Manarat Al Saadiyat, which in Arabic translates to ‘lighthouse’, will be one of Saadiyat Island’s many fascinating components which will feature international exhibitions from around the world. The 15,400-sq-m centre will encompass four major galleries, an experience and sales centre, a 250-seat theatre and a restaurant.

Manarat Al Saadiyat will be home to The Saadiyat Story, an interactive narrative on the historical and cultural vision behind Saadiyat Island.

It will also comprise the Arts Abu Dhabi Gallery, a permanent 1,946-sq-m space dedicated to hosting series of exhibitions and educational programmes organised by TDIC.

Additionally, it will house the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi Gallery and Louvre Abu Dhabi Gallery which will both showcase exhibitions related to these famed museums. Manarat Al Saadiyat will also feature the Central Events Gallery, a 660-sq-m multi-purpose space for hosting Manarat Al Saadiyat’s special events calendar.

“We commissioned construction of the project in February 2009, and we are proud to have been able to deliver on our promise eight months later by launching the inaugural phase of Manarat Al Saadiyat,” said Lee Tabler, TDIC’s CEO.

“Aimed at attracting and educating tourists and visitors from across the globe, there will be a series of artistic programmes showcasing talent on an international scale. The launch of Manarat Al Saadiyat is the first of many exciting groundbreakings and launches to come on Saadiyat Island in the near future,” explained Tabler.

The first phase of the development comprises of The Saadiyat Story and Arts Abu Dhabi Gallery which will be completed in the third week of November 2009; while the second phase, completed in April 2010, will include the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi and Louvre Abu Dhabi galleries, the theatre and the restaurant.

A celebrated international trends expert and author, Levine has been confirmed as the closing keynote speaker for the METMS, which will take place at the Shangri-La Hotel, Dubai.

Currently in the process of completing his latest piece of literary work, The Meaningful Economy, which will form the basis of his speaker presentation at the METMS in November, Levine will provide delegates a sneak-peek at his latest research on how changing economic times have affected consumers’ values and attitudes, and what is motivating people to make tourism, leisure and lifestyle decisions. He will explore how Middle East tourism stakeholders can take advantage of trends and information in innovative new ways to attract customers and increase sales.

More than 70 countries are expected to be represented at FITA 2010 which is set to attract upwards of 200 exhibitors including Mice representatives, tour operators, hotel groups and national tourism organisations.

Mayor of Mexico City Marcelo Ebrard said: “Mexico City is the ideal location to host the International Tourism Fair of the Americas, which is well positioned to become one of the world’s most important tourism events.”

“FITA 2010 will showcase the amazing destinations of the world in a cosmopolitan and culturally-rich setting,” said Alejandro Rojas, Tourism Secretary of Mexico City. “There is no better place to host a tourism event than Mexico City, with its extraordinary mosaic of lights, colours, tastes, smells, sensations, and emotions.”

And Mayor Ebrard added that with the launch of FITA 2010, Mexico City is renewing its commitment to the tourism sector, which is critical to the city and the country’s prosperity.

FITA 2010, which runs from September 23- 26, will coincide with the bicentennial celebration of Mexico’s Independence and the centennial celebration of the Mexican Revolution.

For more information on the Tourism Fair of the Americas 2010, visit http://fita2010.com.

The Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) took the prize in the category for Best Print Advertising Campaign and was finalist for Best Brand Marketing Campaign.

QNCC’s general manager Paul D’Arcy said: “To achieve such accolades from our industry peers in our pre-opening phase is a credit to all concerned and especially HH Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, chairperson, Qatar Foundation for her support in selecting a brand platform that typifies the centre’s landmark design and world-class features.”

The initial concept of QNCC’s brand development was led by multidisciplinary design consultancy FITCH Qatar.

“We are blessed with the incredible foresight of leading Japanese architect Arata Isozaki to propose such an iconic building design that inspired FITCH’s creative directors to craft the overall brand development and realisation of our print media campaign,” added D’Arcy.

QNCC’s signature entrance features the intertwined branches of the Sidra tree, a beloved icon in Qatari culture. It is treasured by the Bedouins.

QNCC’s logo as well as brand graphics is symbolic of sidra branches.

“To win gold amongst such an impressive field is testament to the strength of our marketing team led by our director of sales, Sue Hocking and AEG Ogden Convention Centres Group Marketing, Rochelle Uechtritz.

“Let this 2009 MIMA Award be known as the first of many in the lead up to our opening in 2011,” said D’Arcy.

Even the façade of the Crowne Plaza Jeddah, which overlooks the Red Sea and the magnificent King Fahd Fountain, has been given a make-over.

