“As long as you work hard and follow your dreams, there is no limit to what you can achieve as girls, and later on, as women like me. Our country, the UAE, will always support you and other women in all aspects and levels of life. I was also little girl with ambitions and aspirations. Our government provided me with the opportunity to avail of world-class education, which you now enjoy through your school. This allowed me to develop my leadership skills and go on to become the UAE’s first female Minister. You must also make the most of your studies and always think of how you can help improve your country and the whole world,” said H.E. Sheikha Lubna.

“Always believe in your ability to make the world a better place, through your actions and through your words,” she added.
The Latifa School for Girls was established in 1982 by H.H. Sheikh Maktoum Bin Rashid Al Maktoum. The day school accepts girls aged 3 to 18, who are taught by mostly UK-educated staff following a British curriculum leading to a regular or Advanced Level General Certificate of Education. Arabic and Islamic Studies are delivered by Arab educators.

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The Palace – The Old Town, an elegant 5-star premium hotel destination in Dubai, and The Address Montgomerie Dubai won the awards in the over and under 50 rooms categories respectively. The award recognises the highest hospitality standards followed by the two hotels. In addition to this, interior designers WA International came away with ‘The Interior Design Award for Arabia’ for their designs incorporated in The Address Downtown Burj Dubai.

Mr Marc Dardenne, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Hospitality Group, said: “Winning the ‘Best Hotel Dubai’ award for the two categories recognises our efforts to uphold the highest standards of service and hospitality. The Palace – The Old Town, in addition to its spectacular location in Downtown Burj Dubai overlooking The Dubai Fountain and Burj Dubai, the world’s tallest building, has highly aesthetic architecture features and décor with an attention for details. This is complemented by superior services and hospitality standards that have been recognised with this award.”

He added: “The Address Montgomerie Dubai is the first retreat property under The Address portfolio. At this boutique style clubhouse we offer the ultimate in personalised service assuring our guests a completely enjoyable and rewarding experience in line with The Address philosophy of offering tangible guest benefits.”

The Arabian Property Awards honours the finest real estate professionals across the globe. This year a completely new programme has been launched – the Commercial Property Awards focusing on hotels, offices, retail, golf courses and other commercial buildings and structures. Later this year, the top winners from the Arabian Property Awards will compete against winning companies from Asia Pacific, Europe and Africa, the UK and Americas.

The Arabian Property Awards are run in conjunction with the International Property Awards, the world’s most prestigious competition dedicated to finding the best real estate professionals across the globe. The Palace – The Old Town and The Address Montgomerie Dubai have been nominated for these awards too.

The Palace – The Old Town features 242 beautifully-appointed deluxe rooms including 81 suites, all with balconies overlooking the lake or The Old Town Island, offering prime views of The Dubai Fountain, the world’s tallest performing fountain. The Address Montgomerie Dubai is an idyllic golf retreat offering one of the most luxurious golf resort experiences in the Middle East.
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In addition to the prestigious award for its Group CEO, ADNEC also received the awards for “Best Venue” for ADNEC – the largest exhibition centre in the Gulf region and the most modern in the world and “Best Trade Show” for IDEX 2009 – the largest ever exhibition staged in the Middle East and widely acknowledged to be the most successful IDEX ever. Summer In Abu Dhabi (SIAD) organised by ADNEC and the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) also won “Best Theme” which was accepted by event designers, HQ Creative. SIAD attracted a record breaking 135,000 visitors to ADNEC last summer to this family extravaganza.

Commenting on ADNEC’s award winning performance, Simon Horgan said: “These awards are a result of four years of hard work by everybody involved with ADNEC, from the unwavering support of the leadership of Abu Dhabi, to the commitment of our partners in staging memorable events, to the endless energy and enthusiasm of ADNEC’s employees.  Together, we have reinvigorated the events industry in Abu Dhabi, in recent years the effects of this transformation have been felt far beyond the borders of the emirate.  I am honoured to say that the international events industry is now looking to the Middle East, and particularly to Abu Dhabi, for innovation and inspiration – this is the greatest tribute possible.”

Jessica Sutherland, General Manager of event organisers IIR added, “I am delighted that we have been able to officially recognise the incredible achievements of ADNEC in recent years, both in terms of the state-of-the-art facilities that they have brought to the regional industry, but also for the innovation that they have brought to live events.  I am also personally thrilled that Simon Horgan has been commended for his outstanding contribution to the industry, firstly in Dubai in the early 1990’s, but most notable for his recent role in the transformation of Abu Dhabi as a live event destination – it is well deserved.”

These accolades follow other recent ADNEC wins including, “Best International Venue” (Confex 2009), “Best Commercial and Retail Project” (Cityscape 2009) and “Project of the Year” (Construction Week 2008). At the Middle East Event Awards 2008, the inaugural World Future Energy Summit was recognised at the “Best Congress in the Middle East.” Our overseas venue, ExCeL London, also scooped a number of awards this April, winning “Best Venue Support” and the “Green Award” at the Exhibition News Awards, and silver in the “Best Business Venue” category at the prestigious Enjoy Excellence in England Awards.