudi Design Week, Harvey Nichols Riyadh will host 2 screenings each day of Versailles ’73 in the VIP Suite on the Upper Ground Floor. Tickets can be reserved in advance.

Listen

Cameron Silver and Deborah Riley Draper in conversation

On Tuesday 11 February 2014 at King Faisal Foundation at 6:00PM Cameron Silver and Deborah Riley Draper will each speak separately and then together about their respective approaches to the communication of fashion and design. These talks will be followed by a Q&A session where the audience will be invited to participate.

Read

Cameron Silver Decades Book Signing

Following the talk on Tuesday 11 February 2014 at King Faisal Foundation at 6:00PM Cameron Silver will be available to sign copies of his book, Decades, on the history of vintage fashion.

The fuel self-service introduced by Emirates Petroleum Product Company (EPPCO), to further enhance operational efficiency, has been extended to 15 more EPPCO stations and five  ENOC stations from midnight to 6am.

This takes the total number of fuel stations in the ENOC/EPPCO network offering fuel self-service during night hours to over 45. ENOC/EPPCO plans to implement the system across its entire network. Announcements for the public informing about the introduction of the service have been made at all the sites.

Among the new stations where self-serve is introduced are 10 service stations, which had earlier been closed from midnight to 6am. The introduction of the self-serve facility to these service stations adds to the convenience of motorists, who can conveniently meet their fuel requirements even during late-hours.

A company spokesperson said: “An increasing number of motorists are now utilising the fuel self-service facility. The recent activation of ViP (Vehicle Identification Pass), a radio frequency identification (RFID) based fuel retailing system at ENOC/EPPCO service stations, further adds to the convenience of commercial users and fleet owners, who can conveniently meet their fuel requirements securely. Our forecourt staff will extend all support to users of the ViP and self-serve.”

At the sites where the fuel self-service has been introduced, customers can now fuel themselves and pay at the pump. Commercial users and fleet owners who have registered for the ViP service will benefit from automated operations, and can fuel on-the-go without the need to pay in cash or use credit cards. ViP automatically recognises the registered vehicle being fuelled, and deducts the cost from the registered user’s account without the help of a service attendant.

Across the network, advanced and fully secure fuel dispenser systems have been introduced that are easier to use for the motorists. The introduction of self-service will result in no staff redundancies as affected staff members are being deployed in other service stations within the network.

The ENOC/EPPCO stations that operate as self-service during late hours are in Al Twar, Al Garhoud, Sheikh Zayed Road, Al Rasheed Road, Port Rasheed Road, Dubai-Al Ain Road, Al Waheeda Road, Jumeirah Beach Road, Ras Al Khor, Al Ghusais, JAFZA, Al Aweer Road, Al Quoz, Al Badaa and Al Nahda.

Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM) has been awarded ‘Best Stand Design 2014’ at the 34^th edition of FITUR in Madrid, Spain which closed on Sunday 26 January. A global meeting point for tourism professionals and a key fixture on DTCM’s calendar of overseas events, FITUR takes place in Madrid each year. This year’s fair featured 9,979 exhibiting companies from 167 countries and regions and received 214, 451 visitors including 116,157 trade participants, 91,082 members of the general public and 7,212 top journalists from around the world.

The prize was awarded in the ‘countries’ category and was chosen from amongst all exhibitors at FITUR according to the following criteria:

·         Professionalism: Suitability of the stand with regard to the marketing needs of each product

·         Communication / Promotion: Identification of the stand with the image and product

·         Design: Evaluation of the degree of originality and innovation

Saleh Al Geziry, Overseas Promotions and Inward Missions, DTCM said: “We are honoured to have been awarded the prize for ‘Best Stand Design’ at FITUR 2014. Spain is clearly an important market for us, between January – September 2013 Dubai welcomed over 35,000 visitors from Spain, an increase of 23.4% compared to the previous year. Our commitment to overseas marketing at events such as this remains key as we continue to work with our network of overseas offices to promote Dubai as a top leisure and business travel destination.”

DTCM operates a network of 20 overseas offices which act as global ambassadors, promoting the destination’s key messages around the world.

House of Sillage, a leader in the world of Haute Perfumery, opened its first boutique in Paris Gallery showroom in Red Sea Mall, Jeddah, and released its exclusive Limited Edition of Travel Perfume Case for the first time in the kingdom. The ceremony was inaugurated by Mr. Ahmed Shahin, General Manager of Paris Gallery, KSA, with Mr. David Rueda, Director of Sales & Marketing of House of Sillage, in the presence of other VIP guests.

The entire limited collection of House of Sillage has been inspired by arabesque designs and the elements of femininity, elegance, and sophistication.This edition is the second in the line of ten other limited edition fragrances by the House of Sillage. The Private Collection Travel Spray features an arabesque design in rose gold surrounded by custom hand made pink enamel and adorned with a stunning 2 carat Pink Sapphire and embellished with over 3 carat round brilliant-cut colorless diamonds for a total of 197 gem stones, all hand-crafted on an 18K rose gold cylinder. This ethereal design required immense dedication, time and an eye for detail. The Limited Edition Pink Enamel Travel Case holds 7.5ml and comes with one of each of the brand’s six different fragrances along with the Certificate of Authenticity, packaged in a gorgeous Birdseye Maple lacquered gift box. Its retail price is available upon request. 

