MIDDLE EAST
THE NINE
7
Atlantis party
$20 million dollars. That’s what the Atlantis Party cost. It generated so
much media coverage that, all things relative, the price tag was probably a
bargain. The celeb-laden event featured performances by Kylie and a list of global
stars the likes of which Dubai has never seen, and while the glamorous event cre-
ated an enviable media response, to call it a ‘stunt’ would be a bit like referring to
an Aston Martin DB7 as ‘just a car’. So we won’t.
5
Magic Planet World Championships
Mall of the Emirates
It wasn’t quite as impressive as it sounds. Last year, dozens of e-athletes and
virtual intellectuals gathered at Mall of the Emirates to pit their wits against each
other in such exploits as Sega Rally 3 and Deal or No Deal. Things got a little scary
in the Deal or No Deal line, where the prospect of cash-equivalent prizes led grown
men to argue vigorously with line-hopping kiddies.
8
Boutique 1, Jamie Cullem
“I know!” cried the pretty PR girl at PR Co. “The best and only way to promote
the opening of the new flagship Boutique 1 store is by inviting Jamie Cullem to
play at a VIP event on the Ritz-Carlton lawns!” And that is exactly what happened, but
what hacks were furiously debating the next day wasn’t the merits of running the store
opening as a cover or second feature, but whether the diminutive warbler, who wore
shades throughout and appeared to be facially bruised, had had a sneaky nose job.
9
People called Mohamed,
Dubai Shopping Festival
A surefire way to attract attention
is to hitch a lift on the Guinness World
Records bandwagon. That or take all your
clothes off and run around the pitch at a
televised sporting event. Which, thankfully,
didn’t happen at the 2003 world record-
breaking gathering of the most people called
Mohamed in one place. The Dubai Shopping
Festival organised the event, and 1096
Mohameds duly attended. Global headlines
ensued and it would be nice to imagine the
Mos got a good discount in the sales.
6
Whatever floats your boat,
InterContinental Dubai Festival City
Island Global Yachting, the InterCon and Dubai Festival City got together to
launch the Dubai Boating Festival, featuring a “bottle boat race” to raise money
Know any better examples of extreme events? Drop us a line. The best responses
for charity. As the promotional material put it: “Teams of four will compete against
will be published in next week’s issue.
each other to build and then race a boat made entirely out of empty plastic water
bottles and other recycled materials.” The event also featured “the second annual
Email:
ben.flanagan@engworldwide.com
floating wheelchair race”. True.
www.mediaweekme.com
08 FEBRUARY 2009 /17
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