Ironic, perhaps, that with the onset of another stifling summer, it has become exceedingly clear just how many ‘fair-weather’ friends Dubai has gathered over recent years. The British media, for one, which seems to be taking great delight in bringing the emirate down a peg or two at present.
Moving forward, it will be interesting to see how many of the international companies that rushed in to exploit this 21st century ‘land of plenty’ will stay the course now that there’s so much less scope for short-term profiteering. As we edge into the sweat-fest that is August, it could finally be time to separate the die hards from the good-time guys and gals.
Ultimately, it comes down to commitment, a word that kept popping up this month. We spent some time with Brenton Mauriello, CEO of dwp (Design Worldwide Partnership), who is a big fan of the concept.
The founding companies of dwp were Asian, and were hit hard by the stock market crash of 1997. But even when there wasn’t a project in sight, Mauriello’s partners still turned up for work, day after day after day.
“There was nothing; there was not a single project. Nothing. They still kept going. They still turned up for work. And eventually it comes back. You don’t just cut and run,” he insisted.
The question of commitment also comes up in our feature on Abu Dhabi. It’s no big revelation that there’s still opportunity in the capital, but companies expecting to rush in and ‘pillage’ probably won’t get very far. Success will only come to those willing to show some serious dedication.
Commitment is also at the heart of this month’s ‘Industry Speak’ where we talk to some of the companies that genuinely believe in the long-term future of the region – and are willing to put their money where their mouth is. These are the companies that continued to invest, even as the downturn kicked in.
Nothing fair-weather about that.
Selina Denman is the editor of Commercial Interior Design.
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