Business Club

Al Adiyat Real Estate Development Company (Mecca Mall) and Edrak for Edutainment Projects Development (an Egyptian Company) have recently signed an agreement to inaugurate the first KidZania Branch in Jordan at Mecca Mall. 

Through this partnership, Mecca Mall’s management aims to elevate the mall’s visitor’s entertainment experience to an international level, as Kids will be able to explore the World of KidZania, enjoying one of the largest interactive mini-city and combines play with learning through a fun and innovative approach. Ahmed Habib, CEO of Edrak commented, “It is with great pleasure, KidZania will be able to offer the same worthwhile experience for children residing in Amman as we have in Cairo.

I am delighted with this partnership and looking forward to a rewarding experience with Mecca Mall’s management.” Amer Nasereddin, local partner of Edrak for edutainment projects said: “Our intention is to take kids entertainment to the next level as the statistics indicate that youth in Jordan make 70 per cent of the population, and I believe that we managed to bring together the perfect mix, with KidZania’s years of experience in the kids entertainment industry and Mecca mall as a major player in the shopping and entertainment industry in Jordan, we are looking forward for further future cooperation.” Obaida Al Kurdi, founder of Mecca Mall said: “We are excited to bring a whole new world of Edutainment for the kids of Jordan, and we are eager to be home to the largest kids’ entertainment educational establishment.” With an estimated cost of $10 million and a 12 month construction period, the biggest international interactive kids zone and the first of its kind in Jordan spans over a 6,000sq.m. space in Mecca Mall’s newest extension.

Cambridge Assessment English, a part of University of Cambridge will be introducing OET, the English language test for medical professionals from January 2020 in Amman at Luminus Technical University College.

The test is used by students so that they can pursue their dream of an international career in healthcare. Since 2013, OET has been owned by Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment, a venture between Cambridge Assessment English and Box Hill Institute. OET is an Australian-developed English language test that assesses the language proficiency of healthcare professionals from 12 different professions, from nurses and doctors to pharmacists and physiotherapists.

It provides assessment of all four language skills — listening, reading, writing and speaking — through test materials designed to reflect real healthcare scenarios. The test is taken by professionals who want to work or study in the healthcare sector around the world. The Jordan venue will deliver at least 20 test sittings over the coming year.

Sujata Stead, CEO of Cambridge Boxhill Language Assessment (The developers of OET), said: “We have been steadily expanding our footprint in the Middle East and have a total of 15 test venues in Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Oman, Turkey and now Jordan.

Healthcare professionals regularly tell us that they feel more confident about taking a healthcare-related test and how studying for the test helps them gain the language communication skills for success in the workplace.” “We are planning on opening additional test venues in the region over the coming year and look forward to being able to offer OET to every healthcare professional who wishes to have the language proficiency to provide safe and effective care in an English-speaking environment,” she added.

An awareness-raising workshop for private sector educators, nurses and counsellors was held by the Rotary Club of Amman (RCA) Cosmopolitan in cooperation with the Royal Health Awareness Society (RHAS) and Al Marji’ Publications (publishers of Family Flavours and Nakahat ‘Ailiyeh parenting magazines).

“The club organised this workshop to raise awareness in hopes of reducing drug use amongst youth and school students in particular,” said Ghada Fanek, RCA Cosmopolitan president at the opening. The workshop discussed the parental guide No to Drugs, Yes to Life produced by Al Marji’ Publications with health content provided by the Royal Health Awareness Society and funded by Cairo Amman Bank.“This guide, produced in Arabic and English, highlights the detrimental role of peer pressure and thus the need for educators and families to create open channels of communication with youth as a form of protection from drugs,” noted Hind-Lara Mango, publisher and managing director of Al Marji’ Publications. 

RHAS Director General Hanin Odeh stressed the importance of parents and administrators in raising awareness and protecting youth from drugs and smoking, which negatively impact the productivity youth and their role in the future. RHAS has been carrying out the Generation Protected initiative for four years, in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Mentor Arabia and the Anti-Narcotics Department, targeting 700 schools around Jordan and 140 thousand students.

As a part of the partnership with the Anti-Narcotics Department, Capt. Nabeel Rawashdeh spoke about drug types and Jordanian laws, in the context of drug abuse by youth.

MedLabs Consultancy Group (MedLabs Laboratories) renewed its nine-year partnership with Family Flavours and Nakahat ‘Ailiyeh with a focus on health awareness.

“We are proud of our long-standing partnership with Family Flavours and Nakahat ‘Ailiyeh magazines as the only Jordanian publications deeply committed to all aspects of family health — a commitment we hold dear to our hearts as well,” said Hassib Sahyoun, chief executive officer of MedLabs Consultancy Group, at the signing.“We are happy to renew our partnership with MedLabs and we are proud of the trust they put in us,” stated Hind-Lara Mango, publisher and managing director at Al Marji’ Publications.

“We value their holistic approach in their offering of preventive medical plans and their commitment to community engagement, raising awareness on family health through Family Flavours and Nakahat 'Ailiyeh parenting magazines and our events.” Al Marji' Publications and MedLabs have worked together in numerous ways, the most recent being at the Beautiful Inside & Out: Women's Health & Wellness event which was attended by around 150 women. MedLabs presented important information about laboratory tests for women and families.

Airport International Group announced the appointment of its former chief operations officer (COO), Nicolas Claude, as chief executive officer as of Tuesday. Claude assumes his current role in succession of Kjeld Binger, who shall remain associated with Airport International Group as senior adviser to the Board.

Leveraging a longstanding 28-year career within the global airport industry, Claude has held numerous C-suite positions, most recent of which was CEO of the Nuevo Pudahuel concession in Chile, where he guided the expansion of Santiago International Airport, which has crossed the 23 million passenger milestone.

