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Flash Entertainment unveils Yasalam

  • United Arab Emirates: Monday, September 28 - 2009 at 14:55
  • PRESS RELEASE

Flash Entertainment, the Abu Dhabi-based events company, today launched one of the most diverse and ambitious city-wide entertainment programmes ever seen by a Formula 1 host city.

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  • John Lickrish, Managing Director, Flash Entertainment with Richard Cregan, CEO, Yas Marina Circuit and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management.
    John Lickrish, Managing Director, Flash Entertainment with Richard Cregan, CEO, Yas Marina Circuit and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management.
Yasalam, meaning 'wow' or 'amazing' in Arabic, will spread excitement across Abu Dhabi throughout October as the country leads up to its biggest ever sporting event - the 2009 Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Yasalam's dynamic line-up of entertainment and events will spread from the Corniche and beach right across the city, taking in schools, universities, shopping malls, hotels, Abu Dhabi International Airport and Yas Island itself. The programme is based on three elements - Yasalam Live on the Corniche, Yasalam Live across the City, and Yasalam Live on Yas Island - which will see Abu Dhabi come alive with community programmes in universities and public locations, live events, exhibitions and entertainment on Abu Dhabi Corniche. A line-up of some of the biggest names in music will also be performing live, exclusively for race-day ticket holders, on Yas Island.

Speaking at the launch, John Lickrish, Managing Director of Flash Entertainment, said:

"Flash is incredibly excited to be launching this ground breaking programme of events and entertainment. Yasalam has been designed to appeal to all ages, backgrounds and nationalities, so whether you're a motorsport fan or not, from the UAE or overseas, there will be lots of exciting things for you to do in Abu Dhabi this October. The climax to the Formula 1 season deserves something very special to accompany it and we most certainly will be providing this with Yasalam."


Ossama Khoreibi, Chairman of Flash Entertainment reiterated two important points: the importance of Yasalam as a programme the nation could be proud of, and a celebration of the ongoing stature and growth of the UAE capital.

"Yasalam will offer residents and visitors to Abu Dhabi a unique experience which will be unmatched by any host city, anywhere in the world. Yasalam is also more than just entertainment - it is a celebration of our diverse and beautiful city and further proof, if any were needed, that Abu Dhabi has arrived as a truly international destination for entertainment and leisure. Yasalam will help to create a legacy for the entire country to enjoy for years to come," he said.

At the heart of Yasalam will be 'Live on the Corniche' - a free entertainment programme running on Abu Dhabi Corniche from 16 October through to 1 November featuring:
o The very first official F1 Fan Zone Abu Dhabi, brought to the city by Mubadala, will be open daily for two weeks and will feature exciting motorsport-themed entertainment including simulators, pit stop challenges, special appearances by drivers and live coverage from the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Brazil and the season finale from the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi.
o The Yasalam Brazilian Parade will see local school children, performers and a marching band celebrate on the beach before the final race from the Brazilian Grand Prix.
o Cinema by the Sea, brought to the city by Twofour54, will transform the beach into a giant outdoor cinema for three nights of favourite all-time car films from modern family hits like Cars and Herbie Fully Loaded, to classics such as Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and the iconic Italian Job.
o Beats on the Beach, brought to the city by TwoFour54, will offer five fantastic nights of free concerts on the beach, featuring a star-studded line up of local, regional and international artists. Amongst them are the likes of the UAE's very own Hussein Al Jasmi and international hip-hop superstar Timbaland, performing along with regional artists Fares Karam and Myriam Fares, and a host of DJs and bands from all over the world.
o Abu Dhabi Galleria: Past and Present sees a permanent exhibition run across the Corniche Beach boardwalk, showcasing outstanding F1 and Abu Dhabi photography through the years for residents and visitors to enjoy.
o Arabic Culture Weekend sees Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage and Flash celebrate traditional Arabic food, crafts and music on the beach throughout the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix race weekend.

Yasalam will also reach out to families, young people and students across the capital as 'Yasalam Live across the City' - co-produced by Flash and KHP Consulting Ltd - introduces two unique outreach initiatives to the people of Abu Dhabi:
o The Art of Racing will see some of the most exciting Emirati and Arabic artists customize replica F1 cars during live art events across Abu Dhabi. The stars of these events include Jalal Luqman - one of Abu Dhabi's most prominent artists, Wasel Safwan - an award-winning painter, Dana Saif Al Mazrouei - one of Abu Dhabi's finest young artists, Khalid Mezaina - known for his colorful pop art style and Mizmah - a group of six young female Emirati artists. The public can watch the artists and their wondrous work take shape live at Marina Mall, Emirates Palace, Zayed University, Abu Dhabi International Airport and on the Corniche at the F1 Fan Zone Abu Dhabi.
o Mastering Motorsport is a specially designed educational initiative focused on providing young students in Abu Dhabi with the chance to learn about careers in the industry from leading F1™ professionals including David Coulthard and Yas Marina Circuit and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management's (ADMM) CEO Richard Cregan. Held at Zayed University Auditorium, Mastering Motorsport will help students in Abu Dhabi develop a deeper knowledge and interest in motorsport, not just as an event but also as a possible career.

Katja Heim, CEO of KHP Consulting commented, "We are excited to be working in Abu Dhabi alongside Flash in developing these engaging community programmes. Activities such as The Art of Racing and Mastering Motorsport have been designed to entertain the people of Abu Dhabi, allowing them to understand, embrace and be proud of hosting a round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship."

