International Expansion Continues with Six Flags-Branded Park in Saudi Arabia

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Six Flags Entertainment Corporation (NYSE: SIX), the world’s largest regional theme park company, and the Public Investment Fund (PIF), Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, today announced plans to develop a Six Flags-branded theme park in the city of Riyadh. Six Flags has entered into an arrangement with the PIF to develop, design and license the Six Flags brand for Qiddiya—Saudi Arabia’s first entertainment, sports and cultural destination—which is expected to open in 2022.
Located 40km from downtown Riyadh, Qiddiya will provide an unprecedented leisure option for the seven million plus residents of the Saudi capital. The Public Investment Fund of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia said, “The entertainment sector has an important role to play in the transformation of Saudi Arabia’s economy. The Six Flags-branded theme park in Riyadh and other similar developments will create new employment opportunities and harness the talent, energy and imagination of Saudi youth. Our investment in this sector is in line with our mission and delivers on a key element of Vision 2030.” Michael Reininger, Chief Executive of Qiddiya, commented, “Our goal is to create an exciting one-of-a-kind destination that will draw visitors from throughout Saudi Arabia to experience record-breaking roller coasters, innovative rides and attractions, as well as the sporting and cultural facilities that Qiddiya will offer. By partnering with a global leader, we know that we are going to deliver something exceptional.” Terms of the arrangement were not disclosed. About Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is the world’s largest regional theme park company with $1.4 billion in revenue and 20 parks across the United States, Mexico and Canada. For 57 years, Six Flags has entertained millions of families with world-class coasters, themed rides, thrilling waterparks and unique attractions. For more information, visit www.sixflags.com. Follow us on Twitter @SixFlags Like us on Facebook at facebook.com/sixflags About the Public Investment Fund: The Public Investment Fund (PIF) seeks to become one of the largest and most impactful sovereign wealth funds in the world, enabling the creation of new sectors and opportunities that will shape the future global economy, while driving the economic transformation of Saudi Arabia. To achieve this, the PIF is building a world-class, diversified portfolio through investments in attractive, long-term opportunities across sectors and asset classes at both the domestic and international level. Working alongside global strategic partners and renowned investment managers, the PIF acts as the Kingdom’s main investment arm to deliver a strategy focused on achieving attractive financial returns and long-term value for the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, in line with Vision 2030. About Qiddiya The vision of Qiddiya is to be the iconic entertainment destination of the Kingdom, the home of activity, discovery and engagement. Backed by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund, Qiddiya will be built 40km from downtown Riyadh. Visitors will have access to ground breaking recreational and educational facilities across six innovatively designed clusters: Theme Parks; Wheels and Wings; Scenic and Animal Encounters; Water and Snow; Sports; Events, Culture and Education. Groundbreaking will be in 2018, and the first phase of the development will be launched in 2022. Twitter: @Qiddiya

Contacts

Six Flags Entertainment Corporation Media Relations: Sandra Daniels, 972-595-5178 sdaniels@sftp.com or Investor Relations: Stephen Purtell, 972-595-5180 spurtell@sftp.com

Space Hotels’ affiliates: a fine example of the importance of web reputation

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According to an analysis carried out by Travel Appeal, the web reputation of the group’s hotels is clearly superior to other Italian hotels.

With regards to online reputation, we are all well aware of the important influence it has on the choices we make every day. When we are looking for a particular restaurant, store or supermarket, the first thing we do is a web search to see what users have said about it. How can a business become aware of its own web reputation? Space Hotels, the Italian group with over forty years’ experience in the hospitality sector, has been keeping pace with change and has built advantageous working relationships to monitor and respond to the evolving needs of its clientele. Thanks to a recent project with Travel Appeal, Space Hotels has been able to confirm the satisfaction of its clients via the web.

