The Crowne Plaza have recently launched a campaign in support of international NGO Operation Smile and their work. Operation Smile provide free reconstructive surgery for children born with cleft lip, cleft palate and other facial deformities around the world.
To give you an idea of how serious the issue is, here are some facts: globally, 1-in-600 children are born each year with a cleft lip and/or cleft palate. The condition not only makes it difficult for sufferers to eat and speak, but socialising in itself becomes a challenge. Born to disadvantaged families without the means to afford the surgery, most of these children are shunned and rejected by their community.
We caught up with the general manager of Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi, Ivor Prestwood, to find out what they’ve got planned for the campaign.
Why have you chosen to support Operation Smile?
We wanted to make an impact and we feel that Operation Smile as a charity really ticks those boxes. It’s a very worthwhile cause and a very visually impactful cause. When you see the before and after pictures of the children, it’s very emotive. And you realise the difference that Dhs1,000 can have on a child’s life.
You guys made a bit of noise at the launch of the campaign didn’t you?
That’s right, we had a party with the hotel guests, and we invited some friends and family from outside the hotel. And then our team members did a flash-mob, which was a huge surprise for people. Our team had been rehearsing quite a lot for it over the weeks, and I think they did an absolutely fabulous job.
Is it going to find its way on to YouTube at some point?
It’s there! You can find it on the CrownePlazaAUH channel.
What are you hoping to achieve with the campaign?
We’re very conscious that it has to be a thing that is consistent and that drives donations consistently. We’ve experienced campaigns in the past where you get a whole lot of enthusiasm which drives donations, but then you lose the enthusiasm and it drops off. With this one we’re cognisant that we want to drive awareness and enthusiasm, but not to an extreme, because we want to make it sustainable, to keep it in the forefront of people’s minds.
So what have you got planned to make it sustainable?
We’ve got an opt-out option in our rooms and across all our food and beverage outlets. This is a card which says ‘repair our smile,’ and what we’re doing is we’re adding an extra Dhs5 to the bill which will go towards Operation Smile. If people wish to opt out, they simply tick the ‘opt out’ box on the card, so we’ll return the Dhs5.
That’s making it very easy for people to donate.
Yeah, and I think people will be happy to give Dhs5. I don’t think we’ll get too many ticking the box. We’ve also got the smiley cushions available all throughout the hotel – some we’ll give away and some we will sell, with all proceeds going towards the charity. We’ve got wrist bands, which are on sale, and our team members will be wearing them to raise awareness. We’ve also got jeans for a cause, so that staff and team members are able to wear jeans if they pay Dhs5. What’s interesting with this is that the last time we were raising funds, we had this gentleman who was being checked in by someone wearing jeans and he said ‘are you off today?’ So she went on to explain the cause and he was extremely generous in his donation. So it breaks a bit of ice. It creates a talking point. It raises awareness.
Definitely. And how about the events you’ve got planned?
We’ve got a grape fundraiser planned, a pizza night and something for Ramadan. Of course, it’s a very generous time of year in this part of the world, so in our Gardens restaurant, for the iftar buffet, we’ll be donating Dhs5 on behalf of every guest that dines there.
And have you got a target you’re aiming for?
We’d like to impact at least 100 children. There are various options to donate, and people can make a huge difference to the lives of these children by simply dropping donations into the box at our reception or our food and beverage outlets, purchasing smiley cushions and buying smiley wrist bands.
For more information visit www.operationsmile.org.ae. Crowne Plaza Abu Dhabi, Hamdan Street (02 616 6166).