The final element of the programme will see Yasalam culminate with four nights of spectacular after-race concerts on Yas Island over the race weekend - exclusively for Grand Prix ticket holders. Held at the soon to be opened Ferrari World, Flash has confirmed that Beyonce (Thursday 29 October) and Aerosmith (Sunday 1 November) will open and close the race weekend. Further announcements on the Friday and Saturday shows will be made by Flash in the coming days.
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Notes and media contacts

Flash Entertainment - www.thinkflash.ae:
Based in Abu Dhabi, Flash Entertainment is the region's leading events consultancy, with a proven track record in delivering world-class events from movie premieres and classical shows to international tennis tournaments and megastar music concerts. Flash offers comprehensive event management solutions from concepts and designs through to coordinating every stage of production.

Flash Entertainment is playing a major role in the Emirate's evolution as a leading leisure destination. The Flash team is behind some of the most high profile events in the region, having successfully organised concerts from a range of artists including Justin Timberlake, Bon Jovi, Elton John, Christina Aguilera, George Michael & Alicia Keys, Shakira, Coldplay and Andrea Bocelli. Flash has also provided executional support to companies across Abu Dhabi staging the world premiere of the film Journey to Mecca on behalf of the Abu Dhabi Media Company and producing the three day beach festival, WOMAD, for the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture & Heritage. In January 2009, Flash launched the Capitala World Tennis Championship which saw six of the world's top male players compete in Abu Dhabi. The event has gone on to win awards and widespread critical acclaim and preparations for its second year are underway.

KHP Consulting:
KHP Consulting is an international marketing and communications agency with the unique combination of a boutique agency with a global reach. Established in 1985 in Munich by Katja Heim and based in London with offices in Paris, Bahrain and Munich, KHP specialises in sponsorship exploitation and acquisition, media relations, hospitality and event management. KHP has been operating mostly in Formula One and other sports such as the America's Cup and Commonwealth Games.

KHP has been an integral force behind the development of Formula One from a purist motorsport activity to the lifestyle sport it is today. More recently KHP has won clients in lifestyle and business events. The KHP client portfolio includes: Bahrain International Circuit, Union Properties, F1 in Schools, Gulf Finance House, Bahrain Ministry of Industry and Commerce, Bahrain Financial Harbour, McGregor, RUF Automobile, Ilmor GP, BMW Oracle Racing, Commercial Bank Qatar, Nestle, Credit Suisse, German Grand Prix - Hockenheim, ADMM, ASPIRE and the Malaysian Grand Prix.

About Mubadala Development Company:
Mubadala Development Company (Mubadala) is a catalyst for the economic diversification of Abu Dhabi. Established and owned by the Government, the company's strategy is built on the management of long-term, capital-intensive investments that deliver strong financial returns and tangible social benefits for the Emirate.

Mubadala brings together and manages a multi-billion dollar portfolio of local, regional, and international investments. The company partners with leading global organizations to operate businesses across a wide range of industry sectors including aerospace, energy and industry, healthcare, information communications and technology, infrastructure and real estate. By doing so, Mubadala accomplishes its mission to expand the economic base of the Emirate and contribute to the growth and diversification of the Abu Dhabi economy.

About twofour54:
twofour54 is an Abu Dhabi government initiative and an integral part of its 2030 plan, which seeks to diversify the Emirate's economy and establish the Emirate as the cultural capital of the Middle East. twofour54's vision is to establish a sustainable Arabic media and entertainment content creation industry in Abu Dhabi; a regional centre of excellence which is internationally renowned. The aim is to stimulate creative and professional partnerships in the film, broadcast, on-line media, TV, gaming, publishing and music industries.

The company provides a collaborative and supportive ecosystem that will allow the establishment of a world-class media industry for the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The focus is on developing Arabic media and entertainment content by Arabs and for the Arab audience. twofour54 delivers its advanced cohesive infrastructure through three key pillars: twofour54 tadreeb (the training academy), twofour54 ibtikar (innovation and support) and twofour54 intaj (state-of-the-art production facilities) supported by business enabler twofour54 tawasol (one-stop-shop).

twofour54 has already attracted several of the region and world's largest and most influential content creation companies, including CNN, BBC, Thomson Foundation, Rotana Studios, Financial Times, Abu Dhabi Media Company, imagenation, C Sky Pictures, Thomson Reuters Foundation, Flash, PyraMedia, Getmo Arabia, Experience Media Studios and Baynounah Media Company. Each of these partners has recognised the vast opportunity that the Arab world represents for growth and has committed significant investment and resources to business initiatives that will be led out of twofour54.

The name twofour54 is taken from Abu Dhabi's geographical coordinates, which are latitude 24 north, longitude 54 east. This name was chosen to symbolise Abu Dhabi's strategic position within the Middle East, which makes it the ideal location for the centre of excellence for content creation in the Arab region.

F1 Fan Zone Abu Dhabi:
F1 Fan Zone's inner city public event - the world's largest, most diverse and exciting motorsport experience - is an outdoor festival which launches in Abu Dhabi from October 16 - November 1, 2009.

In addition to providing live coverage of the weekend race on large outdoor screens, the F1 Fan Zone activities will include a Pit-Stop Challenge, Simulator Competition and a KidZone. The F1 Fan Zone will also host a series of exciting live performances, feature guests and international DJs.

This free to the public event will take place on a 400 square metre area of the Abu Dhabi public beach and will be open daily from 2pm till midnight.


Contact:
Four Communications
T: +971 55 980 6679 / +971 55 985 3366

or

KHP Consulting
T: 050 466 1368

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