Snap Inc. Launches Family Center in Saudi Arabia in a Joint Collaboration with the General Commission for Audiovisual Media

In collaboration with the General Commission for Audiovisual Media (GCAM), Snap Inc. has launched Family Center in the Kingdom, making it one of the first Arab countries to launch the service.

The new in-app tool gives parents more control over their children’s online activity, allowing them to see their friends list on Snapchat and whom they have been communicating with without revealing the substance of those conversations.

With the help of Family Center, parents can now easily and confidentially report any suspicious accounts directly to Snap’s Trust and Safety team, a dedicated unit that works around the clock to help keep Snapchatters safe. Snap has also launched new tools to encourage constructive and open conversations about online safety.

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Esra Assery, CEO of the General Commission for Audiovisual Media, said, “We are delighted to partner with Snap to roll out this feature in KSA, Family Center strikes the right balance between privacy and safety. The new service adds another layer of protection to existing safeguards, ensuring that teens must be mutual friends before they can start communicating with each other.”

“According to a study by Kantar and Snap Inc., 71% of parents in Saudi Arabia now use Snapchat. With the help of Family Center, parents can now easily and confidentially report any suspicious accounts directly to Snap’s Trust and Safety team to help keep the Snap community safe,” added Assery.

“While Saudi Arabia is making big leaps in digital transformation and enabling large-scale adoption of the latest technologies, it is imperative that we ensure safe online spaces for the Kingdom’s youth,” continued Assery.

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Georg Wolfart, Head of Public Policy at Snap Inc. said, ” With Family Center, we are facilitating important conversations between parents and their children about online safety, which will positively impact online experiences for Saudi society in the long run.”

“Snap’s monthly addressable reach in the Kingdom has reached 20 million, making it one of the most popular platforms in Saudi Arabia, reaching over 90% of people aged 13 to 34,” stated Wolfart.

Snap plans additional safety features for Family Center in the coming months, including new content controls for parents and the ability for teens to notify their parents when they report an account or a piece of content to Snap’s Trust and Safety team.

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Celebrate Saudi Arabia’s Historical Treasures & Future Ambitions with Snapchat this National Day

Snapchat celebrates the heritage of Saudi Arabia with a world-first national Snap Map plus other augmented reality activations.

To mark this year’s Saudi National Day, Snap Inc. is launching a first-of-its-kind activation in the region. Snapchat’s 19.5 million monthly active users across the Kingdom, as well as its global Saudi audience, will have the opportunity to join the festivities like never before through augmented reality (AR). In Saudi Arabia, nearly 90 percent of Snapchat’s daily users already interact with augmented reality Lenses every day, and on average interact with these experiences over 30 times a day.

Starting September 22nd, the Snap Map of Saudi Arabia will appear with a bright green shade representing the national flag while honoring the ‘It’s Our Home’ theme of National Day this year. It will distinguish the Kingdom from the rest of the countries on the Snap Map globally throughout the day, and will be the first time Snap has ever recolored a Middle East territory on the Snap Map.

Saudi Arabia has a wealth of cultural and natural heritage, which Snapchatters around the world will be able to explore on the Snap Map using augmented reality on Saudi National Day. Half a dozen markers will appear on the Snap Map highlighting sites including AlUla, Tabuk Castle, Khobar Water Tower, Rijal Almaa, Masmak Fort and Nassif House.  snap-map-english

These markers include a Face Lens experience, whereby Snapchatters in Saudi Arabia will find themselves on a virtual “balcony” with all of these national landmarks behind them. A celebratory atmosphere filled with fireworks and accompanied by the national anthem of Saudi Arabia will all be recreated in AR, with Snapchatters able to put themselves right into the action. Snapchatters can also flip the camera to see the monument in front of them no matter where they are.

Meanwhile, a series of customized, celebratory Actionmojis exclusive to Snapchatters in KSA are also being unveiled for a limited time on National Day only, making it even easier to share the excitement of the day.

