Peter Telfer

Dubai....Been There, Done That and Got the T-Shirt!

Welcome to my final blog...I can't quite believe it!

Sunday saw me arrive home safely in Glasgow to 15oC! It's very harsh after the heat of the past eight weeks. These past two months have been some of the best of my life and this blog will consist of details of my final days in Dubai and the opportunity to thank those who made it possible.

Thursday was my final day at work and after some long goodbye's I made my final bus journey from DOZ to my accommodation. After much deliberation we decided to go to Ski Dubai and it was a great evening. I managed to ski down the full slope but being a typical Scot I got carried away and after a few close ones with the local Emirati kids, I decided to call it a night! Unbelievably its open until 1am and its the first time in two months that I have had to blow into my hands to keep them warm!

I started the sad process of packing on Friday morning and the evening we went go-karting. I managed to cut my average lap by ten seconds on previous attempts, so it was a good night. However, my apologies to the guy I rammed at the first corner...hey, if you're not fast you're last?! We also went to the Agency wine bar at Madinat Souk and it was a very relaxing atmosphere and pleasant way to spend my second last night in Dubai.

On Saturday we decided to have one final relaxing day and we headed back to Wild Wadi Water Park. It was a good chance to try and tan some more and thankfully Ramadan didn't stop us drinking water or having food by the pool! At night we headed to Emirates Towers Hotel and got a great view of Dubai from the elevator. It was so high I could hardly look down! We had dinner in Scarlets and I decided to treat myself to a steak for one final time.

Sunday saw me raid duty free and then catch a pleasant flight home. Unfortunately I didn't manage to sleep as planned on the way home so 3 hours sleep out of 36 is beginning to catch up on me. I can hardly believe my time in Dubai is now over but it really has been an awesome experience. It far exceeded my expectations in every way and I feel privileged to have seen and done everything that I have.

I would also like to use this final opportunity to thank a few people who made this experience so special for me (and in no particular order) -

• To the WHOLE Saltire Foundation Team who gave me this amazing opportunity in Dubai. Your tireless work has not gone unnoticed and I cannot show my appreciation enough for everything you have done for me. I look forward to taking part in many networking activities and spreading the word of the good work that the foundation does.
• To Rupert and Karima at Jumeirah. They both made me feel so welcome from day one! I thoroughly enjoyed working with you both and I learned so much over the eight weeks. Many thanks for the stay at Bab Al Shams Hotel and the challenging work you exposed me to.
• To the WHOLE Jumeriah Team - STAY DIFFERENT guys!! Too many people to name individually made our time unforgettable and I thank them all.
• To the girls for putting up with me for eight weeks! We had some good times I will never forget!
• And finally, how could I forget the guys at Dunkin Donuts.....Only Joking!

Well I guess this is it! I have tried to keep my blogs as interesting as possible and have really enjoyed keeping everyone up to date with my activities. I am looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion in a few weeks time and hearing all the different experiences.

Peter

Last Day of Work........

Well today brings an end to my eight week internship with Jumeirah. It is sad because I have met so many great people and feel part of the 'Jumeirah Family.' I thought I would write one last blog from Dubai before my return home on Sunday. So here is what I have been up to...

Work has been slightly quieter this week and I have being doing some odd jobs for Rupert. He is working really hard trying to organise the Festival of Taste 2008 and it is a pity I am not going to be around for this event. Its sounds pretty cool! Last night I was invited to an Iftar Dinner by the PR team at Jumeirah Beach Hotel. I enjoyed having a look round the hotel and dinner was fantastic. I sat next to a very interesting couple from England who have just arrived in Dubai. I used the opportunity to continue to spread the word about the Saltire Foundation and also chatted at length with Ruperts new assistant, Ria. Today will involve saying many goodbyes and tying up any loose ends with work. I have thoroughly enjoyed my stay with Jumeirah and it truly has been a once in a lifetime experience.

It is unbelievable to think this is my last weekend in Dubai and I fully intend to make the most of it. Sadly Kitty leaves for Sri Lanka this evening but I am hoping to go out for dinner and have one last 'Jumeirah Experience.' Tomorrow I will begin to pack (Throw clothes in my case!) and then hopefully go to Ski Dubai and Go-Karting. We have arranged a small leaving do at The Agency Wine Bar in Madinat Souk. Will be nice to say a final thank you to many of the people who have made this such a special eight weeks. Finally, on Saturday I think we may head to Wild Wadi! It will be once last chance for me to catch some rays before I head back to rainy Scotland....!

I will post on my return to Scotland and will save the 'Thank You' for then!

In the mean time...one final goodbye from Dubai!!!

