Successful Business Practices: The Middle East

Conducting business abroad is always a lesson in best practices, cultural discovery, and mutual respect. And we welcome any opportunity to improve our business – at home and overseas.

For example, last month we featured a news story outlining our experience conducting a global business fact-finding strategy session we spearheaded for a private Chinese investment group looking to venture into the U.S. restaurant & hospitality industry market.

Now, we switch gears to another intriguing global business destination: the Middle East.

The region is experiencing exponential growth due to the likes of mass pipeline construction and a subsequent boom in the building of largely upscale and luxury hotels. In fact, Hotelier Middle East.com reports recent data from hotel industry research firm STR Global stating: a total of 633 hotels (i.e. 147,953 rooms) are currently under contract in such Middle East destinations as Dubai, Aub Dhabi, Doha, Makkah, and Riyadh.

The marketplace is vast… and emerging. Our team is ready for business with our VSAG Middle East office. And you can be too.

Cultural Connection. Familiarize yourself with local terms, i.e. the “correct cultural IQ.” Delving deep into the social, professional, and religious regional culture fundamentals and standards of living are crucial to exploring this market.

Top Relocation Tip. Relocating from western culture to the Middle East is quite the transition. Offering the cultural IQ findings and pertinent relocation laws and visas to live (and work) in the Middle East in one succinct document will prove a great asset for anyone contemplating this move.

Language Barrier. Even though English is spoken in most business centers, a knowledge of Arabic can be critical to one’s restaurant and hospitality industry success as a daily assest working with local vendors, customers, and the like.

Let Social Media Work for You. Utilize social media outlets, such as LinkedIn, to develop business contacts and cast a wider net abroad.

For more information on relocating/working in the Middle East and abroad, visit The U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) and the U.S. Department of State.

intercontinental-dubai-3574794515-original*hospitality in the Middle East. courtesy: InterContinental Hotel, Dubai Festival City