Riffa Views’ Commitment to Expand the Bahrain International Garden Show 2008

Speech by Richard Browning, Riffa Views CEO

Your Excellencies and distinguished guests.
Good morning and a very warm welcome to all of you.

I am both delighted and honoured to confirm our title sponsorship of the 2008 Bahrain International Garden Show.

At Riffa Views, we are passionate about nature. We are transforming the environment to create a lush, green, living Oasis that will be sustainable and serene, where nature itself is the all-encompassing backdrop to a luxury lifestyle.

The Bahrain International Garden Show compliments everything that what we are creating at Riffa Views. So, I’m delighted to continue our sponsorship for the second year running.

I’d like to give you an overview of how this year’s Riffa Views’ sponsorship will continue to add new and exciting dimensions to the Bahrain International Garden Show – a show that’s increasingly recognised for the quality and breadth of its exhibitors.

But first, let’s take a moment to remember last year, when we embarked on our initial sponsorship with our own well-received Riffa Views Garden Display presentation.

The garden very cleverly replicated the landscaping style and themes of the development where arid desert scenes combine with emerald parkland and lagoons.

It showed exhibition visitors how Riffa Views is re-establishing the greenery of Bahrain with plants that are well-adapted to arid conditions in the varied gardens across our three Signature Estates.

Our commitment to landscaping and beatification for the residents of Riffa Views is apparent in our master plan, providing no less than 1000 state-of-the-art residences in a total area of 280 square hectares, where greenery and serene landscapes really are the centre stage of the development.

This time, we intend to make the 2008 Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show a truly international forum where visitors can explore new and innovative ways of making their gardens come alive with natural beauty – courtesy of a global team of garden and outdoor living experts.

Being inexorably linked with nature, sponsoring the garden show was a logical choice for us – because the natural environment is at the heart of the Riffa Views’ community. Our sponsorship follows in the footsteps of a number of our other key sponsorships all designed to leave a similar legacy to the people of Bahrain.

But I believe the Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show is about much more. It’s also a superb vehicle to reach out to the local community by way of educational and environmental initiatives.

It’s about making everyone from kindergarten to college; from business to the general community understand how precious Bahrain’s natural heritage actually is. It’s also about making them understand that we all have a duty to protect and nurture it.

I feel it is important to start raising awareness at the “grass roots”. We have to focus on educating and encouraging children to care for the environment and to appreciate one of life’s simpler pleasures – the beauty and aroma of a garden.

With that in mind, we are launching the Riffa Views “Design a Garden” competition to engage school children between the ages of 6 to 18.

The competition will be open to all primary and secondary schools in Bahrain, both government and private and the winning entries will be built as part of the schools competition stand at the 2008Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show.

Our pledge is to work with you to take the show to the next level, for it to be on a par with other international shows in terms of both the calibre and variety of exhibitors. To further enhance our commitment to expand the show Riffa Views will also grant $10,000 dls. to the best designed stand.

Everyone at Riffa Views wants to leave a legacy for Bahrain, a positive footprint in the shape of a sustainable and valuable contribution to the kingdom and its development.

We believe Bahrain, as one of the best kept secrets in the world, has everything it needs to take this to such a level.

In the same lines to further augment such international interest and excitement, we have enlisted the services of the BBC’s Flying Gardener, Chris Beardshaw, famed for his TV series and for designing award winning gardens exhibited at the renowned RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the Hampton Court Flower Show and the Malvern Spring Gardening Show to the delight of the hordes of garden enthusiasts who visit these shows.

Chris will be playing an active role as the Riffa Views’ Ambassador for the show and he will also be judging the Riffa Views “Design a Garden” competition.

By inviting a host of leading names, each respected in their field of expertise, I believe that we can make this garden show the most anticipated and comprehensive in the region.

Visitors want to feel, touch and “live” the Riffa Views Bahrain International Garden Show experience, to discover the latest and best of what gardening and outdoor living has to offer.

