The annual Ooredoo Marathon is set to witness a strong contingent from The Mall of Qatar, when 112 employees will join some of the world’s best marathon athletes and thousands of amateur runners.

Now in its fourth year, the Ooredoo Marathon will take place on Friday, January 8, 2016. The marathon will feature a range of courses for runners at all levels of experience, including a full marathon, half-marathon, 10km, 5km and a special children’s 3km fun-run.

The Mall of Qatar has been encouraging its employees with the company’s commitment to team spirit by promoting sport for a worthy cause.

“We are thrilled by the support of our MOQ employees at the Ooredoo Marathon, with two of our team members participating in the half marathon and one running the full marathon in¬ this key event in Qatar’s sports calendar of 2016. It is a fantastic opportunity for our participants to be engaged and finish in a competitive mode and challenging spirit.” said Naomi Sargeant – Director of Marketing of Mall of Qatar. “

“Our participation in the Marathon translates well our commitment to Corporate Social Responsibility and comes in line with Qatar National Vision 2030 and its Human Development Pillar with Health constituting one of its main cornerstones. Mall of Qatar aims to raise awareness on the benefits of sport and physical activities, increase community participation in sports and improve talent development and team building." she added.

Mall of Qatar's participation is in line with the goals of the Supreme Council of Health (SCH) to encourage people to participate in sports activities in Qatar and adopt a healthy daily lifestyle and also to spread the humanitarian message within the community.

30% of Mall of Qatar F&B outlets will introduce new eateries in the Qatar market

With its commitment to providing visitors and residents of Qatar an unparalleled shopping experience, the Mall of Qatar is bringing some of the world’s foremost food and beverage (F&B) brands under one roof. From cafes, fast to casual to fine dining, more than 100 F&B outlets will make their presence felt when Mall of Qatar opens its doors in the latter part of 2016. It will have the largest and most extensive food and beverage offers in a mall across the region. Representing 30% of the mall F&B outlets, the new entrants in the Qatar market will include Cheesecake Factory, Babel, Eataly, Greek Fresh, New York Fries, Sazeli, Texas Roadhouse, TWG Tea Salon & Boutique and Zafran.

A selection of fine dining restaurants and the world class food pavilion have strategically been located overlooking the Oasis that will feature live shows by the resident troupe. Visitors can experience a multi-sensory dining encounter while relaxing in front of the interactive dancing fountains and enjoying the entertainment with friends or families. The Oasis has a capacity to seat around 2,600 people in addition to over 4,500 people standing around the stage on both levels.

“At Mall of Qatar we actively thought about what Qatar needed and then designed and re-designed our space to excite, thrill, and engage; a place where people can find their own oasis. We thought about the choices our visitors would want and we believe we have catered to all tastes within the food pavilion" stated Rony Mourani, General Manager, Mall of Qatar.

"Tapping into new eating and leisure trends, we decided early on that we wanted a gathering place to captivate our visitors. Our vision was to bring together a community of all nationalities, and to become the destination in Qatar," he added.

Mall of Qatar has also gone the extra mile to bring in the finest culinary sensations from the four corners of the globe. International flavours surround the Oasis on two levels that include La Casa Twenty Eight, Shake Shack, Debs w Reman, Carluccio's, Uno Chicago Grill, Dip N Dip, Royal Tandoor, Hasan Kolcuoglu and Si El Sayed Restaurant.

Whether it is local, Continental, Mediterranean, Asian or a variety of international cuisine, Mall of Qatar will serve up the most diverse taste sensations to suit every unique visitor that arrives. Furthermore, globally acclaimed cafes like Godiva, Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, Starbucks, Café Bazza, Paul Café and Mokarabia will cater to the taste buds of all ages.

Expected to receive a footfall of 20 million customers annually, the Mall of Qatar includes 7,000 underground and surface car parking spaces, 500 shops including over 100 F&B restaurants and a 19 screen Cineplex including a superior 3D IMAX screen, and a 5-star 200 bedroom luxury and fashion hotel operated by Curio Collection from Hilton.

