Want to Make A Difference During Your Meeting, Conference or Company Gathering?

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES--(Marketwired - Jun 1, 2016) - The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre is pleased to announce its participation in the Impact Experiences, offering group guests the opportunity to participate in socially responsible activities that make a positive impact on the UAE while fostering collaboration and a great sense of accomplishment.

Part of the Community Footprints program, the signature Impact Experience at The Ritz-Carlton DIFC invites group guests to make a meaningful contribution and feel personally connected to the local community through 'Give a Ghaf', an initiative run by local conservation body Goumbook to help preserve the national tree of the UAE.

Highlighting the tree's cultural and ecological significance, the experience begins by traveling to Al Barari Farms in Dubai, where the volunteers will receive a tour of the nursery and compost room with the horticulturist, along with a step-by-step guide to the conservation process, before helping to plant Ghaf tree seeds. The seedlings then remain in the pots for two years in the safety of the nursery, protected from high temperatures, humidity and wind exposure, and once strong enough will be donated to the local community's parks, hospitals, schools and highway and road plantations, helping to create a sustainable community within Dubai and the UAE.

Lothar Quarz, General Manager, The Ritz-Carlton, DIFC commented: "Our guests are seeking memorable experiences when they travel, beyond the luxuries of a five star hotel, so we are delighted to offer them the chance to participate in Impact Experiences and allow them to connect with the local area. Not only that, by supporting the UAE's 'Give a Ghaf' campaign, they can also help to address an important part of the country's conservation efforts; the preservation of the national tree."

Impact Experiences also offer on-property activities that may be incorporated to a meeting agenda during lunch breaks, receptions and coffee breaks. These include:

• Partnering with the luxury Dubai hotel's culinary team to prepare the ingredients for donation to a local hunger relief organization.
• Assembling school supplies and art materials in backpacks for donation to students whose academic success is threatened by poverty.
• Collaborating in teams to assemble emergency preparedness kits to be shipped to a disaster relief facility or community organization.

Groups also have the opportunity to participate in an Impact Hour event, a program that was designed through a participant hackathon at the 2014 Travel + Social Good Summit. The compelling and educational experience provides a platform for leaders from The Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints partner's organizations to showcase how they are successfully addressing social and environmental issues. 

About The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., of Chevy Chase, Md., currently operates more than 90 hotels and resorts in the Americas, Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and the Caribbean. More than 40 hotel and residential projects are under development around the globe. For more information, or reservations, visit the company web site at www.ritzcarlton.com. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ).

About Community Footprints
With a commitment to "Expand Global Citizenship," The Ritz-Carlton social and environmental responsibility program, Community Footprints, is embedded into the company's service values, long range plan and business operations. This commitment is focused on child well-being, environmental responsibility and hunger and poverty relief. The Ritz-Carlton was the first Founding Partner of IMPACT 2030, a business-led collaboration with the United Nations that is mobilizing employee volunteers to help advance the Sustainable Development Goals. For more information visit www.communityfootprints.com, or follow The Ritz-Carlton Community Footprints on Twitter: www.twitter.com/RitzCarltonCSR.