“I am not imposing change on anyone. That is tyranny. All of us have our opinions, and these opinions can change. Sometimes we put all opinions together and then extract from them a single point of view. This is our democracy.”
– H.H. Sheikh Zayed, father of our nation
The UAE is the Arab region’s happiest country, according to World Happiness Report, an annual survey released earlier this year. Ranking twenty-eighth in the world, it is no surprise that the UAE is constantly on the hot list. I mean, we have a Minister of Happiness, isn’t that self-explanatory enough?
It doesn’t end there. The UAE Government is continuously creating great initiatives to give a sense of unity and communality. These initiatives allow corporations to compete in a friendly manner for a positive outcome in order to differentiate the UAE from other states. One unique example is the initiative of ‘Year of Zayed 2018’.
Previously, we saw great successes with the ‘Year of Reading 2016’ and ‘Year of Giving 2017’. What we have seen so far in 2018 is the system the late Sheikh Zayed founded, which is based on the unity of people from different nationalities. From the very beginning, our founding father placed fundamental importance on human relationships, the core of our industry.
Communication agencies are not only incorporating the human element in their strategies, but also including the other key themes of the late Sheikh Zayed, such as wisdom, respect and sustainability. All of which lead to a happier nation that communicates in a more innovative manner with the willingness to continuously contribute to the UAE’s progress.
It is not news that the UAE loves breaking world records.
‘Light Up 2018’ laser light show at Burj Khalifa
Dubai welcomed the new year with ‘Light Up 2018’, a laser light show that paid tribute to the late Sheikh Zayed. It broke the Guinness World Record for the largest light and sound show projected on a single building.
Largest Aerial Projection Screen by wasl Asset Management Group
Do I need to mention why this is my favourite world record? C&B brought wasl’s vision to life of commemorating the values and vision of the late Sheikh Zayed by breaking another Guinness World Record. This was accomplished with a 300-foot aerial screen that soared across Dubai’s iconic skyline towed by a Bell 212 Helicopter, and a second Bell 212 displaying a short film about ‘Year of Zayed’. Talk about taking it to new heights!
Largest Notebook Mosaic Logo
Abu Dhabi University, along with Knowledge Group, achieved a Guinness World Record earlier in March by creating the largest notebook mosaic logo in celebration of ‘Year of Zayed’. The best part of this record is not the fact that the logo measured 702.82 sq.m and is made up of 25,000 notebooks, but that all notebooks were donated to people in need.
Largest Jigsaw Puzzle by Surface Area
Smashing yet another successful record to honour the late Sheikh Zayed, the Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) created a 12,000-piece wooden jigsaw of the official logo of ‘Year of Zayed’.
Rima Al Jareh is Senior Account Executive at Cicero & Bernay Public Relations, an independent PR agency headquartered in Dubai offering new-age public relations consultancy to the UAE and across the MENA region. | www.cbpr.me