It’s the fifth year the trophies dedicated to female achievements in the Middle East are being held in Dubai and once again the indomitable founder, President of the Indian Television Academy, Anu Ranjan will be at the centre of proceedings.
Taking place at Sofitel Dubai The Palm Resort & Spa, on January 12 in the presence of Bollywood’s Neil Nitin Mukesh, Richa Chadda and Surveen Chawla, this is the first time the ceremony has been endorsed by the Dubai Shopping Festival (DSF). We spoke to Anu to find out more.
How does it feel to be the first award show to be part of DSF?
How did this come about?
We approached Ms. Suhail for an affiliation with DSF some time ago. She and her team evaluated the possibility internally – we were told that they were all quite impressed with our previous shows in Dubai, our brand, our style, our getting together achievers from varied hues of life on a common platform, the award ceremonies, our other associates – I guess it all added up for them and they granted us this opportunity.
Why is it important to be part of DSF?
An affiliation with DSF increases the awareness of what we’re doing at an international level. The efforts of all our awardees, the women achievers who we set out to honour, deserve worldwide recognition and hopefully this exposure will help us accomplish that quicker.
Are there any new categories of awards this year? How have you gone about selecting the great women?
Yes, there are a few new genres we’ve added. These categories were created and the award recipients were selected after considerable surveys, studies and scrutiny done by our research teams.
Who are the stand out recipients for you this year?
All our winners are standout winners. Each person has done exemplary work in her respective field.
What can you tell us about the entertainment this year?
We have many familiar faces from Bollywood attending and participating in the event. They’ve all been chosen given their high levels of popularity and admiration there is for these stars in Dubai. Through them and through their vast social media connections we hope to spread our message and we hope to reach out to a much larger audience.
As it has been five years, what are your stand out memories of shows gone past?
Every achiever I’ve met during the five years here and the 14 years of this event in India has been an unbelievable story of brilliance, struggle, determination, dedication, and selflessness. They’ve been an inspiration to meet and they are what has encouraged and motivated us to go on all these years.
Why is it important to continue honouring women from around the region in Dubai?
These women have done exceptional work in the region. They too deserve to be lauded and applauded for this hard work. They are role models for many more young women out there. Any amount of appreciation for their efforts can never be enough.
What changes have you seen over the years in terms of choosing the winners, what they are being honoured for and putting on the show?
The change in the GR8! Women Awards Middle East is simply the supplementary categories that are being added on each year. Women are being honoured for doing outstanding work in fields once considered male-dominated, be it law, literature, finance, economics, medicine, science and technology. Women are excelling in everything.
In addition to the award ceremony the event now also features music and dance performances, fashion shows, stand up acts and it will likely see more in the years to come.
We are looking forward to continuing this association with DSF for many years to come - we’ve already got some mega plans worked out for The GR8! Women Awards Middle East 2020.
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