Corporate events are spoiling Dubai ice skaters’ fun

Ice skaters are complaining that the rink at Dubai Mall is being taken over for corporate events without notice.

Parents and children alike enjoy the facilities at the Olympic-size ice skating rink at Dubai Mall. Paulo Vecina / The National

DUBAI // Many visitors to Dubai Mall have voiced frustration that the ice rink is frequently, and without warning, being leased to promoters for corporate events.

Aside from being one of the mall’s biggest attractions, the rink also doubles up as a venue for a variety of formal events, corporate and private functions.

For these non-skating events, it is transformed into an arena by using insulating floor material.

Last weekend, the ice rink was rented out for a Mother’s Day event by Nestle Nido. It drew a large crowd and set a new Guinness record for the largest greeting card in the world.

But it meant those who had visited the mall for the sole purpose of ice skating went home disappointed.

High-school pupil Ziad Tarabishi, 17, was upset that the ice rink was being made unavailable because of constant exclusive hires.

“I used to come here almost every weekend to ice skate with my friends. The disco-like atmosphere feels like a fun ’80s movie. It is gratifying and we do enjoy it a lot, but now it’s being rented out more often, especially on weekends, which is one of the few times that we can come,” he said. “It’s no longer a fixed weekend activity for us.

“We also don’t know when it’s going to be rented out. I don’t know if they have a place that they update regularly but I wasn’t able to find information on their Facebook page. “I discovered that calling the ice rink works. I call now before coming.”

Khalid Al Qahtani, a tourist from Saudi Arabia, had a similarly frustrating experience.

“I love coming to Dubai and we love coming to Dubai Mall,” he said.

“My daughters get to skate while their mother and I sit at one of the cafes overlooking the ice rink. We are here for only a few days and had the weekend to see the mall.

“We all were really disappointed that they weren’t able to skate this time. They were really looking forward to it. To them Dubai Mall is the ice rink.

“I hope this is not a continuing thing. It’s a big part of the mall.”

Ice-rink management said it was aware that many people visited the mall for the ice rink and regretted that it could not accommodate ice skaters at all times.

“While Dubai Ice Rink serves the skating needs for a larger part of its operational hours and remains as the main activity, we also provide the venue for events that might require the entire space,” a spokesman said. “We regret the inconvenience this causes to skating enthusiasts.”

One of the main complaints from skaters was the lack of information on when the rink would be unavailable.

The spokesman countered this by saying: “Any such changes are promoted on our website and through other social-media channels.”

Rink tickets cost Dh60 for regular sessions and Dh80 for the popular late-night disco sessions.

The rink is 60m x 30m and is one of the biggest indoor rinks in the region. Its 1.5-inch ice bed is nearly three times the thickness of a national hockey league rink.

Exclusively hiring the ice rink can cost companies Dh250,000 per event mid-week and up to Dh380,000 at the weekend.