Dubai Summer Surprises reveals winners of 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 the third batch of DSS apprentices are: Rana Al Amoudi, Effat College, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; Stuart Dalmedo, Kingston University, United Kingdom; Hani Dalloul, Qatar University, Qatar; Hasna Sultan, Modern College for Business & Science, Oman; Violla Bader, American University in Kuwait, Kuwait; Mazen Salameh, Lebanese American University, Lebanon; Abed Al Nasser Dahbour, Petra University, Jordan; Hadia Saraya, American University in Cairo, Egypt; and Sana Hmoud, Ahlia University, Bahrain.

'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.

Each of the nine interns were asked to write an essay on how they can make DSS better next year.

In her winning essay, Rana from KSA said: 'I would use the Internet as a key vehicle to drive higher traffic to DSS and ensure that a wider audience base is reached through this growing and extremely powerful tool.'

Stuart from the United Kingdom said: 'I would add a Music Surprises Week to ensure that global celebrities including Bon Jovi, Abba, and Phil Collins among others are present during the summer spectacle truly enforcing its position as a global event. I would also use the period from January to April to promote and market the extravaganza globally by having a dedicated team tour key European and Asian markets highlighting DSS further.'

Along the same lines, Violla from Kuwait suggested: 'I would invite the best of international performers and celebrities to participate in the summer spectacle giving DSS an even wider global exposure and angle.' She would also like to add another week, saying 'I would further add Animal Week, as part of the surprises which would serve to educate the public on the various types of species available in our region proving to be educational, yet entertaining at the same time.'

Meanwhile, Hasna from Oman said, 'I would ensure that more activities are created which revolve around the bonding of children and families in an exciting and educational environment in the form of competitions, games, and quiz shows for the entire family.'

The same strategy was suggested by Hani from Qatar, although his additional themed week would highlight different stages of Dubai's development. 'I would like to introduce a week that reflects the past, present, and future of the city of Dubai further highlighting the growth and development of the Emirate to arriving tourists during Dubai Summer Surprises,' he added.

Mazen from Lebanon took on the role of enhancing the appeal of DSS by 'highlighting the humanitarian angle that Dubai initiates and supports with the theme of: 'Let's Celebrate for Peace'. I would also have a Health Surprise week which would focus on creating awareness around health concerns such as Obesity, Stress, Diabetes, among others.'

Adopting a slightly different strategy, Abed-Al Nasser from Jordan suggested focusing more interactive and recreation opportunities in Dubai: '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.'

Hadia from Egypt set her sights on a global and comprehensive marketing communications campaign to ensure optimum awareness of DSS among its target audience. 'I would intensify my Advertising & PR plan to ensure that DSS is top of mind among various groups across the globe. The campaign will ensure that the period leading to DSS is used to highlight the key activities that are going to be taking place during the summer spectacle.'

A suggestion echoed by Sana from Bahrain, except that her campaign would be focused on travel partners. She said, 'I would continue highlighting DSS as a global event through global tour operators and travel agents to ensure that potential travellers are excited about the summer spectacle.'

The interns will be spending an intensive on-the-job training during Dubai Summer Surprises running from June 19 - August 22, 2008. They will witness, evaluate, 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.

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.