Expose Communications has signed new PR client, Lola B Design. Founded by renowned interior decorator and furniture designer Lola Beuyukian, Lola B Design creates bespoke furniture pieces blending modern and contemporary influences with a European touch.
”We’re excited to add Lola B Design to our expanding list of international home and interior accounts,” says Dana Abdelhadi, Director of Expose Communications.
There’s only a few days left to nominate your favourite brands for this year’s BBC Good Food Middle East Awards 2013 . Nominations close on September 30, and voting for the shortlisted venues runs from October 15-November 15. The fourth annual BBC Good Food Middle East Awards will be held at The Address, Dubai Marina on January 29, 2014.
Three new categories have been added this year – Best New Restaurant, Doha, Best Seafood Restaurant and Best Experiential Dining (a restaurant that offers a unique entertainment experience along with great food).
“The BBC Good Food Middle East awards are getting bigger and better each year, both in terms of its scope and its importance to the industry,” says Sudeshna Ghosh, Editor of BBC Good Food Middle East magazine. “This year’s awards sees the introduction of exciting new categories and a few other surprises, and we’re looking forward to celebrating with our readers and valued partners.”
Nominate your clients or favourite brands now at www.bbcgoodfoodme.com/awards/2013.
It has been announced that Nadine Habayeb, former Senior Communication Executive at Havas PR, is the new public relations contact for Saint Laurent in the Middle East. No stranger to luxury fashion labels, Nadine previously represented brands such as Marc Jacobs, Marc by Marc, Dsquared2, Loewe and Celine, and will now be responsible for building and maintaining brand image in the region.
“It’s great to be joining the Saint Laurent team in Dubai,” says Nadine. “It is such an exciting time for the brand.”
There’s nothing quite like an internet outage to throw you off track in the first few weeks of launch, yet faced with just that, Team TMN had to think fast on our feet. Should we call customer service and wait endlessly for help, or roll up our sleeves and tackle the problem head on? After a brisk team brainstorm, we concluded there was only one thing for it… run for the hills and take refuge in the hottest new (Wifi-enabled) lunch spot in town.
What: Fraîche Café & Bistro, Jumeirah Lakes Towers
Where: Swiss Tower, Cluster Y, Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
When: Opening hours are from 8am to 10pm, seven days a week
The promise: “A modern, yet homely café & bistro delivering fresh, high quality and soul-satisfying food at affordable prices”
Did it deliver? Hot, bothered and quite visibly flustered we flung through the doors of Fraîche Café & Bistro, to be welcomed by a rather calming and relaxing vibe. As we looked across the spacious, airy and open-plan eatery, we noticed something quite different from the norm… a venue not designed with maximum covers in mind, but instead, generously spaced tables and couches offering peace and privacy. Internet restored, Team TMN went straight back to work – well, as soon as our food order was taken, obviously.
Menu choices were limited, but in a strangely welcome way. While not overly hungry, our waitress recommended the Poutine for starters – a traditional Canadian delicacy, so she said – so who were we to argue? We ordered a portion to share, followed by a selection of mains including the Ox-Cheek Cottage Pie, Twice Cooked Lamb Shoulder, Sun-Dried Tomato Stuffed Chicken Breast and the Butternut Squash Risotto. Drinks arrived swiftly and we barely even brushed on work before our starter arrived. With scenes akin to feeding time at the zoo, it seemed our eagerness to ‘share’ our starter simply demonstrated our terrible misjudgment on how good chips, gravy and cheese really can be. Mains followed which certainly didn’t disappoint – each dish was perfectly cooked, brimming with flavour and left us with a warm fuzzy feeling. While all were extremely tasty, the lamb and cottage pie proved to be the standout favourites.
The Verdict: Not only did we rescue an afternoon of work, we also discovered a hidden gem buried amongst the abundance of towers within JLT – and lucky for us – just minutes away from TMN HQ. Every cloud…
Would you like Team TMN to review your event, latest launch or product? E-mail roadtested@the-media-network.com with full details and we’ll be in touch to offer our verdict.
Seven Media has announced its latest client win, Reform Social & Grill, which is due to launch in The Lakes Club, Dubai this October. The London-based gastro bar and restaurant brand will bring a quintessentially British experience to the UAE, taking inspiration from classic British gentlemen’s clubs.
“We are extremely proud to be representing such a great British export,” says Gregg Fray, Co-Founder of Seven Media. “This is the brand’s first step into the Middle East market and we are sure it will be a great success within the community.”
Team TMN grab coffee and cake with journalist, Craig Hawes, as he gives us the low-down on his newly published book, The Witch Doctor of Umm Suqeim…
Tell us a little about yourself…
I’m a journalist who works for a men’s lifestyle magazine here in the UAE called alpha. I’ve been living and working in Dubai on and off (but mostly on) since 2003 and I’ve also written drama for BBC Radio and a short film screenplay, which was produced by TwoFour54 in Abu Dhabi.