Through an analysis of over 60,000 comments on the web and over 270,000 reviews from September 2016 to October 2017, Travel Appeal identified the level of satisfaction of guests who stayed at Space Hotels’ affiliates and then extrapolated data related to client satisfaction, which were very positive. In fact, 88% of Space Hotels’ affiliates showed a positive sentiment with respect to the 83.6% seen for Italian hotels in general. This result comes from an analysis that looked at hospitality in general, hotel location, staff helpfulness, guest rooms, cleanliness, meals and services offered, as well as access to and cost of Wi-Fi. Some of the specific results were: hotel location 94.5% vs 89.1% for Italian hotels in general; staff helpfulness 95.5% vs 90.7%; cleanliness 93.8% vs 88.3%. These excellent levels of guest satisfaction are the result of Space Hotels’ longstanding commitment to its clientele. The analysis method. The heart of Travel Appeal is an artificial intelligence system that collects, evaluates and analyses thousands of pieces of online information precisely and completely in real time. It then transforms the results into intelligent and concrete suggestions and actions to be taken immediately in order to improve one’s reputation. Travel Appeal uses a semantic engine specialised for the hospitality sector (accommodation, meals, attractions, culture, transport, etc.) that can “read” individual comments, find specific words and interpret the opinion given. Every comment contributes to the overall percentage of the sentiment; i.e., the level of positive perception of a hotel. Travel Appeal Travel Appeal is a B2B startup owned by H-FARM that collects and analyses online data regarding the travel sector in real time. It uses an artificial intelligence system that interprets and transforms data into practical advice that tour operators can use to improve their positioning and digital reputation, thus having a positive impact on their revenue and the management of their priorities and operations. Travel Appeal offers both software to individual businesses (hotels, B&Bs, campgrounds, restaurants, museums, etc.) and specific analysis solutions to groups, chains, consortia and local authorities (DMO, DMC, tourist bodies, etc.). Travel Appeal has recently created a new “virtual assistant” based on its chatbot that allows hospitality operators to simplify and improve interaction with their clients and collect further data on their behaviour in order to optimise marketing. Travel Appeal was founded by Mirko Lalli in January 2014 and now has a staff of 30 and two offices, one at the H-FARM Campus in Treviso and one in Florence.   About Space Hotels Space Hotels, a hospitality group founded in 1974, has a unique collection of over 60 three to five star hotels in 35 business and leisure destinations throughout Italy. The Space Hotels offer includes: business or leisure stays; organisation of meetings and conferences; fine cuisine by some of the best Italian chefs; relaxation, massages and saunas in elegant spas and wellness centres. Room rates always include complimentary Wi-Fi, breakfast and a bottle of water. Reservations can be made through a toll-free number 800.813.013, the GDS (code SX) or the website www.spacehotels.it.

Hotels to spend AED2.45 million by 2022 to broaden bandwidth and retain techy traveller loyalty

