Several rare items and collections will be at the auction during the Reach Out To Asia’s (Rota) gala dinner, to be held on November 19 under the patronage of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani, with the theme ‘Team up Today, Shape up Tomorrow’,  the organisers revealed yesterday.
Attendees at the event will be able to bid for a trip for two to the edge of space on an aircraft that will take them to more than 100,000ft within the layers of the planet’s atmosphere. Sotheby’s, the world famous international auction house, will open bidding for a number of rare items on the evening.
“The gala dinner is an occasion to raise funds for our various educational projects in different countries. The auction will feature a Patek Philippe’s dome table clock and a Qatari Natural Jeewan pearl necklace offered by Al Majed Jewellery; a Hermes men’s trunk donated by Wissam al-Mana; as well as a 2017 BMW M3 30 Jahre Limited Edition donated by Alfardan Automobiles, in addition to a Louis Moinet Mecanograph limited edition watch,” disclosed Essa al-Mannai, executive director, Rota at a press conference.
A host of local and international celebrities will attend the gala dinner that will be held at Al Shaqab on Saturday. The event aims to raise funds for Rota’s educational programmes that provide marginalised communities in Asia and the Middle East with access to quality education and learning facilities.
Al-Mannai said: “The gala dinner is the most important event on our social calendar – it’s an evening dedicated to valuing the importance of education, youth empowerment, volunteer work and of championing the work of Rota. We are honoured to welcome prominent local, regional and international figures to join us in celebrating the event’s 10th anniversary, which marks an important milestone on our journey to achieving equitable education for all.”
According to al-Mannai, the prominent guests who will be in attendance are: Lord Mark Poltimore, deputy chairman of Sotheby’s Europe; Caroline Scheufele, Chopard co-founder; singer Latifa; Lojain Omran, a prominent media figure; Malek Jandali, pianist and composer; as well as chief executives and owners of Qatar’s largest companies.
Funds from the auction will also go to existing and future Rota education initiatives in support of Syrian refugees, including the ‘Longing to Learn’ programme in Lebanon, the ‘I Had a Dream’ initiative in Jordan and ‘Project Tomorrow’ in Turkey. Other Rota initiatives that will receive funding include the ‘Opportunities for Life’ programme in Bangladesh, the ‘Bringing Back Hope’ project in Yemen and the ‘1 in 11’ campaign in Indonesia, in partnership with Unicef and FC Barcelona Foundation. The gold sponsor of the event is Al Majed Jewellery and the silver sponsor is Qatar Rail.