Coming closer

Although social networking sites such as Facebook and MySpace ensure you are never too far away from a virtual hug or the latest news from home, leaving behind the familiar faces of friends and family to set up somewhere new can often be a lonely experience.

For newcomers to Palm Jumeirah, however, the establishment of an exclusive club has made this move considerably easier.

Crest of Dubai is the brainchild of self-professed serial entrepreneur, Anders Lövbrand.

Need to bond

“When I moved to Dubai in 2008, I realised the community comprised hundreds of interesting and successful people,'' says the 34-year-old Swede. “I wanted to meet them but was too shy to introduce myself.''

Increasingly keen to meet his neighbours and establish friendships in his adopted home, Lövbrand created an online forum where the Palm's residents would have the opportunity to meet.

“I started working on Crest of Dubai in the summer of 2008. The website was launched in December 2008,'' he says.

“In the past four months, the member count has exceeded 1,100 and is increasing by about 10 per cent every week.''

Constant maintenance

The popularity of the club requires continuous maintenance. Recently, Lövbrand relinquished his management position to concentrate on the project.

There are also six people employed full-time to run the club, in addition to volunteers and part-time consultants.

Lövbrand insists that apart from the hard work, the members, too, are responsible for the success of the club.

“One of the greatest assets we have is the community, which is awash with talent and full of people who see the benefit of giving something back to their neighbourhood,'' he says.

Unlike other networking sites, Crest of Dubai encourages members to abandon their computers in favour of creating a stronger community spirit.

“The aim of the site is to allow members to engage in the real world with people they are likely to run into in the elevator or in the local coffee shop,'' Lövbrand says. With this in mind, regular events are arranged for members.

“We recently hosted an Entrepreneur Club to bring some of the best business brains on the Palm together in one room at one time,'' he says.

“We organise sporting events on Fridays, which include volleyball on the beach and indoor football. The majority of events, however, are now organised by members, with the website used only as a means of communication.''

Rajiv Ghildiyal, a pharmaceutical industry executive, was one of the initial members of Crest of Dubai and believes the club allows members to achieve a good work-life balance.

Online connect

“It has been a great way to connect with fellow Palm residents,'' Ghildiyal says. “It has also given me the opportunity to pursue my hobbies and interests with like-minded people.''

A huge proportion of the Palm's residents are non-working mothers, such as Jeanette Andary. For them, Andary says, the club has provided an unprecedented social circle.

“I have joined a writing group, which has introduced me to some interesting and friendly people,'' she says.

“I also helped arrange an Easter-egg hunt for the children, which took place on the beach.''

According to Lövbrand, the community bond the club has nurtured has had knock-on beneficial economic effects.

“Many people have based their decisions to buy or rent property on the strength of the community Crest of Dubai has given the island,'' he says. Julie Ko, who moved to Dubai in November 2008, agrees.

“For me, the existence of the website sealed the deal to move to Palm,'' she says. “Along with the club, I got a new home and a raft of new friends.''

Although the project started as a hobby, Lövbrand admits its evolution has presented a fantastic business opportunity.

Plans of expansion

“We have yet to enter the commercial phase of the project. But the only way we can expand is by having an income stream,'' he says.

“I think Crest of Dubai will become an umbrella company in future for services relevant to people who own property or live in Dubai. The first service we will offer our members is property management. The focus will be on quality and being on time.''

With the success of the Palm venture, Lövbrand is considering expanding the concept to other Dubai communities.

“As we enter new communities, we will not relinquish the central factor of success — to make people feel at home in their community by localising every community,'' he says.

If Lövbrand's concept proves successful, homesickness will perhaps be a thing of the past.