Opening minds

Ali Abdulkarim Alsaloom, a self-appointed cultural ambassador of the Middle East, is keen to build global cultural bridges. Towards this he has initiated quite a few ways to ensure tourists and expat businessmen get to know the real people, culture and heritage of the region.

Ali Alsaloom, 28, an Emirati, dressed in a spotlessly white kandoora and a warm smile, was on the podium at The International Gathering, a global summit of international speakers that took place in Dubai recently.

The question he was tackling was one which appeared to be a dilemma for many Western expatriates: What should be the form of greeting when meeting an Emirati?

Ali's answer? "Get to know us better before you decide.'' And Ali could say this in three foreign languages: German, Korean and, of course, English.

Ali Abdulkarim Alsaloom is the self-appointed cultural ambassador of the Middle East and is doing his bit towards building global cultural bridges.

Turning his passion for bridging cultures into a business opportunity, he recently launched his company appropriately named Embrace Arabia (www.embracearabia.com).

Seeing the way Ali interacts with peer business persons from all over the world will convince you that this is a man who enjoys doing his job with unbridled passion.

Educating and informing people about the UAE is something which gives him great pride. But then he was lucky because he was exposed to diverse Arab cultures early in life.

Born in Manama, Ali was barely 12 days old when he travelled to Abu Dhabi along with his family. His father, Abdulkarim Ali Alsaloom, had got a job as a junior teacher in Al Hamdaniyah High School in Al Ain. (He retired as Technology and Educational Resources Director at the Ministry of Education, Abu Dhabi).

His mother, Fawziyah Alsa'ad, was principal of the Alfateh School.

Ali and his three sisters were fascinated by the different Arabic accents, such as those of Egypt, Jordan, Syria and Palestine, which his mother often employed while speaking to her colleagues from those countries over the phone. So realising the importance of language in bridging relationships was a lesson he learnt early in life.

When Ali graduated from the Hamza Bin Abdul Mutaleb Secondary School, Abu Dhabi, in 1997, his father asked him what he wanted to do. Pat came the response: "I want to become a pilot in the Air Force." The reason: "Every guy dreams of doing something for his country.''

However, since he was the only male child, his father suggested he choose another career path. You'd do well in the tourism and hospitality industry, his father told him, because you have a naturally hear-warming smile, are cultured, have an open mind ...

Ali warmed up to the idea. When he tried to think of an Emirati icon in the hospitality industry none came to mind. To him, that only meant one thing: "An opportunity for me to be that icon.''

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority offered him a scholarship to pursue a degree in Hospitality Management from the University of Central Florida, USA.

Despite falling a little short of the required GPA scores, Ali managed to make it to the university and he credits his being chosen for the scholarship to the major (subject) he chose. "Academic grades do not alone determine how well you do in life," he says.

"If I had been disheartened by my grades, I would not have discovered my passion in life. This does not mean that we can ignore studies and hard work; certainly not. But don't let grades come in the way of achieving what you desire,'' says Ali.

"Sometimes we all feel bored learning by rote," he says.

"I often asked my father why I had to learn maths as I was not going to pursue commerce. This is a question my sister often asks me too. I give her the same reply my father gave me when I posed the question to him: 'Because in life you need to know maths to add up your earnings at the very least, and you need chemistry to understand the relationship between food and taste, physics to understand the laws of motion ...'

"Thankfully, I see the value in learning the subjects because all of that is education and no learning is
ever wasted.

"Occasionally I find that what I had learnt in chemistry has come in handy during a presentation I am making to a client,'' he says. "And I am happy I followed my father's advice of studying subjects that at the time seemed like a waste of time.''

Ali has a piece of advice for students: cultivate a healthy environment with a peer group that values education. There might be some amount of jealousy between friends but it will all lead to healthy competition, he says.

It was during his university years in the US that Ali learnt that there was a great deal of curiosity about the Middle East and its people. Most people associated the region with only camels and desert and were curious to know what the local people ate, how they lived ...

"The curiosity was all positive," he says. "Before 9/11, it was a great experience trying to explain who you are to a positively curious audience. But 9/11 changed it all.''

And Ali was to experience the fallout of this first hand. He, along with Adam, an Arab-American partner from the US, decided to open a restaurant called Middle East Buffet.

Ali was sure the enterprise would serve two purposes - getting hands-on work experience and help him get the credits required for his graduation.

The Middle East Buffet had a logo of a palm tree and a camel, and the outlet was set to open on September 13, 2001. But two days before the scheduled date, 9/11 happened. A couple of hours after the incidents occurred, Adam called up Ali to find out if he was okay.

"I'm okay," Ali told him, "but I'm thinking of other options (regarding the restaurant). This will cost us a little bit but we'll install new signage changing 'Middle East' to 'Universal'," Ali told him.

"So although what happened was very wrong, it led me to look at the bigger picture and widen my vision - from presenting cuisine from only my region to presenting cuisine from the whole world."

