Ahlan! Awards Abu Dhabi 2014 winners revealed

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The winners of the Ahlan! Awards Abu Dhabi 2014 were announced yesterday during an awards party held at 01NE Yas Island, Abu Dhabi. The annual celebration presented 16 awards to Abu Dhabi’s most sought-after attractions, businesses and personalities, and were selected by Ahlan! readers through nominations which were split into two phases, initially voting for a longlist and nominating again to compile the shortlist.

The winners of the Ahlan! Awards Abu Dhabi 2014 included: Best Hotel – Emirates Palace; Best Fine Dining – Zuma, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi; Best Visitor Attraction – Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque; Best Shopping Mall – Marina Mall, Abu Dhabi; Best Brunch – Friday Marina Brunch, Intercontinental, Abu Dhabi; Best Sporting Event – Abu Dhabi F1; Best Spa – Anantara Spa, Eastern Mangroves Hotel & Spa by Anantara; Best Music Event – The Rolling Stones (February 2014); Best Ladies Night – Jazz Bar & Dining, Hilton Abu Dhabi; Best Radio DJ – Kris Fade (The Kris Fade Show, Virgin Radio Dubai); Best Bar – Jazz Bar & Dining, Hilton Abu Dhabi; Best Club DJ – DJ Rabih Karam (aka DJ Angelo); Best Nightclub – 01NE, Yas Island; Best Personality – Kris Fade, Virgin Radio Dubai and Publisher’s Recognition Award – Harmeek Singh, PLAN B.

Transform Awards announces MENA finalists

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The MENA edition of Europe’s annual Transform Awards has revealed the names of the regional finalists. Those shortlisted for the 2014 Transform Awards MENA include Commercial Bank of Qatar and Industry, du, Mey (Diageo) and Landor Associates and Toyota Al-Futtain and Bellwether Brands in the ‘Best brand evolution’ category. In addition to this, entries shortlisted for ‘Best strategic/creative development of a new brand’ are; Abu Dhabi Technology Department Committee and Brand Union, Al Mutawakelah and Omnia, ARN and Brash Brands, Fundo Soberano de Angola and Grayling, Mubadala Petroleum and Omnia and The Supreme Council of Health and Agency222.

The winners will be announced at a gala dinner for the inaugural awards, which will take place on June 2, 2014 at the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai. The awards will bring together professionals from the regional branding, advertising, digital and communications sector to celebrate the most successful rebranding, repositioning and brand transformation projects in the Middle East and North Africa. The event also includes a full day conference where industry experts will talk about the implications of multi-marketing branding, the effect of Gen-Y on employer branding and the challenges and opportunities of building brands in the Middle East.

OMG wins at MENA Digital Awards 2014

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Omnicom Media Group MENA has announced wins for its agencies OMD, PHD and Resolution at the inaugural MENA Digital Awards 2014. The awards were held on April 23 as part of the Digital Media Forum 2014, and were located at the One & Only Royal Mirage, Dubai. The MENA Digital Awards are fully dedicated to excellence in the digital sector, and judged by an independent panel recognising achievements in planning, creativity, innovation and effectiveness.

Together, the three agencies received 16 of the 36 awards, which were categorised gold, silver and bronze. OMD’s work won gold in the ‘Best Use of Video’, ‘Best Use of Social Media’ and ‘Best Integrated Digital Campaign’ categories for work with Pepsi, along with a further three silver and two bronze trophies for 7UP, Pepsi and Persil.

Resolution won a total of seven awards, including gold in the ‘Best Integrated Digital Campaign’ for The X Factor Arabia and ‘Best Use of Mobile’ for HTC, jointly with OMD. The digital marketing agency was also awarded silver in the ‘Best Application (mobile/tablet)’ category for The X Factor Arabia, and bronze in ‘The Best Use of Social Media’, ‘Best Search Marketing Campaign’ and ‘Best Performance Campaign’ categories for MasterChef Arabia, beIN Sports (joint with OMD) and Hyatt Hotels and Resorts (jointly with PHD).

PHD received gold in the ‘Best Use of Mobile’ for its work on Sony’s Xperia Z.

“Credible specialist digital awards were long overdue in the region, and we applaud the creation of the MENA Digital Awards to recognise the best in digital marketing across all facets,” says Elie Khouri, CEO, Omnicom Media Group MENA. “Digital has never been a side show for us and the performance of our group in this field has been comprehensively demonstrated. I congratulate all our awarded teams and clients on this achievement and look forward to continuing this trend in the coming years.”

Winners of Dubai Lynx Awards 2014 announced

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The winners of the Dubai Lynx International Festival of Creativity 2014 have been announced, following last night’s lavish gala awards ceremony. With eight international juries judging from a total of 2,279 entries in 15 Awards categories, 503 were shortlisted with a total of 207 awards presented. Sponsored by Motivate Publishing and Choeiri Group, the Dubai Lynx Awards ceremony was held at the Madinat Arena, Madinat Jumeirah.

