The second Kuwait Yacht Show took place this month, occupying triple the space of a year ago. Nouf Al Hajri, the show’s Kuwaiti-Lebanese director of operations, explains how the event started and why she and her business partner, Zeina Mokaddam, are not daunted by the pre-eminence of Dubai’s massive boat show.
How did the idea for a boat show come about?
We have a publishing house and we were hired by Seas and Deserts Group, run by Ahmed Al Omari, to do a magazine for him. It has two sections, one for yachting and one for the desert – because what we do here in Kuwait is, in the summer we do watersports, then in the winter we take our ATVs and go camping. He signed with Azimut yachts [as their dealer] in March 2012 and asked us to do an event for him. We did a parade at Marina Waves – all of the seven yachts were included and we had 100 VVIPs. It was such a successful event; all the boats were sold that year. People started asking us for our business cards as the organisers. So we said: “Why don’t we open an events company and start organising events? We need to have a portfolio; let’s do a boat show”. So that’s how it started.
You make it sound easy.
Organising a boat show is one of the most difficult things I’ve done. It takes one year’s work. You have to travel to all the boat shows, market your country. Because we started from scratch, we had to gain the trust of the international market. Shipping the boats, let alone booking their space, bringing them back, getting the staff here, their stands – it’s a big investment, so why should they come? You have to convince them. You also have to get the support of the locals. We started only with local companies, we had no internationals here. It was small: 6,000 square metres. Even the locals had doubts because we hadn’t had a boat show before. Whenever we went to one company they would say: “Did the other company sign?” So we had a press conference, we had them all at a roundtable and we had their contracts ready – and they signed. We put them in a corner and it worked. But they were happy, they sold a lot. When we finished the boat show we did a report and we visited all the exhibitors to get their feedback. They said aftersales went on for six months. We’ve done fairly well for the second year, getting international companies from the UAE, Poland, France Italy and Bahrain. Other brands are represented by dealers.
It seems there is definitely an appetite among Kuwaitis for this type of event.
One out of every 44 Kuwaitis owns a boat. All Kuwaitis go to the Miami Boat Show, to the Cannes Boat Show. We have a high purchasing power but we don’t buy from here, we travel. So we are trying to localise the capital from the Kuwaitis, put it back into the country. We are also trying to get new dealerships to get new brands here.
So the second boat show has international brands. What else?
The number of exhibits – it’s three times bigger in terms of space. We have an area for the Kuwaiti youth sponsored by the ministry of youth affairs. A lot of Kuwaitis are world champions in jet ski and wakeboarding so we want more people to know about them. They are raising our flag everywhere but they are not getting enough media exposure. We also added entertainment. We also have more governmental support. Last year we were under the patronage of the ministry of information and five ministers came to cut the opening ribbon jointly. That was such a push for us to continue. Now we are under the patronage of the prime minister of Kuwait. Last year, we were expecting to get 5,000 visitors and we got 6,300 – 2,500 of whom were VIP. This year we expect 10,000 but I hope more come [final figures: 15,877 visits from 10,000 unique visitors].
Isn’t it intimidating going up against the Dubai International Boat Show, which is the biggest such show in the region?
It gives us a push because if Dubai can make it, we can make it too. They’ve been going for 22 years; it’s our second year and we grew three times bigger – so in our 10th year we might be 100 times bigger. I don’t want to be the biggest or the best – I want to cater to my market and I want the world to know about the Kuwaitis’ love for the sea. We have local shipyards and they build such good boats. And we also have three Middle East premieres: the Azimut 55s, the Azimut Atlantis 34 and the Boston Whaler 370.
Does that boost the show’s prestige?
Of course. Everyone wants to be unique and when you own something that there is only one of, then everyone knows you. We are famous for that; everyone in the region is famous for that. So, yes, it’s easier to sell something that is a world premiere.
lgutcher@thenational.ae
A timeline of the Historical Dictionary of the Arabic Language
- 2018: Formal work begins
- November 2021: First 17 volumes launched
- November 2022: Additional 19 volumes released
- October 2023: Another 31 volumes released
- November 2024: All 127 volumes completed
What is double taxation?
- Americans living abroad file taxes with the Internal Revenue Service, which can cost hundreds of dollars to complete even though about 60 per cent do not owe taxes, according to the Taxpayer Advocate Service
- Those obligations apply to millions of Americans residing overseas – estimates range from 3.9 million to 5.5 million – including so-called "accidental Americans" who are unaware they hold dual citizenship
- The double taxation policy has been a contentious issue for decades, with many overseas Americans feeling that it punishes them for pursuing opportunities abroad
- Unlike most countries, the US follows a citizenship-based taxation system, meaning that Americans must file taxes annually, even if they do not earn any income in the US.
La Mer lowdown
La Mer beach is open from 10am until midnight, daily, and is located in Jumeirah 1, well after Kite Beach. Some restaurants, like Cupagahwa, are open from 8am for breakfast; most others start at noon. At the time of writing, we noticed that signs for Vicolo, an Italian eatery, and Kaftan, a Turkish restaurant, indicated that these two restaurants will be open soon, most likely this month. Parking is available, as well as a Dh100 all-day valet option or a Dh50 valet service if you’re just stopping by for a few hours.
