We are 35! Even more star prizes added to our birthday bonanza

Written by:
What's On
7th July 2014

What’s On, your guide for things to do in Dubai is celebrating their 35th birthday with a record-breaking competition giveaway of truly amazing prizes.

COMPETITION ENTRIES FOR 2014 ARE NOW CLOSED (For 2015 birthday giveaways, click here)

Thirty-five years ago, the world was a different place. There was no Internet, no mobile phones, no social media. The Soviets (remember them?) were about to invade Afghanistan, and the Bee Gees were cool. Apparently. Pretty much most of the What’s On team hadn’t been born yet, Nottingham Forest won the European Cup, Chelsea were relegated, and Tales Of The Unexpected was cutting-edge television.

In short, 1979 was rubbish.

More…
– VIDEO: Meet the man who started it all, Managing Partner and Group Editor Ian Fairservice
– Dubai Then&Now. A picture tribute to the changing face of Dubai
– Celebrities in Dubai – the famous folk with whom What’s On has rubbed shoulders
– Dubai in 1979: looking back at the first ever What’s On

However, around that time in Dubai – which was a wee bit different from the Dubai of today – one man had an idea. An idea that was to start a chain of events that, over the next 35 years, would grow into an entire company, employing more than 200 people, including, somewhat importantly from where I’m sitting, me.

He said, “Let’s start a magazine.” And he did. Partly, I suspect, in order to secure better tables in 1979 Dubai’s restaurants, but partly because, even back then, people wanted to know, well, what was on.

Now, if we’re being completely honest, I’m not sure that even Ian Fairservice (for he was the man that started it all) would have thought that, 35 years later, What’s On would be the mainstay of UAE publishing that it’s become. But here we are, 434 issues later, not only still going strong, but now an entire brand, complete with an Abu Dhabi edition, numerous What’s On guides and supplements, digital editions, and the website upon which you find yourself (and, thankfully, still getting better tables).

To celebrate our momentous 35th birthday, we’re giving away some fantastic prizes to say thank you – we’re nothing without you, so thanks for sticking by us for all these years. So what are you waiting for, we’ve just added a fresh batch, including TEN more star prizes.

FINAL BATCH (closing date July 10)

JW MARRIOTT MARQUIS SPECIAL