Dubai Summer Surprises reveals winner from Jordan for 2008 Apprenticeship Programme

Students from participating universities have been busy for weeks going through the selection process, which included an essay writing component asking for bold and bright ideas as to how to make the summer event bigger and better for the 2009 edition. A special jury comprising key management from Dubai Shopping Festival Office - organizers of Dubai Summer Surprises in addition to marketing professionals evaluated the applications, selecting one winner from each country.

After a competitive qualifying process, organizers confirmed that Abed Al_Nasser Dahbour, student at Petra University has been chosen to represent the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan in the 3rd edition of the programme. Dahbour alongside eight other students will be spending an intensive on-the-job training during Dubai Summer Surprises running from June 19 - August 22, 2008.

The apprentices will witness, audit, and take part in various initiatives including Marketing & Media Relations as well as participation at the newly revamped Modhesh Fun City and various in-mall activities.

"Congratulations to the students on their achievement and hard work. Our deliberations were intensive and gruelling, owing to the excellent pool of candidates that were nominated this year. Winners selected therefore must be the best and brightest among the rest, and we're excited to show them the ropes in organizing a big event such as Dubai Summer Surprises,"

said Laila Suhail, CEO, Dubai Shopping Festival Office.

This year's edition of the programme has for the first time expanded its reach beyond the MENA region, to include the UK - a testament to how the programme has grown in the last two years; and how successful it has become as a platform for meaningful education and training young talent in the fields of marketing, business administration and events management.

The DSS Apprenticeship Programme was a key factor in jury's decision at the 2008 IPRA Golden World Awards held recently in London to give the Travel & Tourism Excellence Award to the Dubai Shopping Festival Office. From just four universities in two countries in 2006, the DSS Apprenticeship Programme now covers more than thirty educational institutions in nine markets.

In his winning essay, Abed-Al Nasser said:

"I would shorten the existing themed weeks and include more interactive activities. Some of the new activities I would introduce include hot air balloon rides over Dubai, massive nation-wide treasure hunt with exciting and valuable prizes, and finally, to further highlight ski Dubai as an attraction for travelers coming to Dubai during the summer."

Petra University, Vice President, Nizar Al Raiys said: "There were a number of equally suitable candidates short-listed this year, but Abed Al-Nasser stood out among the rest. He had the right skills set and the proper frame of mind to handle the challenges of this kind of program. We are confident he will be an asset to the programme and represent the Kingdom of Jordan & University with the highest calibre."

Leading South African hotel operator Southern Sun is hosting this year's students for the second consecutive year, at the Qamardeen Hotel, where students will stay for the entire two-week internship which begins on July 9, 2008. A comprehensive report and audit of their activities will be required by each student at the end of the internship as well as a comprehensive presentation of their outcome including suggestions and strategies on how to make the next edition of DSS an even more appealing event to regional and international audiences.