Buildings, and ports, and malls... oh, my!!

My FAVORITE day!!!  On Wednesday we had an absolutely incredible day.  From the beginning…

BurjKhalifa – What can I say?  It is stupendous, a prime example of engineering and human ingenuity.  This is a perfect example of Dubai striving to be the biggest and the best at everything.  The tallest building in the world is immediately obvious; it juts out of the Dubai skyline and towers over all other buildings.  The entry had several replicas of Burj Khalifa, including on made of legos!  There was also a section in commemoration of the filming of Mission Impossible.  Once inside you go through a people mover and watch a living mural.  It is incredibly vivid!   When we arrived and stepped out the view was absolutely breathtaking!  It is surreal to know you are standing above the clouds.  Unfortunately, the day was hazy so it was the best view possible, but it was still beautiful!  And despite the fact that I am very, very, VERY afraid of heights I couldn't but look down and enjoy the fact that I was 124 stories above ground. We took many pictures, shopped for souvenirs (there is a gold ATM there.  REALLY!!) and eventually made our way downstairs.  

Me... afraid of being in the clouds!

Our next stop was Jebel Ali Free Zone and on the DP World.  I was unsure of what to expect, but my experience far surpassed anything I could ask for.  We were warmly welcomed into the facility with a sign on all the monitors greeting us and then led to a lovely banquet facility.  Mohammed Al Muallem, Senior Vice President & Managing Director, DP World, UAE Region gave a presentation entitled “Global Ports Connecting Global Markets.”  It was a fascinating presentation.  I began my career working in transportation (freight between the LA/LB ports and across the border into Mexico) and currently work in local transportation planning (including goods movement), so this presentation was of particular interest to me.  I can still feel the inner Supply Chain Management nerd in me trying to come out J.  The port tour reminded me very much of the Port of Long Beach and I believe it has encouraged me to make Supply Chain Management my concentration when I enter the MBA program.  This was only one of the great experiences during the trip, but I think it is the one that made the most impact on my future career. 

Our next stop was at Oasis Centre to visit with Emax (a Landmark Group subsidiary).  They presented us with insight on marketing and brand distribution within the UAE.  They also mentioned several local labor laws that impact their business.  It was a highly informative session, but I was feeling under the weather and I don’t think I could appreciate the information as well as I could have under better circumstances.  Afterwards we went shopping with a generous discount (thank you Emax!)  and I found a very nice pharmacist to assist me with my unfortunate predicament.  Note:  If you get sick in most other countries, the pharmacists are well informed on medicine that can help.  I had to skip the trip to Atlantis while waiting to see if the medicine calmed my stomach (it did) and was picked up on the way to dinner. 

After dinner at the Sheraton, Michele Moro - Regional Sales Director for Technogym – spoke to us about entering the Middle Eastern market.  It was a very good presentation, but I think the most important lesson learned, perhaps for the entire trip, is that when doing business in the Middle East they buy from people not brands.