Global Village, the UAE and wider region’s leading multicultural family destination for culture, shopping, and entertainment, has announced the winners of its Future Business Minds competition. Introduced to stimulate entrepreneurship amongst the UAE’s younger generation, Global Village’s latest creative outreach program invited university students across the country to showcase their creative business ideas through unique project proposals. The competition was met with enthusiasm by students and many entries were submitted. After careful consideration, six proposals were shortlisted before Khalifa University’s Maryam AlKaabi and Areeba Waseem, from the University of Exeter, were named the winners during a virtual ceremony.

Jaki Ellenby, Executive Director – Marketing & Events, Global Village, said: “We pride ourselves on proposing exciting new attractions to our guests every season, and we want to do our part to inspire original, locally designed and produced concepts. Providing platforms for up-and-coming talent and supporting them on their development journey will help to grow a strong local industry in the UAE. As a recognised hub for entrepreneurs and SMEs to introduce new business ideas, Global Village is committed to supporting the next generation of entrepreneurs. Our Future Business Minds competition represents the first step in a new program to engage University level students and we extend our congratulations to Maryam and Areeba who are the first winners of the program. We would also like to extend our thanks to the many students who submitted their ideas and encourage them to continue to reach for their goals.”

The first-of-its-kind competition encouraged students to push their creativity boundaries and hone their commercial instincts in the field of entertainment. Maryam AlKaabi’s ‘Red Carpet Event for Kids’ proposal allows young guests to experience all the fun and excitement of a red carpet experience. Areeba Waseem’s ‘Shadow Memories’ idea was a walk-in attraction that captured people’s shadows at the entrance and create an everlasting footprint.

Global Village returns for Season 26 in October 26, with more initiatives to inspire up-and-coming entrepreneurs to be announced soon.

For more information, please visit: www.globalvillage.ae or download the Global Village App.

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