Yousef Darwish, General Manager of Group Communication, QNB, left, and Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, Chairman, Tasali announcing the arrival of KidZania. Right: Yousef Darwish and Sheikh Nasser bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at the press conference.
By Umer Nangiana
Tasali, the Qatar Entertainment Company, has officially announced the arrival of award-winning KidZania edutainment concept in Qatar. As a joint venture partnership between Aspire Zone Foundation and Sharaka Holdings, the company is blazing ahead with bringing the premium brand to Doha.
As part of the landmark announcement, KidZania unveiled its first sponsorship milestone at a signing ceremony with Qatar National Bank (QNB), at an interaction with press here on Tuesday at Torch Tower.
KidZania offers children the opportunity to play ‘adult jobs’ in up to a 100 pretended roles ranging from being a journalist, dentist, beautician, news reporter and actress to a fireman. The indoor theme park is set in a city that is built to scale for children, complete with buildings, paved streets, vehicles and a ‘functioning economy.’
“KidZania as an edutainment concept is perfectly aligned to the Qatar National Vision 2030 of building a sustainable, prosperous society which is just, caring and based on high moral standards,” said Sheikh Abdulla bin Ahmed al-Thani al-Thani, Chairman of Tasali.
“In a fun role-playing environment, the KidZania experience teaches kids values that cannot be easily imbibed in traditional classrooms. We believe KidZania will also help young children in Qatar understand the importance of various professions and enable them to make informed choices as they grow,” he added.
KidZania Doha will be located at the popular Aspire Zone in Doha. A prime location adjoining both Villaggio and Hyatt Plaza, KidZania Doha will complement the existing offering of shopping, leisure, sports and natural environs of the adjoining Aspire Park to make the entire zone into a destination of choice in Doha.
The Tasali chairman said KidZania Doha promises to be very special with unique experiences and establishments that are planned just for Qatar. “We are proud to be playing a positive role in teaching and influencing the minds of the youth who hold the future of our beloved country in their hands. We are coming in big. And we are coming in strong,” he said.
The newly announced sponsorship with QNB is part of the role-play activities and will create a KidZania miniature world that provides children with the ability to learn basic banking services through its miniature branch and ATMs. They will be able to spend, save and invest their kidZos, KidZania’s currency. Through the exciting role-playing concept at QNB’s branch, children will discover the challenges of being a banker. It would empower tomorrow’s generation to be financially aware and responsible.
“We are delighted to be able to interact with our future customers and employees. We hope this is the beginning of lifelong engagement with the brand. QNB is always interested in the welfare of our younger generations, and this centre marks a great opportunity for our children to play and learn in a controlled environment, while gaining the future skills that will help them in their future adult life,” said General Manager of Group Communication at QNB, Yousef Darwish, while commenting on the signing ceremony.
QNB’s sponsorship with KidZania stems from its long-standing commitment to supporting child development and education as part of the QNB Group’s diverse CSR programme. QNB recently introduced ‘The Money Made Easy’ book to educate children on how to better understand banking and manage their finances.
The book is an easy guide to money and the economy for children aged nine and above and has been distributed widely across schools in Qatar.
KidZania involves real-world brands in developing real-world experiences for children. Industry partners and sponsors lend authenticity and credibility to all the parks’ activities. Engaging, experiential and exciting marketing partnerships enrich each activity by creating a more authentic experience. Leading global brands to successfully establish their presence in the KidZania nations around the world include Coca Cola, HSBC, Sony, Honda, Gillette, Nestle, P&G and Mitsubishi Motors.