Memac Ogilvy Dubai was awarded the Agency of the Year title, with Starcom Mediavest Group winning Media Agency of the Year, and the Network of the Year was awarded to Ogilvy & Mather.

Kairo, Cairo were given the title of Independent Agency of the Year, while Land Rover was presented with the Advertiser of the Year award. The Lynx Palm Award, given to the most awarded Production Company in the Film or Film Craft sections, was won by Dé Ja Vu, Dubai.

The individual award for Dubai Lynx Advertising Person 2014, was awarded to Eddie Moutran, Chairman and CEO of Memac Ogilvy Group MENA.

Winners announced for Arab Woman Awards KSA

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The Arab Woman Awards KSA 2014 winners were honoured at a red carpet gala reception held at the Faisaliah Hotel in Riyadh. The awards ceremony was attended by over 300 women from the Kingdom. This ceremony marks the first ever Arab Woman Awards to be held in KSA, however the awards have been held in three other GCC countries in the past five years including; the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait and Qatar. The awards taking place in Saudi Arabia this year, aim to provide a culturally acceptable platform to recognise sixteen inspirational winners from diverse industries including Business, Education, Literature, Entrepreneurship, Humanitarian, Art and Fashion.

“Since launching in the UAE in 2009, the Arab Woman Awards have recognised some of the region’s most outstanding women and provided a platform for further achievements,” says HRH Princess Reema Bandar Al Saud, patron of the Arab Woman Awards KSA 2014. “Accordingly, it was an honour to be asked to be the patron of the inaugural Arab Woman Awards in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. I am pleased to see these awards highlighting the endeavors of many hardworking Saudi women in their various fields, and also providing inspiration for the next generation of young Saudi women.’’

Established in 2009 by ITP Consumer, the Arab Woman Awards are now held annually in the UAE, Qatar, Kuwait now Saudi Arabia.

BBC Good Food winners announced

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The fourth annual BBC Good Food Middle East Awards took place on Wednesday evening at The Address, Dubai Marina. New category winners included Best New Restaurant, Doha, which was awarded to Market by Jean Georges, W Doha Hotel & Residences, Best Seafood Restaurant, which went to Bice Mare, and Best Experiential Dining, which was awarded to The Act Dubai.

“This year’s awards were a resounding success, with everyone who attended – not just the winners – having had a great time,” says Sudeshna Ghosh, Editor of BBC Good Food Middle East magazine. “The results were a mix of some surprise winners as well as some long-time favourites coming out on top.”

For a full list of winners, visit http://www.cpievents.net/bbcgf-awards-2013/2013-award-winners/

OMD named Media Network/Agency of the Year

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OMD, part of the Omnicom Media Group, has been named the Media Agency/Network of the Year by Communicate and Campaign Middle East as revealed in both magazines’ latest editions. Consolidating business wins from the previous year as well as retaining or securing 14 new ones in 2013 has demonstrated the value of OMD’s first-mover advantage in digital, performance, social and mobile marketing, as well as analytics.

“OMD has thrived on its culture of innovation and challenging the status quo. This approach has served us well and it keeps on giving,” comments Elie Khouri, CEO of Omnicom Media Group MENA. “It is the relentless spirit among the team that propels OMD upward and forward. Being the media agency of the year is something we aim to achieve every day on every one of our accounts.

DABO & CO continues winning streak at MEPRAs

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Integrated communications agency DABO & CO added three further MEPRA awards to its already impressive tally at last night’s fifth Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) Awards. The latest awards sweep takes the company’s total MEPRA awards tally to 15 since the annual event was launched in 2009. Past awards include ‘Agency of the Year’ in 2010 and ‘Mid-Sized Agency of the Year’ in 2012.

DABO & CO triumphed with three awards out of the four categories entered picking up Best Integrated Campaign – DABO & CO & Marriott International: ‘The Launch of the JW Marriott Marquis’, Best Use of Media Relations Consumer or Trade: ‘Canon at Gulf Print 2013’ and Best Practice Consumer Goods: ‘kate spade new york’.

“The annual MEPRA Awards is a major highlight for us as an agency and we are thrilled to have walked away with three awards in recognition of our integrated and results-driven approach to communications,” says Managing Partner, Camilla d’Abo. “Yesterday’s MEPRA awards were the perfect celebration of an industry that has come of age. In light of yesterday’s Dubai Expo 2020 win, the Middle East’s PR industry is on the threshold of an amazing period in its evolution and I am confident that this will bring further opportunities to showcase world-class campaigns emerging from the region.”

Jason Leavy, Managing Director, added: “The 2013 MEPRA wins are the perfect way to round off another exceptional year for the agency. Not only have we recently moved to new state-of-the-art offices to accommodate our continued growth, but we have a stronger than ever talent pool combining exceptional local talent alongside international industry heavy weights, and we are looking forward to an even better 2014.”

