When the temperature in UAE starts to drop and the country starts to repopulate after summer holidays, the pace of business returns to its normal clip – think runaway horse! With the fall, my US trade and export consulting business saddles up to support visiting delegations for the major regional trade shows in Dubai and Abu Dhabi; the Dubai Airshow, ADIPEC (oil & gas), and the Big 5 construction show, and that’s just November.
With our noses to the appointment setting grindstone prepping for the Dubai Airshow, I started thinking about how challenging a show of this magnitude must be for those coming for the first time. Do you remember learning how to ride a bike? Could you break it down and tell someone how, and what’s most important?
The key to riding a bike is learning how to strike the right balance; not too fast, not too slow, don’t lean too far to the left or to the right. Pedal! Pedal! Pedal! Same for the Dubai Airshow.
When you arrive, you will be pleasantly surprised to see how modern, clean and beautiful it is in Dubai. A lot of effort and expense has gone in to creating a technologically advanced welcome wagon of sorts at the Dubai Airport. From airport to hotel, the familiar restaurant, stores, and brand names along the route will be reassuring. This is the first place we see clients lean their bicycles too far to one side. It looks familiar, and in major ways it is, but don't expect that doing business here will be the same as back home.
You need a plan. This is a monster of a show – over 1000 exhibitors. Don't waste your time pedaling your bike in circles. Do your homework and prioritize who you need to meet with each day. Looking at the floor plan, right inside the door you’ve got EDIC, Boeing, Emirates, Mubadala, and the UAE Space Agency – if you don’t recognize those names, you should. “Chance favors the prepared mind.” Just managing the front row well could justify your visit. If you’re company specializes in defense-related aviation, learn in advance the challenges of selling to the regional military. If you’re not Lockheed Martin or Boeing, your time would be best spent finding a local company with pre-existing relationships. UAE, as well as the rest of the region will always favor doing business with a known entity unless absolutely necessary. There is opportunity in MRO including government level initiatives to support and include the small to medium size supply chain. If this is your area, learn the names of the players in the spacealready. A hint; figure out the acronym AMMROC and checkout Dubai South.
Familiarize yourself with the US resources on the ground in UAE; the Commercial Section of the US Embassy, chapters of the US Chamber of Commerce, companies from your home state who might be willing to answer general market knowledge questions.
Check out the conferences and other events going on during the show. Identify any smaller networking opportunities that may be taking place in the evenings of DAS. In the region,
relationships are very important to commercial success. Much easier to get started with a crowd of 50 to 200, rather than 10,000.
I could fill your screen with pointers, but here’s a very condensed version of my best practical advice: Don’t waste your time or other’s. Take the metro to Ibn Battuta Mall and shuttle to the show. STAY HYDRATED. Don’t get distracted by the glamour of the city or over-do the free beverages at the evening receptions. Get sleep. Carpet covered concrete is still concrete – shoes are important. Pre-register. Talking louder doesn’t make them understand you any better. STAY HYDRATED; yes I know but it bears repeating.
The week will be over in a flash, and you will be headed back to the U.S. with a large stack of business cards, and a plan for your follow-up. See? Easy as riding a bike.
For assistance at DAS 2015