Business & Money | Thursday 21 February, 2019 11:23 am |

·       Given the tremendous success of the first edition, the MENALAC awards will be held in conjunction with the DEAL show to recognize and honor excellence in the MENA Leisure & Entertainment industry

·       This year, the awards has received an over whelming response with over 100 nominations in 21 categories from leisure operations in the region

·       With five new additions in the categories this year, MENALAC awards will take place on March 26, 2019 at the Ritz Carlton DIFC, Dubai.

 

 The Middle East & North Africa Leisure and Attraction Council (MENALAC) – the trade association for the Middle East and North African leisure market – has announced its annual, Leisure, Entertainment & Attractions awards on March 26, 2019 at the Ritz Carlton DIFC, Dubai. The awards will be held in conjunction with the region’s largest trade show for FEC, leisure, theme parks and amusement industries in the MENA region.

The highly coveted awards celebrating path breaking achievements in the leisure and attraction sector, this year, aims at covering all facets of the entertainment industry including cinemas and manufacturers with introduction of new award categories:

·       Best Cinema Experience

·       Best Day Out

·       Most Innovative New Product/ Installation/ Show/ Production Etc (For Any Indoor L&E Establishment)

·       Most Innovative New Product/ Installation/ Show/Production Etc. (For Any Outdoor L&E Establishment)

·       Most Innovative Application of Technology

Commenting on the launch, Prakash Vivekanand as MENALAC Secretary General, said “As tourism is soaring high in the Middle Eastern countries, the demand for amusement and leisure centers is on the rise. With such a high demand, we are seeing a surge in the development of amusement and leisure offerings in the region.  Our effort at MENALAC is to provide a platform that aims to bring into the forefront and gives credibility to the innovativeness and uniqueness that is added with each new attraction. The esteemed awards will acknowledge and reward exceptional achievements and initiatives of top centers as well as individuals setting a benchmark against global leisure and entertainment hubs simultaneously adding value to the operating standards in our region.”

Nawal Zioui MENALAC Office Manager, said “With so many developments happening in the MENA Leisure Attractions and Entertainment space, we are delighted to see the participation of over 100 key operators in the Middle East region. We have seen a greater participation this year and we are hopeful the best leisure & entertainment facilities will be recognized for their innovativeness and creativity”.

Aimed to highlight and honor excellence across 21 categories in the MENA leisure and attraction industry, MENALAC Awards has received over 100 entries from leisure operations in the region. The best theme parks, water parks, FEC’s, visitor attractions as well as the best industry practices and operational managers will all vie for glory and recognition in their specific categories on the night of the awards. The categories include:

·       Best Theme Park

·       Best FEC

·       Best Waterpark

·       Best Unique Visitor Attraction

·       Best Edutainment / Playscape

·       Best Sport / Adventure-based Entertainment

·       Best New Leisure / Entertainment concept

·       Best Sales and Marketing Campaign

·       Best CSR Program

·       Best Employees’ Engagement Initiative

·       Best Customer Loyalty Program

·       Best Innovation in Health and Safety

·       Best Establishment Manager; below 250,000 visitor / transaction

·       Best Establishment Manager; above 250,000 visitor / transaction

·       Leisure and Entertainment Personality of the year

·       MENALAC Hall of Fame

 

An independent nine-member jury comprising eminent professionals from the global leisure, retail and real estate industry will analyze the entries received, short list nominees and identify their choice to an external audit firm, Crowe, who will then collate the results and announce the winners during the gala event. In addition, the event will also see a Hall of Fame Award recognizing the contribution of an individual to the MENA leisure industry.