Posted on Tuesday, 15 April 2014

As a city that twenty years ago was a modest Middle Eastern oil town, Dubai has seen extraordinary change. Developed on the back of oil revenues, the emirate has diversified into tourism, financial services, construction, as well as retail and media. Dubai's science-fiction skyline is dominated by the Burj Kalifa – the world's tallest manmade structure by far – and similarly huge construction projects, such as the sprawling Dubailand, all exhibiting the cities continuous growth.

Burj Khalifa, Dubai, UAE (Anna Omelchenko/Bigstock.com)

The emirate's massive investment programmes have made it a business hotspot, with its leaders keen to draft in expertise from the US, Europe and Asia. But doing business in Dubai is not quite the same as in New York or London. So in order to seal your next deal here, take note of the following tips – for the perfect Dubai business trip...

1. When arranging a meeting do not suggest a Friday – this is the day of prayer and rest for Muslims.
2. Residents of Gulf states will not shake hands with the opposite sex. Handshakes are standard between men, but wait until a hand is offered. Placing your right hand over your heart can be used instead of a handshake.
3. Learn an Arabic phrase or two: as-salaamu aleikum means 'peace be upon you' and is the basic greeting. English tends to be the lingua franca in commerce, but using a few local phrases may ingratiate you with your hosts a little further.
4. Bring plenty of business cards and high quality printed business matter; these are normally exchanged after greetings but before the meeting proper.
5. Men should wear formal Western-style business suits. Women should wear conservative business suits. No short skirts, bare shoulders or plunging necklines. Figure-hugging garments should also be avoided.
6. Conversation: Avoid religion and politics. Emiratis don't appreciate negative comments about their system of government. Flattery: mention Dubai's fast and impressive development.
7. Ramadan takes place in the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. Muslims fast during daylight hours, with most businesses, including western ones, closing at 1pm. During this time restaurants open late, as well as special tents (majlis) being set up from 10pm-2am; these are great places to extend your contact network or seal a deal. However, they tend to be male-dominated locations.
8. Organise business travel insurance before you go. Travel cover can be easily added to any starttravel.co.uk policy.

9. Haggling remains a part of business across the Gulf region – whether you're in a local bazaar or a skyscraper – so allow for movement on price when doing a deal.
10. Multi-national conventions/meetings: separate tables marked 'women only' are exclusively for female use. Women can sit at unmarked tables with men, but males cannot sit at 'women only' tables.
11. Drinking alcohol: Restaurants, bars and nightclubs sell alcohol, but you cannot consume it elsewhere unless you reside in Dubai and have a drinking licence. Drinking in public is forbidden and your Emirati host is unlikely to drink.

Burj Al Arab, Dubai, UAE (romrodinka/Bigstock.com)

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