'Stay Alert. Stay Alive' university road safety roadshow wins 'Best Event on a Budget'
'Best Corporate Product Launch' goes to the 2011 MINI Festival - DRIVE OUT LOUD
BMW Group Middle East, together with its PR agency DABO & CO and events agencies DABO & CO and Salt & Pepper, took home two coveted event industry honours at the recent 2012 Middle East Event Awards: Best Event on a Budget for its 'Stay Alert. Stay Alive' university road safety roadshow and Best Corporate Product Launch for the 2011 MINI Festival entitled DRIVE OUT LOUD.
With votes cast by internationally and regionally renowned judges from a variety of industry sectors and disciplines, the annual Middle East Event Awards celebrate the achievements of the region's event industry and recognise some of the sector's key events.
The BMW Group Middle East team was praised for combining creativity with commercial acumen, winning the title of Best Event on a Budget award for its 2011 'Stay Alert. Stay Alive.' road safety campaign.
Working in partnership with local government authorities, Higher Colleges of Technology (HCT) and the Emirates Driving Institute (EDI), the BMW Group team conducted a series of events at HCT campuses in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Sharjah to tangibly display to more than 2,000 university students the devastating effects of not practicing safe driving.
The event included interactive demonstrations to students about the importance of buckling up, an EDI seat belt convincer and 'accident roll car' to teach people about the consequences of not wearing a seatbelt in an accident, as well as a pledge board where students were encouraged to sign with the commitment to buckle up. BMW Group Middle East also teamed up with Emirati hip-hop duo Desert Heat who felt so strongly about the issue that they wrote a song specifically for Stay Alert. Stay Alive, which they performed throughout the roadshow.
Leanne Blanckenberg, Corporate Communications Manager for BMW Group Middle East said: "Winning this award is a great achievement for the team and is the culmination of lots of hard work and determination to raise awareness of the importance of buckling up. The events in the campuses were extremely successful in terms of student engagement and their commitment to take road safety more seriously. So it goes to show that one doesn't need a big budget to make a big impact."
Meanwhile, MINI, the small car with a big personality, scooped the award for Best Corporate Product Launch for hosting the region's biggest ever MINI event - DRIVE OUT LOUD.
In October 2011, MINI owners and fans from across the region embarked on a 'MINI' road-trip, which saw them arrive in Abu Dhabi for an exclusive gathering to welcome the MINI community from Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, KSA, Kuwait and Lebanon introducing them to the new MINI Coupe - the brand's sportiest and first two-seater.
The next day, a jam-packed, fun-filled programme started with more than 100 MINIs driving - the largest ever MINI convoy in the Middle East - from Abu Dhabi to the Dubai Autodrome. The general public then joined MINI owners at the Dubai Autodrome where they took part in a variety of activities including: full day of track drives in the new MINI Coupe and other MINI cars; stunt shows by Russ Swift, one of the world's greatest stunt drivers; taxi drives in the MINI Challenge racing cars; driver trainings; classic and new beauty car parades; accessory and tuning exhibits as well as urban art.
As the day's festivities wound down, the iconic brand wowed crowds with an evening of live entertainment featuring the very best homegrown Middle East music talent, including performances from leading Emirati hip-hop rap duo Desert Heat, 2010 Middle East Music Award winner DJ Shadia from Jordan, Colombian singer/songwriter Fatiniza, Indie Rockers Beat Antenna and Dubai's biggest music export Hamdan Al-Abri for a powerful blend of Soul, Jazz and R&B.
Sarah Klippert, MINI Manager in the Middle East said: "The MINI Festival was a great success with more than a thousand of MINI aficionados and over 200 individualized MINIs converging to celebrate the brand. MINI is all about individuality, fun and a creative spirit and the DRIVE OUT LOUD MINI Festival more than fulfilled that brief. A big thank you to the judges for recognising all of our hard work."
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About The BMW Group:
The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 24 production and assembly facilities in 14 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.
During the financial year 2010, the BMW Group sold 1.46 million cars and more than 110,000 motorcycles worldwide. The profit before tax for 2010 was euro 4.8 billion on revenues amounting to euro 60.5 billion. At 31 December 2010, the BMW Group had a workforce of approximately 95,500 employees.
The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last seven years.
For more information please contact:
Leanne Blanckenberg, Corporate Communications Manager, BMW Group Middle East
Telephone: +971 4 313 2615
Email: leanne.blanckenberg@bmw.com
Joanna Agnew, Associate Account Director, DABO & CO
Tel: + 971506519547
Email: joanna.a@daboandco.com
© Press Release 2012
