June 2013 55 www.bahrainthismonth.com Bahrain This Month: What is the ‘Art of C’ project all about? Duaij Khalifa Al Rumaihi: The ‘Art of C’ project was a way for Bahrain City Centre to engage with the community and showcase the talent of local artists and children. As Majid Al Futtaim Properties finalised the new ‘City Centre’ branding, Bahrain City Centre took the opportunity to host an interactive workshop as a platform to introduce the new ‘C’ identity. For this, children from the Bahrain Talented Kids’ Society were partnered with a local Bahraini artist to design a blank ‘C’ canvas. The workshop was conducted live inside the mall and shoppers were able to witness the works of art come to life over the course of the three days. BTM: What is the philosophy behind the City Centre brand? Rumaihi: Majid Al Futtaim Properties’ ‘City Centre’ shopping malls have become the hallmark of excellence not just in Bahrain but across the region. While all City Centre malls have been adapted to meet the local needs of the community in which they reside, they bear the international standard of design and customer service excellence in addition to being popular ‘meeting points’ for the community with our integrated offer of shopping, leisure and entertainment. Bahrain City Centre, as the Kingdom’s premier shopping destination, is a landmark for residents and true to our brand. We bring a diversity of experiences — shop, dine, play and stay — throughout the year. BTM: How has MAF’s vision of the Bahrain City Centre changed from its previous branding? Rumaihi: The re-branding was done to unify and strengthen the ‘City Centre’ brand through a common and iconic symbol that our shoppers could identify with — the ‘C’ symbol, which is the centerpiece of the ‘Art of C’ project. BTM: History suggests that malls need to refresh themselves on a regular basis. Is the re-branding part of that process? Rumaihi: Yes, by continually evolving, Bahrain City Centre can sustain its leading position as the premier shopping and lifestyle destination; but it also gives our shoppers a new and memorable experience each time. Whether it’s through a re-branding exercise, unique marketing campaigns or new store openings, our commitment is to ensure we are meeting the growing needs of our customers. BTM: What does it take to deliver a successful shopping mall in the GCC today? Rumaihi: For Bahrain City Centre, the key to our success is listening to the needs of our shoppers and catering to them through targeted marketing campaigns, hosting family-oriented or unique events and introducing new brands such as Marks & Spencer. This has also evolved to include our active online audience, and today we have more than 162,000 followers on our Facebook page. The new City Centre branding is part of this commitment, as Bahrain City Centre will more closely align with City Centre malls across the region, benefiting our shoppers as we adopt new and exciting campaigns that will be adapted for our market. BTM: What is your current view of the retail market in Bahrain? Rumaihi: Consumer confidence has improved over the last year; retailers have reported positive sales and our footfall continues to increase at a steady pace and we are confident that the retail sector is healthy and on the upswing. This year got off to a strong start for Bahrain as we recently hosted a successful F1 event, and we have been chosen as the Capital of Arab Tourism 2013 — a strong indicator that the economy is stable and on the upswing. BTM: Walking around the mall you can see plenty of signs that direct shoppers to the mall’s Instagram page and app. When you examine footfall in the mall, how much of that traffic do you believe is influenced by the social media interaction that shoppers have with the likes of Instagram and the BCC app? Rumaihi: Instagram is becoming a very popular social media platform, and Bahrain City Centre has also its own account (www.instagram.com/bahraincitycentre) to engage with our fans through visual imagery. It’s hard to quantify what percentage of our footfall is attributed to social media; however we do create unique campaigns that have a call to action, bringing them into our mall with rewards-based incentives. Summer Camp Bahrain City Centre offers a summer sports camp during June for 30 kids aged between seven and 12. The three, three-day camps last three hours each and will run on June 10-12, June 17-19 and June 24-26. Kids will be able to engage in a variety of activities including a chance to experience the Wahooo! Waterpark and showcase their 10-pin bowling and football juggling skills. This concept is the first-of-its-kind offered by a shopping mall in Bahrain. E Visit www.bahraincitycentre.com.
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