During his 2010-2015 tenure as COO of Airport International Group, Claude oversaw six key departments representing a total of 330 employees responsible for various operations; maintenance; commercial and real estate; information technology and telecommunications; security; and quality and safety functions. Previously, Claude acted as COO of Grupo Aeroportuario Centro Norte — a group operating and managing 13 airports in Mexico — and previously contributed to multiple projects at Aéroports de Paris, namely devising planning studies on several French and global airports. Commenting on his appointment, Mr. Claude said, “I am delighted to be returning to Jordan — a country I called home for five years — and to the Airport International Group family with whom I have witnessed some of the most pivotal stages of the QAIA New Terminal project.

I would like to thank my colleague Mr Kjeld Binger for his exemplary leadership over the past eight years, and I look forward to building on the proud achievements the team has marked since being assigned the project in 2007. We have many new plans to implement, milestones to reach and records to break, and I am confident that, with the support of the Government of Jordan and the employees, partners and shareholders involved in the project, the sky is the limit. We will continue to work together to reaffirm QAIA’s standing as the Kingdom’s prime gateway to the world for the benefit of our passengers and the Jordanian public at large.” 

Emirates customers travelling in First and Business class, and Emirates Skywards Platinum and Gold members can now enjoy a smoother departure and arrival experience at Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) with complimentary Tikram fast-track services.

The Tikram services will facilitate smoother journeys for the almost 300 premium passengers that travel on Emirates First and Business Class as well as top tier Emirates Skywards members who frequent Amman each day. The services will start from 1 January 2020. 

The airline recently signed an agreement with Tikram, which includes complimentary immigration and security fast-track clearance upon departure, as well as fast-track immigration on arrival for passengers travelling in Emirates First and Business Class and Emirates Skywards Platinum and Gold members travelling in any class, with no pre-booking required.

The agreement was signed by Mohammad Lootah, Emirates area manager for Jordan and West Bank and Tikram Managing Director Basem Muhtasib.

Happy travellers are more likely to spend their hard-earned money at the airport, according to new research from Collinson. That’s good news for airports in the UAE, where 75 per cent of 500 travellers surveyed for this year’s “Airport Journey” report said they enjoy the airport experience.

Collinson’s research reveals that airport satisfaction does matter to a great extent. Nearly nine in 10 travellers (88 per cent) who routinely spend over $200 at the airport say the airport experience is an enjoyable part of the journey.

On the other hand, the least satisfied travellers are also the ones who spend less than $28, amongst whom only 40 per cent say they enjoy the airport experience.  Mignon Buckingham, corporate strategy officer, Collinson, said: “We’re passionate about understanding what makes travellers tick, so we can support our partners in their efforts to enhance and innovate the airport experience for every traveller around the globe.

It may seem unsurprising that happy customers spend more, but the devil is in the detail. The airport experience is fragmented and relies on an ecosystem of players, including airlines, airport authorities, security and operational service providers, merchants, duty-free, retailers, bars and restaurants”. 

Wish to fly Royal Jordanian to step into the new year? Hurry to take advantage of the “Happy New Deal”, a sales promo that offers great prices on most of the airline's routes on the occasion of the New Year from December 30, 2019 to January 7, 2020.

Travelers who book their tickets during this sales period may travel any time between February 1, 2020, and May10, 2020, for a maximum stay of 45 days at the destination.

Travelers who buy their tickets during this sales promo can purchase checked baggage allowance (up to 23kg per bag) for cheap prices.

Interested travellers can book their tickets across all RJ sales channels, including through its official website www.rj.com and mobile app, its global sales offices and travel agents, and the call centre (+962 5100000).

Within the framework of Samsung Global’s Solve for Tomorrow contest, Samsung Levant has announced its second phase of the local version of the contest, in cooperation with the Ministry of Youth by holding training sessions for the volunteers who were chosen by the ministry to assist in the implementation of the contest.

Solve for Tomorrow is aimed at developing and instilling creative thinking and diverse skills in the Kingdom’s youth. Volunteers were chosen according to several criteria, the most important being the number of years’ experience in the field of volunteer work in order to provide assistance in achieving the objectives of the competition.

The training was held at the company’s headquarters in the King Hussein Business Park under the supervision of a specialised team of Samsung Levant employees.

An introductory session for the volunteers took place as well as the required training for filtering the participants’ requests from 14-18 year old contestants wanting join the competition after submitting applications through their schools and youth centres affiliated with the Ministry throughout the Kingdom.

The training session also included pioneering and innovative ideas in the field of sports and health technology, and food and agricultural technology.

The Director of Institutional Relations at Samsung Levant, Mohannad Al Nabulsi, applauded the volunteers for their success in achieving the contest’s goals in its initial stages.

Queen Alia International Airport (QAIA) has welcomed the first direct Transavia France flight from Lyon, France — signaling the commencement of two weekly round trips between the French city and Amman.

The inaugural flight was received with the customary “water arch” salute and greeted by representatives from Airport International Group and Jordan Tourism Board, as well as Transavia France’s ground handler, Royal Jordanian, and general sales agent, Link Aero Trading Agency.

“We are always looking for new routes and airlines that make it easier and more affordable for Jordanians to explore new destinations, while allowing people in different parts of the world to visit the Kingdom — whether for leisure or business.

That is why; growing QAIA’s airline network alongside our valuable partners within the travel and tourism industry is always at the forefront of our priorities. We are eager to build on these collaborations so we may expand and diversify the direct routes available for passengers traveling through QAIA,” commented Airport International Group CEO, Kjeld Binger.

Link Aero Trading Agency Director of Global Handling Fady Nagy stated, “We are delighted with Transavia France’s route expansion to include Jordan within its destination network through direct flights via Lyon-Saint Exupéry Airport.”