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Tribune News Network
Doha
More than 75,000 local and expatriate community members in Qatar visited Aspire Park over three days last weekend to witness the iconic performances of the first-of-its-kind Aspire Lake Festival, organised by Aspire Zone Foundation (AZF) in collaboration with Katara and Ooredoo.
Speaking on the sidelines of the event which concluded on Saturday evening, Nasser Abdullah al Hajri, director of PR and communications at AZF, said:"The huge crowds that attended the first two days exceeded our expectations. So, we installed 2,000 additional seats on the last day of the event to accommodate the growing number of visitors, and allocated a section for women and children only."
Hajri added:"The event generated very positive remarks from the attendees and we'll be working in the coming period to ensure next year's event is an even bigger hit."
Roberto Corona, Creative Director for the Aspire Lake Festival, who is performing in the Middle East for the first time, said:"This has been a great experience for us because Qatar is a country with rich and diverse natural surroundings. There's a beautiful contrast between Qatar's desert, the greenery and the modern architecture and designs that have resulted from the modernisation and cultural revolution the country has witnessed in the past decade. The Aspire Lake is just as beautiful as Lake Geneva and was the ideal location for the event."
Prominent local Aljazeera presenter, Ali al Meslemani, who was spotted in the spectators stands with his family, praised the event saying:"The performances captivated us. We usually see these events when we travel abroad, so it was great for Aspire Zone to host such an event home."
Khalid Ali al Mawlawi, Chief Administrative Officer at Aspetar was also attending with his family. He said:"The Aspire Lake Festival was remarkable and even better than similar events I've previously attended in major European cities."
To support local entrepreneurship, AZF set up 12 food trucks by local Qatari entrepreneurs and SME owners around the Aspire Park on the sidelines of the main event.
Aspire Zone and Katara will select one of those SMEs and grant thema permanent spot in either venue. Throughout the three-day event, local SMEs have generated a combined revenue worth more than QR1 million.