The property offers 85 single rooms, 90 doubles, 51 twins and 97 suites as well as customised rooms for guests with special needs.

“Our guest rooms, among the most spacious in town, sport a new look and are equipped with 32-inch flat screen televisions connected with a wide variety of satellite channels,”  said Rafique I Izhiman, general manager.

There is also access to high speed internet and high quality furnishing.

“The newly renovated Crowne Plaza Club Lounge offers personal hotelier services to business travellers and the hotel’s nine meeting rooms now benefit from state-of-the-art audio-video equipment for effective live presentations, special effects lighting, and LCD projection,” added Izhiman.

The largest of the meeting rooms can accommodate up to 100 guests and the Crystal Ballroom can host conferences for up to 1,200 people and can be sub-divided into four soundproof sections.

As well as the updated rooms and facilities the hotel also has multi-cuisine dining offering Chinese, European and Saudi Arabian food alongside its award winning Japanese eaterie Sakura.

And there are also excellent health and fitness facilities, with well-maintained outdoor swimming pools and a well-equipped gymnasium.

Thailand Maximise is aimed at reflecting Thailand’s growing stature as a destination of choice for international meetings, conventions and exhibitions and will emphasise Thailand’s three main value propositions: value for money, total peace of mind when travelling and the country’s variety of attractions.

Supawan Teerarat, exhibition director and acting president of TCEB said the campaign would help the country attract more Mice planners and visitors, whose budgets had tightened under the current economic downturn.

Divided into three segments Thailand Maximise includes Max Value for meetings and incentives, Max Rewards for conventions and Max Bonus for exhibitions.

It features offers for both events planners and visitors which are valid until September next year.

“The Mice industry is of growing importance in Thailand. Despite the downturn, TCEB says that 500 overseas business events in Thailand this year will attract about more than half a million business visitors.

“The industry will earn about 51 billion Thai baht ($1.53billion), equivalent to 13 per cent of Thailand’s total tourism earnings.

“TCEB has been widely applauded in its efforts, with the government of Thailand placing increasing importance on developing the industry and prioritizing it,” said Teerarat.

Launching the new brand, and the story behind it, Nasser Al Khater, Qatar 2022 communications director, said: “Today is an important milestone for our historic bid. The website is one of the cornerstones of our communications campaign to bring the flagship tournament of the world’s favourite game to the Middle East for the very first time.

“The site contains all the latest information about the bid: news, facts and figures about the bid and about Qatar, as well as messages of support.

“Today, we also launch the new brand for the bid. We have developed a brand identity that we believe reflects our ambitions and vision for the future, while also incorporating our Arabian traditions and our warm, welcoming and hospitable nature.”

The brand includes celebratory confetti forming a giant footballer against a background of Arabesque patterns delineating the geographic context of the brand. The background originates from the pentagon shapes found on a football and the brand’s luminescent colours portray the new vibrant image of Qatar.

Al Khater continued: “The legacy of hosting the World Cup will extend far beyond Qatar and reach the very heart of the FIFA ideals, stimulating a new and exciting football market that is epitomised by the vibrant and fresh colours of our logo and website design. We’d like to appeal to everyone in Qatar – as well as everyone across the Middle East – to join the numerous voices of support you will see on our website.  Our supporters will be our twelfth player in 2022.”

In addition to its use in the Qatar 2022 website, the brand will be deployed in a wide variety of different ways: from the building wraps dotted across Doha’s rapidly expanding skyline, to posters, flags, advertisements and a whole range of merchandise that will symbolise the region’s pride in Qatar’s Bid.

“We hope this brand will take on a life of its own and portray Qatar’s adventurous, futuristic and historic ambitions to bring the World Cup to the Middle East,” Al Khater said.

The CEO of the Qatar 2022 Bid, Hassan Al Thawadi, said he was thrilled with the new brand design and overall feel, saying that it would help the bid move further towards its historic goals.

“It’s time to bring the world’s favourite game to the Middle East for the first time. This historic choice would ensure that every continent and region of the world has experienced the passion and excitement of hosting the World Cup,” said Al Thawadi.

“A Qatar World Cup in 2022 could offer people a new perspective on the Middle East, showing the values of a modern, progressive and open Arab state at the forefront of change in the region, while still confidently rooted in its ancient culture and traditions.

“Hosting the World Cup in Qatar would inspire a new sporting future for millions of Arab men, women and children, developing the game of football in a region that has enormous potential to become a key market for FIFA.”

Work began recently to wrap two landmark buildings in Doha – the Qatar Olympic Committee tower and the Ramada Hotel.

More buildings will be wrapped in the coming months to complement the 900 street banners and more than 400 other advertisements and bridge banners dotting the streets of Doha already.

