What’s On – the UAE’s best-selling entertainment magazine – celebrated the crème de la crème of Dubai’s restaurant, leisure and entertainment scene on Wednesday night, with the What’s On Awards Dubai.

La Petite Maison claimed the evening’s top prize, scooping the highly coveted What’s On Restaurant Of The Year accolade, while Reif Othman was named What’s On Chef Of The Year.

Hosted by Motivate Publishing, in association with Dubai First, the awards took place under the stars at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre and were attended by more than 1,200 guests, including general managers and chefs from Dubai’s leading hotels and restaurants.

Ian Fairservice, Managing Partner And Group Editor of Motivate Publishing, and the man who launched What’s On magazine almost 35 years ago commented:

‘As we begin the celebrations for Motivate’s – and What’s On’s – 35th anniversary, it’s safe to say that the emirate we live in is very different from the one in which we started. And as the city has grown, so has the standard of living in Dubai – we’ve been lucky enough to welcome more and more world-class establishments every year, so that today we now have a scene that can proudly rub shoulders with any major city in the world.’

‘Of course What’s On was there every step of the way – creating trends, not just reporting on them – on everything from the growing campaign to promote the use of sustainable fish stocks to championing local produce in restaurants.” He added.

A highlight of the evening was the live broadcast announcement directly from Paris via ARN that Dubai had won the Expo 2020 bid. The 1200 strong audience cheered as fireworks lit up the skies and the excitement was hard to contain.

More than 200,000 votes were collected throughout Dubai over the last two months, as consumers voted for their favourite outlets. This year’s awards saw frenetic online voting as a majority of votes were cast on the What’s On awards website. Votes also came in via in-store voting slips, SMS, and Facebook.

Once again, What’s On commissioned the independent external auditors, Jacobsons, to ensure that the results of the hotly contested awards are completely transparent.

The winners awarded on the night of the awards were:

What’s On magazine

Packed with opinion, experts, insider info, reviews, music, competitions and more, What’s On is the title for readers wanting to be in the know. One of the UAE’s best-loved and biggest-selling magazines, it has been the leading entertainment titles in the region for almost 35 years. Need to know what’s on? You need to read What’s On.

Motivate Publishing

Motivate Publishing is the Gulf’s leading publisher of magazines and books. Motivate’s portfolio comprises more than 20 market-leading magazines – many of which have independently audited circulations – and more than 300 books. With a staff of more than 200 experienced and dedicated professionals, Motivate Publishing is committed to providing editorial excellence, audited circulation and transparent research data across its entire platform of publications.

Dubai First

Dubai First is one of the leading consumer finance companies in the UAE, specialising in credit cards and corporate liability products. Over the past few years, Dubai First has developed a niche reputation in the credit cards sector by building a unique base of clients. The company strategy is based on building sustainable long-term value through innovation in harnessing a genuine customer service experience.

For more information, contact:

Christer Kalacas
Senior Marketing & Events Executive
Mob: +97155 8895612
Email: christer@motivate.ae