What did you do before moving to the UAE?
I freelanced for various magazines and newspapers in my native Wales and London, but I did other jobs too to pay the rent: hospital portering, stacking shelves in supermarkets, working in a clothes shop. All excruciatingly dull at the time but I don’t regret any of it.
When did you first consider writing a book?
When I left Dubai in 2007. I spent three years intermittently working on the stories, then I came back to the UAE in 2010 with the book pretty much finished.
The book is a collection of short stories… how did the idea come about?
Quite simply, I wasn’t sure whether I’d be any good at writing fiction and was reluctant to spend a year on a novel that might never get published. I was testing the water, then ended up winning a few short story prizes and the collection grew from there. That said, I adore short stories and I read at least one collection a month.
Are the stories based on true events and experiences or pure fiction?
It’s all fiction, although it was inevitable that bits of my own life would get tangled up in the mix too. There are one or two stories that are very loosely based on newspaper stories and apocryphal expat tales. I’ll leave the readers to work out which is which.
Looking back, is there anything that you would have done differently?
No, by the time the book was published I think I’d done all I could to make it the best it could be. I’m ready for a new challenge now.
So with your first book now published, what’s next on your agenda?
BBC radio in the UK aired a play of mine last year and I enjoyed writing the script so much I’d like to get another one commissioned as soon as possible. I’ll also start on another book before the end of the year, but first I have a lot of reading to catch up on.
For others who wish to follow in your footsteps, how easy is the process of finding a publisher?
It’s hard. Getting an agent is essential if you’re sending your book to a huge publisher like Penguin or HarperCollins, but smaller independent publishers are more likely to read and consider your manuscript. The UAE isn’t the best place to start out, though, due to a dearth of book publishers. Hopefully things will improve in the coming years, but there’s no stopping writers sending their work overseas.
Do you have any tips for aspiring fiction writers?
Don’t bother trying to become a writer unless it’s a compulsion. To have completed a book and then get a publishing deal gives you a wonderful sense of achievement, especially as you’ll probably get rejected a lot at the beginning, but the financial rewards are pretty scant unless you’re a bestselling author like JK Rowling or John Grisham. Do it for the love, not the money. Read a lot and write a lot. The ratio for me is 50/50. Oh, and always have a book in your bag or pocket.
Where is your book available to purchase?
The Witch Doctor of Umm Suqeim will be available in all major UK bookstores and online on Amazon.com. Details of Dubai stockists are still to be confirmed. There will also be an eBook version coming soon.
How can people contact you for queries relating to this book launch?
They can contact Claire Hougez, the marketing manager at Parthian Books: c.hougez@gmail.com
COPIA has retained the Asprey PR account after renewing the PR contract for another year. The brand, that has developed over generations into one of the finest jewellery and luxury goods houses, first signed with COPIA in 2012.
“We are very excited to renew with Asprey for another year,” says Scarlett Woodhouse, Associate Director. “We have seen Asprey really grow within the region and can’t wait to see what the brand has in store for the year ahead.”
Middle East Communication Network (MCN), has announced the launch of Capella, a new specialised entity that will employ advanced media tools to guide strategy and improve the productivity of marketing and media spend for MCN’s client portfolio through consumer insights, research and performance analytics.
Capella was conceived to leverage the ever-increasing volumes of Big Data being generated by brands and consumers. The MENA market is a dynamic, competitive environment, making insights obtained through data analysis a crucial advantage for any advertiser. The optimisation of media spend is key in the region, and Capella will identify trends and insights that will maximise the efficiency of media transactions.
Headquartered at MCN’s Hive building in Dubai, Capella will be led by George Papandreopoulos, who transferred to the region from the New York office of Interpublic Group, MCN’s parent network. While there, he held a senior role in forecasting and intelligence at Magna Global, the strategic global media unit of IPG Mediabrands.
Elle Timms, former Editor of Hello! Middle East, has announced she is to manage the fashion and beauty content for the Condé Nast Traveller Middle East launch issue. Starting with immediate effect, Elle will manage the ‘Travel & Style’ section, which is made up of both fashion and beauty content.
“I am thrilled to be looking after the fashion and beauty content for Condé Nast Traveller Middle East,” says Elle. “This is my first major freelance project and it feels good to be back in the world of style-driven stories. I’m very much looking forward to the launch.”
COPIA has announced Vip Room as the newest client to its extensive portfolio of lifestyle brands. Vip Room, the internationally acclaimed St Tropez, Paris, Cannes Film Festival and Monaco GP nightclub brand, has redefined Dubai’s luxury nightlife scene with its launch in December 2012 in the JW Marriott Marquis Dubai, the tallest hotel in the world.
“We are very pleased to add VIP Room to our increasing portfolio of international lifestyle brands,” says Scarlett Woodhouse, Associate Director.