The UAE is open for business
Alex Barzycki recently transfered to our Dubai office and provides his thoughts on how the UAE is open for business.
02 Mar 2021
With only flying into the region 7 weeks ago, it was a huge novelty attending an in-person forum - enjoying the engagement with people instead of a virtual reality over zoom was indeed exciting.
Having transferred from the very much closed UK to the UAE, the difference in approach and lifestyle is stark: masks are mandatory, testing is cheap and widely available, and vaccines are being pushed heavily to everyone, being seen as the main driver for recovery. The outcome of my attendance is something to state at the forefront, the “UAE is open for business”.
With many economies being hit dramatically by the closure of shops, offices and leisure, Dubai and the rest of the UAE have led the response, seeing COVID-19 as a health problem and not a fiscal one. It is abundantly clear that there is a well-earned trust in the authority here; having been severely locked down in the beginning of last year, the positive response has been well received by residents and subsequently tourists alike. The Dubai “brand” stock has grown in the year, which has got nothing to do with the Instagram Influencers (although Jose Silva, CEO of Jumeirah has built an influencer/blogger lounge at T3 DXB to host one of their main marketing inputs!), but by being an open and safe environment; restaurants and bars are open, golf and shopping malls busy and some offices ready to receive occupiers. The global leaders of business I met in the forum were proud and quick to state that throughout their numerous and frequent zoom meetings, they were “the only one in the office”.
Confidence is up”, the ease of doing business in the UAE fuels the want to succeed.
Pivoting: adapting our workplace
COVID-19 has turbo charged, and not just accelerated, the changes that we have been expecting and forecasting within the markets across the globe. Flexible working is here to stay, this is obvious, most likely meaning a hybrid approach to working the in the office will be the norm. The introduction of the digital nomad visa in the UAE will also allow a different way of working for many people. This change in the perception of the office is driven by the occupiers requirement for wellness, personal health, a balance of work/life and ease of technology, whilst having access to all of the files, communications and high speed internet, negating the need for face to face meetings - however, in my opinion, we will never replace them. If you would like a global view on this, please see Alex Hill’s “Listening to the customer: How to get them back in the office” blog.
PropTech
The subsequent digitalisation of processes and working practices will need to get up to speed with modern working life. E-commerce is the key example of this, with the necessity of going to the shops to “get it now” not regarded as the only option now. We have seen the pent-up demand for online service boom over the various lockdowns, with food delivery, groceries, Amazon Prime orders going through the roof. Working practices must follow: data must be available instantly, reports delivered within the hour, meetings must replicate chance encounters and coffee breaks, allowing people to mentally feed off each other. There is a need for real time data and communications that just happen in the office and will need to be managed through the imminent transformation to react to this requirement.
To link this full circle back to the reason I came out here: property. It is evident that working practices have changed, leading office space into a more flexible, experiential, client focused approach. People still need face to face interaction, so the requirement for key locations, well managed space is vital, including meeting rooms, break out facilities and of course high-quality tech leading right at the forefront. It is going to be a busy and exciting year, and I cannot wait to see what happens next!
To close this whirlwind of opinion and review, the outlook for Dubai from these leaders is clear, and positive:
- H2 - Global Markets reopened and back in business
- Demand for travel – HIGH
- DUBAI IS OPEN FOR BUSINESS
Looking for more insights?
Subscribe Here