In October 1991, the first ever issue of Connector was published and distributed predominantly in Jumeirah and on the Jumeirah Road, Al Wasl Road and Sheikh Zayed Road, through a network of medical centres, dentists, spas, salons and coffee shops. The handy A5 sized magazine was well received as a way of informing, advising and supporting families living in Dubai.
Though the A5 size has been constant over the last 28 years, Connector, like Dubai, has changed, developed and progressed and is still around and still carrying information that you, the Dubai community want to see.
In the last 28 years Connector has grown in a lot of ways. It is now available in a lot more places, further afield than Jumeirah and Sheikh Zayed Road. It is also now accompanied by a widely visited website, www.Connector.ae, and it also reaches more of you, more often with regular news through it’s popular email newsletter.
It’s been fun developing and growing Connector over the years and at the same time has been as enjoyable to watch Dubai grow and develop as well. Here are just some of the things that have come about over the 28 years Connector has been around.
WAFI Mall was one of he first malls to open in Dubai. Opening in 1991, the shopping and leisure destination offers a selection of retail outlets, restaurants, a health club and includes Dubai’s Raffles Hotel.
Carrefour, one of the largest hypermarket and supermarket chains in the world, opened its first hypermarket in the UAE, and the region, in City Centre Deira in 1995. The chain operated by Majid Al Futtaim now has 28 hypermarkets and 43 supermarkets in the country.
The Irish Village has been a Dubai institution since it opened in 1996. Located in the Dubai Duty Free Tennis Stadium, the venue has also hosted in its grounds many concerts including performances by Sir Bob Geldof, UB40 and Macy Gray. Dubai now boasts a total of three Irish Villages, including the newly opened outlet in Studio City.
One of the most iconic buildings in Dubai, the Burj Al Arab opened in December 1999. The luxury hotel sits on a man made island just off the Jumeriah coastline and stands at 321 metres high making it the 7th tallest hotel in the world.
In 2001, construction started on Palm Jumeirah, the man made island that stretches out 6km off the Dubai coastline into the sea, and is now home to over 12,000 residents and features over 35 hotels, with more to come.
A must visit for anyone who comes to the UAE, The Dubai Mall opened in 2008 and has very quickly become one of the most visited places on the planet, and in recent years has boasted more visitors than both Los Angeles and New York City.
In 2010, the tallest building in the world, the Burj Khalifa, which stands at 828 metres tall, and now boasts a staggering 8 world records, was officially inaugurated by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.
The eye-catching Cayan Tower, located at the mouth of Dubai Marina was inaugurated in June 2013. The 75 floor residential building stands at 306 metres high, and twists 90 degrees from top to bottom or 1.2 degrees per floor.
Unveiled in 2013 and inaugurated just 3 years later in 2016, the Dubai Canal is the 3km waterway that links the Dubai Creek at Business Bay into the waters of the Gulf in Jumeirah.
Located at Zabeel Park and standing at 150 metres high and 95 metres wide and opened in 2018, the Dubai Frame offers a view of old Dubai from one side and modern Dubai from the other.
Dubai’s newest landmark, the Coca-Cola Arena in City Walk opened to the public in June 2019. The 17,000 capacity venue is the Middle East's first multi-purpose indoor arena and is set to offer events and entertainment all year round.