Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/298224
41 maltatoday, Sunday, 20 aPRIL 2014 Events Vodafone employees burn calories for charity Vodafone employees left their desks to burn off some calories, making it to the final at a charity fundraising seven-a-side football tournament organised by the British High Com- mission and Inspire at St Martin's College in Swatar last month. The tournament was a fun day out for all the employees, where they played as a team to raise much needed funds for Inspire. Inspire is a non-profit organisation focused solely on helping persons with dis- abilities. The organisation provides thera- peutic, education and leisure serv- ices and is an advocate for equal opportunities for all. Running costs are high and Inspire needs €2.7 mil- lion every year. Following the day's sporting exer- tions, the employees were treated to an early evening reception which featured a raffle, also in aid of In- spire, with exciting prizes won in- cluding two catamaran tickets to Sicily. Dragonara Casino hosts more than 250 international poker players More than 250 international players participated in the first-of-its-kind International Poker Event at the Dragonara Casino during the first week of April 2014. 'The Cash Game Connection', the name under which the event was promoted internationally, was or- ganised in conjunction with 3 in- ternational poker groups of repute from Denmark, Italy and Israel. The aim of the event was to bring together poker players from differ- ent international markets to chal- lenge each other over a four-day pe- riod. The event was hailed as a great success by the event organisers and players alike. "We are very delighted with the outcome of the event," said Hen- rik Christiansen, Partner at Poker Tours Denmark, an entity that has been bringing poker players from the Scandinavian markets to the Dragonara Casino since the begin- ning of this year. "The activity at the Dragonara Casino was beyond our most opti- mistic forecast, reaching a total of more than 125 simultaneous poker players for most of the event. The players also praised the event, which was hosted to perfection by the Dragonara Casino. We look forward to bringing over more players to the Casino in the months to come," con- cluded Mr Christiansen. "The Cash Game Connection has been exceptional," commented Franco de Gabriele, Business De- velopment Director at Dragonara Casino. "Our arduous work to bring in poker players from three different countries has produced better than expected results for the Casino and the organisers. "These events also support the hospitality industry assisting some nearby hotels to reach full occupan- cy throughout the duration of the event," concluded Mr de Gabriele. The second edition of the 'Cash Game Connection' is scheduled in mid-June and is expected to be an even bigger event, with poker play- ers from Denmark, Norway, Israel, Bulgaria, Russia and Italy already confirming their attendance. Visitors to The Dubai Mall can now connect with aviation like never before, thanks to Emir- ates. His Highness Sheikh Ahmed bin Saeed Al-Maktoum, Chair- man and Chief Executive, Emir- ates Airline & Group, today officially launched the newest Emirates Official Store and the Emirates A380 Experience - the Middle East's first public A380 f light simulator - at the shopping destination. Located at The Village at The Dubai Mall, the Emirates A380 Experience introduces visitors to the f light deck of the world's most modern aircraft, allowing guests to experience the thrill of landing and taking off from 12 of the world's busiest airports in different weather conditions. Adding to the excitement, guests will be scored on how well they navigate the aircraft, allowing them to compete against family and friends. This is the airline's second such project, having launched the Emirates Aviation Experience in London last year to a strong public reception. "Emirates is the largest operator of the A380 with 47 in our f leet, and it is an immensely popular aircraft with our customers. We are delighted to present aviation enthusiasts with another unique perspective to the world's largest passenger aircraft with the Emir- ates A380 Experience. Based on what we've seen in the UK, we believe the Emirates A380 Expe- rience will be a very popular ac- tivity for mall visitors as well as for team building activities from corporate groups," said Sheikh Ahmed. "By bringing the Emirates A380 Experience and the Emir- ates Official Store to Dubai Mall, we aim to connect with a broader audience in a high-traffic life- style environment and provide them with a piece of the Emir- ates brand experience, regard- less of when they next travel," he added. Guests of the Emirates A380 Experience will have the chance to f ly past Paris' historic sites, soar over the canals of Amster- dam, and take in Hong Kong's unmistakable cityscape, all on high-definition screens. Just steps away, the newest Emirates Official Store carries the airline's full range of mer- chandise - everything from model aircraft and clothing to the Little Travellers collection and travel accessories and will stock the full line of football shirts from the airline's global sponsorships. The store is the airline's 10th retail lo- cation in the region, and its first outlet in a mall. Starting as a line of corporate giveaways, Emirates has pro- gressively developed its range of branded merchandise eventually launching its first Emirates Offi- cial Store in 1996. Both the Emirates Official Store and Emirates A380 Experience at the Dubai Mall are open now. Last weekend marked the open- ing of Laguna Walk at Smart- City Malta , the island's lat- est leisure and entertainment destination that will be open for everybody to enjoy. T hou- sands of individuals visited the vibrant hub and joined in the e xciting activities at the ven- ue's f irst event . T he ne xt Fam- ily Fun Weekend at the Laguna Walk will be held on 12 and 13 April . Emirates Airline lands at The Dubai Mall