The French Business Council (FBC) will be celebrating its 21st anniversary with an elegant gala dinner “An Intriguing Musical Experience”.

The event will be held on May 22 at the Raffles Hotel, WAFI.

Initiated by the French Businessmen and the Commercial Section of the French Embassy in 1987, the non-profit organisation has played a critical role in building relationships between the UAE and France, and currently has over 350 members.

As president of the FBC and executive director of Bateaux Dubai Patrice Douce will introduce a new initiative in 2008.

“This year we have agreed to sign a Memorandum Of Understanding with EEG (Emirates Environmental Group) to raise awareness of environmental issues in the Emirates among our members,” said Douce.

FBC will be contributing a percentage of their membership fees to suppport EEG actions such as Clean Up Day and environmental workshops and will even be introducing a ''green'' page to our magazine.

“There is no doubt this MOU is a first step of a longterm and fruitful cooperation between both organizations and we look forward to providing our support,” he added.

The gala dinner is anticipated to be one of the most sought after events of the year with tickets selling out within days of being released. The theme “An Intriguing Musical Experience” will be celebrated with an international musical performance, only to be revealed on the evening.

The FBC is also proud to announce Lancel Paris as the platinum title sponsor for the evening. Founded in 1876, Lancel Paris is a luxury leather goods retailer and has opened three boutiques in the UAE in the past 12 months: Dubai Festival City, WAFI and Abu Dubai Mall. The year 2008 has also seen the announcement of iconic French actress Isabelle Adjani as the brand’s ambassador.

“Lancel Paris is proud to be part of the 21st anniversary of the French Business Council. Over the period of Lancel’s association with the FBC, the group has become active in a number of programmes that promote our involvement in the local community,” said managing director, Euroluxe, the exclusive retailer for Lancel across the region, Xavier Bouin.

“As a French brand with a strong presence in the UAE, we are keen to strike a balance between promoting the ideal of “French legerete” and establishing ourselves as active part of the Dubai community,” he added.

The gold sponsors on the evening include Jashanmal, HSBC, AXA, Schneider, BNP Paribas and Maf Dalkia Le who have all contributed to the successful business relations between France and the UAE.

Air France will again this year be the Official Airline for the event, together wtih accommodation provided by La Maison d’hotes in Jumeirah. d’pr is also an official sponsor of the Gala Event, having recently won Atlantis The Palm account to the burgeoning integrated events and PR agency. – TradeArabia News Service