Dubbed as the 'Fragrance Oscars,' FiFi Arabia 2012 kicks off the consumer voting process

[Dubai, November, 2012] - While the official jury members convened on the 18th of October to decide which fragrance will bag the 2012 'Fragrance of the Year' award, the online consumer voting process (www.fifiarabia.org) to decide the 'Retailer of the Year' and 'My Favorite Perfume of the Year' awards commenced on the 15th of October. Fragrance lovers in the region now have the opportunity to vote for their favorite perfume.

Dubai will once again be host to another glamorous red-carpet night. The FiFi awards ceremony, which will be held at the luxurious Armani Hotel on November 12, 2012, is promising to be bigger and better. Among the 14 awards to be won in the Arabian and International male and female categories, the 'My favorite perfume of the Year' award is solely decided by consumer votes. This time voters will vote through their Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn accounts. With the help of industry partners, FiFi Arabia has also set up voting panels at major Paris Gallery stores to reach out to the region's large consumer base.

'Thanks to our industry partners and the audience of UAE, we are able to take FiFi to a new level this year. We were anticipating a larger number of online voters this year. I'm happy to say that so far, since the 15th of October, we've had a surprising number of consumers taking time to sign in through their Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter accounts to vote for their favorite perfume. The word is being spread around through social networks, and we are delighted to see the response that FiFi is getting this year. We have added credibility to the whole process by authenticating users through such social websites, making the whole process transparent and convenient.  So far the support from the UAE audience has been incredible,' said Mr. Shahzad Haider, the chairman of Fragrance Foundation Arabia.

The jury this year comprises of fragrance experts, perfumers, entrepreneurs, managers and editors from well-known perfumeries, luxury retailers, fashion universities and publishing houses such as L'Oreal, Paris Gallery, Swiss Arabian Perfumes, Arabian Oud, French Fashion University and Adam & Eve Magazine. The jury is headed by Mr. Ali M. Jaber, the dean of Mohammed Bin Rashid School of Communication at American University of Dubai.

The winning criteria are based on factors such as uniqueness, personality, packaging, overall presentation and bottle design. Log on to www.fifiarabia.org to vote for your favorite fragrance.