Drive to promote ATP event starts

Qatar Tennis Federation and ExxonMobil at the forefront of activities

ExxonMobil Qatar and its partner Qatar Tennis Federation (QTF) have kick-started a series of promotional activities ahead of the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2018, which will take place at the Khalifa International Tennis and Squash Complex on January 1-6, 2018.
Saleh al-Mana, Vice President and Director of Government and Public Affairs for ExxonMobil Qatar; Tareq Zeinal, Secretary-General Assistant of QTF; and Karim Alami, Tournament Director inaugurated an installation of the number “26” made entirely out of tennis balls – which represents the tournament’s 26 years and the partnership – in the heart of Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) Park. The inauguration was attended by ExxonMobil Qatar and QTF representatives and marks the official launch of the tournament’s promotional activities. Two other similar installations have been placed at the, Souq Waqif and Doha Festival City.
“We had an exciting launch of our promotional activities for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2018 today. We want all residents of Qatar and those visiting to know about this annual world-class sporting event that is taking place in Doha next week, and encourage them to be a part of it,” said Saleh al-Mana.
“The Qatar Tennis Federation has been our partner for 26 years now, and every year, we work harder to make sure that the tournament is bigger and better than the one before. Our teams have done a wonderful job, and we are confident that the Qatar ExxonMobil Open is going to be outstanding in all aspects of planning, performance, and entertainment. The tournament is important for Qatar because it reflects its strong framework and ability for hosting exceptional, world-class sporting events. Last year we had a fantastic 25th anniversary, but this year will undoubtedly be an even bigger tennis spectacle,” he added.
Tareq Zeinal added: “Qatar ExxonMobil Open has always been one of the signature events in Qatar’s sporting calendar. With this promotional activity, we are once again reiterating our commitment to promoting tennis as much as possible as well as creating a fun-filled atmosphere ahead of the tournament. We are proud of what we’ve been able to do together with Qatar ExxonMobil and I believe this year’s tournament will be bigger and greater.”
Karim Alami, QTF Board Member and Tournament Director commented: “The partnership between Qatar Tennis Federation and ExxonMobil is an example of what can be accomplished when two organizations share a mutual respect for each other and an unwavering commitment to supporting Qatar, as it works towards the goals of the Qatar National Vision 2030.
“All activities that are planned for the Qatar ExxonMobil Open highlight the long-standing relationship between the partners, and showcase the enthusiasm and effort that has been put into the tournament over the years, making it the outstanding and successful tournament it is today.”  
In tandem with joint activities leading up to the tournament, ExxonMobil Qatar will launch a corporate social responsibility campaign, which will run for three weeks starting December 13. The campaign will highlight ExxonMobil’s contribution to building human capacity in Qatar. It will include several messages that feature facts and figures related to ExxonMobil Qatar’s national outreach activities, particularly in educational development.
Over the years, ExxonMobil has rolled out several corporate social responsibility programs in Qatar that support the Qatar National Vision 2030, but based on feedback from various stakeholders that include government, and education and industry partners, most of the company’s resources are very much focused on educational and human development.
As part of the campaign, ExxonMobil Qatar has planned three competitions for its social media followers on Twitter and Instagram around the three installations located in Souq Waqif, the MIA park, and Doha Festival City. Those interested in participating can win fantastic prizes that will be presented by ExxonMobil Qatar.
The first competition will run from December 12 to January 1 and will invite followers to guess the number of tennis balls in the installations and post their answer using the hashtag #EMQ_tennis26. Three followers with the closest answers will win an exclusive prize.
The second competition invites followers to take a selfie with one of the installations between December 12 and January 1, and then post them on Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #EMQ_Winner and encourage their friends to like it. Three weekly followers with the highest number of likes on their posts will win a prize – a total of 12 lucky winners.
The third competition is a trivia one. Every week between December 10 and January 7, ExxonMobil Qatar will post information about the tournament, and the company’s local education-focused community programmes. At the end of each week, followers will be asked a question, the answers of which are in the weekly posts. Once they find the answer, they will need to repost it using the hashtag #EMQ_Education. They will then enter a raffle for the chance to win one of three valuable prizes every week – a total of 12 exciting prizes.
This year’s Qatar ExxonMobil Open will run from January 1 – 6, 2018, and will include some of the world’s top players who will compete for the trophy and a share of the prize money. Confirmed tournament participants include: defending Qatar ExxonMobil Open 2017 champion Novak Djokovic, Dominic Thiem, Tomas Berdych and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga.
Tickets for the six-day event are available to the public online at www.qatartennis.org, as well as at various locations across Doha.