Dubai - At its recently held 6th Annual General Meeting (AGM) on May 26, 2022, MENALAC announced the highly-anticipated election results for its vacant board positions while welcoming a majority attendance from its members.
The MENALAC President, Vice-President positions remained unchanged with Mr. Mishal Al Hokair, Deputy CEO & General Manager - Entertainment of Al Hokair Group as MENALAC’s President and Silvio Liedtke, CEO of Landmark Leisure as Vice President. Dr. Dattakumar, Director of Operations at Antic’s Land was re-elected as Treasurer of the Council for a term of two years.
UHY James Chartered Accountant acted as an independent election officer and announced the names of the new and re-elected board members. In order to maintain continuity within the MENALAC board, operator positions are up for election every four years, and manufacturer and supplier positions are elected every two years. This year, six board positions were open, including four operator positions that were up for re-election, one vacant operator position available for a one-year term, and one vacant manufacturer and supplier position, which also will have a one-year term.
MENALAC’s Board members play a crucial role in developing the council’s strategy and policies, establishing and monitoring its finances, and organizing events and reports that bring second-to-none value to all community members.
Regarding the election, Mishal Al Hokair, President of MENALAC said, “MENALAC is poised for great times ahead as we work to grow our footprint widely across the region, and we look for a board that is well placed to help MENALAC achieve that.
It was great to see such enthusiastic attendance at our sixth Annual General Meeting. MENALAC is a rapidly growing community of 108 members from 22 countries representing more than 653 operations and 257 entertainment brands that serve the MENA Leisure & Attractions Industry and we are committed to further enriching our industry’s offerings and bringing incredible value to our members. MENALAC has an exciting term ahead.”
Meet MENALAC’s Board for 2022 - 2023
- Mishal Al Hokair, Al Hokair Group (President)
- Silvio Liedtke, Landmark Leisure (Vice President)
- Dr. Janardana Dattakumar, Antic’s Land (Treasurer) re-elected
- Sheikha Monira Al Sabah, Play Enterprises & Trampo Extreme
- Kareem Fayed, Al Othaim Leisure & Tourism Co.
- Mark Haak Wegmann, MAF Leisure, Entertainment & Cinemas
- Shifa Yusuffali, Ideacrate Edutainment
- Alwaleed Al Baltan, Rafeeh Entertainment Group
- Prakash Vivekanand, The Zone Amusement Arcade LLC, re-elected
- Chris Swartz, Wild Wadi, re-elected
- Zeina Dagher, Emaar Entertainment, re-elected
- Shazad Ali Abdullah, Cheeky Monkeys Playland
- Jamie Charlesworth, SEVEN
- Rajiv Sangari, IMG Worlds of Adventure
- Ghassan Assi, Trampo Extreme, elected
- Mike Rigby, Whitewater (Manufacturer & Suppliers Board)
- Alex Schrott, TUV SUD (Manufacturer & Suppliers Board) Elected
The AGM also presented an opportunity to highlight the success of the MENALAC Events, including the newly introduced Free Education and Professional Development Sessions for its members, the MENALAC Waterpark Conference, The LEA Conferences (CEO Conclave & Safety Day) and the prestigious MENALAC Awards Gala. All events were very well received by the industry and attracted significantly higher attendance than previous years.
The council is pleased to be planning some high-level and exciting industry events to assist its members as they continue to align themselves with the “new norms” that have now become the way each business has to operate.
MENALAC would like to take this opportunity to thank the outgoing board members and Office Bearers for their support and dedication to MENALAC, and to welcome all new Board of Directors, Office Bearers and Heads of Committees to its fast-growing association.
For more information about MENALAC, please visit www.menalac.org/en
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About MENALAC:
Established in 2014, the Middle East and North Africa Leisure and Attractions Council (MENALAC) is a not-for-profit platform representing the Leisure, Entertainment and Attractions industry in the Middle East and North Africa.
With over 600 plus operations and 200 plus brands from 22 countries in the Middle East North Africa (MENA) region including Pakistan and Afghanistan, MENALAC offers great benefits to the industry as a platform for stakeholders to interact and stay informed. It has been set up under the aegis of the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry (DCCI) and the Dubai Association Centre in 2016 when leading companies within the region’s entertainment industry, including Theme Parks, Visitor Attractions, Water Parks and Family Entertainment Centres companies joined forces to form a council to support the growth and development of the industry.
The Council was established as a platform to promote safe operations, regional development, professional growth and commercial success of the amusement industry and to be an indispensable resource for the Council’s members and an international authority for the attraction industry.
Website: www.menalac.org/en
Twitter: @Menalac
LinkedIn: @Menalac
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