Peter

The Final Countdown....

I thought I would quickly post a blog today having just missed the bus home from work...well not missed, more it was full and I got off to let others on. MIght as well use my time wisely so here is a brief update of my Dubai activities...

This weekend was very relaxing! On Thursday night we went to Hed Kandi at Madinat Arena and this signified the final night of entertainment before Ramadan. We made the most of it and everyone had a great night! Friday saw us having a lazy day by the pool. A pool you may ask? Yes! We visited Emirates Academy and decided to use their pool. It is really nice and very quiet. All the students are currently on holiday and its close proximity to Burj Al Arab allowed me to see a helicopter land on the helipad. It was pretty cool. Saturday followed a very similar rountine but we decided to also visit Karama. Karama is an area of Dubai well known for its fake products and we were not dissappointed. It was pretty surreal! I would walk into a shop, go up this dodgy staircase and then right before me was Prada, Gucci, D&G...you name it!! The full works!!! The thing I found most surprising is that they do not even try to hide it, they quite openly sell these fake products. I won't reveal what I bought because I am a brand man and believe in the prestige that brands give you. I wouldn't want anyone to doubt the money, time and emotions I invest in purchasing brands that are the real thing! Am I vain? I will let you decide!

Work has continued to throw many challenges my way! And I am not talking about the grief I have had trying to get my passport back! This week I have been trying to finish all the wee tasks that have gone on for a few weeks. I have been working closely with a few people and particularly enjoyed the introduction I got to International PR. It was really interesting and the more I learn about PR, the more I find it an attractive area of marketing. I have also been working on the Eid card that Jumeirah will be distributing to their employees. I have taken great care with this project because it involves putting the card online...I always get lost with the computer jargon the E-Marketing department uses! Index numbers, Flash Files....? One thing I have learned at Jumeirah...smile, nod and most importantly TAKE NOTES!

Finally, before I miss my bus again, I enjoyed a lovely dinner with Rupert, Karima and the girls last night. We went to MJ's at Madinat Jumeirah and the steak was like nothing I have ever tasted before! It was sublime! I wanted to show my appreciation to them all for their part in what has been a truly fantastic 8 weeks!

And its not over yet...but this blog is!

Speak Soon

Peter!

The Calm before the Storm...

Just thought I would drop by and briefly update this blog with some news on work. I can't believe tomorrow ends week 7 for us here in Dubai. I anticipate a very busy time next week and thought it might be best to keep everyone in the picture while I have a chance. So here goes....

After our meeting with Mr Guy Crawford on Sunday, I went and worked in the PR Dept. This was a really great experience and rolled over into Monday. It was intriguing getting an insight into how the department works independently but also collectively. We have teams that deal with Arabic media in Dubai, Arabic media in England, English Media in Dubai, English media in England....and so the list goes on.

My main role for the two days was to proof read press releases. It might sound slightly boring but was far from it. Having just read a marketing book which Mr Diss recommended (And very good it was as well), I found a few typo's and realised that sometimes you cannot proof read material enough. As much as I might hate to admit it, I guess we are all humans and make mistakes! So I got stuck into that. I also worked on a project gathering information from the Hotel's Spa's. Concierge is a high class Dubai publication and they are running a section on Organic Body Treatments in the October edition. I contacted the Spa's and then rewrote the information they gave us. The aim being to write it more professionaly. I found this role slightly daunting in the beginning because I wouldn't say my English is always that great.

I was also taught about the different writing styles needed for different publications. For example, if Jumeirah were doing a press release, newspapers like short pieces of information that state the how, why, what, when etc. No fluffy stuff! If they are interested then they will contact the dept for more information. The head of PR explained that this is the only way to attract the media's attention as they deal with so many releases. There may also be the opportunity to go on a site inspection next week or a photo shoot with some of the media. Jumeirah has established itself as such a strong brand that the vast majority of media now contact them, instead of Jumeirah having to ask for publishing space.

Yestserday I spent some time in partnerships with Ms Brightwell. Her enthusiasm for her role within the business was amazing and she showed me her plans for the future. I got a real insight into the contribution that partnerships makes to Jumeirah, whether it be at a B2B level, B2C level etc. The interesting part of this week for me has been seeing many different aspects of the business that I enjoy and how even within marketing, there are many distinctively different paths that a career could follow.

In between all this I have been helping Mr Diss at every opportunity. He is very busy organising Jumeirah's Festival of Taste 2008 and I have been trying to assist him in any way possible. This afternoon we spent some time looking at the 'Big Idea.' I went into this meeting without a clue of what we were going to discuss and left with a clear idea of the impact that internal marketing can have on an organisation.