Ketchum dominates Healthcare at MEPRA Awards

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For the second consecutive year, Ketchum Raad dominated the healthcare sector at the Middle East Public Relations Association (MEPRA) Awards held last night. The event recognised the Ketchum Raad ME team as Best Practice in Healthcare & Services for their partnership with AstraZeneca Gulf on the Safe@Heart campaign.

The campaign, targeted at Gulf Nationals who are at risk of heart disease, those who have been diagnosed with a heart condition or those who have had a heart attack, has resulted in over 5400 people taking part in heart health screenings and hundreds signing up for a 12 week programme that encourages them to make easy yet impactful changes in their daily habits to benefit their health.

“Healthcare is a packed space with a lot of important messages vying for an opportunity to be heard,” says Nicola Gregson, Managing Director Ketchum Raad Middle East. “Campaigns need to be intelligent, strategic and extremely well executed to capture the media’s attention and reach their target audience. I couldn’t be more proud of my team for their success with Safe@Heart. We are expanding our healthcare offering in 2014 and look forward to partnering with our existing and future clients to deliver even more impactful and effective communications across the sector.”

Abigail Dawson, Account Director and Regional Healthcare Lead at Ketchum Raad Middle East added, “This is the second year in a row we have received the Best Practice Healthcare and Services award and we are truly proud to be taking it home again. Projects like Safe@Heart are the reason we are in communications. As a healthcare team, we are genuinely passionate about working with our clients to help them achieve their business goals as well as communicate with patients and customers and empower them to change their lives positively.”

What’s On Dubai 2013 Awards winners announced

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There was a lot to celebrate last night at What’s On Magazine‘s twelfth annual What’s On Awards held at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre. Not only was the magazine celebrating its 35th birthday, but it was also announced during the glamorous event that Dubai was indeed successful in its bid for the Expo 2020.

And the winners were…

RESTAURANTS
British – Above Dhs400 Rivington Bar & Grill, Souk Al Bahar

British – Below 400 London Fish & Chips, Independent

Brunch – Above 400 Bubbalicious, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina

Brunch – Below 400 The Grand Grill, Habtoor Grand Hotel

Café Pantry Café , Independent

Chinese – Above 400 Shang Palace, Shangri-la Hotel, Dubai

Chinese – Below 400 Chopstix, Marco Polo Hotel

French – Above 400 La Petite Maison, Independent

French – Below 400 Oscar’s Vine Society, Crowne Plaza Dubai

Indian – Above 400 Indego by Vineet, Grosvenor House Dubai

Indian – Below 400 Qureshi’s Kebab & Kurry, The Country Club Hotel

International – Above 400 Kitchen 6, JW Marriott Marquis Hotel

International – Below 400 Horizon, Amwaj Rotana  – Jumeirah Beach Residence

Italian – Above 400 BiCE, Hilton Dubai Jumeirah

Italian – Below 400 Da Vinci’s, Millennium Airport Hotel

Japanese – Above 400 Okku, The H Hotel

Japanese – Below 400 Benihana-Steakhouse, Sushi and Seafood, Amwaj Rotana – Jumeirah Beach Residence

Middle Eastern – Above 400 Levantine, Atlantis The Palm Hotel

Middle Eastern – Below 400 The Courtyard, Al Manzil Hotel

Modern European – Above 400 Table 9 By Nick And Scott, Hilton Dubai Creek

Modern European – Below 400 The Farm, Independent

Pakistani – Below 400 Karachi Darbar, Independent

Pub Grub The Irish Village, Independent

Pan Asian – Above 400 Karma Kafé, Independent

Pan Asian – Below 400 Kitakits Kafe & Klubb, Marco Polo Hotel

Seafood – Above 400 BiCE Mare, Independent

Seafood – Below 400 Fish Market, Radisson Blu Hotel, Dubai Deira Creek

Steakhouse and Grill – Above 400 West 14th, Oceana Beach Club, Palm Jumeirah

Steakhouse and Grill – Below 400 Butcher’s Shop and Grill, Independent

Thai- Above 400 Thai Kitchen, Park Hyatt Dubai

Thai – Below 400 Royal Orchid, Independent

The Americas Above 400 Claw BBQ Crabshack & Grill, Souk Al Bahar, Independent

The Americas – Below 400 Fatburger, Independent

MUSIC AND NIGHTLIFE
Bar Barasti, The Westin Dubai Mina Seyahi Beach Resort & Marina

Club Night Audio Tonic, 360

Ladies’ Night Aquara Lounge, Dubai Marina Yacht Club

NightClub Mahiki, Jumeirah Beach Hotel

Concert Bruno Mars

DJ Marco Smokingroove

Festival Sandance

SPORT AND OUTDOOR
Sporting Events Emirates Dubai Rugby Sevens

Fitness Clubs United Pro Sports

HAIR AND NAILS
Hair Salon JetSet

Nails N Bar

Spa Beauty Connection Spa