IDEA International District Cooling Conference to shed light on global challenges facing global district cooling industry

IDEA International District Cooling Conference to shed light on global challenges facing global district cooling industry

H.E Bin Shafar: “Dubai is a model of successful migration to district cooling systems”

Dubai, UAE, 11 November 2014: H.E Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO of Emirates Central Cooling Systems Corporation (Empower), announced that the 2014 IDEA International District Cooling Conference to be held under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Ahmed Bin Saeed Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Supreme Council of Energy and Chairman and Chief Executive Emirates Airline & Group, will discuss major strategic and operational challenges facing the district cooling industry in the world.

H.E Bin Shafar hailed Dubai as a model of successful migration to district cooling, as an alternative to conventional cooling, which has helped the Emirate achieve remarkable savings in energy and electricity consumption.

The global conference, which will be held from December 14 to 16 at Jumeirah Beach Hotel, will be attended by over 600 international experts.

H.E Bin Shafar continued: “The UAE is lending strong support to the global district cooling sector and Empower takes great pride to be contributing to the implementation of the UAE’s vision in the area of district cooling. Our hard work is reflected in achievements by hosting this global conference in Dubai as hosting a conference of this scale is a clear evidence of the international vote of confidence gained by us within a short period. Empower is proud to enjoy the status of the largest district cooling company in the world.”

H.E Bin Shafar stressed that Empower works according to the guidelines of the National Innovation Strategy 2014 launched by H.H Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai as part of the UAE Vision 2021.

Speaking about Dubai’s credentials in hosting high-caliber international events, H.E Bin Shafar said that the Emirate has emerged as a key city in the world for hosting energy related events. In recent past in 2012, it hosted the World Energy Forum, held for the first time out the UN’s New York’s headquarters, which was attended by some prominent heads of states.

The 6^th conference and the companion exhibition will run for three days, with a welcome reception for business partners.

On Monday (December 15, 2014), Ahmad Bin Shafar, CEO, Empower, will deliver the opening address, followed by two Panel Discussions on “District Cooling Infrastructure for Cleaner Energy and Greener Cities” and “District Cooling as a Sustainable Urban Solution”. It will include a panel on correlation of water and energy that will highlight the growing limitations on water and energy resources.

Four other sessions will be held on the same day -- “The Customer as a Partner” which will deal with the customer as a partner for long term business health; “Technology Innovations & Solutions”, a series of presentations covering technology innovations in cooling systems and components; “Large Scale Cooling Projects & Thermal Energy Storage”, featuring case studies of cooling projects from across globe and the region; and the second part of ‘Technology Innovations & Solutions.

The concluding day will include 5 sessions in addition to technical tours and overview. The sessions will be on “Large Scale Cooling Projects & Thermal Energy Storage (contd.)”; “Planning, Development & Implementation of Cooling Projects” covering the life cycle of cooling projects from planning to implementation; “Sustainability, Compliance & Regulation” addressing social, economic and energy benefits of district cooling; “Operations, Maintenance , System Efficiency & Optimization & Staffing” showcasing best practices and operational strategies for optimizing system performance and efficient distribution; and a final session entitled “Economic Drivers, Business Development & Financing for District Cooling Infrastructure”, that will explore the economic drivers and key aspects of business development leading to building successful financing and deployment of district cooling infrastructure.

The conference will conclude with a Technical Tour Overview to Empower Business Bay Plant and Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Plant.

Stella Maris Tower photos, Dubai Marina, Cityscape Global 2014, September 2014

TECOM Investments increases consumer accessibility to quality new freeholdvillas with offplan mortgage agreementwith Mashreq

TECOM Investments increases consumer accessibility to quality new freeholdvillas with offplan mortgage agreementwith Mashreq

TECOM Investments has signed anagreement with UAE’s leading financial institution, Mashreq to enable the Bank to offer home loans for the new freehold villa development Villa Lantana. Throughthis agreement, offplan purchase for the development will become more accessible toUAE residents, either as an astute investmentor asa potential family home.

The new Villa Lantana development, which is conveniently located in Dubai’s growth corridor of Al Barsha South just minutes away from Mall of the Emirates, is due for completion by the end of 2015.