Well the fruit pot I have been eating while writing this is now almost finished and so I will call another blog to an end. I wanted to focus on work this week since last weeks was largely leisure.

Sunday sees a new member of staff join us in the Regional Team (There is now 3 of us!!) and I am looking forward to welcoming her in the same spirit that I was welcomed some 7 weeks ago.

This weekend also sees the start of Ramadan...yet another cultural experience here in Dubai. I had thought about fasting but it seems ashame not to eat the food that the lovely Bytes staff make. Maybe next year?

Will report back early next week..

Peter

Now this is Dubai.....

Brilliant, Amazing, Spectacular.....the list is endless!! It's the only way to describe our visit to Bab Al Shams last week!!

It all started on Tuesday when we took a long taxi ride out into the desert. We travelled along the border of what will be Dubailand and with very little in sight for miles at a time, we eventually reached Jumeirah's Bab Al Shams Desert Resort. First impressions were 'Wow' and my bag was immediately taken off me as I was shown in the front door. The rooms were lovely and for the first time in 6 weeks I watched some TV. But not for long, it was straight to the pool and some sunbathing! The pool is the real selling point of this resort and I can see why! Its quite surreal! I was sitting next to the pool and only 10 feet away was the desert and camels! I made full use of the pool over the two days and the heat really was intense. I put on my factor 50 sun tan lotion by the bottle but think I might still have got some colour? We dined both nights in the Al Forsan restaurant and I also enjoyed my doughnuts and chocolate muffins for breakfast in the morning. All in all it was an amazing few days and a big thank you to Mr Diss and Karima for organising it.

Well thats the work section done (Its tough here you know!)....so how about the social side of life here in Dubai on Week Six?

This past weekend was another busy one. On Thursday we went to Jambase in Madinat Souk and the live band was awesome. They played some great hits and my sore feet at the end of the night was the first in a while. On Firday we went sailing. As with almost everything I have done in Dubai, this was a first!! I really enjoyed it but couldn't help but feel useless as I sat on the boat while all the other guys pulled the sails and worked jolly hard! We got a great view of Dubai and the sea was so peaceful. We also saw 'The World' which is currently under construction and we discussed trying to set a new world record for sailing round the world in a day! Unfortunately I don't think the powers that be would have accepted our attempt?! Yesterday I was in my element, Well almost! After six weeks of deprivation, I finally got to see a live football match. We met up with Mr Stronach who is Scottish and Executive Chef at the Madinat. We watched the Celtic game and unfortunately they won. However, it was great getting a chance to network with new people and I think we might be meeting up for lunch on Friday.

Well that is all for just now folks, I am just heading off to work with the PR Dept. We had a great meeting with Mr Guy Crawford, CEO of Jumeirah, this morning and I am determined to make the most of these last couple of weeks.

Will report back soon.

Peter

The 5* Treatment Continues...

Well this is just a quick blog to keep everyone up to date with life in Dubai. Its been another frantic week and hopefully I don't miss anything out..

So I did my presentation to Mr Diss on Irn-Bru. It was another successful failure. A success because I continue to learn the fine art of presenting, but I failure because I continued to 'transmit.' Transmit meaning that I failed to engage my audience adequately. Therefore, I am going to have a third attempt at cracking the technique and hopefully its going to be 'Third time lucky and all that?!' This has certainly been a worthwhile exercise for me and I look forward to trying to standout next year when I present on topics at University. Aside from presenting, Mr Diss very kindly took time out his busy week to discuss the fundamentals of advertising with me. Again this was really interesting and I think I will now be critically evaluating all the adverts that I see. One of the aspects of working with Mr Diss that I am particularly enjoying is that my work has not just focused on Jumeirah, but instead Marketing in general, and I will be able to take these tips to any future employment I have. Sunday also saw Karima move offices and I am now worrying if my limited Microsoft Office skills will be truly exposed...all will be revealed?! Finally, today we had our Jumeirah Orientation. It was a rather long day but worthwhile all the same. I met Mr Crawford for the first time and it was great to hear about the vision Jumeirah has for the future. The expansion plans are crazy!!

And the social side of life in Dubai continues to be just as hot! Thursday saw us invited to a house warming party in Dubai Marina. The flat was awesome and so was the company. Met some really interesting people and one thing about Dubai is that it is very easy to make friends. On Saturday I had another bash at some designer shopping and became scared when I though T-Shirts at one hundred pounds were cheap?! Thats when I headed home!! Sunday was another relaxing day at the beach and recharged our batteries from a busy week.