Abdulla Alhammadi, Regional Business Lead at Snap Inc., said: “Snapchatters in Saudi Arabia are one of the most active communities on the platform anywhere in the world. We wanted to bring even larger, more engaging experiences to this community on Saudi National Day as a sign of gratitude for their contribution to Snap’s creative ecosystem—while together celebrating the rich legacy of visual storytelling that exists in the Kingdom.”

Through these customized AR tools, Saudi Snapchatters will be able to celebrate National Day and express their love and appreciation for their country in a unique and engaging way.

To see the new Snap Map and engage the cultural Landmarkers:

  • Open Snapchat and swipe right twice to see the map of Saudi turned green for the National Day. On top of the Snap Map, there are the cultural locations that are highlighted through a map marker.
  • Tap any marker to get information, and tap again to be transported into an AR experience that puts you in that place when the camera is on the face view.
  • Flip the camera towards the world view to see the landmark augmented into your own environment.

To jump into the new Face Lens, scan the Snapcode:

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To set up your personalized Actiomoji:
Simply tap on your own Bitmoji in the Snap Map and start exploring!

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“Olympia”, a Song by Anghami Dedicated to the Saudi Champion Tarek Hamdi

After earning his Olympic Silver medal a couple of weeks ago, making his Nation and the Arab World proud, Anghami crafted a special gift to honor Tarek Hamdi’s triumph with a tribute song.

Anghami, the leading music streaming platform in the Middle East and North Africa chose to celebrate Tarek Hamdi’s historic achievement during his participation in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games as a Saudi Karate Player. The initiative created a symbolic, yet powerful musical gift, marking a historic accomplishment in his sporting journey.

Hours after Hamdi won his Silver Medal in the Karate Championship finals, a team of talents came together to create “Olympia”. The song was written and composed by Turki Al Sharif, later performed by the Saudi star Sultan Al Rashed, and arranged by Hazem Al Saeed in collaboration with Emdee Jabr.

For Anghami, having a local spirit at the heart of it, any achievement at this level, whether Cultural, Sports, Scientific or Artistic, is a pride to the Arab World. Hence, this exclusive song comes to perpetuate a national victorious moment.

You can stream “Olympia” song now exclusively on Anghami via this link: play.anghami.com

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Seera Group Appointed as Exclusive Ticket Reseller for Manchester United in Saudi Arabia

Seera Group holds exclusive rights in Saudi Arabia to resell Manchester United tickets 

  • Appointment supports the goals of promoting economic diversification and boost the leisure and travel sector

Seera Group, the region’s leading travel and tourism services company, has been appointed as the exclusive ticket reseller for Manchester United support travel services in Saudi Arabia.

The agreement with Seera Group, the parent company of Sportsbreaks, Manchester United’s Official Supporter Travel Services Provider, will serve as the window for passionate football fans in Saudi Arabia to effortlessly purchase tickets for the most prestigious football matches and follow Manchester United, which has legions of fans in the region.

Seera Group’s appointment builds on the huge popularity of football in Saudi Arabia and the increasing importance placed by the Kingdom to promote sports, leisure and entertainment to support economic diversification and enhance the quality of life.

Manchester United matches will become easy to access for fans and followers in the Kingdom through the trusted and authorised ticketing services by Seera Group, paired with travel arrangements and packages to complete the offering. Manchester United fans and football lovers at large in KSA will be able to attend the matches through the smart and seamless travel booking solutions offered by Seera Group’s flagship omnichannel consumer travel brand Almosafer and corporate and government clients will get access to the offering through Seera’s Business Travel brand elaa. manchester-united-stadium-3

Majed Alnefaie, Acting CEO of Seera Group, said: “Football is passionately followed by the young and old in Saudi Arabia just as the game is extremely popular across the region. As Seera Group, we have always been closely connected to the sport through club sponsorships, World Cup travel arrangements, as well as our support for the sports youth development in the Kingdom. Manchester United is one of the favourite teams of many, a connection that spans generations. Through our appointment as an exclusive reseller of Manchester United supporter travel services, we are bringing an industry-first to the Kingdom, whereby football fans can effortlessly access tickets for upcoming games, and also follow their favourite teams through the seamless travel solutions we offer.”

