H E Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani with children in Indonesia.

doha • With just a week to go before what promises to be Qatar's social event of the year — the Energy Masked Ball — details of no fewer than six major raffle prizes have been announced, a release said yesterday.

Guests will have the chance to win an overnight stay (including breakfast) at Doha's Four Seasons Hotel; and four other lucky winners will be able to enjoy 48 hours with the car of their dreams — including a Maserati, a Land Rover, a BMW or a Mini Cooper — courtesy of the Alfardan Automotive Group. Commercialbank will also be offering a surprise raffle for the guests, but intend to keep the actual prize a secret until the last possible moment in order to build the suspense.

The Energy Masked Ball on March 22 will be the first entertainment event to be held at Doha's Pearl-Qatar and the first time that a masked ball will have been held in the country.

It will also play host to the first Alternative Energy Awards ceremony, put together by Future Fuels Middle East — the region's leading new-energy magazine from Reflex Publishing that features innovations and developments in the alternative energy sector.

The awards ceremony is designed to honour the region's alternative fuel innovators who have made a significant difference in their fields of expertise. Online voting for various categories — including Project, Company and Environmental awards — began in February and closed last week after a month of strong voting from across the Middle East.

Eileen Michael, Group Publishing Director of Reflex Publishing, said that each guest would be given a raffle card and that the prize raffle draw would be held on the night. "From the initial reactions we have had so far, we are sure this part of the evening will be much anticipated. Everyone, it seems, has a particular favourite car that they would love to be seen driving up and down the Corniche," she said.

Sponsors and guests are also to be encouraged to make a donation to the Energy Masked Ball's charity of choice — Reach Out To Asia (Rota), which was founded in Qatar in 1995 under the patronage of the Heir Apparent, H H Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and guided by H E Sheikha Mayassa bint Hamad Al Thani.

“Rota assists local communities in Asia with equal educational opportunities for all," says Michael, "regardless of age, gender or individual circumstance, believing that education is the prerequisite for a healthy, just and prosperous world.

"With more than 60 per cent of the expatriate population in Qatar of Asian origin, Rota has a strategic geographic location within Asia and the Middle East giving it a unique opportunity to support its neighbouring countries as they overcome developmental difficulties."

The Energy Masked Ball will begin with a lavish reception held in the Oyster - The Pearl's newly-launched, hi-tech sales and marketing centre - and guests will then be led through a tunnel to the spectacular outdoor setting on one of the Islands of The Pearl-Qatar. The evening will have a theme redolent of Venice, complete with Venetian-styled walls, gondolas, walkways, dancers and acrobats.

To add to the spectacle, there will be a special fireworks display and providing the music will be legendary Motown band, The Four Tops, whose classic hits include Standing in the Shadows of Love, Bernadette and Don't Walk Away.