Today we hit up the Dubai Chamber of Commerce, learned the cultural do's and don't's in a business meeting, and surged to the top of the Burj Khalifa to Celine Dion's majestic voice.
The Chamber: A Brief History of Dubai
The Chamber of Commerce was a great visit with well spoken speakers. Not surprisingly, the Chamber does what Chambers do...facilitate business growth in the region. One of the interesting bits they shared was a brief history of how Dubai has been characterized over time.
Pretend Time
We sat through an excellent lecture on business tact here in the gulf region. To summarize, I will describe a successful, imaginary business interaction between me (a Westerner) and a group from the gulf region.
"Despite the 125 degree weather, I dressed in my finest business formal garb and made my way into the building to greet my prospective gulf client to try and seal the deal. Upon entering the room, I quickly eyed up the crowd to gauge oldest to youngest and started introducing myself to the oldest person first. I gave a firm handshake but came in much closer person to person than I usually would in the states. As I moved to the next oldest, one of the young guys came up to me and introduced himself. I allowed it and moved on with my chronological approach. I stepped up to one of the ladies but did not extend my hand, waiting for her to make a move first. She didn't, so I nodded to her and I moved on. After briefly greeting every single person in the room, we sat down.
I sat up straight. Despite my preference to sit legs crossed, I did not - ever. Nor did I stretch out my legs and dare show the bottoms of my shoes to my prospects.
I was a little queezy from the exhaustion of my flight and the cup of coffee I just finished prior to arriving to the meeting - last thing I wanted was another drink. I was offered a drink. I accepted the drink and made sure to visibly take some sips. I was not hungry. I was offered a snack. I accepted the snack and made sure to visibly take some bites.
The meeting began. Throughout my presentation, the head honcho took some calls and stepped out, I was interrupted several times, the group had to step out for prayer once. I remained patient and relaxed as I came in expecting the unexpected, but knowing the unexpected was the norm and not a sign of a meeting gone awry.
Towards the end of my pitch, the head honcho excused himself for a smoke. I knew that meant decision making time. Shortly thereafter, the boss returned and said he will hire my company. I made the sale. I did not bother him with signing on the dotted line. I would wait to take care of those formalities with his entourage of colleagues. We shook hands and he left. I did not ask for his business card.
Throughout this whole interaction, I suppressed my amiable nature and penchant for making at least one light comment or joke along the way. I was strictly business, knowing that if I could make the sale, a time for that stuff may come."
End scene.
The Burj Khalifa
59 second ride up 124 stories on the fastest, longest elevator in the world, up the tallest building in the world that weighs more than 100,000 elephants, collects 15 million gallons of water via condensation each year, and whose steel rebar could wrap around a fourth of the world.
Kareha Out
The Chamber: A Brief History of Dubai
The Chamber of Commerce was a great visit with well spoken speakers. Not surprisingly, the Chamber does what Chambers do...facilitate business growth in the region. One of the interesting bits they shared was a brief history of how Dubai has been characterized over time.
- Pre 1956: the Pearl Era; this area was rich with pearls, which drove the economy until Japan developed a way to naturally manufacture pearls
- 1956 - 1971: The Oil Era; oil was discovered in this country in 1956, and brought in a new kind of wealth and economy that would lay the foundation...for laying the foundation.
- 1971 - present: The Infrastructure Era; over the last several decades, Dubai rose from the sands: roads, schools, hospitals and a sea port were built. Then came commerce and industry from around the world. This infrastructure is still being built. Dubai wants to go from being home of 2 million people to 6 million people - tripling in size in the next decade.
Pretend Time
We sat through an excellent lecture on business tact here in the gulf region. To summarize, I will describe a successful, imaginary business interaction between me (a Westerner) and a group from the gulf region.
"Despite the 125 degree weather, I dressed in my finest business formal garb and made my way into the building to greet my prospective gulf client to try and seal the deal. Upon entering the room, I quickly eyed up the crowd to gauge oldest to youngest and started introducing myself to the oldest person first. I gave a firm handshake but came in much closer person to person than I usually would in the states. As I moved to the next oldest, one of the young guys came up to me and introduced himself. I allowed it and moved on with my chronological approach. I stepped up to one of the ladies but did not extend my hand, waiting for her to make a move first. She didn't, so I nodded to her and I moved on. After briefly greeting every single person in the room, we sat down.
I sat up straight. Despite my preference to sit legs crossed, I did not - ever. Nor did I stretch out my legs and dare show the bottoms of my shoes to my prospects.
I was a little queezy from the exhaustion of my flight and the cup of coffee I just finished prior to arriving to the meeting - last thing I wanted was another drink. I was offered a drink. I accepted the drink and made sure to visibly take some sips. I was not hungry. I was offered a snack. I accepted the snack and made sure to visibly take some bites.
The meeting began. Throughout my presentation, the head honcho took some calls and stepped out, I was interrupted several times, the group had to step out for prayer once. I remained patient and relaxed as I came in expecting the unexpected, but knowing the unexpected was the norm and not a sign of a meeting gone awry.
Towards the end of my pitch, the head honcho excused himself for a smoke. I knew that meant decision making time. Shortly thereafter, the boss returned and said he will hire my company. I made the sale. I did not bother him with signing on the dotted line. I would wait to take care of those formalities with his entourage of colleagues. We shook hands and he left. I did not ask for his business card.
Throughout this whole interaction, I suppressed my amiable nature and penchant for making at least one light comment or joke along the way. I was strictly business, knowing that if I could make the sale, a time for that stuff may come."
End scene.
The Burj Khalifa
59 second ride up 124 stories on the fastest, longest elevator in the world, up the tallest building in the world that weighs more than 100,000 elephants, collects 15 million gallons of water via condensation each year, and whose steel rebar could wrap around a fourth of the world.
Kareha Out
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