This week is pretty quiet and boring to be honest.....tomorrow we are staying at Bab Al Shams 5* Desert Resort! (I was clearly exaggerating the boring bit!!) I actually cannot wait. Mr Diss has very kindly given me two days off and I intend to make full use of this. Cocktails and some sun bathing next to the infinity pool anyone?? I have been hearing that Scotland has had some water of its own the past few weeks? Wish you guys could all join me! Sunday also sees us meet Mr Crawford for a more official meeting and I am thoroughly looking forward to discussing our time at Jumeirah thus far.

And last but by no means least, a few shout outs -

1) To the guy who got his jeep stuck in the sand at the beach! This provided a good hour of entertainment as we watched three jeeps make a total hash of trying to pull this jeep out. I wish I had time to explain it!

2) To the gentleman today at the orientation who drew my portrait. I think Kitty will second me when I say this was a very bizarre experience. I was just sitting listenining to the presentation when this guy completely out of the blue slid a piece of paper across the table to me. Yes he had spent the last ten min drawing me. Kitty experienced exactly the same and to be fair, they were excellent drawings!

Anyway, I better pack this bag so I can get pampered beyond all belief for the next two days...Now this is what I had in mind when the Saltire Foundation offered me an internship in Dubai!

Peter

Over Halfway......

Well it’s that time again already when I need to engage my brain and squeeze a week of fun into a few paragraphs. So here goes….

After the fun of my birthday it was back to the reality of work. On Tuesday Mr Diss invited me to a meeting at the Madinat. The meeting was with their Regional Marketing Team and was a great experience. I picked up a few interesting points and I then spent the full day with them. They were planning their marketing activities for 2009 and fortunately for Jumeirah I am not going to let the cat out of the bag this time. (I got a wee slap on the wrist for a certain location I have mentioned on here in previous posts but Mr Diss has put me on project confidentiality now!) So that was a great day and I particularly enjoyed the Japanese IQ Tests that we were made to do. Thursday saw me present my mini research project to Mr Diss. This was a very worthwhile exercise and picked up some great tips on presenting which I will be sure to use at University next year. I have been asked to present on a topic of my choice on Tuesday to see if I can put Mr Diss’ tips into practice. It should be quite challenging but I have chosen Irn-Bru due to their association with Scotland and their Creative Marketing Techniques.

Besides working hard, yet another weekend flew past. We went to the Hard rock Café for dinner on Thursday night. I had never been to a Hard rock Café but it was a very enjoyable night with the live band giving a relaxing atmosphere. The food was amazing and I think I can honestly say I have never been as full in my life! How do I know that..well I couldn’t finish the Chocolate Cake I had ordered! On Friday the girls very kindly treated me to the Desert Safari trip for my Birthday. I had such an amazing day and some of the driving was crazy! What I do find concerning is that people in Dubai then decide to just drive on the road like this as well! But we enjoyed the drive and also did dune boarding, quad bikes, Shi Sha and tried the traditional Arab dress. Saturday was a bit more chilled out as we went to the beach all day. I had been hoping to do Jet Skiing at some point during my stay in Dubai but unfortunately (Or maybe fortunately) they have been widely banned due to some accidents. So instead I decided to go paragliding and it was fantastic. At 250m high, I had great views of Dubai Marina and Palm Jumeirah.

All in all, another great week!

Everyday is my Birthday in Dubai...

Well this has been a particularly special week for me as yesterday I turned 21. I had a brilliant day and it’s certainly a birthday I won’t forget in a hurry. The day began with receiving balloons on the bus and ended with a slap up meal in a five star Italian Restaurant. I have never in my life received service like it and it was all for free. I had beef for starters and then chicken with mozzarella cheese in the middle. It was truly delicious and we washed this down with Moet Champagne. The day was concluded with a very special touch from my girlfriend who had organised a cake for me. All in all it was a very memorable day and some more priceless memories of Dubai. We also had a thoroughly enjoyable weekend. Beth spent the weekend with her parents and I used the opportunity to go go-karting and then spend some time at the beach with Kitty. A very surreal moment was when we were sunbathing at the beach and a camel walked past. Another moment I won’t forget in a hurry!

This week has also seen the return of Mr Diss from his holidays. I am really looking forward to getting involved in some of the projects and opportunities that he has lined up for me. I am finally getting the chance to present my findings to Mr Diss on Thursday and I have also got several meetings lined up with him. I will also be given the opportunity to work with the Public Relations team and the Call Centre team in the coming weeks. Today we were given a tour of the Burj Al Arab and what a place. It is truly phenomenal! And at 600 pounds a night so it should be! We are also getting a tour of Emirates Tower Hotel tomorrow and that is sure to be another interesting experience.