Collette Roche, Chief Operating Officer, Manchester United said: “By working with the Seera Group we will be able to give our fans in Saudi Arabia the chance to visit Old Trafford and see Manchester United play. Not only will that offer an unforgettable experience but will also provide a simple and seamless travel service for football fans in the Kingdom.”

As MENA’s largest homegrown travel company, Seera manages cutting-edge consumer online travel platforms on the web, mobile web and app, as well as retail travel agencies across the Kingdom. Seera is also the largest corporate and government travel services provider in Saudi Arabia.

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Home Centre’s Ramadan Collection Brings World-class Designer Farah Merhi’s ‘Inspire Me! Home Décor’ Styles

 

  • ‘Ramadan is better together’ by Home Centre presents an expansive selection of more than 700 inspirational home makeover styles

  • The Ramadan collection will include designs from the exclusive Farah Merhi collaboration, as well as Layali and Oasis Garden collections

home-centre-oasis-gardenThis Ramadan season, Home Centre, a leading omnichannel home retailer, has joined hands with the global home style maven, Farah Merhi, the Lebanese – American designer to bring her new collection ‘Inspire Me! Home Décor to the region. Farah’s comfortable yet glamorous styles are encapsulated in the collection that sets the perfect tone for an elegant home during the Ramadan and Eid celebrations.

The collection brings the skilled eye of Farah Merhi to create a collection full of vision and depth that will appeal to both designers and consumers will be available in stores and online.home-centre-oasis-garden-dining-room

Infused with warmth and an inviting feel through neutral colour palettes, soft and inviting fabrics and exquisite design details that can easily be worked into any room, the Inspire Me! Home Decor by Farah Merhi collection will add to the décor quotient of homes this Ramadan.

Harmonising with the region-wide campaign, ‘Ramadan is better together’, Home Centre aims to transform the perception of home design for today’s consumers by offering high quality, elegant design at an affordable price. The retailer is the destination for timeless home collections, creating decor to inspire creativity and celebrate distinctiveness with an eclectic mix of products and decorating ideas.home-centre-newness-concole

Farah Merhi’s style and philosophy of bringing fabulous design ideas to life at an affordable price aligns with Home Centre’s offerings, which offers on-trend, high-end styles made with incredible quality details.

Sameer Jain, Chief Executive Officer, Home Centre, said: “Every Ramadan, we aim to offer our customers with finely curated home décor & furniture collections that invoke the spirit of celebration. With this year’s Ramadan campaign, we understand the need to come together, more than ever. We are excited to announce the launch of our new campaign and our collaboration with the distinctive home décor designer, Farah Merhi who brings an elevated design point-of-view to the customers in the region.”home-centre-farah-merhi-living-room

Farah Merhi said: “I am very excited to launch my Inspire Me! Home Décor collection with Home Centre in the Middle East, given my roots, this project is very close to my heart. Working with renowned partners that can help further build my vision is a great way to ensure my products are widespread globally, so I was delighted to partner with largest brand, Home Centre, in the Middle East. We share the same vision which is gold standard of quality, reliability, and honesty. I am positive that my new collection is a brand that consumers and designers in the region can trust and rely on. I look forward to seeing how consumers and designers incorporate my pieces into their beautiful homes. This collection was created to facilitate the process of designing a home.  Every piece is timeless, classic, and meant to make a statement whether on its own or styled with other pieces from the collection. Home for me is a reflection of who we are and what we love. I hope this collection brings joy into your home.”home-centre-farah-merhi-bedroom

For fans of contemporary styles, Home Centre will also feature latest designs from the Layali collection, homeowners can give their abodes an upscale makeover and stay on budget too. The styles may be minimal but there’s nothing understated about Layali’s strong geometric patterns, fine line motifs and rich textures that create a luxuriously layered look for every room.home-centre-layali

Soft pastels and vintage-feel florals come alive with the Oasis Garden collection that casts a wonderfully welcoming ambiance throughout your home, affordably and stylishly with Home Centre. Shoppers can now simply refresh their living room, dining room and bedroom with statement pieces from Layali and Oasis Garden collection.