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  • ravel tech tops the bill at Arabian Travel Market this year, following 12% annual growth
  • Average 300-room hotel in Dubai faces AED2.45 million bill to upgrade Internet connectivity over coming five years
The average 300-room hotel in Dubai will be faced with a bill for AED2.45 million over the coming five years, as bandwidth capability is multiplied to meet rising guest demand, according to the latest data published ahead of Arabian Travel Market 2018, which takes place at Dubai World Trade Centre from April 22-25. The figure, calculated by Colliers International, is based on the average guest now connecting up to three separate devices to a hotel’s WiFi during their stay, increasing the overall strain on existing bandwidth within each property. Adding to this pressure, the data further reveals that hotels failing to maintain current standards will jeopardise guest loyalty, as 68% of guests reveal they would not return to a hotel with poor internet access, research found. Simon Press, Senior Exhibition Director, ATM, said: “To maintain current connection speed and quality each hotel must make multi-million dirham investments in new technology, systems and capabilities. Bandwidth investment is a key trend predicted to transform the regional hospitality industry over the next five years.” Discussing the defining evolutions of the hospitality technology, the Travel Tech Show will return to ATM 2018 with more than 30 dedicated international exhibitors and an influential agenda of discussion and debate in the Travel Tech Theatre, sponsored by Sabre Corporation, a leading provider of technology to the global travel industry. Travel technology is the fastest growing region at ATM with a 12% increase in exhibitors in 2017, compared to the previous year. On the show floor, attendees will be able to meet with exhibitors such as TravelClick, Travelport, GT Beds, The Booking Expert, INPLASS, XML Holiday, and DidaTravel Technology Ltd. Exhibiting for the first time at ATM will be Travelflex, a cryptocurrency that aims to solve the scalability issues which other coins are facing at the moment. Press said: “Once again ATM 2018 is set to welcome the leading brands, personalities, innovators and disruptors in travel technology today. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary this year we will be reflecting on how far the hospitality and travel industry has come since the first online travel agency (OTA) emerged. However, as our line-up of seminar sessions and exhibitors proves, our focus remains fixed on the future of the industry.” Looking to the future, the introduction of more chatbots across hotels to deal with common guest queries before, during and after booking is expected, with Colliers predicting as much as 79% of all B2C interactions will be performed by these bots within Middle Eastern hotels by 2020. Another key development is the piloting of Bluetooth beacons across hotel lobbies and public spaces, allowing for on demand flash marketing to be sent via hotel apps. In addition, virtual payment systems are tipped to be highly influential with fintech developments such as Apple Pay, Samsung Pay and Google Pay eliminating the number of cash payments. Colliers predicts half of hotel payments will be made using either mobile or virtual payment platforms by 2021. Press added: “Much of the innovation we have seen across the travel industry is focused on easing the passenger journey, with flexibility, personalisation and authenticity all key to enhancing a guest’s overall trip and we see that reflected throughout this new research.” Kick starting discussions in the Travel Tech Theatre, a social media specialist panel will explore how to create a Unique Selling Proposition on social media and how to integrate it as a successful driver of business sales. 72% of travellers in the UAE and Saudi Arabia with an Instagram account, purchased an overseas trip during the past year and a session led by the social media platform will highlight how powerful visuals can inspire potential travellers and drive business. While other sessions taking place in the Travel Tech Theatre include the Digital Future Summit and Smart Tourism 2020. Celebrating its 25th year ATM is considered by industry professionals as a barometer for the Middle East and North Africa tourism sector, welcomed over 39,000 people to its 2017 event, including 2,661 exhibiting companies, signing business deals worth more than $2.5 billion over the four days. About Arabian Travel Market (ATM) is the leading, international travel and tourism event in the Middle East for inbound and outbound tourism professionals. ATM 2017 attracted almost 40,000 industry professionals, agreeing deals worth US$2.5bn over the four days. The 24th edition of ATM showcased over 2,500 exhibiting companies across 12 halls at Dubai World Trade Centre, making it the largest ATM in its 24-year history.  www.arabiantravelmarketwtm.com Next event 22-25 April 2018 – Dubai. About Reed Exhibitions Reed Exhibitions is the world’s leading events business, enhancing the power of face to face through data and digital tools at over 500 events a year, in more than 30 countries, attracting more than seven million participants. About Reed Travel Exhibitions Reed Travel Exhibitions is the world’s leading travel and tourism event’s organiser with a growing portfolio of more than 22 international travel and tourism trade events in Europe, the Americas, Asia, the Middle East and Africa. Our events are market leaders in their sectors, whether it is global and regional leisure travel trade events, or specialist events for meetings, incentives, conference, events (MICE) industry, business travel, luxury travel, travel technology as well as golf, spa and ski travel. We have over 35 years’ experience in organising world-leading travel exhibitions. Media contact NATHALIE VISELE Director Tel: +971 4 365 2711 | Mobile: +971 50 457 6525 E-mail: nathalie.visele@shamalcomms.com Office 106, Arjaan Office Tower, Dubai Media City PO Box 502701 | Dubai, United Arab Emirates Website: www.shamalcomms.com

Saudi Aramco and Indian consortium “RRPCL” sign MoU to develop Ratnagiri mega refinery and petrochemicals complex on India’s west coast

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President & CEO Amin H. Nasser: “Investing in India is a key part of Saudi Aramco’s global downstream strategy, and another milestone in our growing relationship with India.” Saudi Aramco signed today a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with “Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd.” (RRPCL), a consortium of Indian oil companies which includes The Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. (IOCl), Bharat Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (BPCL), and Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd. (HPCL), to jointly develop and build an integrated mega refinery and petrochemicals complex at Ratnagiri, in the state of Maharashtra. Saudi Aramco may also seek to include a strategic partner to co-invest in the mega refinery. The strategic partnership brings together crude supply, resources, technologies, experience, and expertise of these multiple oil companies with an established commercial presence around the world. A pre-feasibility study for the refinery has been completed and the parties are now finalizing the project’s overall configuration. Following the signing of the MOU, the parties will extend their collaboration to discuss the formation of a joint venture that would provide for joint ownership, control, and management of the project. The refinery will be capable of processing 1.2 million barrels of crude oil per day. It will produce a range of refined petroleum products, including gasoline and diesel, meeting BS-VI fuel efficiency norms. The refinery will also provide feedstock for the integrated petrochemical complex, which will be capable of producing approximately 18 million tons per annum of petrochemical production. In addition to the refinery, cracker and downstream petrochemical facilities, the project will include associated facilities such as a logistics, crude oil and product storage terminals, raw water supply, as well as centralized and shared utilities. Ratnagiri Refinery and Petrochemicals Ltd. (RRPCL) will rank among the largest world refining and petrochemicals projects and will be designed to meet India’s fast-growing fuels and petrochemicals demand. The project cost is estimated at around $44 billion. “Investing in India is a key part of our company’s global downstream strategy, and another milestone in our growing relationship with India,” said Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin H. Nasser, who also noted the opening in 2017 of Aramco Asia’s New Delhi office with a mandate to expand Saudi Aramco’s international portfolio in this key economic growth region. “The signing marks a significant development in India’s oil and gas sector, enabling a strategic joint venture and investment partnership that will serve India’s fast-growing demand for transportation fuels and chemical products. Participating in this mega project will allow Saudi Aramco to go beyond our crude oil supplier role to a fully integrated position that may help usher in other areas of collaboration, such as refining, marketing, and petrochemicals for India’s future energy demands,” said Nasser.

