Internationally renowned influencer marketing agency YKONE has announced the opening of its first YKONE House in Dubai.
The multifunctional space combines a creative production studio, co-working space, connected meeting rooms and a mixed-retail and café space.
The 500 sq m hub occupies a prime location in the heart of Dubai Design District, a statement said.
It added that YKONE House is designed as a fully integrated influencer studio – a multi-functional space that melds digital connectivity and co-working with retail and production.
YKONE CEO Olivier Billon said his vision for the space was inspired by the new ways of working that emerged from the Covid-19 pandemic.
He said: “Although we were all far from the office while working from home, I couldn’t help but notice YKONE employees’ enhanced wellbeing and proactivity during their time away from the office. In a time of stress and uncertainty, the one comfort was the ability to work remotely and connect from anywhere, at any time.
“Digital nomadism was no longer a figment of the future, it was now a must in our everyday lives. As an entrepreneur, I also saw an opportunity for our business to become more agile, offering multi-disciplinary services and solutions – for our clients but also for our teams. This is how the idea for YKONE House was born.”
Khadija Al Bastaki, executive director of Dubai Design District (d3), said: “At d3, we are always seeking new ways to enable the creative community and rethink the regular. It is why we are delighted to welcome an internationally renowned influencer marketing agency like YKONE to our community.”
Since opening in 2014, YKONE Middle East has evolved into a strategic regional connector of the GCC, Asia and Europe. YKONE Dubai oversees the offices of Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Bangalore and Mumbai as the regional headquarters.
Throughout the past decade, the agency said it has accompanied the region’s most prestigious brands including Miu Miu, Gucci, Dior, Rimowa, Chalhoub Group, Visit Abu Dhabi and Visit Dubai.
YKONE House’s mission is to become a revolving door for the region’s most creative minds.
The opening comes as Dubai is increasingly establishing itself as a base for influencers, especially as its tourism sector is re-emerging from the impact of the global pandemic.
Last year, the Federal Tax Authority announced a Value Added Tax (VAT) that businesses working with influencers must settle if the influencer earns more than AED375,000 per year in freebies.
Instead of being perceived as a drawback to influencers, industry experts viewed this as another positive step by the UAE to give social media influencing as a profession more weight.
The UAE has been pioneers in recognising individual content creation as a legitimate career path first through the introduction of licences and then the new VAT tax law.
Annual government issued license became a requirement for anyone conducting commercial activities through social media in the UAE in 2019.
Once they have registered for the VAT, influencers need to issue an invoice for any freebie they receive, whether it is worth AED10 or 10 million.
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