From early 2010, visitors to the resorts are set for a series of once-in-a- lifetime experiences.

Themed after Dreamworks Animation’s blockbuster movie, Madagascar: A Crate Adventure will bring the hit animation movie to life with a state-of-the-art indoor boat ride featuring animated figures, digital projection and other special effects.

Southeast Asia’s only Universal Studios theme park will also be home to the world’s first Far Far Away Castle, a landmark in the box-office hit Shrek series. 

Universal Studios Singapore is located within family destination Resorts World Sentosa, and will feature 24 rides and attractions.

Meanwhile legendary French fashion house Louis Vuitton has announced that it has chosen Marina Bay Sands as the site for its island flagship store.

The crystal-shaped pavilion, made of glass and steel, will float on the water in front of the retail and entertainment development, which will play host to a total of 300 luxury stores, a five-star hotel, casino and celebrity chef restaurants, all due to open in the first quarter of 2010.

The announcement came as the first piece of steel for Marina Bay Sands’ most impressive tourist attraction, the Sands SkyPark, was lifted into place.

The SkyPark will sit 200m off the ground and will be large enough to park four-and-a-half A380 jumbo jets.

“Singapore will continue to offer our Middle East guests new, not-to-be-missed experiences. With the wide range of new product offerings we will firmly establish Singapore as one of the world’s top travel destinations,” said Jason Ong, area director for Middle East and Africa, Singapore Tourism Board.

The tournament is organised by Intevents LLC and will follow a format similar to that of its sister event, the Sinbad Classic, which has been held in Oman for the past five years and is now a fixture on the international sport fishing calendar.

The tournament is being hosted by Le Méridien Al Aqah and the Fujairah International Marine Club. Le Méridien Al Aqah has special reduced rates for anyone entering the tournament.

“Fujairah has become one of the region’s top destinations for all kinds of fishing and boasts world-class facilities for the sport,”  said Patrick Antaki, general manager, Le Méridien Al Aqah Beach Resort .

“Our involvement with the Fujairah Classic will strengthen Fujairah’s position in the international community while also promoting the natural beauty of the east coast.”

Sport fishing is one of the fastest growing sports in the world and has massive popularity in major countries like the United States.

Le Méridien Al Aqah has played an active role in promoting sport fishing in the east coast and has teamed up with Fujairah Marina over the past four years to offer guests and visitors access to fishing trips and instructors, as well as the latest in sporting equipment.

The three-day event will be an International Game Fish Association (IGFA) Offshore World Championships 2010 qualifying event.

“The tournament has been almost two years in the making and we are hoping for a large turnout from anglers all across the Emirates and the Gulf as it is important to highlight just how beneficial this sport can be to both tourism and youth development in sport.

“We even have a team who are flying in from Finland to fish the event!” said Bruce Fennessy, Fujairah Classic Tournament director and organiser, senior manager sport and corporate events, Intevents.

Anyone looking for more information can log on to the tournament website, www.fujairahclassic.com

With over 75 years of experience and 4,000 SIXT stations, the company has earned its position as the market leader and since entering the UAE car rental market in 2000, has set about establishing offices in strategic locations; three in Dubai, one in Sharjah and the newest at Abu Dhabi International Airport (pictured).

Growing demand from tourists, business travellers and new expatriates is providing new opportunities in Abu Dhabi, according to Malcom Cooper, manager SIXT car rental services. “Our business has grown rapidly in the last decade and the launch of the first Abu Dhabi branch forms a core part of our plans to expand the network with several new branches in the coming years,” he said.

Vehicles available to customers in Abu Dhabi range from compact economy cars through to full size and luxury vehicles. The company also maintains a selection of special purpose vehicles, four-wheel drive and SUV units, while virtually any vehicle can be provided for leasing purposes.

“The positive business environment in Abu Dhabi means we are able to provide professional and reliable chauffer-driven services along with a comprehensive offering in corporate vehicle leasing activities,” added Cooper.

The Big 5, the leading international building and construction show, is set to take place from November 23-26, 2009 at Dubai World Trade Centre.  Registration is already looking positive, with visitors from over 70 countries signed up to attend.

The show will be 15 per cent bigger than 2008 in terms of exhibition space and has grown to include the new halls at the venue.  The show is almost fully sold out, with 92 per cent of the 43,000-sq-m floor space booked. 

Paula Al Chami, show director for The Big 5, said: “Set to grow by 15 per cent this year, The Big 5 will bring some positive news to the travel and hospitality industry in Dubai.  As the leading international building and construction show in the Middle East, the exhibition has already attracted a high level of registrations from visitors from over 70 countries – many of whom will be requiring accommodation and will also be spending money on leisure activities whilst they are here.”