From left: Jamil Al Majed, Vice-Chairman, Al Majed Jewellery; Essa Al Mannai, Executive Director, ROTA; and Khalifa Hassan A Al Jehani, Chief of Corporate Support, Qatar Rail, addressing the media on ROTA Gala Dinner 2016, at Marwan Club Al Shaqab, yester
Reach Out To Asia's (Rota) Gala Dinner on Saturday will feature an auction which will offer bidders once-in-a-lifetime experience to travel to space, Rota Executive Director Essa Al Mannai announced during a press conference at Marwan Club in Al Shaqab yesterday.
The successful bidder of this rare trip and a companion will have the chance to reach the edge of space on an aircraft capable of taking them to more than 100,000 feet within the layers of the planet’s atmosphere.
The space voyage, which will take five to six hours onboard a luxurious capsule lifted by a high-tech helium-filled balloon, is only one of those which will be sold at the auction to be conducted by world-famous Sotheby’s auction house.
Other items which will be on sale at the biennial event are Patek Philippe’s dome table clock and a Qatari Natural Jeewan pearl necklace offered by Al Majed Jewellery; a Hermès men’s trunk donated by Wissam Al Mana; as well as a 2017 BMW M3 30 Jahre Limited Edition donated by Al Fardan Automobiles, in addition to a Louis Moinet Mecanograph limited edition watch.
Funds from the auction will also go to existing and future Rota education initiatives in support of Syrian Refugees, including the ‘Longing to Learn’ programme in Lebanon, the ‘I Had a Dream’ initiative in Jordan and ‘Project Tomorrow’ in Turkey. Other Rota initiatives that will receive funding include the ‘Opportunities for Life’ programme in Bangladesh, the ‘Bringing Back Hope’ project in Yemen and the ‘1 in 11’ campaign in Indonesia, in partnership with Unicef and FC Barcelona Foundation.
Celebrities to attend Gala Dinner
Local and international celebrities will attend the Gala Dinner including the Lord Mark Poltimore, Deputy Chairman of Sotheby's Europe; Caroline Scheufele, Chopard Cofounder; Singer Latifa; Lojain Omran, a prominent media figure; Malek Jandali, pianist and composer, as well as chief executives and owners of Qatar’s largest companies.
“The Gala Dinner is the most important event on our social calendar – it’s an evening dedicated to valuing the importance of education, youth empowerment, volunteer work and of championing the work of Reach Out To Asia,” said Al Mannai, adding the event marks ROTA's 10th anniversary, which is "a milestone on our journey to achieving equitable education for all."
Launched 10 years ago, this year’s Gala Dinner held under the patronage of the Emir H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, has the theme ‘Team up Today, Shape up Tomorrow’. It is sponsored by Al Majed Jewellery (Gold sponsor) and Qatar Rail (Silver sponsor).
"Education is the best message that Qatar can export to the world since it represents a national investment and a bridge towards a better future. Thus, we are pleased to contribute to the sustainable development of communities by investing and raising awareness about the importance of education,” said Al Majed Jewellery Deputy Chairman Jamil bin Mahdi Al Majed.
