DSF 2004 Innovation, Journalism and Ideal Arab Mother and Family Awards given at glittering Closing Ceremony

HH General Sheikh Mohammed also gave Certificates of Appreciation to representatives of Patrons, Key Sponsors and Support Sponsors.

HE Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayam, Executive Chairman, Ports, Customs and Free Zone Corporation and member of the DSF Supreme Committee, spoke on behalf of the DSF Supreme Committee and said, "This evening, we gather both to celebrate the end of the 9th Dubai Shopping Festival, which has spread the message of love and harmony around this globe, and to showcase the achievements of the people of the United Arab Emirates to the entire world."

"For more than a month, Dubai has become the focal point of this world, and the people of this great country have, through their commitment to its unique cultural and artistic activities, helped attract the people of the world to the banks of the Creek. The people of our country have succeeded in showcasing the glorious heritage of UAE to the world. This unique human gathering that our country hosts every year during the DSF is not only a matter of joy, but is also a major achievement towards realising our goals of living together in harmony, with the diverse cultures of so many different communities present in this truly cosmopolitan country."

"This reflects the wishes of the President, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, and His Highness Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of UAE and Ruler of Dubai", he said.

"Dubai Shopping Festival continues on its steady pace of growth year after year, based on the vision of His Highness General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum and has now become a global model demonstrating how the people of this world can live together and continually strive for innovation and new development."

"This year again, the private sector and the Government Departments worked together in a powerful partnership to enhance the appeal of the festival for the benefit of all. The increase in the number of key sponsors and the growing number of companies actively participating the festival is an indicator of the growth of our tourism and retail sectors, two vital resources for our national economy.

He made special mentions of the contributions of the nation's Government departments, who have complemented their strengths and abilities to make the event an overwhelming success, as well as the youth of the nation, who brought out their creative talents in bringing smiles to people's faces and earning applause for the UAE. He praised the efforts of each committee that had put in so much time and effort to ensure the smooth running of the festival, and the good cooperation between the various committees.

"We must also highlight the efforts of the media representatives, who covered all the aspects and activities of the DSF, reflecting its theme, 'One World, One Family, One Festival', in a very transparent manner", he said.

HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, President of the Department of Civil Aviation, Chairman of Emirates Group and Chairman of the DSF Supreme Committee, was invited on stage to hand out the 'Innovation Awards', which celebrates the spirit of competition and excellence in providing the best to Dubai and its visitors. BurJuman Centre won the Best Shopping Mall Innovation category and Deira City Centre won the Best Shopping Mall Décor Innovation Award. Century Mall won the award for Best Shopping Mall Event Innovation.

The Gold & Jewellery Group won the Best Retail Promotion Innovation Award. Best Retailing Visual Merchandising Innovation Award was won by Paris Gallery, while Rivoli won the Best Retail Service Innovation Award. The Department of Naturalisation and Residency in Dubai won the award for Best City Event Innovation.

HH Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum also gave out the Awards for the participants at the DSF mega attraction, the Global Village. This year, with 38 international pavilions and a whole range of improved attractions and services within its walls, the Global Village saw record numbers of visitors, and was a huge success. The Iranian Pavilion at the Global Village won the Best Pavilion Design Award and the Saudi Pavilion won the award for Best Pavilion Management and Services. The Pakistani Pavilion was awarded for the Best Cultural Representation of a Country.

Journalists, the ambassadors of Dubai Shopping Festival to the larger world, are feted every year for their outstanding contributions to the promotion of the festival and UAE. This year too, the international jury had a tough time selecting the winners of each category. HH Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Minister for Information and Culture, personally handed over the awards to each of the winners.

For the English language stories, Rajeev Nair, of Gulf Today, won the 'Best Feature Award' for his story- All that Razzle-Dazzle- and Linda George of Khaleej Times won the 'Best Report Award' for her story- To son with love. The award for Pan Arab English Feature went to Mr. K. Ravindran of Daily Star, Lebanon, for his story titled 'Dubai Shopping Festival spreads Dubai's fame far and wide'.

The 'Best Report in Arabic- UAE' was won by Abdul Rahman Ismail of Al Bayan newspaper for his work- 'DSF helps realize the dreams of the less fortunate'. The winner of the 'Best Feature in Arabic- UAE' was Yousef Abou Loz, of Al Khaleej, for his feature, 'Dubai is a nurturing ground disguised as a City'. For Best Arabic Feature from the GCC region, the Award went to Badi Al Badrani of Al Madina newspaper, Saudi Arabia, for his work, titled 'Dubai Festival ignites the competition within the GCC and Arab Tourism Authorities'.

The award for Best Feature in the Pan Arab sector went to Hussain Hammadneh for his work- Dubai Shopping Festival is a wonderful and comprehensive painting- that ran in Addustour newspaper, Jordan. Maen Al Bayari won the award for the Best Pan Arab Report format for his story- Art and Culture create joy and human interaction- in Al Ra'ai newspaper in Jordan.

In the Best Photograph category, the jury had selected two winners, both from Gulf News. The awards went to Atiq-Ur Rahman for his photo of the DSF 2004 Opening Ceremony and to Sankha Kar for his picture of the Bungee jumper over Dubai Creek.

The award for Best Overall Coverage in English went to Khaleej Times and for Best Coverage in Arabic, to Al Khaleej. Al Bayan Newspaper won the Best Layout Award.

HH General Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and UAE Minister of Defence handed over the Certificates of Appreciation for the efforts of the Key Sponsors and Patrons. Their innovative ideas have contributed to the overall success of the festival, making them an integral part of the success story.

HH General Sheikh Mohammed handed over the certificates to Dubai Duty Free, Paris Gallery, Spinneys LLC., Al Futtaim Group, BurJuman Centre, Deira City Centre, Mashreq Bank, Al Rostamani Group, Al Zarooni Group, ENOC/EPPCO, Pepsi-Cola International- Gulf, EMAAR Properties, Visa International, Dubai Gold and Jewellery Group, Dubai Festival City, Emirates Airline, Jumbo Electronics, Emirates Bank, Al Habtoor Group and Etisalat.

HH Sheikh Mohammed also gave away the awards for the Ideal Arab Mother and Family Awards. The Ideal Arab Mother for 2004 is Ms. Maryam Ali Abdul Rahman Al Sabbagh from the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Ideal Arab Family for 2004 is the family of Mr. Abbas Ahmed Jassim Al Khezae, from Qatar.

With that, Dubai bid farewell to 32 days of joy that were enjoyed by visitors and residents of the city alike. Another feather in Dubai's cap, DSF 2004 was an improvement over its predecessors on all possible counts. Promising to come back in 2005 with as much innovation and uniqueness as can be packed in, the curtains fell on Dubai Shopping Festival 2004.