It was a lot of hard work, but they changed their plans and on October 3, 2001, they opened their dream restaurant. Instead of the Middle East Buffet, Ali came up with a themed menu where the service, cuisine and ambience were all coordinated to match the country whose cuisine they would be serving that particular week.

Close friends from different countries stopped by to share recipes from their home countries and offer tips on dress and ambience. It was a lot of fun, recalls Ali.

Why a food business?
Ali quotes the words of "one of the finest entrepreneurs of the UAE, Nasser Al Nuwais, founder of the Rotana chain of hotels''.

"He said: 'Anything that has to do with accommodation and food is bound to be a successful business. You don't have the onus of converting footfalls to buyers because people have already made up their mind to buy your product before entering your premises'.''

Thanks to Ali's entrepreneurial creativity and management skills, the restaurant began to post profits and the staff strength grew ... it reiterated that Al Nuwais was right in making the choices he did.

Ali returned to the UAE a year later but continued to run the show from Abu Dhabi. However, he soon realised that it was difficult to manage a business long distance, so he sold it.

Back in Abu Dhabi, after graduating in 2003, Ali asked himself 'What next?' In fact, it's a question his family hears him ask himself every once in a while.

"I wanted to realise my dream of becoming a national icon," he says. So he confided in his dad that he was ready to become the general manager of a hotel. His argument was, how many Emiratis his age had had the experience of owning their own restaurant in the US, and a successful one too.

"My father told me not to get too excited and instead suggested that beginning as a doorman would be more appropriate,'' says Ali, with a smile. "Naturally I protested," he says.

But his father advised him that it would stand him in good stead if he got to know the ropes of the trade well.

Together they decided that Ali's next step would be to apply to hotels in Abu Dhabi. Ali systematically did a survey of all the hospitality centres in the emirate. He also decided to touch base with a friend's uncle who was in the hotel business.

"I had a very good friend named Fahad Al Nuwais (a famous UAE soccer player who passed away last year).

"Fahad integrated his business skills and passion to work with his uncle Nasser Al Nuwais at Beach Rotana Hotel, Abu Dhabi.

"I called Nasser and right off he remembered that I was Abdul Karim's son, because he knew my father from the latter's days as a striker on the first team of the Al Jazirah Club. (Later, due to injuries, Ali's father took over as Manager of the Club).

"He remembered me as the six-year-old who used to tag along with my father to watch, awestruck, the great sportsmen playing football.

"As soon as he knew I had a degree in hospitality he just said I would be working at Rotana. Life couldn't be better. In America I had worked in housekeeping and even hold a certificate stating that I have worked as a 'prep' chef.

"But this was for real. So I was a doorman for three months and then three months as a concierge.''

Ali still remembers the looks on the faces of some Emiratis for whom he opened the door or delivered the luggage. There was a tinge of pain almost like they didn't want him to do it.

But those were also the same people who after their stay at the hotel for two or three nights came back to him, shook his hands and said 'We are proud of you'.

"So to all those people who think that our people do not appreciate manual or blue collar labour I want to say, 'it's not true; they do'.

"Later, when I worked in the reception at Rotana Beach Hotel, one elderly lady came to me and said 'Son, can you help me?' and that was a big moment for me. I was only too happy to help the elderly. When she left, she blessed me ... and that's what mattered to me.

"The same people that gave me 'that' look later came to me for assistance because I spoke English and knew my job. I continued training and working at Rotana until I got to be the front office assistant manager.''

Unfortunately around that time Ali's father was diagnosed with a heart ailment and they had to leave for Germany for his treatment. So in 2004, a year after joining Rotana, Ali quit his job to travel with him for medical treatment.

They stayed in Munich for two months where his father shuttled between the hospital and the hotel. Since Ali had a lot of time on his hands, he decided to "make myself useful.

"I bought a book on how to 'learn German'. Did you know that German ... has some similarities with Arabic?"
he asks.

One day, Ali was in the hotel lobby when an Arabic speaking guest came in. The guest was finding it difficult to make himself understood to the German staff. Ali looked up the words in his book and conveyed the gist of what he was trying to say to the receptionist.

In two months he had picked up the basics of the language!

Ali believes that speaking the local language can spread instant joy among the local people.

"When we hear foreigners greet us with an 'as'salaam alaikum' or depart with a 'shukran', we feel such joy to know that they have taken the trouble to learn a few words of our language.

"It is this understanding that spurs me to learn other languages and speak to the people in their tongue. I believe this is the best ice breaker in any social or business interaction.''

Once Ali's dad got better and they returned to Abu Dhabi, Ali asked himself the question: 'What next?'

Ali wanted to visit Canada and pursue his master's degree. So off he went and in the fall of 2004 enrolled at the Wilfrid Laurier University "and began to study for my master's degree specialising in brand management."

It turned out to be a great learning experience for him. "It was one of the most memorable 11 months of my life," he says.