At Home Centre, shoppers can buy a plethora of exquisite designer home décor, accessories, lighting, furniture and tabletop collections with unparalleled panache and ease. When it comes to planning the perfect seating arrangement, accessorising outdoor area, or designing the perfect Iftar table, Home Centre offers design services for their customers who need professional help in setting up their home spaces.

All the collections are available across stores in UAE and Saudi Arabia and www.homecentre.com.

Product catalogue here: English and Arabic; campaign videos here: English and Arabic

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AlMosafer Calls on Thrill-Seekers to Experience Winter at Tantora Festival in Saudi Arabia

Leading omni-channel travel agency in Saudi Arabia, Almosafer is calling on adventure-seeking travellers to take part in an exciting range of outdoor activities being held at Winter at Tantora at AlUla, located in the north-west of the kingdom.

AlUla’s dramatic landscape gives a whole new meaning to “the great outdoors.” Thrill-seekers can choose various packages from Almosafer to hike, ride, climb or fly to see some of the most striking scenes and historic sites in the world.

Travellers looking to rev up their adrenaline can hike through fantastic trails, cruise through the stunning sandstone valley on a zipline, take a Jeep tour through rocky canyons or enjoy vintage aircraft flights over the area.dsc_5136-copy

Running until 7 March 2020, Winter at Tantora has a total of six exhilarating flight experiences on offer for festival-goers. The lineup includes the daring ‘T6 Texan Harvard + Adrenaline Route’ and ‘Stearman + Adrenaline Route’, the sublime ‘Beech 18 + flying to the black and white volcanos’ and the ‘Stinson + art deco flight over AlUla’. Travellers also have the opportunity to travel through time with ‘Beech 18 + historic AlUla route’ and ‘Fly Through Time’ – two exclusive packages on offer.

Take a trail, ride a horse or camel and make the most of their visit to the popular Winter at Tantora festival.

For thrill-seekers who prefer to keep their feet on the ground, there are four adventure trails planned for this February each weekend called ‘The Arabian Leopard Trail’ and ‘The Contemporary Caravan Trail’ respectively throughout the event until 7 March 2020.

Embark on outdoor adventures at Winter at Tantora and in a beautiful wilderness of AlUla with Almosafer.

For more information, visit almosafer.com/en/winter-at-tantora.

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40,000 Color Runners Participating From Across The Kingdom

The color run presented by Sunsilk comes to a spectacular finish with nearly 40,000 color runners participating from across the kingdom.

  • The three city-wide initiative across Khobar, Riyadh and Jeddah encouraged residents and visitors of all ages, abilities and fitness levels to lead a happier and healthier lifestyle
  • The final leg at the New Jeddah Corniche saw nearly 10,000 Color Runners participate
  • Global event in line with Vision 2030 proves one of the most successful entertainment series in Saudi Arabia

tcr4-copyJeddah, Saudi Arabia – 2 November 2019: The Color Run presented by Sunsilk concluded its spectacular series in Jeddah today, with unprecedented success across its three events in the Kingdom.  Launched in March this year, nearly 40,000 participants joined the fun and enjoyed what is aptly referred to as the Happiest 5k on the Planet. In partnership with the General Entertainment Authority (GEA), the streets were tinged with red, blue and green as nationals and residents walked, strolled or jogged to the finish line in the un-timed, non-competitive event that saw massive color throws at ever kilometer.  tcr3-copy

Once the Color Run finished, the fun continued at the larger-than-life Finish Festival complete with music, dancing, photo ops, dance-offs, fun & games and even more color! The age demographic ranged from the young to the young at heart, families to couples and individuals, and from seasoned athletes to those who simply wanted to partake in the fun and festivities.

Previous chapters of The Color Run presented by Sunsilk took place in Khobar in March and Riyadh in last weekend, with over 10,000 and 20,000 participants respectively enjoying the rainbow magic in what has become one of the biggest and most successful entertainment events in the Kingdom. tcr2-copy

Following the success of The Color Run in Saudi Arabia, the GEA who are a core pillar under the Saudi Government are looking to bring more world-class entertainment events to the nation, which aligns with the Kingdom’s Vision 2030 goals and Quality of Life Program 2020, seeking to improve lives and boost participation of residents and citizens in cultural, sports and environment activities.

