EuRA in Dubai!
The second annual EuRA Global Conference took place in November in Dubai. Following on from our first Global event in Cape Town, we took the same successful formula and invited speakers with terrific experience in their fields to look at the challenges and opportunities of working in the Middle East. The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries made up the nationalities of the majority of our delegates and we were delighted to welcome many first time guests to a EuRA event.
We began the conference with MIM+ training; “Myers Briggs Type Inventory and its Impact on Mobility”. EuRA’s Strategic Consultant for Education, Dr Carmelina Lawton Smith led a truly fascinating day, taking delegates through the main principles of the Myers Briggs system and getting us to work out which personality type we have! Myers and Briggs came up with this concept in the 1950’s with the basic assumption that humans share 16 basic personality types based on analysis of four dichotomies first specified by the psychologist Carl Jung. Looking at how we focus our world view, gain our information, make decisions and structure our thinking, the results of the day brought us all to an accurate understanding of our personality type and how we interact with others of different types.
The first evening was our Gala Dinner, held in the Secret Garden of the fantastic Jumeirah Creekside Hotel, venue for the conference. Under the stars of a warm balmy Emirates night, our guests enjoyed a middle eastern feast. Our conference sponsor InTouch Relocations had set up a photo booth for delegates to have a moment of the night. All the pictures from the event are on our Flickr channel https://www.flickr.com/photos/95617747@N08/albums
The main conference program was focussed on three critical factors for our industry right now; immigration, compliance and trends in the region. Our opening keynote speaker Dave Crane gave a truly inspirational address focussed on how to overcome our default settings and really actualise our goals.
Our first session moderated by Maude Burger Smith focussed on immigration in the GCC and middle east and how countries are responding the significant pressures in the region both commercially and terms of geo politics. After an excellent networking lunch we plunged into what could be a tough afternoon session on compliance, but it’s testatment to the skills of our moderator Andrew Scott and his excellent panel that the session was super relevant to the oncoming challenges companies face, especially in locations where compliance takes a very secondary place to the need for economic growth. Finally we looked at trends in mobility in the region. The GCC and middle east are poised for enormous growth as they continue to grow economically with levels of security and compliance amongst the highest in EMEA.
For our final night celebration we made it across town to what was one of the best venues we have ever used for a EuRA event. The Terrace at the amazing Palace Downtown Hotel affords a 180 degree view over the outstanding Dubai Fountain. Our guests were treated to one of the great son-illumiere shows on the planet! Coupled with another superb supper focussing on the quality and variety of middle eastern cuisine and a glass or two, this was truly a night to remember.
So onto to EuRA International in Dubrovnik in April 2018 and then the next EuRA Global in November 2018, Goa, 14th - 15th November - see you there!