THE TEAM BEHIND MODESH WORLD

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, 21 July 2023

He may have been a familiar face for more than two decades, but the much-loved Modesh character – long associated with Dubai’s retail festival calendar, including Dubai Summer Surprises – has not aged a day. Dubai’s favorite character is as well-loved today as when he first appeared back in 2000.

The success of Modesh and the vibrant atmosphere at Modesh World is not solely attributed to Modesh himself. Behind the scenes, a dedicated group of volunteers, under the guidance of an experienced team of organisers, play a crucial role in bringing the Modesh character to life and infusing fresh excitement into his seasonal summer home, Modesh World, every year.

In keeping with Modesh’s friendly message – ‘My World, Your Adventure,’ this season there is more excitement on offer than ever, with Modesh World celebrating all the seasons of the year, providing a free-entry, family-friendly experience where kids and parents can interact with everyone’s favourite Dubai characters.

One constant in the illustrious history of Dubai Summer Surprises and Modesh World is Suhaila Saqer Obaid Ghubash, Executive Director of Festival and Events at Dubai Festivals and Retail Establishment (DFRE), who has been involved with the planning and day-to-day running of the event since its inception in 2000.

“Our core team has five strong people who work extensively throughout the year on Dubai Summer Surprises,” explains Ghubash. “Once we reach closer to the festival itself and we start putting together more of the details of the content together the team grows to become 100 – 200 people working across operations. It really takes an army to put something like this together. So it’s basically a year-long process,” she said.

“It involves the marketing operations team, the planning team, the volunteers, and don’t forget also all the government entities – such as Dubai Police, Dubai Municipality, the health and safety teams on the ground, and more. There are so many people responsible for making this festival and Modesh World happen each year,” she added.

Immortalised as a bright yellow beam of sunshine inspired in design by a Jack-in-the-box, it is easy to see how Modesh has become synonymous with the popularity of Dubai’s retail festivals. While children have grown-up into adults alongside Modesh, many now bring their own children to Modesh World to enjoy the boundless energy and fun associated with the Dubai icon.

Ghubash told us: “I was a volunteer when I started with Dubai Shopping Festival in the year 2000. I was actually a student, and I remember my manager coming up to me and saying: ‘You know what, we have a project in the summer. Would you like to work on it?” she said. 

“So my first ever project in the working world was Modesh World back in 2000. Over the years, we’ve hired a lot of volunteers – university students, middle school students and more. We’ve asked them to stay for six hours, but they never want to leave! They stay for the whole day and enjoy this very special time of two and a half months at the venue. The last day of Modesh World is always difficult for them, because they don’t want this time to end as they’ve created treasured memories and new friendships. It is heartwarming to see these new relationships that they wouldn’t have had without Modesh World,” Ghubash added.

The city’s longest-running indoor theme park is set to welcome an incredible 200,000 visitors this summer, providing families and kids with a host of ways to stay happy and engaged during the school holidays. Coming back even bigger and better than in its previous editions, Modesh World has more than 350 attractions spread across 30,000 square metres of entertainment space.

Gubash told us: “Modesh is not only inspiring for kids –  adults love him too. They know him, some have grown up with him, so they’re very attached to the character and are always excited to take pictures with him. We are also excited to see people across the GCC want to come to our city and enjoy Dubai Summer Surprises because it is something exciting to see and also a chance to learn more about the story of Modesh and what he represents,” she added.

This year’s Modesh World also has some new additions, in keeping with the UAE’s Year of Sustainability. Themed ‘Today for Tomorrow’, this edition has a selection of initiatives and activities reflecting the UAE’s strong commitment to sustainability and drawing inspiration from the legacy of the founder of the UAE, His Highness Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, ensuring that those at the theme park are not just having fun, but also learning more about taking care of the planet, and the heritage of the UAE.

And the event itself is also making sure it is more sustainable than ever. This year, 80 percent of the build in Modesh World 2023 uses reused and refurbished items. Modesh World will also go cashless, aligning with the Dubai Digital Initiative.

“That focus on the environment adds an extra dimension to those working hard behind the scenes to ensure the 2023 season is the best, and greenest, yet,” said Ghubash.

As always, this year’s free-entry edition of Modesh World takes place in the Dubai World Trade Centre,  filling Halls 3 to 8, and is open from 10am to 10pm Monday to Thursday, and 10am to 12am from Friday to Sunday.

Enjoy the ultimate summer extravaganza filled with incredible surprises, unmissable retail offers, diverse culinary delights and endless entertainment this Dubai Summer Surprises, running until 3 September. For more information, visit @CelebrateDubai and @StyledByDubai on social media channels, and www.mydss.ae. Stay updated with all things Modesh World at @mymodesh.

Dubai Summer Surprises is supported by key sponsor RAKBANK MasterCard and Strategic partners which include: Al Futtaim Malls (Dubai Festival City Mall & Festival Plaza), Al Seef, Al Zarooni Group (Mercato Shopping Mall), AW Rostamani Group, Bluewaters, Citywalk, Emirates Airline, Enoc, Etisalat, Majid Al Futtaim (Mall of the Emirates, City Centre Mirdif, City Centre Deira), Nakheel Malls (Ibn Battuta Mall, Nakheel Mall, Dragon Mart 2, Palm West Beach and The View), The Beach and The Outlet Village.