Anyway I think its time for bed after a few late nights.

Will report back here in a few days time after our Desert Safari…..

Peter

Week Three and Project Three....

Well week 3 here in Dubai has been another busy and eventful spell. Last weekend was great as it was Beth's 21st and we got free access to the Wild Wadi Water Park on the Dubai sea front. We had a great day and the staff were so good to us all day. Beth even got Happy Birthday sung to her at the entrance which was a lovely thought. It was great as well just to relax by a pool and it was a brilliant chance to top up our tans!! (Well the girls did and I had my factor 50 on!!) Saturday saw us make another trip to the Mall of the Emirates and it was another great experience. I wanted to look in all the designer shops and before I came out I had been hoping to go home all Armani and Gucci. But after the first visit into Loius Vuitton and being told 200 quid for a belt, I have decided that on my Saltire Foundation wages its going to be a struggle!! But if anyone is reading this and feeling sorry for me then just drop me an e-mail and we can organise a donation...;) We also continued our tradition of visiting the cinema once a week and we saw Batman. Everyone loved it and we find it a good way to break up the week.

Work has also continued to provide many challenges and great opportunities to network with people. I have finally completed my presentation and look forward to presenting it to Mr Diss on his return. I have also produced a handout  to  complement  the presentation and I look forward to receiving feedback on my  efforts - Positive or  Negative! I also managed to produce a short  information booklet on FlyDubai. It was very interesting researching Dubai's newest budget airline and actually gave me a business idea of my own. Thats for another day...! I have also started researching Serviced Apartments in Dubai and again this has been very challenging. I have been given autonomy to do the project as I please and I have decided to produce a Competitive Analysis of all Apartments on the market at present. This will allow Jumeirah to look at what is already out there and ensure they achieve differentiation. I will also look at properties that are due to come on to the market and this alone is over 50 properties. Its a pretty big job and probably my toughest yet!!

But I am typing this very tired after a long day of skiing. Yes Skiing!! We went to Ski Dubai today and had a great time on the slopes. It would also make sense to go to bed but I am going to go and see Bob Sinclair DJ now!! Should be really good!!

And looking forward to next week which is going to bring.....My Birthday, A tour of the Burj Al Arab and the Emirates Tower Hotel and a meeting with Mr Guy Crawford the CEO of Jumeirah.

Speak Soon

Peter

Toot Toot.....

Well its almost the end of week two here in Dubai and I can report its still absolutely roasting!! Had a great week though...at work and in our leisure time!!

This week has seen me almost complete my first project for Jumeirah. I have produced a presentation on the marketing options for Jumeirah moving into a new location. Its been tough researching all the information but after hours of googling I feel I have a decent end product. My presentation is about 45 slides long and with the help of Karima in the office (Mainly Karima - She has made Powerpoint do things I didn't know were possibe!) I am looking forward to presenting it to Mr Diss, Head of Regional Marketing at Jumeirah. Mr Diss is currently on holiday but on his return I hope to get out and participate in some meetings etc with him. The office has a great atmosphere though and yesterday I had a piece of a three tiered Chocolate`Cake because it was someones birthday!! Brilliant!! And big up to the Cafe Staff at the Outsource Zone who are continuing to meet my food needs with everything from - Beef Pies to Toasted Sandwiches. Food aside, I am looking forward to getting stuck into my next project which will involve analysing the Business Stategy of Emirates new airline - Fly Dubai! Should be interesting.

This week has also seen us get out and about in Dubai with visits to the Souks and Mall of the Emirates. The souks were particularly interesting and the amount of real gold available is unbelievable. However, I cannot tell you the amount of times we were offered dodgy fake products but the thought of going into a dark backroom in a shop wasn't too appealing. As for the Mall of the Emirates....What a place!! It was only a brief visit last night but we saw Ski Dubai which is like double the size of Xscape at Braehead. Hopefully doing some skiing in the coming weeks!!;) This weekend sees us visit Wild Wadi Water Park for Beths Birthday and also some socialising with Jumeirah Colleagues.

I think its also appropriate to explain my title for this post. Since arriving here in Dubai I cannot believe the amount of tooting that drivers do. Some of the driving is like nothing I have ever seen before and I am determined to leave this city having made an impact - so after much discussion with Beth and Kitty we have decided to try and make the population of Dubai more tolerant of one another. We aim to reduce tooting by 5.32% Its ambitious but we will do it?! hehe!!

And how can I miss out the bus driver today who had the heaters on during our journey back to the apartments...good one!!

But overall another fantastic here in the millionaires playground.

cheers

peter