In efforts to engage the community and give the youth of Abu Dhabi an opportunity to participate in shaping the future of Yas Island, Miral launched the first of its kind collaboration with Zayed University called the Yas Island Breakthrough Challenge. The semester long competition brought together students to brainstorm and propose innovative ideas that further promote and position Yas Island as a global leisure and entertainment destination with experiences unique to the region.
The competition saw participation from 33 teams and over 150 students. During the second week of May 2016, the teams had the opportunity to present their proposals to the judging panel and pitch their ideas for a chance to win the competition. The judging panel evaluated 33 projects and identified the top five proposals which qualified for the final roundsof evaluation, from which the winning proposal was selected.
During the award ceremony held at Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, the “Yas Market” project, compromising of an all-female team, was announced the winner of the Yas Island Breakthrough Challenge,. The winning proposal will now be evaluated for real-world implementation by the leadership team at Miral.
“I would like to congratulate the winners of The Yas Island Breakthrough Challenge, ‘Yas Market’, who presented a proposal which resonates with our vision for Yas Island with an ambition to raise its appeal with audiences in the UAE and beyond. It gives me great pride that we are able to unlock creative ideas right here in Abu Dhabi for the future of Yas Island,” said Mohamed Abdulla Al Zaabi, CEO of Miral.
“In 2015 over 25 million visitors from across the world visited Yas Island, and as we look to the future, it is imperative that we continue to innovate, create and put in practice, solutions which strengthen our positioning and adds to our offerings of experiences for our visitors.”
The Yas Market location would feature a venue for special events, Emirati businesses, youth businesses, and restaurant booths and showcase traditional market themes which express the UAE’s culture and heritage. To add to the appeal, the Zayed University team recommended incorporating much loved cartoon characters like Shaabiat Al Cartoon, Shahfan, Hamdoon, Majed, Mansoor, and Khosa Bossa which many Emiratis have grown up to. The Yas Market proposal, was developed by the all-female team of Zayed University’s Al Anood Al-Rumaithi, Asma Al Ketbi, Iman Larl, Raissa Al Falahi, and Shaikha Al Kharji.
“We are extremely excited to be the winners of the Yas Island Breakthrough Challenge. When conducting our research, and developing our strategy, we saw that it was important to showcase Emirati culture, but at the same time give it the very same global appeal that Yas Island has. We are grateful to Miral for the opportunity to develop our proposal and to Zayed University faculty for their guidance and mentorship,” said the Yas Market team.
“The success of the first ever Yas Island Breakthrough Challenge has been very inspiring. Our students at Zayed University thrive on developing solutions to real-world challenges and to be able to take part in the Island’s future developments. The opportunity to create ideas for an Abu Dhabi landmark, lets them demonstrate their creativity, and reiterates our confidence in the youth of our nation,” said Dr. Osama El-Temtamy, Associate Dean, College of Business at Zayed University.
Miral is responsible for the promotion of Yas Island to global markets, as well as the development and management of the destination’s leisure, business and entertainment attractions including Ferrari World Abu Dhabi, Yas Waterworld, and Yas Marina.