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  Many companies in Dubai are successful.  Much rarer are National owned companies whose success mirrors that of Dubai itself and who can trace their origins to the origin of the modern state that is the UAE.  Khalaf Al Habtoor created a company which is one of that elite.  And it just celebrated its 35^th Birthday.

  Al Habtoor Group LLC was founded in 1970 by Khalaf Al Habtoor, now Chairman of the Group.  His story has been told often in the press and among business people across the country.  It is a remarkable tale that has produced, among other achievements, a construction company in Dubai known to everyone, a strong presence in the hospitality industry and an automotive distributor with some of the world’s most prestigious brands.

  So to celebrate 35 years of continuous growth the company held a press conference in the morning and celebratory gala dinner in the evening for a cross section of the people instrumental in the company’s success:  family, government representatives, customers, suppliers, staff and press. 

  At the morning’s press conference at the Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa, Chairman Mr Khalaf Al Habtoor announced several major new projects.  But, more importantly, the press were treated to a rare opportunity to question one of the undoubted leaders of the Dubai business world in an unusually informal setting.  The Chairman, seated on a sofa in front of close to 100 members of the media spoke openly and freely about aspects of the business including his plans for further expansion into Europe. And he stayed answering questions until the media’s curiosity was topped by its need for lunch – at the Al Diyafa restaurant where they enjoyed among other treats a fine selection of freshly made sushi.

  The introduction of food leads us to the evening’s dinner event.  Held in the Al Andalus ballroom at the Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa, some 400 people had an evening of great food and startling entertainment, which began with viewing the dramatic ice sculptures in the lobby as guests arrived.

  Khalaf Al Habtoor opened the evening with a moving speech, delivered in Arabic with an English version running on the giant water screens in the ballroom.  Khalaf told of his modest beginnings and alluded to the huge growth of his company but at the same time paid tribute to his family and partners as well as publicly recognising the debt owed to all the myriad staff who helped make it happen.  He talked of his pride and the awesome responsibility of providing a livelihood to over 25,000 people.

  The speech was followed by a dramatic video presentation on the history and growth of the company – how it spread from construction into so many other areas – and concluded with recognition of just some of the Chairman’s personal successes and awards and reconfirming his commitment to the company and the UAE.

  Straight from the speech and into a laser show – red, green, yellow lights projected throughout the room telling the story of Dubai and Al Habtoor Group to a dramatically emotional musical accompaniment that touched the soul.  It left the audience with thumping hearts that had barely slowed before the arrival of the star of the show.

  On stage we saw only a black background and one man, dressed in white and looking for all the world as if he were just passing through and checking the set.  But then he started to work.  White paint splashed with style & panache, though apparently randomly, went on the canvas.  The audience looked puzzled; we wondered what the point was.  At first we thought it would be a monochromatic Jackson Pollack pastiche.  Then we realised he was painting a ‘something’ but no clues were given though there as a lot of guessing.  You could occasionally hear the audience guess over the music as everyone had the same idea at once and muttered to their companions – I heard ‘seahorse’. 

  Less than five minutes passed.  The artist stepped back.  We looked puzzled again.  The artist stepped forward.  He spun the canvas upside down.  We looked at the two metre high face of the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, the UAE’s first President!

  A brief moment of stunned silence was followed by smiles and a growing thunder rumble of applause until the audience was standing and clapping in admiration and wonder.  It was a stunning virtuoso display of artistic skill that left 400 people wondering how it was possible.

  Franck Bouroullec calls himself on his web site a ‘Peintre Performer’ or Performance Painter in English.  His style mixes street art & hip hop with poster art and cartooning and a little gentle caricature strung together to deliver a huge emotional impression on the audience in minutes.  It is captivating, warm and never loses its impact.

  His work however had hardly begun and throughout the rest of the evening, while the rest of us had dinner, Franck worked on a five metre long mural depicting significant aspects of the development of the Al Habtoor Group.  This work, while also monochrome white, was a more considered piece that took an hour and a half to create.  Still an amazing piece of work done at great speed.  I heard members of the audience, any of whom were invited to come on stage and watch the master at work, comment on how beautifully the Arabic letters were made on the company’s logo and being taken aback when told that he does not read and write Arabic. 

  The evocation of Al Habtoor Group by the artist, developed in real time provided an absorbing backdrop to a fine meal created by Chef Paul Hage and his team from the Habtoor Grand Resort & Spa.  Right from the opening dish of Omani Lobster through the Red Snapper risotto, the Australian Loin of Lamb and the Crunchy Praline dessert we were treated to a delight of flavours and textures that rounded of a wonderful evening of celebration.

  The event was organised by a local company, Whispers, who have been involved in the creation & organisation of major events at all of Dubai’s top venues.  Visiting the ballroom during the night prior to the dinner you were struck by a feeling that the following day would not be a grand and glamorous dinner but rather a rock concert.  You could almost see Steve Tyler and Aerosmith planning a sound check in the background.  But it all came together – from the custom floral displays to the huge water screens for the laser show to the stage for the artist and delivered an event the Al Habtoor Group could be proud of. 

  35 years of hard work and growth, of teamwork, of creativity and bold innovation came together and provided a platform for the launch of the next phase of growth.  Let us hope the celebrations then will be as much fun.