T-Mobile to Offer iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition

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T-Mobile will offer iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus (PRODUCT)RED Special Edition, the new generation of iPhone in a stunning red finish. Customers will be able to pre-order starting Wednesday at www.t-mobile.com, with the devices launching at T-Mobile stores Friday, April 13. For more information on iPhone at T-Mobile, visit www.t-mobile.com/apple. Media Contacts T-Mobile US Media Relations MediaRelations@t-mobile.com

Sprint Unveils Six 5G-Ready Cities; Significant Milestone Toward Launching First 5G Mobile Network in the U.S.

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Starting in April, Sprint (NYSE: S) customers in select U.S. markets will experience the future of wireless as the company prepares to deliver the nation’s first 5G mobile network in the first half of 2019. Customers in Chicago, Dallas and Los Angeles will begin experiencing 5G-like capabilities, including significant increases in data speed and capacity, as Sprint rolls out advanced network technology called Massive MIMO. Sprint will aggressively expand to additional markets including Atlanta, Houston and Washington, D.C. later this year. In 2018 and 2019 Sprint expects to deploy thousands of Massive MIMO radios, significantly increasing network capacity for millions of customers across the country. Massive MIMO is a critical bridge to Sprint’s 5G network. 5G technology promises to connect people, places and billions of things with blazing fast speed, ultra-reliable, low-latency wireless service. This breakthrough technology will enable new levels of innovation and progress including cloud robotics, telemedicine, connected cars and drones, augmented and virtual reality and more. “The race to 5G is heating up, and let me be clear, today’s announcement is a huge step toward Sprint being first to offer a 5G mobile network,” said Marcelo Claure, Sprint CEO. “Our deep spectrum position gives us an incredible advantage no other carrier has in the U.S. We’re making significant investments using state-of-the-art technology, and working with leading chip and handset partners to deliver an incredible Next-Gen Network for our customers.” The Power of Massive MIMO on the Sprint Network Sprint’s first 5G-ready Massive MIMO cell sites are capable of delivering up to 10 times the capacity of current LTE systems, significantly increasing data speeds for more customers in high-traffic locations. With Massive MIMO at the foundation of Sprint’s Gigabit LTE and 5G service, Sprint can keep meeting its customers’ demand for unlimited data and high-bandwidth applications. Customers will have a great experience using 6K and 8K TV, and applications such as HD Virtual Reality.   “Massive MIMO is a game-changer for TDD-LTE networks that’s being used by leading operators around the world to deploy Gigabit LTE and 5G,” said Dr. John Saw, Sprint Chief Technology Officer. “For more than a year we’ve been testing this new technology, and in a few short weeks we’ll be bringing the power of Massive MIMO to Sprint customers beginning with some of the largest markets in the country.” All Sprint customers using a 2.5 GHz (band 41) device will benefit from the increased capacity and speed provided by Massive MIMO. In addition, Sprint is working with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm Incorporated, and device manufacturers to launch 5G mobile devices in the first half of 2019. The recently announced Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ X50 5G modem supports 5G NR for Sprint’s 2.5 GHz (n41) spectrum band. Sprint will deploy 64T64R (64 transmit, 64 receive) Massive MIMO radios using 128 antennas working with technology leaders Ericsson, Nokia, and Samsung Electronics. The Massive MIMO radios from all three suppliers are software-upgradable to 5G without additional tower climbs. The Massive MIMO radios support split-mode service, enabling Sprint to offer both 4G LTE and 5G on the same radio. With 204 MHz of spectrum and more than 160 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum in the top 100 markets, Sprint is uniquely positioned with enough capacity to deliver a nationwide 5G mobile network using licensed spectrum. Because of Sprint’s large spectrum holdings it is also one of the only operators in the world with enough capacity to operate LTE and 5G simultaneously over 100-200 MHz on the same Massive MIMO radios. Nishant Batra, Head of Product Area Network Infrastructure at Ericsson, said: “Our 5G-ready Massive MIMO technology helps ensure a smooth network evolution for Sprint with its easy-to-adopt and install features. Sprint can get the most out of its vast 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings, boost the capacity of its LTE network, and deliver top-quality and high-speed data services to its customers.” Marc Rouanne, President of Mobile Networks, Nokia, said: “With Nokia’s 5G-ready massive MIMO radios, Sprint will build high capacity for its customers, especially in densely populated locations such as city centers and high-rise buildings. This powerful technology will be easy for Sprint to deploy on its 2.5 GHz spectrum, boosting data traffic, and we are looking forward to helping Sprint develop new levels of innovation in cloud robotics, augmented reality and more.” “After testing massive MIMO solutions in a real world situation with Sprint last year, and seeing impressive capacity gains using the same amount of spectrum, we are excited to reach this new milestone with the deployment of Samsung 5G ready MIMO solutions on Sprint’s network,” said Mark Louison, Senior Vice President and General Manager of Networks Division at Samsung Electronics America.  “As this technology advances to even greater levels of speed and capacity, we look forward to enabling Sprint customers to experience the full benefits of network innovation.” Massive MIMO is a key part of Sprint’s Next-Gen Network strategy. Sprint is significantly increasing its investment to dramatically improve coverage, reliability, and speed across its nationwide network and launch the first 5G mobile network in the U.S in the first half of 2019. The Next-Gen Network build includes upgrading cell sites to triband service using 800 MHz, 1.9 GHz, and 2.5 GHz, adding thousands of new cell sites to expand coverage, and densifying the network with more small cells to increase capacity and speed. About Sprint: Sprint (NYSE: S) is a communications services company that creates more and better ways to connect its customers to the things they care about most. Sprint served 54.6 million connections as of December 31, 2017 and is widely recognized for developing, engineering and deploying innovative technologies, including the first wireless 4G service from a national carrier in the United States; leading no-contract brands including Virgin Mobile USA, Boost Mobile, and Assurance Wireless; instant national and international push-to-talk capabilities; and a global Tier 1 Internet backbone. You can learn more and visit Sprint at www.sprint.com or www.facebook.com/sprint and www.twitter.com/sprint.

Firms turn ‘home’ as protectionism bites

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Businesses are concerned about the cost of rising protectionism, yet are optimistic about their international business prospects, according to a new report from HSBC, ‘Navigator: Now, next and how for business.’ Of the 6,000 firms surveyed globally, three in five (61%) think governments are becoming more protective of their domestic economies. This sentiment is strongest among companies in MENA (70%), and Asia‐Pacific (68%). In the USA, 61% believe protectionism is on the rise, while in Europe, half (50%) are seeing a rise in protectionist tendencies. The majority of firms are looking to regional partners to develop trade opportunities, with almost three quarters (74%) of overseas trade in Europe and Asia‐Pacific being conducted within their ‘home’ region. This trend is set to continue with regional ties being prioritised in firms’ expansion plans for the next three to five years. Focusing on the impact of government policies, those designed to strengthen regional ties such as China’s ‘Belt and Road Initiative’ (40%) and ASEAN’s 2025 strategy (37%) were cited most frequently as having a positive impact on international business. Firms are focused on growth, with more than three in four (77%) businesses optimistic about their international business prospects, and expect the volume of trade to increase over the next 12 months. Reasons behind this confidence include an increase in demand for their products from consumers and businesses (33%), favourable economic conditions (31%) and the greater use of technology (22%) in driving growth. Noel Quinn, Chief Executive, Global Commercial Banking, HSBC, said: “Overall, companies are showing remarkable agility in navigating the changing trade policy landscape. They are getting on with adapting business plans, and relationships, to participate in shifting supply chains. Strategies include increasing regional trade, establishing joint ventures or local subsidiaries in more markets, and capitalising on trends in consumer demands and digital technologies.” “An increase in protectionist sentiment hasn’t hampered the optimism of firms globally, but is causing concern about the cost of doing cross-border trade and international business.” “By taking time to understand the emerging drivers and impediments to trade, business leaders can identify risks and opportunities, and make informed decisions for future growth.” Economic analysis supports the strength of business confidence, pointing to a 7% growth for trade values in 2018 (goods and services combined). Forecasts by Oxford Economics on behalf of HSBC show the economic indicators underpinning this estimate include an upturn in both investment and consumer demand, a weaker US dollar and recovery in the Eurozone. Media enquiries to: Auriane Potel +44 20 7991 0081 auriane.potel@hsbc.com Paul Smith +44 20 7991 4867

