Doha: FACT Qatar magazine hosted a glamorous ceremony for the second annual FACT Dining Awards.
The event, which heralds another successful year of operation for the publication in Qatar, was held at the newly-opened The Westin Doha Hotel & Spa at The Mix Bar & Terrace.
Over 350 guests attended the event, as the winners from 30 categories were announced.
The who’s who of Doha’s hospitality industry turned out for the ceremony, with top general managers, F&B directors, chefs and marketing and PR professionals in attendance.
Embodying FACT’s down-to-earth and fun approach, the event was a laid-back and casual affair.
After the event, Edward Smith, Publishing Director, Nans Group, said: “First, I would like to congratulate all the new winners, especially the overall category winners, Nobu and Toro Toro.
“Yes, indeed, we are so happy about the great turnout with nearly 400 people attending the ceremony, and everyone has had positive feedback about it! It’s also great to see some ‘new kids on the block’ who were nominated, coming out as winners this year — like Antica Pesa and Yabby at Shangri-La Doha. Last but not least, I’d like to thank the public who voted in thousands!
“We received a staggering 17,500 online votes which is absolutely fantastic for Qatar. We can’t wait for next year’s event already,” he added.
The awards recognise excellence in the food and beverage industry, with winners awarded based on public vote and critics’ opinion.
Each category was given two awards, divided into a popular choice decided through online voting and a critic’s choice decided by an independent panel of food bloggers, the FACT editorial team and industry experts in Doha.
Sponsors of the event included The Westin Doha Hotel & Spa, classifieds website Qatar Living, online event guide I Love Qatar, web hosting and media delivery service Red Apple Events and Media, and production powerhouse Snap TV.
Social media was abuzz as Doha’s dining elite shared their photos on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat, with the FACT team taking readers behind the scenes of the event on their Snapchat story (add @factmagazine).
This month will also see the second annual FACT Dining Awards in Abu Dhabi at the five-star hotspot Byblos Sur Mer, InterContinental Abu Dhabi.
The awards have also enjoyed six years of successful campaigns in Bahrain so far, with hundreds of venues awarded for excellence over the years. The Peninsula
