In the Palms of their hands      (Venues)

Dubai raised the international bar for venue launches on Friday with the spectacular official opening of Atlantis, The Palm, the flagship resort of Kerzner International Holdings. Sat Bal reviews the highlights of three days of partying with 2,000 global guests. (24 Nov '08)

The Hosts

Sol Kerzner, luxury hotelier and chairman of Kerzner International and H.E. Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, executive chairman of Nakheel, the developers and operators of Atlantis, The Palm.

Pictured L-R:

His Excellency Sultan Ahmed Bin Sulayem, Heather Kerzner and Sol Kerzner

The Venue

Atlantis, The Palm is a 1,539 room, ocean-themed destination resort located at the centre of the crescent of the man-made Palm Jumeirah in Dubai (click here). The US$1.5 billion joint venture project was developed with Nakheel, one of the world's largest privately held real estate developers and a key driver in creating a world class destination Dubai.

Performers

Kylie Minogue (right) made her debut Middle East performance at the launch aided by a a show troupe of 113 performers.

Kylie opened her 60-minute set with On a Night Like This wearing a black and gold Jean Paul Gaultier creation, designed  exclusively for the occasion. 

A stunning high definition video illumination sequence introduced by Bollywood star, Priyanka Chopra, who rose from the stage as The Goddess of Atlantis.

Designed by Marie-Jeanne Gauthé creative director for Jean Michel Jarre in Paris, the visual display used the 200 metre-wide Royal Towers as a canvas to visualise the story of Atlantis, making it the most ambitious HD video projection on a standing surface.

Middle-Eastern pop sensation, Nawal and DJs Samantha Ronson and Donna D'Cruz brought their diverse performances to the show.

Guests

(Above) Actress Charlize Theron and Robert DeNiro at the aftershow party.

The guest list was international entertainment and business with a sizeable British contingent. Guests dined on signature dishes prepared by Atlantis’ multi Michelin-starred chefs, Santi Santamaria, Michel Rostang, Giorgio Locatelli and celebrity chef Nobu Matsuhisa, before heading to the exclusive Royal Afterglow party with DJ, Samantha Ronson.

Guests included : Lindsay Lohan, Mary-Kate Olsen, Petra Nemcova, Agyness Deyn, Dame Shirley Bassey, Lily Allen, Rani Mukherjee, John Abraham, Mischa Barton, The Duchess of York, Michael Jordan, Boris Becker, Bipasha Basu, the Dubai Royal Family and Janet Jackson.

(Above) Natalie Imbruglia, Sir Richard Branson, Lady Joan Branson, Holly Branson and Sam Branson

Over the three days guests indulged in the resort’s activities including:

Dolphin Bay, Aquaventure water park, The Lost Chambers, the Atlantis Spa and the resort’s Royal Pool.

Atlantis hosted an exclusive cocktail party in the resort’s Royal Towers Lobby on Wednesday night, and closed the event with a culinary tour dinner on Friday the 21st in the resort’s restaurants followed by an after party at the resort’s private nightclub, Sanctuary.

 Lindsay Lohan and DJ Sam  Ronson

Event Décor and Pyrotechnics

(Above) Aerial view of the entire island ablaze with Grucci's fireworks

 The double-sided main stage was over 43 metres long and 12 metres tall, creating over 3,350 square metre of scenery.  Over 402 metre of custom gold railing in the form of Arabian domes was used to construct the stage and Royal Gazebo.
 A total of 480 metre of truss were used to build the main stage and the Royal Gazebo while almost 5,500 metres of fabric were used in the set and décor construction and 7,199 metre of carpet laid.

The fireworks display was designed and created by international pyrotechnics expert, Grucci. It stretched across the full 520 kilometres of Palm Jumeirah, lighting up the entire island and Atlantis resort.

● More than 100,000 specially designed pyrotechnic devices were fired in less than 9 minutes.
● Fireworks were launched from 716 locations:
-  226 floating pontoons stretched across 46km of water outlining the fronds of The Palm
-  Over 400 balconies on the south facade and all rooftop surfaces of Atlantis, The Palm
●A series of shells burst at an altitude of 245 metres and were visible from space
● The pyrotechnic display was run by 62 computer systems operated by 1,200 satellite control modules, which fired more than 36,000 circuits.
● The largest aerial shell rose 300 metres and flowered into the size of two football fields.
● 220 pyrotechnicians spent 3,500 days to set up and produce this display

● A team of five graphic artists in Paris spent more than 100 hours to render the final 11 minute video.

● 12 large-scale projection specialists oversaw the illumination transmitted by 32 projectors.

● The 116 loudspeakers produced an output of 128,000 watts in 5.1 surround sound

● This was the first time a projection of this size was combined with pyrotechnics, as seen in the finale of the evening, when the high definition video waterfalls transformed into a cascade of fireworks down the surface of The Royal Towers.

What they said:
“From the beginning, I have been working with my team to create places where people can escape their everyday lives. Atlantis, The Palm is the realisation of a vision we shared with our partners at Nakheel. Tonight was a landmark event for us both and I thank my worldwide guests for coming to be a part of this occasion.”  Sol Kerzner, chairman and CEO, Kerzner International.

“This is yet another proud moment for us at Nakheel and in Dubai, where our friends from the world over join us to celebrate the launch of this extra-ordinary resort on this iconic island. This partnership between Nakheel and Kerzner is testament to our belief in Dubai having become one of the world’s top destinations. World class destinations host the most spectacular developments and this is translated in what we are seeing and experiencing tonight. Atlantis has come to the right place, and we invite all of Dubai’s visitors to revel in the magnificent entertainment, service and hospitality it has to offer.”                   His Excellency Sultan Ahmed bin Sulayem, chairman of Dubai World.

For party gallery images, click picture:

RK  _________________________________________