Grand celebrations to mark the final day of Global Village

People in great numbers are expected to grace the occasion and say adieu to the grand event which is all set to end with a bang as the organisers give final touches to a host of celebrations planned for the occasion. This Friday, March 3 is all set to be a memorable day in this 11th edition of Global Village.

It is said that all good things must come to an end and Global Village is no exception. It's time to wind up yet another resplendent episode of this mega carnival and say adieu to the numerous guests from all parts of the world who made Dubai their home through the tenure of the Global Village. They brought with them glimpses of their countries and cultures for all visitors to see and experience. The organisers of the pavilions contributed immensely to the success of this mega event engraving its memories on the minds of the visitors forever.

Until the next time visitors will miss the fun and frolic offered at the grand facility. As the authorities gear up to prepare for the next edition they wait for a bigger and grander event for the next edition. Ibrahim Abdul Rahim, Director of Global Village looking back in retrospect was very happy with the success of the event. He appreciated the contribution of the various Government Departments and the sponsors who played key roles in bringing the event to such a grand stature. Especially the Global Village team which worked with complete dedication and earnest team spirit to ensure the success of the event. Organising an event of such mega scale is no mean task and all credit goes to the seamless integration between Global Village team and the various departments associated with it for the successful completion of the event.

Ibrahim Abdul Rahim, promised visitors to the Global Village a string of exciting events tomorrow to mark the final day of the event. People can look forward to a impressive closing ceremony as a befitting farewell to the mega carnival that ends on Friday, March 3, 2006. There are lots of surprises and panoply of prizes and raffles awaiting the visitors on the closing day. A fun-filled party is also planned to make the experience memorable for everyone. The hour-long party starts at 9pm on Friday and everyone is invited to join in the fun. You have a chance to win a villa in Jumeirah Beach Residence if you participate in the raffle draw.

The Global Village director said, 'Next time we hope to see an even bigger Global Village. We are planning to extend its marketing and promotion overseas to enter new markets such as Germany, Britain and Russia besides India, which is a very big market for us.'

He assured that the Global Village is all set to be a major tourist attraction and people would even go to the extent of changing their travel plans based on the schedules of this mega carnival such is its future potential.
A record number people visiting the Global Village this time round during 129 day of Global Village despite the mourning period reiterates its success and shows its popularity, added Ibrahim.

Laila Al Jassim, Operations Manager at Global Village, who had the privilege to get direct feedback from visitors said, 'The success of Global Village in most simple terms is attributed to the collective work and seamless integration of the various departments and organisers.'

Laila is one of the young Emarati faces who was associated very closely with Global Village throughout its entire run considers that because the team of eight members who were running the show behind the scenes enjoyed their work and were highly enthusiastic about the project Global Village turned out to be such a successful event. 'Despite long working hours and hard work we all enjoyed our tenure here and loved every moment of it. It's our love for Dubai and our dedication for the country that inspired us to work with earnest commitment,' she added.

She also mentioned that Global Village will see off its visitors with some thrilling fireworks and competitions to be held at the facility. The programme will be aired live on 'Multaqa Dubai' by Sama Dubai TV. The programme will witness a draw for a Chevrolet car and the grand draw of the Jumairah Beach Residence Villa.

Regarding the plans of the next event Laila said, 'We will bring in more participants from various countries. The next Global Village starts on December 13, 2006 and will continue till February 9, 2007. We intend to add new events and lots of stage shows as well.'

Khalid Al Shafar, Marketing Manager of Global Village spoke about the marketing success and the marketing plans prepared to achieve exactly the intended objectives. He said that the promotion campaign was limited to the local market while the Gulf marketing was done through the newspapers and magazines besides advertising on electronic sites, which resulted in more than 45,000 visitors visiting the Global Village website. He expected the visitors numbers to hit two million from more than 100 nationalities from within and outside UAE.

He considered that the mechanisms of marketing as well as the workers' capabilities were the basis of success despite the sad demise of the Ruler of Dubai and the mourning period of 40 days. Yet Global Village survived and did extremely well by welcoming record number of guests.

Hussain Kaswani, Project Manager, said that the team worked extensively in various areas beyond its capacity because the success of the event was a top priority for the workers. He added his main job was to distribute the pavilions, restaurants and kiosks and to make sure that they conformed with the specifications and safety standards mentioned in the GV contract.
He said that the purchase capacity of the visitors was great as the exhibited merchandise cannot be found anywhere else. Also the fact that the Global Village was away from the traffic congestion of the city contributed in attracting large number of tourists.

Walid Al Maghrabi, Assistant Sales Manager, held a vast portfolio of duties including the responsibility to lease locations and coordinating with the key sponsors. Despite all the sweat and hardwork he adores his job and loves many duties in the Village which start before months before the opening he adores his job and has no complaints whatsoever.

Walid said that the popularity of Global Village which has reached new countries which resulted in greater turnout of visitors. According to him the success of an event depends on the organisation and high degree of management which came through very well in Global Village.

The Global Village 2006 which is on until March 3, 2006 is open to the public all throughout from 4pm to 12am daily and until 1am on Wednesday and Thursday and is sponsored by Americana, Chevrolet, Cool&Cool, Emirates Bank, London Dairy, Aquafina, Cellucom and Pepsi.