Award-winning entertainment concept; first time in the Middle East

To open in the third quarter of 2009

Kid-size recreation of real-life professional and social environment

Children can enact up to 70 different roles from daily life

Riyadh; March 18, 2009: Children can soon experience their ambition to become anything from pilots to fashion models to doctors or bankers, as the first KidZania® edutainment attraction in the Middle East opens in The Dubai Mall in the third quarter of this year. Based on role play, the oldest game of all, KidZania® is one of the world's most popular children's entertainment concepts and is readying for opening at the mall shortly.

Essentially a scaled-down city featuring all business and social components of a bustling metropolis, KidZania® at The Dubai Mall offers up to 70 roles for children to play ranging from doctors, engineers, teachers, construction workers, artists and mechanics, among others. At KidZania®, children have the option of just 'visiting' or 'working' in establishments that are modelled on various professions. The 'employees' are provided costumes reflecting the theme of the role they prefer to play, and will be part of an entertainment zone that has its own currency and economy. The entire concept of KidZania® is developed on offering children a real-life business and social environment, and familarising them with real-world careers.

KidZania® aims at enabling children to develop their abilities and attitudes physically and intellectually, while stimulating creative thinking and social responsibility. This will particularly appeal to educational institutions looking for avenues to further strengthen their students' overall development. The award-winning credentials of the theme centre are a perfect complement to the high standards of education envisaged by schools. KidZania® has already won the Best Theme Park Worldwide Award from the Themed Entertainment Association in 2001, the IAAPA Top FECs of the World Award in 2006 and IAAPA Brass Ring Award for Industry Marketing in 2008.

Mr Mohammed Ali, Region Executive Director, Emaar International, said: "Retail and leisure are central themes that drive the economy of Dubai, and both the sectors need continuous innovation. KidZania® is bringing to Dubai, a powerful and successful leisure attraction, which will further enhance the appeal of The Dubai Mall as a family destination."

Established in 1999, KidZania® was an overwhelming success when it first opened in Santa Fe, Mexico City. The entertainment zone attracted over 760,000 visitors in the very first year of trade in Mexico and the impressive visitor turn-out repeated at KidZania® franchises in Tokyo and Jakarta. In addition to Dubai, new franchises are planned to open in Seoul, Osaka and Lisbon in 2009.

Mr Yousif Al Ali, General Manager, The Dubai Mall, said: "KidZania® is an entertainment concept that has no parallels in Dubai or the region. For the first time, children will have a city all for their own. They will manage the 'city's' economy and social life by enacting various roles. They will also deal with the special KidZos currency, which they can use for buying and selling products, or even save into their accounts."

He added: "KidZania® will be a place where every child's dreams come true, and will enable them to obtain a better understanding of how cities and societies function. The opening of KidZania® also reiterates the commitment of The Dubai Mall to offer a distinctive leisure and lifestyle experience. Today's mall visitors are discerning about their choice, and it is important to give them variety. KidZania® will be a much-preferred attraction for families."

Sprawling across 80,000 sq ft over two levels in the entertainment zone, which will also feature SEGA Republic and REEL Cinemas, KidZania® will feature homes, offices, schools, fire station, race track, radio station, pizzeria, hospitals, bank, ATM machines, theatre and fashion ramps, all scaled down to a smaller, child-friendly size. Kids can then choose a preferred 'role' and be provided with costumes and other accessories for the complete real-life like experience.

Mr Suresh Bhatia, Chief Executive Officer, Emaar Retail, said: "The overarching philosophy of KidZania® - an award-winning concept - is edu-tainment.  For the first time in Dubai, children of all ages will have a unique play environment where fun and interactive learning meet. They can not only participate in fun-filled role-play activities but also hone their talent and skills through the real-life-like learning experiences. KidZania®'s niche activities also mark the first 'experimental marketing' platform in Dubai, whereby we are partnering with local service providers such as banks, hotels and automobile dealers for a true-to-life experience."

He explained: "Work on KidZania® is progressing, and when it opens later this year, it will add to a diverse entertainment roster in The Dubai Mall including the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo and Dubai Ice Rink. KidZania® Dubai is billed to be the city's next biggest family destination that will greatly contribute to the all-round development of children."

KidZania® will be managed by a team of trained professionals. The high ratio of staff-to-children and Kid Zearch, a Radio Frequency ID, will keep track of children's activities and whereabouts, reassuring parents who can drop off their kids and pick them up at a later time.

The Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest shopping and entertainment destinations, has a wide spectrum of retail and leisure choices for visitors. Of the 1,200 retail outlets in the mall, more than 800 have opened. The leisure attractions including the Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo, Dubai Ice Rink and The Waterfall are crowd-pullers, while the Gold Souk and Fashion Avenue offer a variety of niche shopping options.

-Ends-

About Emaar Malls Group LLC:
Emaar Malls Group LLC, is the retail and shopping mall subsidiary of Emaar Properties PJSC, a leading property developer based in Dubai, and drives its diversification into shopping malls. This is in line with Emaar's Vision 2010 to become one of the most valuable companies in the world. Emaar has announced investments in shopping malls of over US$4 billion (AED 15 billion) with 10 million sq ft of retail property in operation or under development in the emerging markets of the Middle East, North Africa, the Indian Subcontinent and South Asia and is on target to become one of the largest developers of shopping malls in the world.

At the forefront of these developments is the flagship The Dubai Mall, one of the world's largest malls in the heart of the Downtown Burj Dubai. Now open, The Dubai Mall is the region's premier shopping, lifestyle and entertainment destination. Emaar Malls Group also operates two other malls in Dubai; Souk Al Bahar, an Arabesque shopping and entertainment development on The Old Town Island, and Dubai Marina Mall, a lifestyle shopping mall for residents of the Dubai Marina community.

Internationally, Emaar Malls Group is actively planning or developing shopping centres in Egypt, Syria, Morocco, Turkey, Jordan and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and continues to drive the company's expansion strategy on a global scale.  

About Emaar Retail:
Emaar Retail is a wholly owned subsidiary of Emaar Malls Group LLC and is the vehicle for all retail operations. Emaar Retail is developing a portfolio of brands in key growth markets and is strategically building new alliances, joint ventures, franchises and licenses for all mall developments under the Emaar Malls Group umbrella. 

Emaar Retail also manages the business operations for The Dubai Mall's leisure and entertainment brands including KidZania®, SEGA Republic, the Olympic-sized 'Dubai Ice Rink' and Dubai Aquarium & Underwater Zoo. Emaar Retail has also entered into a joint-venture with Cathay Organisation in Singapore, to form Reel Entertainment to develop cinemas across the region including the flagship 22-screen cineplex at The Dubai Mall.

Emaar Retail was established to drive Emaar Malls Group's developments in key emerging markets across the Middle East, North Africa and the Indian Sub-Continent through creating the right retail mix for the various markets.    

About Emaar Properties PJSC:
Emaar Properties PJSC, listed on the Dubai Financial Market, is a global property developer with a significant presence in 36 markets world-wide. The company has also proven competencies in shopping malls, hospitality & leisure, education, healthcare and finance. For more information visit www.emaar.com.

For further information, please contact:   
Malik Abdullrahman
Asda'a Burson-Marstellar
Riyadh, KSA
T: +966 1 2177250
F: +966 1 4640051
M: +966 503 44 7595
M.Abdullrahman@asdaa.com  

© Press Release 2009