8 July 2004

DUBAI - The Dubai Ports Authority (DPA) has announced details of its participation in Dubai Summer Surprises (DSS) by unveiling the various activities showcased during the Cartoon Surprises Week, which will be organised from July 8 to 14, wherein a vast array of activities will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC).

Among the various activities on offer during the theme week is the Captain Hamad Cartoon City, which will be unveiled along with the Cartoon Surprises. However, the Cartoon City will remain open till July 23 and will host a series of workshops, cartoon shows and other activities.

Tareq Khalifa, Head of Sales at the DPA, said: "The reason why the Dubai Ports Authority decided to organise the Cartoon Surprises theme week for the second year in succession is because the authority feels it is necessary to play an active role in the social, cultural, sports, entertainment and tourism activities, all of which contribute in building a safe society on a recurrent basis."

He added that the DPA believes in working alongside the community in spreading awareness and knowledge. "The DPA's participation during the Dubai Summer Surprises is one of its many community-related endeavours. One cannot be a part of the global family unless they actively participate in community services and in view of this, the DPA addresses the various community issues through various media," Mr Khalifa said.

He added that on an annual basis, DPA showcases a world of new ideas during DSS, striving to put across useful information for the younger generation to imbibe.

"Every year, we believe in offering something new to the little ones and present different events which attract kids of different ages so that they have loads of fun and at the same time attract adults as well," said Mr Khalifa.

He added that the DPA has achieved record-breaking growth over the years, which has gone a long way in making the organisation one of the top ports authorities in the world. "We have always worked hard in our growth efforts, keeping pace with the country's development and we aim at involving members of all the communities who are part of the UAE's cosmopolitan population," he said.

Mr Khalifa said that the DPA decided to showcase different events compared to the last edition of DSS and unveil a different slogan distinguishing it from DSS 2003. "One of our special events during Cartoon Surprises is the Captain Hamad Cartoon City, which presents a world of interesting games and competitions which help create a wonderful atmosphere for kids to have lot of fun and excitement," Mr Khalifa said.

He added that the authority had put a lot of efforts in making the Captain Hamad City a unique gift to the little ones. "The City has involved two continuous weeks of hard work and the credit should go to the supervising team which has ensured that everything was in place. Keeping in view the efforts behind putting together the City, we decided to keep it open for public for a period of two weeks so that more kids, visitors and residents can partake of the activities on offer, adding to the air of entertainment, culture and social values," Mr Khalifa said.

Noora Al Suwaidi, Head of the Events Committee of Cartoon Surprises Week, said the various events to be presented during the Cartoon Surprises have taken a lot of efforts and Captain Hamad Cartoon City will make the world of the lovable cartoon characters accessible to children.

"We have designed the concept in a way that appeals to children between the age group of 4 and 13. Captain Hamad, a character that we launched last year, found resounding success with our target audience. Therefore, we are presenting the City under the umbrella name of Captain Hamad," she said.

Many of the events showcased during the Cartoon Surprises will also be held in the shopping malls in Dubai, touching the social, cultural, sports, entertainment and tourism aspects. "We have chosen the major shopping malls in Dubai because they attract a large number of people who can actively take part in the various activities on offer during the week," she said. The various activities during the Cartoon Surprises week will be sponsored by LG Electronics, Toys 'R' Us, Wild Wadi, Grand Hyatt, DWTC and Mina Al Salaam.

By a staff reporter

© Khaleej Times 2004