"I met so many people who gave direction and channelled my energy and enthusiasm, such as Dr Franklin Ramsoomair who has kindly accepted to be my mentor for (supporting) the enterprise I have floated.''

Ironically, it was in Canada that Ali picked up Korean, his third foreign language. "The syllabus called for continuous team work," he recalls. Teams are formed on the basis of ethnicity but as Ali was one of only three Arabic students in the programme, he ended up with a very diverse group.

"Our team had one guy from Antigua, a country which I couldn't point out on the map at the time; a guy from Kenya who is originally from India; one guy from Canada another from Spain and a lady from Korea: Young Seon Oh.

"Young taught me Korean without realising it. She would speak Korean aloud," he says. Ali used to listen to her and began associating her words with the context.

"After a month, one day I greeted her casually with 'Annyoun ghaseyo', meaning hello in Korean. She was taken aback and said if she had not seen me saying it she would have thought that it was a Korean person speaking it. She thought I had got the accent pretty well. She then began teaching me Korean, even bringing me Korean movies.

"Korean is easy to learn and understand, (and has) a beautiful musical tone. My interest in the language opened my mind about the country and I can tell you that there are so many misconceptions about them and so many key facts that are little known. For example, did you know that Korea is the strongest trade partner of the UAE?''

Ali had a special interest in specialising in brand management. He 'sees' the associations that a logo of a company could have in the mind of its consumers.

With reference to the UAE what interested Ali was that with 250 nationalities and as many languages and preferred colours, how can you really make sure that your logo is a good fit for the brand and is having the desired impact?

"The language of visuals fascinates me personally and leads me to a different understanding of our times. For example, when you think of Arabic heritage, most people associate it with the image of a camel or a wind tower. Is this because it is advertised that Arabic heritage equals camels or wind towers? No! This is the power of visual association.''

On his return from Canada, Ali joined the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority (ADTA) in December 2005. This gave him an opportunity to share his management background with his people and serve his country.

Also, knowing German helped because Germans are the second largest number of tourists (after Britons) who visit Abu Dhabi.

He decided to learn the language formally by enrolling in German language classes. Ali's stint with the Abu Dhabi Tourism Authority was the greatest 16 months of his life, he says.

He used to travel around the world, participate in exhibitions, conferences and tourism associations ... Ali also spoke at some of these conferences and conducted some VVIP guided tours in the UAE which opened the door for his role as a tour guide par excellence, a role he has enjoyed since childhood.

He moved on to set up the MICE department of the ADTA along with a "great'' colleague, Gillian Taylor.

This done, the question popped up again in his mind: "What's next?"

Ali decided it was time to consolidate his academic background and work experience to start his own enterprise. He wanted to spend more time creating something.

To this end, he set up Maestro Commercial Enterprises which includes Embrace Arabia.com, a cross-cultural understanding training firm that can help assist any newcomer individual or company, that needs support for his/her business in the UAE.

Ali has partnered with Asma Al Shamsi, a UAE national presenter living in Dubai. Ali's company helps to make relocation of senior executives a smooth affair. He has clients travelling from the UK, US and Germany, sometimes for just 48 hours, to have a one-on-one consultation with him to understand the culture of the UAE.

"All business is about making profit but Embrace Arabia is more about sharing my culture ... it's more of a responsibility,'' says Ali. He has also done project-based marketing for companies beginning from designing the logo to launch and market studies of products.

The second project that Ali and a friend of his have launched is a unit that creates websites for companies and people in the UAE.

Ali, during his time in the US and Canada, was quite like a one-stop reference point for all those who wanted to clear their doubts on everything related to the Middle East. Whenever anybody had a query he/she was told to "ask Ali".

Deciding to take this one step further, Ali has launched a website called (you guessed it!) www.ask-ali.com.

The website, which acts as a public relations ombudsman for the Middle East, will have two portals, one that instantly answers FAQs on the region and the other that will offer information on the logistics of getting visas, setting up business, the local rules and regulations ...
Interestingly, Ali has another trick up his sleeve. His business cards all have a small byte of information about the UAE.

For instance, the one he gave me said: Did you know more than 40 television stations broadcast from the UAE?

So, what's next for Ali?

Pat comes the reply: "I'm shortly launching MEBC7, a Middle Eastern Business web-based channel running seven days a week which is going to be the highlight of my career because it's going to be a global brand some day soon.

It will bring the hottest stories of the Middle East to the rest of the world. He has partnered with UAE businessman Shahriar Shahabi for this venture.

Also in the pipeline is a 60-minute film, an offshoot of Ali's film production company, on the biodiversity of the Arabian Sea. He has done this in collaboration with world renowned environmentalist and artist Wyland.

The film will document Wyland's dives in the Arabian Sea and interaction with its live inhabitants while highlighting the UAE government's strong commitment to conserving the environment.

All of 28, Ali's only expectation is that his life partner should be as enthusiastic about life as he is and support him in his endeavours. He in turn is willing to support her in her endeavours.

Ali can be contacted at: ali@ask-ali.com.