“Our new and delightful pretty in pink one-off addition to the collection continues to show our focus on innovation, tradition, and classic artistry,” said House of Sillage Founder Nicole Mather.  “This piece truly represents sophistication and our quest to bring genuine beauty inside the bottle and out.”

Under the patronage and in the presence of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, the University of Dubai (UD), and the Citi Foundation, Citi’s social investment arm, today celebrated the completion of the 10th Citi-funded Diploma Program in Entrepreneurship and Business Plan Development. Held for the first time in the Emirate of Fujairah, the program is also supported by the Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development.

The program, which provides budding female entrepreneurs with a comprehensive support network and training scheme to establish their own businesses, has been designed and delivered by University of Dubai’s Centre for Executive Development (CED). The program aims to provide entrepreneurs with the knowledge and skills needed to prepare their own business plans and in turn build successful, profitable enterprises.

This year 30 women from areas such as Al-Bidiya, Al-Murbah and Dibba participated in the first level of the program, with 22 going on complete the full program and submit business plans. These plans were reviewed by Citi Foundation and Khalifa Fund six of which were honoured at the recent graduation ceremony with Best Business Plan awards.

Speaking at the graduation ceremony, H.E. Dr. Eesa Bastaki, President of the University of Dubai, said: “Dubai Chamber founded the University of Dubai in 1997 with the aim to develop and build the region’s future leaders. UD’s Centre for Executive Development is fully committed to proving equality through education, and encouraging female economic participation in order to develop and diversify the UAE’s economy and future development. Through this CED program we are creating a platform to support and develop the ideas of local female entrepreneurs into the established businesses throughout the UAE, the region and the rest of the world”

He added: “We are very grateful to Citi Foundation for continuously providing funding for this initiative, year on year. Their generous support has allowed University of Dubai to build a thriving team of highly qualified experts, successful business leaders, entrepreneurs, mentors and consultants from across public and private organisations, who engage proactively with us in delivering workshops, and providing continuous support and mentoring to our entrepreneurs.”

“This is the first time the program is being delivered in Fujairah, in collaboration with Khalifa Fund, with the aim of providing entrepreneurs with a fully supportive ecosystem to facilitate the establishment of business in their home towns. This support will continue following the completion of the program, until women have successfully established their businesses. The aim of this scheme is not only to produce future business leaders and employers, but also to foster a culture of entrepreneurial spirit amongst local woman through every part of the UAE, which is essential in developing a strong and diversified economy for our country.”

H.E. Abdullah Saeed Al Darmaki, Chief Executive Officer of Khalifa Fund for Enterprise Development said that the support that Khalifa Fund is giving to this initiative falls in line with tour endeavour to support the government’s efforts that enable women to perform a vital role in the business sector.

Al Darmaki indicated that Khalifa Fund has launched various programs and initiatives with an aim to integrate Emirati women into the business sector. He added that the Fund, through its ‘Sogha’ initiative, has succeeded in transforming more than 400 female Emiratis into successful business women, who are now playing a vital role in increasing their family’s income throughout the UAE.

He acknowledged the success of the partnership with University of Dubai and Citi Foundation, expressing his hope for the continuation of this cooperation in launching more high quality initiatives in the future.

He also indicated that the Fund began to expand its services to other Emirates, aside from Abu Dhabi, in 2011, and has since opened three branches, including Fujairah. So far, the Fujairah branch has provided financing to around 42 projects, with a total value of around AED 15 million and organised around 20 training courses, which have benefitted around 320 male and female Nationals in the Emirate.

Commenting on the program, Mr. Karim Seifeddine, Public Affairs and Government Relations Head, Citi, said: “Together with the University of Dubai, we’ve succeeded in designing and delivering a rigorous training program on entrepreneurship and Business plan development which has been addressing the entrepreneurial qualifications of women entrepreneurs around the country and arming them with the necessary skills, and knowledge base.

“The program has evolved into a model for academic training on entrepreneurial skills as it teaches all the necessary elements for succeeding in the business world. Furthermore, we are proud that the program has enlisted the support of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al-Sharqi, Crown Prince of Fujairah, as well as key community players in the SME space such as Khalifa Fund for Economic Development, among others, who are playing a vital role in recruiting, mentoring and supporting trainees.”

Citi has been present in the Arab World for more than fifty years and continues to view the region as critical to its global franchise. Throughout this period, the bank has evolved into an active corporate citizen, with a particular interest in supporting financial literacy, education, and entrepreneurship.

This female-only initiative, which is fully supported and funded by the Citi Foundation, has impacted over 300 women entrepreneurs since its launch in 2004, and many of them are running successful business ventures today.

The event was held at Al Diar Siji Hotel, Fujairah and was attended by His Excellency Saeed Mohammed Al-Raqbani, special advisor to Sheikh Hamad Bin Mohammed Al Sharqi, Ruler of Fujairah and Member of the UAE Supreme Council, H.E. Salem Al-Zahmi, Director of the Office of the Crown Prince of Fujairah, and senior representatives from the three parties.