The sponsorship of the recently held Hay Festival is in addition to Emirates Airline's role as headline sponsor for the inaugural Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature (EAIFL) to be held in Dubai next year.
For its first year at Hay, Emirates sponsored an event featuring one of Britain's most highly-regarded authors, Booker Prize winner Ian McEwan, who discussed On Chesil Beach and Atonement on Sunday 1st June.
Mike Simon, Emirates' Divisional Senior Vice President of Corporate Communications, said: "We are delighted to be involved with the Guardian Hay Festival. This sponsorship, along with our involvement with EAIFL, demonstrates Emirates Airline's support for international writing and its commitment to the promotion of literacy."
The inaugural Emirates Airline International Festival of Literature (EAIFL) will take place in Dubai between 26th February and 1st March 2009, the first event of its kind on this scale to be held in the Middle East. EAIFL will be an annual event, bringing together people of all nationalities and cultures to celebrate literature and reading in all its forms.
Authors confirmed to speak at the new festival include Sir Ranulph Fiennes, Paulo Coelho, Anne Fine, Jeremy Strong and Lauren Child. Other participating authors will be household names in genres such as fiction, children's, lifestyle and sport.
EAIFL is directed by Isobel Abulhoul, Director of Magrudy's, the region's leading chain of bookshops, and Bill Samuel, previously Vice Chairman and still a family Director of London's bookshop, Foyles.
Isobel Abulhoul said: "In the short time since the festival was launched at London Book Fair in April, the response from authors, publishers and agents has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic."
A key part of the festival will be Education Day. Some of the authors attending the Festival are expected to give lectures or talks to students at universities, colleges and schools in Dubai.
Dubai Cultural Council is also supporting the Festival and will help attract leading authors, poets and translators from the Arab World.
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UK Hay Festival is newest Emirates Airline destination
- United Arab Emirates: Tuesday, June 03 - 2008 at 12:52
- PRESS RELEASE
Emirates Airline continues to build its portfolio of arts sponsorship in a new global partnership with the Guardian Hay Festival - one of the UK's most popular annual literary events.
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Emirates AirlineEmirates is one of the world's most exciting airlines with a firmly established reputation for service excellence, innovation and industry firsts.
The carrier flies to six continents, non-stop from its hub in Dubai and recently launched Cape Town as its 100th destination.
At the same time, Emirates is setting the pace with its onboard offerings. In every class, the airline is adding value and comfort to the passenger experience - moves that have been recognised with more than 400 international awards.
Emirates currently boasts a fleet of 116 modern, wide bodied aircraft and is the largest single customer for the Airbus A380 with 58 on order.
Magrudy's
Magrudy's was established in Dubai in 1975 and has evolved to become the region's leading chain of book shops. Housing fiction and non-fiction titles in both Arabic and English, Magrudy's has eight bookshops in the UAE, runs franchise operations in Dubai Duty Free and Spinney's (the UAE's most successful supermarket chain) and is due to open in other Gulf countries soon. The company also runs a unique Educational Resource Centre for schools, teachers and libraries. Magrudy's has a long history of successfully hosting book readings and signings, showcasing authors such as Paolo Coelho, Francesca Simon and Ken Follett.
Further information is available on the festival website.
Or contact:
Charlie Akielan
d'pr
Tel: 04 3311104
Laura Fanning
d'pr
Tel: 04 3311104
Posted by StaffTuesday, June 03 - 2008 at 12:52 UAE local time (GMT+4)
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