As a result of the collaboration, Mashreq aims to provide attractive and flexible home loans solutions to off-plan buyers, as well as those who have already purchased and are looking for finance to assist with agreed payment schedules on their new property.

The agreementwas signed by Badr Al Gargawi, Chief Executive Officer, Development & Planning Division, TECOM Investments, and FarhadIrani, Senior Vice President and Head of Retail Banking Group, Mashreq.

Mr. Al Gargawi explained; “Villa Lantana has seen strong sales amongst the investor market,mainly due to its excellent location, contemporary design and communal family-friendly facilities. Part of our mission for this development, however,is to enable young families to engage directly with this vibrant new community.  By enabling home loan solutions through Mashreq we are increasing the options for families to invest in their future and secure a suitable home without having to compromise on quality or location.

“Part of TECOM Investments’ ethos when planning a new development is to engage with our stakeholders to ensure we deliver in line with market need. Mashreq has provided a forward thinking and an innovative approach to ensure this mortgage is flexible and appealing to our potential home owners.”

Mr.PawanDhawan, Head of Mortgages atMashreqcommented, “Dubai’s real estate market has revitalized and will continue to stabilize and grow further.Mashreq is pleased to tie up with TECOM Investments, for providing mortgagesolutions to consumers who are looking to purchase a property in the Villa Lantana development.  We at Mashreq understand the flexibility when it comes to home loan facility, which is why we constantly reach out to our consumers for them, to realize their dream home with custom made solutions, innovative features, faster turnaround times and a host of advantages that fulfil their needs.”

Benefits available under the collaboration include high loan amounts of up to AED 15 million; loan-to-value ratio of up to 50 per cent for offplan properties; loan tenure up to 25 years; low income eligibility starting from AED 15,000 per month, and finance for salaried and self-employed UAE residents at attractive interest rates.

The contemporary villas, set in a well-planned, beautifully landscaped family neighbourhood, offer interested buyers the choice of 17 different villa designs, 11 floor plans and a range of 3, 4 and 5 bedroom detached and semi-attached family homes. Villas span in square footage from 2453 square foot (Built Up Area - BUA) up to 6082 square foot (BUA). Catering to all family needs,the development’s close proximity to Dubai’s main arterial roads allows for fast and easy access to the city’s primary business areas, retail and entertainment hubs, with a number of leading schools having recently opened in the near vicinity.

About Villa Lantana:

Villa Lantana is a freehold villa community for Dubai’s growing family market, launched by TECOM Investments and ideally situated in the heart of Dubai’s growth corridor of Al Barsha South.

Villa Lantana is in close proximity to Dubai’s main arterial roads and enjoys fast and easy access to the city’s primary business areas, retail and entertainment hubs, and educational establishments. Construction is currently underway with project completion set for Q4 2015.

Set in two well-planned and landscaped, gated communities, the development consists of 3, 4 and 5 bedroom detached and semi-attached family homes offering a choice of 17 different villa designs and 11 floor plans. Residents of Villa Lantana will benefit from a retail centre, parks and playgrounds, as well as sports facilities including sports centres with gyms and pools, sports courts and outdoor jogging tracks. All amenities and full landscaping will be completed in time for handover.

For further information and to register your interest, please visitwww.villalantana.aeor call 800-LANTANA.

About Mashreq:

Mashreq is one of the UAE’s leading National Financial institutions and the second oldest. Founded in 1967 as Bank of Oman, the bank has played a pioneering role in the industry, particularly in retail banking. Among its many firsts, it was the first to launch such products as travellers’ cheques, credit cards and ATMs.

Mashreq has received numerous international awards reflecting the bank’s successful record, such as the Best Credit Card and Best Debit Card by Smart Card Awards Middle East 2013, Best Retail Bank UAE Award by Global Banking & Financial Review 2013, Best Banking Group in UAE by World Finance, Best Banking Innovation, Best Islamic Window, Best Technology Implementation by Banker ME Industry Awards 2013, Best Loan House in UAE by EMEA Finance Middle East Banking Awards  2013, Best Debt House Award by EMEA Finance 2012, Best Regional Consumer Internet Bank for Online Deposit, Credit and Investment Product offerings' by Global Finance Best Internet Bank Awards 2012, Best Regional Retail Bank by The Banker ME Industry Awards 2012, Best Branch Design & Best Islamic Investment Fund Award for Mashreq Al Islami Income Fund from Banker Middle East Product Awards 2012, Dubai Human Development Appreciation Award 2012 for its efforts towards the Development of the Emiratisation initiative.