EXPECT THE UNEXPECTED

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More than just a pretty face, this all-new Lexus vehicle aims to radically transform the concept of comfort for luxury consumers all over the world. Witness its global debut in Beijing on April 25, 2018. #ExperienceAmazing

Apollo Announces Closing of $300 Million in Preferred Shares

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NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Mar. 19, 2018– Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE:APO) (together with its consolidated subsidiaries, “Apollo”) today announced the closing of its previously announced offering of 6.375% Series B Preferred Shares (the “Series B Preferred Shares”) representing limited liability company interests with a liquidation preference of $25.00 per share. The offering amounted to 12,000,000 Series B Preferred Shares for gross proceeds of $300 million. Apollo intends to contribute the net proceeds from the sale of the Series B Preferred Shares for general corporate purposes to its indirect subsidiaries, Apollo Principal Holdings I, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings II, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings III, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings IV, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings V, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings VI, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings VII, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings VIII, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings IX, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings X, L.P., Apollo Principal Holdings XI, LLC, Apollo Principal Holdings XII, L.P. and AMH Holdings (Cayman), L.P. Distributions on the Series B Preferred Shares, when and if declared by AGM Management, LLC, Apollo’s manager, will be paid quarterly and are non-cumulative. Apollo intends to list the Series B Preferred Shares on the NYSE under the ticker symbol “APO PR B”. BofA Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, UBS Investment Bank and Wells Fargo Securities acted as joint book-running managers for the offering, Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Deutsche Bank Securities, Goldman Sachs & Co. LLC, J.P. Morgan, RBC Capital Marketsand US Bancorp acted as joint lead managers for the offering. This press release does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to purchase the Series B Preferred Shares or any other securities, and does not constitute an offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to the registration and qualification under the securities laws of such state or jurisdiction. A shelf registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and has become effective. The offering may be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and an accompanying prospectus. A preliminary prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering were filed with the SEC and are available on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. A copy of the final prospectus supplement and accompanying prospectus relating to the offering may be obtained from (1) Merrill Lynch, Pierce, Fenner & Smith Incorporated, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd Floor, Charlotte, NC 28255-0001, Attention: Prospectus Department or by phone at 1-800-294-1322 or by email at dg.prospectus_requests@baml.com, (2) Morgan Stanley & Co. LLC, 180 Varick Street, New York, NY 10014, Attention: Prospectus Department or by phone at 1-866-718-1649 or by email at prospectus@morganstanley.com, (3) UBS Securities LLC, 1285 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10019, Attention: Prospectus Specialist or by phone at 1-888-827-7275 and (4) Wells Fargo Securities, LLC, 608 2nd Avenue South, Suite 1000,Minneapolis, MN 55402, Attention: WFS Customer Service or by phone at 1-800-645-3751 or by email at wfscustomerservice@wellsfargo.com. About Apollo Apollo is a leading global alternative investment manager with offices in New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, Bethesda, Toronto, London, Frankfurt, Madrid, Luxembourg, Mumbai, Delhi, Singapore, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Apollo had assets under management of approximately $249 billion as of December 31, 2017 in private equity, credit and real assets funds invested across a core group of nine industries where Apollo has considerable knowledge and resources. Forward Looking Statements This press release may contain forward looking statements with respect to Apollo that are within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include, but are not limited to, discussions related to Apollo’s expectations regarding the performance of its business, its liquidity and capital resources and the other non-historical statements contained herein. These forward-looking statements are based on management’s beliefs, as well as assumptions made by, and information currently available to, management. When used in this press release, the words “believe,” “anticipate,” “estimate,” “expect,” “intend” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Although management believes that the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements are reasonable, it can give no assurance that these expectations will prove to have been correct. These statements are subject to certain risks, uncertainties and assumptions. We believe these factors include but are not limited to those described under the section entitled “Risk Factors” in Apollo’s Form 10-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) on February 12, 2018, as such factors may be updated from time to time in Apollo’s periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this press release and in other SEC filings. We undertake no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by applicable law. This press release does not constitute an offer of Apollo or any Apollo fund. Source: Apollo Global Management, LLC For investor inquiries regarding Apollo Global Management, please contact: Apollo Global Management, LLC Gary M. Stein, 212-822-0467 Head of Corporate Communications gstein@apollolp.com or Noah Gunn, 212-822-0540 Investor Relations Manager ngunn@apollolp.com or For media inquiries regarding Apollo Global Management, please contact: Rubenstein Associates, Inc. for Apollo Global Management, LLC Charles Zehren, 212-843-8590 czehren@rubenstein.com