As a partner of the International New York Times’ Luxury Conference 2016, Mall of Qatar established itself as a luxury and leisure destination that bridges the gap between East and West.

Held on April 5th & 6th at Waldorf Astoria-owned Hotel Trianon Palace in Versailles, France, the international conference “Luxury Beyond Product” brought together global luxury industry leaders that include Marco Bizzarri, CEO of Gucci, Maureen Chiquet, former global CEO of Chanel, Richard Mille founder of the luxury watchmaker brand Richard Mille, John Demsey, Executive Group President, The Estee Lauder Companies and Michael Kowalski, Chairman of the board, Tiffany & Co to name a few.

Rony Mourani, General Manager of Mall of Qatar, reported that today luxury experiences are as important as luxury products: “It is essential to share new ideas and fresh perspectives on emerging trends impacting the luxury industry, by partnering with luxury industry leaders Mall of Qatar validates the luxury and leisure experiences in the region.”

Further adding, “Mall of Qatar by design is luxurious and this filters through to each and every detail within the mall. After analysing that luxury shoppers maintained a strong association between shopping and leisure in a retail environment, our vision was to offer a luxurious entertainment destination that will host the world's first live entertainment resident troupe in a mall that will positively transform luxury and leisure experiences on offer in Qatar.”

With extensive natural sky lighting across the vast space, Mall of Qatar will offer visitors a wide selection of major international brands, over 100 food and beverage outlets and fine dining options, a 5-star luxury hotel - part of the Curio Collection by Hilton - and an impressive array of unique entertainment experiences.

Now in its 15th year, this year’s conference was hosted and moderated by New York Times fashion director Vanessa Friedman. Attendees of the luxury conference were also delighted to visit the Chateau de Versailles, where a prestigious gala dinner was held at La Gallerie des Batailles hosted by the jeweller and watchmaker Chopard.

Construction work and retail fit outs resumed as normal today at Mall of Qatar following the outbreak of a fire on April 2, 2016.

Mr. Mowafaq Kharbat, Project Director of Urbacon Trading and Contracting, confirmed that work has resumed after an accidental fire broke out at around 2.30pm on April 2. Safety engineers were alerted immediately which prompted the safe evacuation of 14,000 workers and staff on site, and in adjacent buildings.

Official authorities were informed, which led to the civil defense team, traffic department, Al Fazaa road police and the Lekhwiya internal security forces to deploy their teams. The fire was successfully put out and there were no casualties.

“We are thankful that no one was harmed and our priority right now is to continue construction work and carry on with retail fit outs within the mall. We would like to express our gratitude to the authorities for their immediate and professional support to ensure the safety of everyone on the site and to contain the fire,” Stated Mowafaq Kharbat.

“UCC has a comprehensive operations risk plan that gets reviewed regularly and also implements stringent safety precautions on a daily basis, this was expertly put into action during this incident,” he added.

Pending an investigation by the related authorities and for the official outcome of their enquiries, the cause of the fire is still unknown at this stage.

When complete, Mall of Qatar, will be the nation’s largest mall, with over 500 stores, including over 100 food and beverage outlets and fine dining options. It will offer visitors a wide selection of major international brands, a 5 star luxury hotel, part of the Curio Collection by Hilton, and an impressive array of unique family and mall-wide live entertainment and the first professional live theatre in a mall in the world with 360 degree acts and shows performed on the multi-lift rotating Festival Stage with theatrical sound and lighting.

Residents of Qatar can expect top-notch entertainment with ‘MOQLIVE’ – the most defining feature of Mall of Qatar. This is all set to further reinforce the mall’s status as the first live entertainment destination premiering the world’s first resident troupe in a mall. Officials announced that MOQLIVE will encompass live concerts, entertainment, and mall activities, covering 52 weeks of programming.

