The closing ceremony of the 15th Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award will be held on Tuesday under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, at the Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

This year's cycle of the award saw a significant increase in the number of participants, where 48 out of the150 applicant companies have qualified, noted Saeed Abdul Jalil Al Fahim, Chairman of the Higher Organising Committee of the Sheikh Khalifa Excellence Award.

Some 2,000 people from the UAE public and private sectors took part in seminars and workshops held by the award.

The process of arbitration and evaluation was further strengthened as representatives from the European Foundation for Quality Management, EFQM, and members of the American Society for Quality, ASQC, took part in process, he said, and noted the Award also worked with the British Association for Quality, BQF, he said.

The numbers reflect the prominent role that the award is playing in developing quality procedures and services provided to customers and users, Al Fahim further noted.