AED 20 million allocated for month-long celebration as Festival gathers support from prominent list of Official, Main and Sub Sponsors. The Higher Committee of the Sharjah Ramadan Festival today (Tuesday, August 26, 2008) formally announced the budget and the sponsors of the 2008 edition of the Festival. The 2008 Sharjah Ramadan Festival’s AED 20 million budget and sponsors were revealed during a press conference held at the Millennium Hotel, Corniche Road, Sharjah.The conference was held under the patronage of H.E. Sheikh Sultan Bin Ahmed Bin Sultan Al Qasimi, Chairman of Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority (SCTDA) and also Chairman of the Higher Committee of the Sharjah Ramadan Festival. The media event was attended by Mr. Ahmad Mohammad Al Midfa, Chairman, Sharjah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and Vice President of the Higher Committee; Mr. Hussein Mohammad Al Mahmoudi, SCCI Director General and Member of the Higher Committee; and Mr. Mohammed Ahmad Amin, SCCI Assistant Director General of Economic and International Affairs and General Coordinator for the Festival, who all served as conference speakers.
H.E. Sheikh Sultan said, “The Sharjah Ramadan Festival has been developed to accommodate all business categories. Organisers fully understand the importance of the private sector in accelerating economic development and have thus oriented this year’s festival to harmonize the efforts of government agencies, specialized bodies and associations, and public events with private sector interests in order to increase investments and attract the largest number of visitors and shoppers possible.”
“Although the Sharjah Ramadan Festival has already made its mark as a major social, cultural, and business event in the UAE, we want to further enhance this and other activities that highlight Sharjah’s dynamism. We aim to double the number of visitors and shoppers from within and outside the emirate in 2008, which is highly achievable given the broader confirmed participation of retail and related establishments this year. We will also use the Ramadan celebrations to drum up interest in our other seasonal activities as well,” said Hussein Al Mahmoudi.
The highly-anticipated annual event, which will coincide with the holy month of Ramadan and will run for 37 days, will feature emirate-wide participation in various social, cultural, religious, sports, environmental and heritage activities. SCCI will be closely coordinating with local government departments to successfully organise this year’s edition, which will be supported by sponsors categorized as Official, Main and Sub Sponsors.
The Official Sponsors of the 2008 Sharjah Ramadan Festival include Sharjah Municipality, Sharjah Electricity and Water Authority, Sharjah Economic Development Department, Sharjah Police, Sharjah Commerce and Tourism Development Authority, Al Qasba Channel, Sharjah Expo Center, Sharjah TV and Sharjah Museums Department. The Main Sponsors, meanwhile, feature ADNOC Distribution, Etisalat, Arabian Automobiles, Hydra Properties, Sharjah Investment Center, and Al Zajel Exhibition Organisers. Finally, the Sub Sponsors comprise Al Khaleej Newspaper, Sharjah City Center, Air Arabia, Paris Gallery, Empost, Tiffany and Sharjah Islamic Bank.
The Sharjah Ramadan Festival is considered a major image-enhancing and marketing event for the Emirate of Sharjah. SCCI will assist in organizing promotional and entertainment activities aimed at boosting local investments and the overall domestic economy, in addition to supporting private businesses and bringing together various sectors of society. Several shops, markets and shopping centers have already confirmed their participation in the September 2008 event.
Numerous exciting and fun-filled activities have been lined up for this yearCs commemoration of the Sharjah Ramadan Festival, catering to a diverse range of interest groups. As always, shopping events will take centerstage, while there will also be several leisure and entertainment activities such as sportsfests, exhibitions, social gatherings, and shows for children. Furthermore, several raffle draws that will give away exciting prizes will serve as another major highlight of the month-long festivities.
The SCCI previously assisted in the promotion and organization of the Sharjah Spring Festival which ran from January 15 to 25, 2008, and is currently supporting the Sharjah Summer Festival, which began on June 01, 2008 and ends August 31, 2008. Both events are also major promotional and marketing vehicles for Sharjah, aside from their various unique recreational and social activities.
“Sharjah is emerging as a preferred national destination for diverse and unique special events and is playing a larger role in the UAE’s growth. The SCCI will continue promoting and supporting events such as the Ramadan Festival which showcase our rich heritage while contributing to the development of our domestic and national economy,” concluded Al Mahmoudi.
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