The third edition of the Annual Menalac Awards Gala, the only industry awards that recognise excellence and achievements, setting benchmarking standards for the Mena leisure and attractions industry, will be held on March 24, 2020, in Dubai UAE.

It will celebrate the industry and reward excellence, outstanding performance and achievements in various facets of the leisure and entertainment industry.
 
The 2020 edition of the awards will feature 24 award categories, up from 20 offered last year, reflecting an expansion of the industry awards. The new awards categories aimed at Manufacturers and Suppliers to the L&E Industry will be Supplier of the Year, Best Product for Theme Parks, Best Product for Family Entertainment Centres (FEC) and Best Product for Water Parks.
 
Leisure & Attraction operations that have been operational on or before May 31, 2019, as well as Products introduced into the Mena Market before May 31, 2019, are eligible to nominate themselves for these prestigious awards.
 
The increase in the categories also reflects a growth in the leisure attractions sectors, especially the theme parks businesses – that are becoming great attractions for tourists in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region.
 
Nominations for the biggest awards in the leisure attractions industry – Leisure Industry Awards – being organised by the Middle East and North Africa Leisure Attractions Council (Menalac), opened on November 15 and close on January 30, 2020.
 
Each nominee will undergo a strict vetting and judging process to determine the award win in each category. The jury will send their picks directly to a reputed audit firm appointed by Menalac who will then announce the winners on the day of the event.
 
“Following the tremendous success of the past editions of Menalac Awards, we have received many requests from the Manufacturing and Supplier Community of our business to create new award categories that will honour their products and services. Great products are an integral aspect to the success of any leisure facility and therefore, Menalac Board of Directors are pleased to accept their request and create four new award categories,” said Silvio Liedtke, vice president of Menalac and chairman of the Events Committee.
 
“The objective of the annual Menalac Leisure Industry Awards is to raise the standard of the leisure attractions industry in the Middle East and set new benchmarks for the industry locally and globally. We want participants to challenge themselves in achieving excellence and honour them for their outstanding efforts via these awards,” he added.
 
“With the opening of the leisure and attractions industry in Saudi Arabia – the largest Arab economy – we expect the region’s leisure industry to expand rapidly. The wider awards category will help Menalac to recognise more organisations and professionals in our wonderful industry," he said.
 
“I urge industry stakeholders to nominate themselves for these well recognised and admired Leisure Industry Awards. The opening of the nomination process also kicks off our full preparation for the annual gala. The 2020 edition will be a special one indeed,” he said.
 
More than 700 esteemed and focused senior industry stakeholders are expected to attend the event which also includes a gala award ceremony and dinner.
 
Menalac, which was launched in 2016, has grown with a large number of active members across the region, where the leisure and entertainment industry is set to grow due to an increasing young population who are high-spenders in leisure and entertainment attractions.
 
The GCC countries are investing significantly to develop their leisure and entertainment (L&E) sectors in order to improve quality of life, celebrate national identities, and diversify national economies.
 
Prakash Vivekanand, secretary general of the Council, said: “The governments and the private sector businesses in the Middle East are spending a massive amount of resources to develop leisure and entertainment facilities that will boost international tourist arrivals and help the economies to grow.
 
“As the market expands, we at Menalac, are launching a number of initiatives, including an industry conference that will help not only increase investor interest in the leisure industry in the Middle East, but also increase interest among larger stakeholders into the leisure and entertainment industry.”
 
The conference and awards ceremony will be held in March 2020, alongside Dubai Entertainment and Leisure (DEAL) Exhibition, where several international and regional companies will participate, exhibit the latest technologies, rides and new products as well as discuss industry trends and issues. - TradeArabia News Service