‘Safety' of prime importance in the region's Leisure & Entertainment Industry: MENALAC

Two-day LEA conference to focus on safety and leadership in the entertainment and amusement industry in the region

Dubai, UAE, March 26th, 2017: MENALAC - the Middle East and North Africa Leisure and Attractions Council - brings together the leading companies within the region’s entertainment industry, including the theme parks, visitor attractions, water park and family entertainment centre companies. The organization aims at propagating the message of safety in outdoor and indoor leisure facilities in the MENA region.

The ‘Leisure, Entertainment and Attractions’ (LEA) conference will be held in the Al Ain meeting halls A and B at the exhibition centre and the programme will cover all aspects of today’s attractions industry. Day one will cover safety, including safety standards, and day two will focus on the leadership conference with senior industry panelists taking part. They will present a roundtable discussion on major elements of today’s industry.

Eng.Redha Hassan Salman, Director of Public and Health Safety Department, Dubai Municipality, Neil Dwyer, IMG Director – Health & Safety, Ammar Belleh, Health and Saftery manager MAF Leisure and Entertainment, Shyamkumar Pillai, Head of R&M and Quality Assurance Play Structures, Landmark Leisure shared their viewpoints on the importance of safety in the leisure and amusement industry.

MENALAC is a not for profit trade council that has been registered under the aegis of Dubai Association Centre and the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The first annual conference to be held by the new MENALAC trade association in the Middle East will be held in Dubai, on March 26 - 27.  

“This MENALAC educational initiative is the ideal platform to meet, learn and interact with leisure industry experts and gain valuable insights on the best processes being adopted by the industry leaders. It goes beyond doubt that it is definitely a conference by the industry for the industry. MENALAC aims to galvanize the leisure and amusement industry in the region and promote safety standards for amusement operations. In addition, it will concentrate on bringing forward industry forums, seminars and educational programmes aimed at further upgrading the quality of amusement operations across the region,” said Prakash Vivekanand, MENALAC spokesperson.

The day one of the conference discusses key area points on safety for theme parks, water parks, FEC’s (Family Entertainment Centre’s) and play areas. During this session one would get to listen and learn from regulatory authorities and safety mangers from leading operations in the business. Day two would entail viewpoints on the status of the MENA leisure industry where ideas from owners, investors and CEOs of renowned brands in the region will be projected.

The LEA conference is being held in conjunction with the DEAL show. DEAL is the region's most anticipated and leading attraction for global and local stakeholders in the amusement and entertainment industries. International Expo Consults (IEC), part of Falak Holding is the driving force behind the 22-year old ‘DEAL show’, which the most anticipated event of the year in the region for exhibitors and visitors in the attractions vertical.

The DEAL show has shaped the region’s entertainment industry for the past two decades and it has brought together great minds and their world class innovations all under one umbrella. Foraying into the 23rd edition, DEAL 2017 expects to witness an even larger gathering of key players and visitors in the amusement industry from Middle East, Africa, US, Mediterranean and Asian countries.  The DEAL show will be held at Hall 1, 2, 3 and 4 at The Dubai World Trade Centre from 27th – 29th March.

The primary objective of the MENALAC association is to ensure uniform safety standards within the themeparks and amusement industry across the Middle East region. This council of industry operators will also aim to educate the industry with regard to the latest technology and innovation. The key objective is to promote safe operations, regional development, professional growth and commercial success of the amusement industry. The council will also aim to serve as a credible resource for industry data and statistics.