And, this year, the Riffa Views’ stand will be truly interactive with continuous live demonstrations of arts and crafts to capture the imagination of children and adults alike.

On a final note, I commit on behalf of everyone at Riffa Views to developing the show by working with all of you here. Together, we will make this the gardening and outdoor show in the Gulf. My intention is for it to become the Middle-eastern date on international gardening calendars – in other words, a resounding and sustainable success.

Thank you.

Preview of Riffa Views’ Virtual Reality Website

First real estate developer to introduce website with QTVR (Quick Time Virtual Reality), Riffa Views TV, podcasts and an interactive Forum

Riffa Views Signature Estates offered a preview of its soon-to-be-released interactive website whose innovative features establish a virtual connection to the Signature real estate project. The portal allows visitors to experience the virtual world of Riffa Views and see at a glance the latest developments in each of the three Signature Estates. As Riffa Views evolves to become an integral part of Bahrain’s community, the website will mirror this progression through its progress updates.

The cyber link between users and the luxury development is enhanced by many innovative and interactive features. Over and above the features of a standard website – home page, product descriptions and photographs, email contacts, and links to related websites – Riffa Views leads the way as the first real estate developer to have introduced QTVR (Quick Time Virtual Reality), podcasts and an interactive Forum, while setting an international benchmark with their own TV series, Riffa Views TV.

Key features of the website include:

• QVTR that allows you to take a virtual tour of the Riffa Views’ villas interiors.
• Riffa Views TV with podcasts filmed in HD (high density) quality.
• Podcasts which are updated regularly for automatic downloading. Replayable on Apple TV,
  iPod or iPhone.
• Virtual entrance into each Estate leads the way into the landscapes and homes.
• 3D design of homes gives detailed external elevations of the residences.
• Online Forum creates a virtual community where all interested parties can share information,
  ask questions and receive feedback.

A visit to the interactive website becomes a tour around the completed project with the cursor acting as a virtual vehicle. Users can navigate their way around each Estate to take a look at the residences followed by a tour of the many amenities within the golf residential development.

Richard Browning, CEO of Riffa Views, said: “We are bringing the full potential of our website into play to satisfy the regional and international consumers’ need for real-time information. Using a powerful combination of the first ever real estate TV series being aired on Riffa Views TV and a two-way information exchange with our Forum, Riffa Views website becomes a leading interactive entity.”

Mr. Browning added: “We have ventured into groundbreaking territory with our new website, especially with podcasting. Both represent a whole new medium of mass marketing, which is also to date one of the most popular, sophisticated and technologically advanced communication mediums.”

Home owners will benefit from regular updates on the project timeline, while the international audience will find a wealth of information at their fingertips. The Riffa Views website has set new standards and uses the most advanced mass communication technology to engage with its audience.

Upcoming features of the website include:

• Updated project milestones
• PDF floor plans of the homes
• Links to amenities with a growing amount of detail as the project nears completion.

Note to Editors:

1. Podcasts
Podcasts can be downloaded through version 4.9 of iTunes – which has additional support for podcasting and allows users to easily subscribe to iTunes Music Store – onto iPods and Apple TV. Once subscribed, the podcast will be downloaded automatically and users can choose to update podcasts weekly, daily, hourly or manually.
Podcasts are played back via Apple TV, iPods or iPhones.
2. Subscribing to Riffa Views TV
Two options are available:
1. Apple TV is connected to your home screen and can facilitate a wireless connection to sync with iTunes. You can download multimedia platforms to watch on a TV screen set within your home entertainment unit. It is an HD TV, making it the top-end video quality of our time
2. iPod
The iPod portable device allows the storage of huge amounts of information including movies and music.

Riffa Views TV – Episode 1

click to download Riffa Views TV Podcast 1

Ciara explores the desert while Jon explores tax break incentives for new companies and ex-pats. We also discover the oasis that is Riffa Views, the unique golf and residential development at the very heart of this stunning island and Riffa Views TV.

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