This unique free entertainment concept, brought to life by a cast and crew of more than 50 international theatre professionals, will be mall-wide with the 7 main shows performing within the heart of the mall at the Oasis. The Oasis is covered by an impressive 6,000 sq. m glassed dome of 30 meter height that is carried by four giant steel trees. The focal point of the Oasis is a 15 meter diameter 360-degree rotating stage with a central hydraulic lift, theatrical sound & lighting, high wire rigging, special effects and animated water features. The shows have been custom developed by theatrical productions experts, Premium Projects, based in Germany.

Nearly 1,000 performers have been casted from around the world (incl. Australia, the US, Africa and all over Europe) to find the best performers and hand-picked talent for the shows. The crew comprises of professional costume tailors, lighting designers, stage managers, sound technicians, scenery carpenters and make-up artists who will work behind the scenes day by day to deliver a theatrical experience. During the performances, up to 25 dancers, singers, actors and acrobats can be seen live on stage.

In addition to proprietary shows, other producer or vendors will use the stage for showing their own content. This can be on the stage lift, a car presentation, a fashion show, kids amusement or similar. For these events the stage ring can be entered by the audience by using the bridges and railings. By using the LED screens in the down position (stage level) as seen in the picture, football games or any other video content can be shown. The audience can stand or sit within one of the numerous casual dining restaurants and cafes around the pond watching same content on each of the four curved LED screens.

Elaborating on this new entertainment venue, Rony Mourani, General Manager said, "Mall of Qatar and Premium Projects are developing a unique entertainment package which has never been presented in a mall before: All shows and acts are custom-designed for Mall of Qatar to ensure a unique signature experience."

"With its highly innovative proposition, MOQLIVE is intrinsic to MOQ's entire marketing push. It is also central to MOQ's districting and tenant mix. MOQLIVE will consistently drive prime customer traffic across the entire mall for all tenants," added Rony Mourani.

Premium Projects is currently in the development stage of the signature shows for Mall of Qatar with an international team of choreographers; costume designers; musical directors; art directors and circus trainers. The assigned crew has worked on productions in 40 countries for well-known musicals, TV productions and large scale events. Hours of music are currently being re-recorded to adapt well-known melodies into new soundscapes or new songs composed from scratch in a recording studio.

The show storyboards have been finalised and more than 3,000 costume pieces have been designed to invite the visitors to discover lavish fantasy worlds and are currently in production at a costume-workshop in Germany. Nearly 400 different materials are used for assembling the fantasy costumes from sparkling rhinestones to rusty gear wheels, from heavy velvet to special lycra used for the acrobats and even real pearls will be hand-stitched to one of the costumes.

Rony Mourani concluded, "The Mall of Qatar fully embodies the retailtainment concept and offers a great variety of entertainment options for the whole family. We are confident that everyone will enjoy MOQLIVE events that will make our Mall the destination for our valued guests from within Qatar, the Middle East and beyond.”

Set to open in 2016, Mall of Qatar features Spanish architectural design throughout and includes an innovative ‘Oasis’ in what will be the biggest shopping and entertainment complex in Qatar and a premier shopping destination in the Middle East!

The Mall of Qatar took another step toward transforming the shopping experience in the Middle East with the signing of Spanish brands Zara, Zara Home, Bershka, Pull & bear, Oysho, Massimo Dutti, Lefties, Pablosky, Neck & Neck, Pili Carrera, and Cortefiel all of which will occupy exclusive space in the $1.4 billion, 500,000 square-meter retail and entertainment complex scheduled to open in 2016.

The Mall of Qatar, which will feature signature and flagship stores, new retail brands and varied entertainment choices, already has a ‘made in Spain’ cachet. World-leading architects Chapman Taylor, featuring its Spanish office, designed the mall with its triple-height centre spine and extensive natural sky lighting across the vast space. The renowned Spanish architectural firm Spacecoop designed all the exterior landscaping including the public areas, entrance sequences and ‘Oasis.’

Mall of Qatar is definitely taking the notion of shopping centers to a different level in Doha in terms of accessibility, design, circulation, and convenience. It encompasses 7,000 parking spaces, natural light through vast areas of glassed domes throughout the mall, including an impressive 6,000 sq. m glassed dome which is 30 meters in height covering the Oasis, 26 interior and exterior water features, 48,000 sq. m of landscaped greenery and 11 meter-wide corridors creating a beautiful environment inside the mall. All these distinguished elements were ticked by the designers of Mall of Qatar, who have made this project a real icon in the region.