Match info
Who: India v Afghanistan
What: One-off Test match, Bengaluru
When: June 14 to 18
TV: OSN Sports Cricket HD, 8am starts
Online: OSN Play (subscribers only)
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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If you go
The flights
There are direct flights from Dubai to Sofia with FlyDubai (www.flydubai.com) and Wizz Air (www.wizzair.com), from Dh1,164 and Dh822 return including taxes, respectively.
The trip
Plovdiv is 150km from Sofia, with an hourly bus service taking around 2 hours and costing $16 (Dh58). The Rhodopes can be reached from Sofia in between 2-4hours.
The trip was organised by Bulguides (www.bulguides.com), which organises guided trips throughout Bulgaria. Guiding, accommodation, food and transfers from Plovdiv to the mountains and back costs around 170 USD for a four-day, three-night trip.
How tumultuous protests grew
- A fuel tax protest by French drivers appealed to wider anti-government sentiment
- Unlike previous French demonstrations there was no trade union or organised movement involved
- Demonstrators responded to online petitions and flooded squares to block traffic
- At its height there were almost 300,000 on the streets in support
- Named after the high visibility jackets that drivers must keep in cars
- Clashes soon turned violent as thousands fought with police at cordons
- An estimated two dozen people lost eyes and many others were admitted to hospital
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MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League quarter-final (first-leg score):
Juventus (1) v Ajax (1), Tuesday, 11pm UAE
Match will be shown on BeIN Sports
More from Aya Iskandarani
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The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
A Bad Moms Christmas
Dir: John Lucas and Scott Moore
Starring: Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell, Susan Sarandon, Christine Baranski, Cheryl Hines
Two stars
STAGE 4 RESULTS
1 Sam Bennett (IRL) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 4:51:51
2 David Dekker (NED) Team Jumbo-Visma
3 Caleb Ewan (AUS) Lotto Soudal
4 Elia Viviani (ITA) Cofidis
5 Matteo Moschetti (ITA) Trek-Segafredo
General Classification
1 Tadej Pogacar (SLO) UAE Team Emirates - 12:50:21
2 Adam Yates (GBR) Teamn Ineos Grenadiers - 0:00:43
3 Joao Almeida (POR) Deceuninck-QuickStep - 0:01:03
4 Chris Harper (AUS) Jumbo-Visma - 0:01:43
5 Neilson Powless (USA) EF Education-Nippo - 0:01:45
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The specs
Engine: Four electric motors, one at each wheel
Power: 579hp
Torque: 859Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Price: From Dh825,900
On sale: Now
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Ticket prices
- Golden circle - Dh995
- Floor Standing - Dh495
- Lower Bowl Platinum - Dh95
- Lower Bowl premium - Dh795
- Lower Bowl Plus - Dh695
- Lower Bowl Standard- Dh595
- Upper Bowl Premium - Dh395
- Upper Bowl standard - Dh295
SPEC%20SHEET
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TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
Super 30
Produced: Sajid Nadiadwala and Phantom Productions
Directed: Vikas Bahl
Cast: Hrithik Roshan, Pankaj Tripathi, Aditya Srivastav, Mrinal Thakur
Rating: 3.5 /5
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Company Profile
Founders: Tamara Hachem and Yazid Erman
Based: Dubai
Launched: September 2019
Sector: health technology
Stage: seed
Investors: Oman Technology Fund, angel investor and grants from Sharjah's Sheraa and Ma'an Abu Dhabi
COMPANY PROFILE
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Total funding: Self funded
Adele: The Stories Behind The Songs
Caroline Sullivan
Carlton Books
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Dirham Stretcher tips for having a baby in the UAE
Selma Abdelhamid, the group's moderator, offers her guide to guide the cost of having a young family:
• Buy second hand stuff
They grow so fast. Don't get a second hand car seat though, unless you 100 per cent know it's not expired and hasn't been in an accident.
• Get a health card and vaccinate your child for free at government health centres
Ms Ma says she discovered this after spending thousands on vaccinations at private clinics.
• Join mum and baby coffee mornings provided by clinics, babysitting companies or nurseries.
Before joining baby classes ask for a free trial session. This way you will know if it's for you or not. You'll be surprised how great some classes are and how bad others are.
• Once baby is ready for solids, cook at home
Take the food with you in reusable pouches or jars. You'll save a fortune and you'll know exactly what you're feeding your child.
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 502hp at 7,600rpm
Torque: 637Nm at 5,150rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch auto
Price: from Dh317,671
On sale: now
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
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City's slump
L - Juventus, 2-0
D - C Palace, 2-2
W - N Forest, 3-0
L - Liverpool, 2-0
D - Feyenoord, 3-3
L - Tottenham, 4-0
L - Brighton, 2-1
L - Sporting, 4-1
L - Bournemouth, 2-1
L - Tottenham, 2-1
Sour%20Grapes
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EAuthor%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EZakaria%20Tamer%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPublisher%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESyracuse%20University%20Press%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPages%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E176%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