“What a fantastic event The Color Run presented by Sunsilk has proven to be, with incredible participation to boot! Each leg of the series in Khobar, Riyadh and Jeddah proved equally successful, and we couldn’t have hoped for a better finale today,” said Ahmed Al Mehmadi, Chief Communications Officer. “We look forward to bringing more exciting and inclusive events to the Kingdom, and look forward to sharing our future plans with the citizens and residents of this great nation,” he added. tcr1-copy

The Color Run now the largest running series in the world, has hosted over 7 million runners worldwide in more than 40+ countries. Log on to www.ksa.thecolorrun.com to stay tuned for updates and find out when the event will be coming next!

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Al Mosafer to Roll out 25 new KSA Retail Branches This Year

Reinforced with intensive recruitment programme to certify Saudi travel advisors.

  • Move forms part of Almosafer’s plans to expand its footprint in Saudi Arabia while re-defining how consumers book travel
  • Almosafer plans to develop and certify Saudi agents to become travel advisors capable of curating incredible, effortless travel experiences
  • Young nationals are embracing the scheme with over 10,000 applications to become the next generation of travel advisors in the Kingdom
  • Almosafer plans to have 50 stores in KSA by Q1 2020

Almosafer, the leading travel brand in Saudi Arabia,  today confirmed it will open 25 new retail branches by the end of this year as part of its commitment to revolutionize the travel booking experience in the Kingdom. With its new omni-channel approach, Almosafer is taking its digital knowledge into interactive physical spaces and adding the human element to give customers the choice and freedom to book their travel exactly in the manner they want. rola-fattal-copy

To equip its retail team with the expertise they need to help Saudi’s with their travel plans, Almosafer has created a specialized recruitment process focused on attracting Saudi’s multi-talented youth and shaping a new generation of male and female travel advisors.  Almosafer Academy will develop and certify travel advisors through an intensive 10-week recruitment training programme which will equip the workforce with the skills they need to become the new generation of specialized Travel Advisors in the Kingdom capable of curating seamless travel experiences.

Covering skills ranging from sales and customer experience to operations and leadership, the future travel advisors will be exposed to a wealth of knowledge, insights, guidance and many networking opportunities with special guests and travel experts to propel them to the next step in their career. Almosafer has already received over 10,000 applications from Saudi’s for one of the coveted roles and training will commence in September 2019.abdullah-al-jabr-copy

Muzzammil Ahussain, EVP of Almosafer said: “The introduction of our seamless, omni-channel booking experience through online, phone and retail branch is designed to give Saudi customers the choice and freedom to book travel in the way that they want.  We are now building on the success of our branches in Riyadh and Jeddah and expanding our retail footprint with the roll out of 25 new interactive stores in the key cities across KSA. Many of our customers want a human element to help navigate the huge range of options and ensure a trip meets all their preferences and our next generation retail branches are designed to service that need.  Our aim is to inspire and excite our customers in branch with rich interactive content while letting our expert travel advisors take the effort out of planning the perfect trip.”

Fahad Mohammed Al Obailan, VP Retail, Almosafer said: “Catering to the discerning needs of travellers from Saudi Arabia, Almosafer’s new retail channels will be led by a new wave of travel advisors who will interact with the customers at a more personal level. These skilled specialists, trained through the Almosafer Academy, will offer personal consultation and expert guidance, helping Saudi travellers from various generations travel with peace of mind.

No one is better placed than Saudi Nationals with a strong cultural and social understanding of the market,  to take on the travel advisory role and we are delighted to have already received over 10,000 applications from across the Kingdom. These young men and women, recruited and nurtured at the Almosafer Academy, will reinforce the ability of our retail channels to provide travellers with specialist advice, knowledge and support every step of the way.”

Almosafer retail branches will be present in various cities including Jeddah, Riyadh, Dammam, Kharj, Khobar, Jubail, Al Ahsa, Khafji, Makkah, Taif, Madinah, Khamis Mushait, Abha, Bahah, Bishah, Jizan, Najaran, Tabuk, Aljouf, Unaizah, Buridah, ArRass, Hail, Yanbu and Rabig.

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