Abu Dhabi Launches Six Historic Oil and Gas Licensing Opportunities

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The Abu Dhabi National Oil Company (ADNOC) announced, today, as part of Abu Dhabi’s first ever block licensing strategy and on behalf of the Supreme Petroleum Council (SPC), the details of the initial round of six geographical oil and gas blocks open for bidding. This follows the announcement last month by His Excellency Dr Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber, UAE Minister of State and ADNOC Group CEO that Abu Dhabi was to launch its first ever competitive exploration and production bid round. The licensing strategy represents a major advance in how Abu Dhabi unlocks new opportunities and maximizes value from its hydrocarbon resources. It is also consistent with ADNOC’s approach to expanding its strategic partnerships across all areas of its business. The successful bidders will enter into agreements granting exploration rights and, provided defined targets are achieved in the exploration phase, be granted the opportunity to develop and produce any discoveries with ADNOC, under terms that will be set out in the bidding package. H.E. Dr Al Jaber said: “The launch of these large new licensing blocks is an important step for Abu Dhabi and ADNOC as we develop and apply new strategies to realize the full potential of our resources, maximize value through competitive bidding and accelerate the exploration and development of new commercial opportunities. “This approach is central to our expanded partnership strategy, which aims to introduce new opportunities as we broaden and diversify our partnership base. In addition, as we begin to expand our downstream portfolio, the new licensing blocks reinforce our long term production growth ambitions and builds on our successful legacy as a leading upstream player. This is a rare and exciting opportunity, for both existing and new partners, in a secure and stable investment environment The UAE is the world’s seventh largest oil producer, with about 96% of its reserves within the emirate of Abu Dhabi. Located in one of the world’s largest hydrocarbon super-basins, there remains undiscovered and undeveloped potential in the numerous stacked reservoirs. Based on existing data from detailed petroleum system studies, seismic surveys, log files and core samples from hundreds of appraisal wells, estimates suggest these new blocks hold multiple billion barrels of oil and multiple trillion cubic feet of natural gas. Some of the blocks already have discoveries, and within the combined area there are 310 targeted reservoirs from 110 prospects and leads. In addition to the country’s conventional oil and gas accumulations, some of the offered blocks also contain significant unconventional resource potential. The six blocks open for bidding, two of which are offshore and four are onshore, cover an area of between 2,500 and 6,300 square kilometres, which, by comparison, is up to three quarters of a U.K. North Sea quadrant, consisting of 30 blocks. In total, Abu Dhabi’s six blocks comprise an area of almost 30,000 km2 . ADNOC has established a dedicated website – www.adnoc.ae/Block-Bid – where the company provides information on the blocks and which has a portal where interested bidders can register to participate, subject to a strict prequalification process undertaken by ADNOC. The website also provides details of a global roadshow of technical and commercial information on the new blocks. After the roadshow, bidders will confirm their participation through an Expression of Interest and will be able to purchase a comprehensive data package on the six blocks.  The data package will include full bidding instructions and regional geological information, in addition to well and seismic data, in both raw and interpreted form, on all six blocks. Registration is open to companies with suitable expertise and technology that can contribute to accelerating the exploration and development of new conventional and unconventional hydrocarbon opportunities in Abu Dhabi. The closing date for the receipt of bids will be in October, after which ADNOC will evaluate the bids, using the criteria set out in the bidding instructions, and the SPC will award the successful bidders. The first bid round is planned to conclude this year.