As a leading financial Institution in the UAE, Mashreq aims to be world class in every facet of its business; including its social responsibility to the community it serves in. Towards this goal the bank pays particular attention to recruiting, training, developing and retaining UAE National employees.

Marina Residence photo, Dubai Marina , October 2014

Park Inn by Radisson Residence photos, Jumeirah Village Triangle, Dubai, Cityscape Global 2014, September 2014

Marina Suites photo, Dubai Marina, October 2014

Marina Star plot photo, Dubai Marina ,October 2014

Kuwaitis were biggest property owners in UAE, with 6,947 properties at the end of 2012, says International Property Show 2015

59% of total GCC property owners are from Kuwait:

Kuwaitis were biggest property owners in UAE, with 6,947 properties at the end of 2012, says International Property Show 2015

11^th IPS to attach major importance to Kuwaiti visitors during the three day exhibition

Kuwait, Kuwait, 5^th November 2014: Being only 90 minutes’ flight away from Kuwait, Dubai is an ideal location for a second home, or even a primary home, for some Kuwaitis. No wonder, Kuwaitis are one of the biggest investors in Dubai’s real-estate sector, compared to other GCC countries.

According to figures released by International Property Show (IPS) 2015, which will be held from 30 March – 1 April 2015, and UAE Ministry of Finance, GCC ownership in the UAE amounted to 11,761 properties in 2012, an increase of 8%over 2011.

In fact, the largest share of the total property ownerships was taken up by Kuwaiti citizens, with a total 6,947 properties by the end of 2012, representing a whopping 59% of the total GCC property ownerships.

Dawood Al Shezawi, CEO, Strategic Marketing & Exhibitions, organizers of IPS 2015, said: “UAE continues to maintain its lead position as a hot property destination among GCC countries since 2008. At IPS, we are working hard to attract as many Gulf visitors as possible to our show and specifically Kuwaiti visitors.”

He added: “In 2011, investors from Kuwait account for nearly 60% of all properties purchased by GCC nationals in the emirate of Dubai, according to figures from the UAE Ministry of Finance. The picture is still the same and the Kuwaiti investors and purchasers remain the biggest chunk of buyers in the UAE property market.”

IPS 2015 will attract companies from Kuwait, especially those with serious potential for partnerships in property industry in the Emirate. “What is more interesting about Kuwaitis is their quick decision making in buying properties in the UAE due to their confidence in the UAE property market and due to the factor of proximity. Thanks to their high spending power, many tend to buy multiple units as vacation homes.

Dubai's real estate market is now more stable and sustainable, which had improved confidence mainly among GCC investors. “The UAE and Kuwaiti construction sectors are linked in several ways, being two leading markets in the Middle East region,” said Al Shezawi.

“We are expecting high footfall from Kuwaiti visitors who wish to conduct one-to-one meetings with IPS exhibitors and grab offerings at the three day show,” added Al Shezawi.

IPS has registered to date participations from 120 countries, reflecting an increase by 33.3% compared to the previous edition. The show will witness wide participation from the Gulf region out of the 300 total exhibitors.

Exhibitors are coming from all over Europe, North America, Asia Pacific and North and South-East Africa. These will include developers involved in the development of residential communities and high-rise buildings, entertainment facilities, retail outlets, financial institutions, banks and investment companies, pension funds, asset management companies, authorities, investment zones and engineers of construction and interior design.

Strategic Marketing & Exhibitions is the organizer of IPS. The company is a leading exhibition and conference organiser in the UAE, based in Dubai that has grown dramatically and contributed immensely to the exhibition industry, thus gaining reputation as one of the leading experts in all aspects related to the exhibition industry.