“The reason why the Mall of Qatar attracts brands and shoppers, in addition to the broad and exclusive retail and entertainment offer, is the marvelous and wondrous architecture that will make the experience incomparable and delightful,’ said Mr. Rony Mourani, General Manager of the Mall of Qatar.

When completed later in 2016, Mall of Qatar, with over 500 stores, will be Qatar’s largest mall, spread over a building area which is the equivalent size of 50 football fields. It will offer visitors a wide selection of major international brands, over 100 food and beverage outlets and fine dining options, a 5-star luxury hotel - part of the Curio Collection by Hilton - and an impressive array of unique entertainment experiences, including the largest IMAX Laser 3D projection system in the world.

Mall of Qatar will be the first entertainment mall in the region that will have its own residency performing troupe with proprietary shows, custom developed for Mall of Qatar. Entertainment will be mall-wide and programmed throughout the week.

Mall of Qatar is fully leased; signees include flagship stores H&M and Hamleys toy store, a Signature Carrefour Hypermarket, Salam luxury department store, Debenhams, Kidzmondo, a kid’s edutainment city, XtremeLand and much more.

Collectively the brands within Mall of Qatar will offer shoppers an exciting collection of well-loved international luxury & high street fashion, footwear, food, health & beauty, pharmacy, optics and home furnishings brands.

Mall of Qatar also recently confirmed for the first time in Qatar, Victoria’s Secret lingerie store, The Cheesecake Factory, Texas Roadhouse and Pottery Barn, securing Mall of Qatar as a leading retail and entertainment destination in both Qatar and the Middle East.

Recognised as an iconic project in the retail and entertainment industry.

An innovative and inspiring architecture, easy accessibility, fascinating new live entertainment concepts and signature restaurants will all capture the imagination of the nation when the Mall of Qatar opens its doors later in 2016. Looks like it already has started creating ripples in the South Asian retail property market by winning the “Retail Leadership” Award in the real estate category at the Asia Retail Congress 2016 held recently in Mumbai, India.

The award was received on behalf of Mr. Ramez Al Khayyat, Managing Director of UrbaCon Trading & Contracting LLC (UCC) by Siva Kumar, Estimation and Proposal Director of UCC and Patrick Hage-Chahine, PR and Events Manager of Mall of Qatar. Being developed by UCC's Doha branch, this super-regional mall spread over 5.4 million square feet of area, combines incredible shopping with captivating live entertainment and leisure options.

Asia Retail Congress (ARC) is the single most important global platform to promote world-class retail practices. Attended by 300 most influential retailers in India and South Asia, it recognises best practices in the retail industry across various categories like Fashion, Consumer Durables, Mobile & Telecom services, Food, Travel & Hospitality, Health, and Real Estate etc. The Congress was aimed at company chairs, presidents and CEOs from leading international and national retailers, directors of international and national retailers, directors of international brands who believe in making change happen.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr. Ramez Al Khayyat, said: “We are privileged to receive this esteemed recognition from Asia Retail Congress. This recognition provides a great incentive to continue our journey to provide best-in-class services and create new benchmarks in the retail industry.”

Mr. Ramez Al Khayyat also went on to say: “One of our major distinguishing architectural features of the Mall of Qatar is the 30 meter high 6,000 sq.m glassed dome roof that illuminates a captivating central arena called “The Oasis”, which will become the heart of the project. The Oasis will host live entertainment shows performed daily on a revolving circular stage, set in a pond surrounded by interactive dancing fountains.”

Expected to receive a footfall of 20 million customers annually, the Mall of Qatar includes 7,000 underground and surface car parking spaces, 500 shops including over 100 F&B restaurants and 19 screen Cineplex including a superior 3D IMAX screen, and a 5-star 200 bedroom luxury and fashion hotel operated by Curio, a Collection by Hilton.