As the scene in the Middle East continues to explode, DMCWORLD checks in with Head of Marketing of AddMind UAE, the company setting the nightlife scenes alight in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Beirut…
Interview by Dan Prince
Romy a very warm welcome to DMCWORLD Magazine. You grew up in Canada and Beirut, graduated with a Bachelor Degree in Marketing and have also studied psychology and are a qualified NLP Practioner and Life Coach. What attracted you to the nightlife and events scenes in the first place?
Regardless of one’s educational background and heritage, nightlife is a playground that assembles one’s wittiness, ability to survive in a constantly changing environment and quick troubleshooting to action while providing you with an extreme adrenaline rush necessary to keep going with the same eagerness. In addition, I’ve aways been attracted to working in an industry that inspired me to become the best version of myself.
Today you are one of the most important figures at AddMind, one of the leading entertainment groups in Dubai, Lebanon and Abu Dhabi. What were the scenes like there when you first arrived?
When I first joined AddMind, the group was the nightlife pioneer in Lebanon with more than 9 outlets in this market and 2 flagship brands ” iris and white”. It only made sense to us, that once ready and well equipped we made our move to the UAE market with those flagship brands that scored an even bigger success than in Lebanon.
Please tell us more about AddMind in 2016…
Add-Mind is an award winning hospitality group, established in Beirut in , which owns and operates nightlife and restaurant outlets in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Beirut. Some of our venues include White Dubai, renowned as the only club in the Middle East to be listed in DJ MAG’s Top 100 Clubs in the world, as well as Iris Beirut,which has been a staple in Lebanon’s nightlife for the past 10 years
The scene in the Middle East have been steadily growing for over 10 years with the world watching with keen interest. These last few years however things have really exploded and the food and nightlife scenes are now regarded as some of the best in the world. What are some of the main factors in this recent surge in the quality, attendances and also the arrival of the world’s leading DJs and artists now landing in the sand every day?
The Middle East has indeed become a very “hot” destination over the past couple of years. Increase in tourism has reached its peak levels, and as it continues to grow, so does the interest in nightlife and leisure activities which our industry provides. With this comes an additional level of responsibility since Dubai is currently competing with cultural, gastronomic and entertainment offerings of New York, Las Vegas, London and other leading cosmopolitan cities in the world. Having said that, keeping the production and entertainment at enviable levels is a must. Therefore, we are at a stage where we comply with world trends and public demand of bringing the best artists, having the most compelling technology and putting together production shows which have yet to be seen in this part of the world.
With every success there has to be a downside. Some would say the Dubai market for instance is now over saturated. Thoughts on that?
Dubai is becoming over saturated in a sense that there is an influx of international brands entering the market and trying to get their “piece of the pie”. However, given that the market is so competitive, not all of them maintain the required levels necessary for a continuous, steady success, and they tend not to last. My personal thoughts are that there is room for everybody’s presence and healthy competition is always welcome, but everybody entering the market needs to do a proper study/research before hand as the Middle East is unique in many ways and needs to be handled with special care. Doors are open to everyone, but not everyone can open the doors.
What are some of the biggest challenges you have had to overcome opening up new concepts there?
Dubai is a fast-growing, metropolitan city, and with that comes the responsibility of always staying relevant and setting new trends instead of having to “enforce them” at a later stage. The Biggest challenges one faces there could be…
Finding the right location: where outlets serving alcohol can only open in Hotels , which makes them very limited
Market penetration : that is a big challenge when your brand is not an internationally renowned franchise
Market discrepancies : every side of this same city needs to be treated in its own way and needs a customized , entertainment, offering and marketing approach
Fast Market Evolution : what works today will most probably not work tomorrow
Market Censorship : where our brands cannot be as bold as they need to be
What sets AddMind apart from it’s competitors?
What sets Addmind apart is that, while most of our competitors acquire and manage established brands, Addmind innovates fresh and new concepts. But we don’t stop there. A key ingredient in this mix is our ability to adapt to change. Change is necessary for survival and we’re lucky enough to have a team that is able to see when change is necessary and how to go about it. This skill can be attributed to our hands-on operating philosophy, which is a trait that has spread from the top down from our CEO, Tony Habre, who is very involved in the concepts. Operating under a very ethical framework, Mr. Habre instills a sense of passion and energy in the company that not only motivates, but also inspires staff, which in turn leads to the creative and innovative concepts you know today.
For someone reading this who may have never partied in the Middle East, what are the main differences between a day clubbing at Ushuaia and a night at White?
For as much as there may be basic differences since one is a beach club whereas the other a proper night club I can also see a lot of similarities such as Great music, grade A entertainment and technology, one focal point, and a crowd united in the name of music
What are the most popular musical genres…and is there a music type that just doesn’t work?
Hip hop & RNB are definitely the most popular musical genres at the moment in the middle East, there has recently been an increase in demand for deep/ Tech house music as well as EDM, and we’ve recently responded to this new demand by starting a new night called WHITE NOISE at WHITE DUBAI. White Noise, every Thursday hosts the biggest names in the EDM industry such as Armin Van Bureen, Dimitri Vegas, WW, Andrew Rayel etc.
Have you seen an upsurge in any different nationalities arriving over the past couple of years?
As I previousy mentioned, Dubai is a very cosmopolitan city; a melting pot of various religions and nationalities. There has been an upsurge in Western Europeans and US/Canadians over the past few years, and I believe that they are very welcome here with their enviable skill sets, education. everybody has something unique which they bring to the table.
Do you need to be stinking rich to enjoy the nightlife in your territories?
Not at all. As much as we enjoy the table spenders, we take great pride in the fact that we don’t differentiate between a customer who will buy 1 drink at the bar and one who may opt to buy 1 bottle and sit at a lounge. They are both treated with uttermost care and respect and our goal is to gain and maintain their loyalty towards our venues, whether it be a restaurant, a lounge or a nightclub.
What are some of the AddMind plans for 2017 that you can tell us about?
2017 is looking great as we ‘re planing international pop ups, a big A list artist line up and international fashion collaborations…
Who are some of the major artists that remain firm favorites in the scenes there?
To be an artist that pulls a great crowd, you have to assume a great performance. In my opinion, the artists who never fail to deliver a great performance and whose shows I immensely enjoy time after time are Dimitri Vegas, Andrew Rayel , Tinie Tempah and Akon.
What would be a dream weekend for you?
The industry we work in, as exciting as it is, is affimirial in a sense that we are not exactly saving lives or contributing to the society in a manner that doctors do. My dream weekend includes traveling to Bali for spiritual retreats and supporting Jodie’s orphanage there.
