Dubai Ladies Club announces 2005 achievements at first annual board meeting

The Club also announced that it had a successful year in terms of managing operating expenses and making the club a specialized center for developing the abilities of Emirati women and promoting their role in enhancing society.

HH Sheikha Manal Bint Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, wife of HH Sheikh Mansour Bin Zayed Al Nahyan and President of Dubai Ladies Club praised the employees of DLC for their hard work and dedication, and encouraged them to work harder in developing the club's mission.

DLC's vision is to enhance the capabilities of national women in different fields and to help women move towards the path of development and success.

Her Highness assured that the club's strategy is to reinforce the level that women have reached and to emphasize their abilities in various fields, in line with the mission of helping national women to develop and succeed.

Her remarks came at the annual Board meeting of DLC, which was attended by Mona Al Marri, Vice President of the Dubai Ladies Club, members of the Board, Sana Suhail, HR Manager, The Executive Office; Fayza Al Sayed; Hala Badri Corporate Communications Director EITC; Najla Al Awar; Aznita Aziz Operations & Project Development Manager - DLC; Khadija Al Dashash, Finance Manager - DLC, Hamama Al Falasi, Events Coordinator - DLC.

Her Highness added that the club would continue to provide a variety of activities, and would continue to be a place available for women of different nationalities to develop their talents, and enhance their physical and mental capabilities.

Her Highness also pointed out that the achievements that the DLC achieved in 2005 provided a window of opportunities for the club to create more programs that will enhance the role of Emirati women role in society.

During the meeting the members discussed the achievements of the club in 2005 which played a role in expanding facilities to incorporate the new social, educational and entertainment activities.

The club expanded its facilities in 2005 by opening a "Café Moka" a restaurant/coffee shop, "Le Mystique studio" photography shop, sport supply store "Pro Shop" and "Emirates Hobbies" an art shop. The Club also arranged for outdoor mupies through "Emirates Neon".

Due to the flexibility and variety of membership plans, the club succeeded in increasing its number of members by 37% throughout 2005. The total number of members has now reached approximately 2000 members. Options in membership schemes that contributed to the increase included weekend memberships, two month memberships and student memberships.

In 2005 the Arts Centre provided various artistic training courses which were supervised by professionals. These professionals took part in encouraging women to strengthen their talents in various fields such as pottery fashion design, Arabic and English language courses, and many more activities.

The coordination between the Arts centre and the Health Centre activities, especially during Ramadhan, enhanced and developed the role of the DLC as a cultural and social center.

It was also announced at the meeting that 5% of the revenues in 2005 were linked to increased efforts by the Health Centre in creating and supporting new initiatives such as support groups for children eczema, and Down Syndrome patients.

The 'Al Asala Spa' contributed to 160% of the revenues with a 40% increase in members. The spa is famous for providing high quality services, and an ideal environment for a healthy lifestyle.

The DLC's Board of Directors also discussed the future developments for 2006, and the role of the members in enhancing the Club's position in society. The Board discussed new business plans to activate the club's role and make it a hub for woman to develop their social bonds and talents, as well as satisfying all their needs.