Doha

Marina Bay Sands SkyPark - Singapore

Geoff Thatcher – Creating Experiences Globally (Part 2)

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Asia, Bahrain, Best Practices, Branding, Branding, Brazil, China, Communications, Culture, Design, Doha, Dubai, Europe, Germany, Graphics, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Language, Leadership, London, Marketing, Middle East, Non-Verbal Communications, North America, Podcast, Qatar, Relationships, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Storytelling, Strategy, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Verbal Communications

Engaging Globally Through Authentic Storytelling

In Part 2 of this captivating two-part interview with host Jeff Hannah, Geoff Thatcher discusses the use of authentic storytelling to reach audiences around the world. Geoff also talks about the evolution of the experience economy. Geoff shares his advice for clients. Jeff asks Geoff about how international travel has changed him over the years. And, they talk about the importance of maintaining your faith while being on the road.

Geoff Thatcher is Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Creative Principals. He has a tremendous amount of truly world-class experience – and is a brilliant thinker, writer, and creative director. Geoff believes that experiences are distinguished by great story telling. Geoff spent many years as Executive Creative Director at The Brand Experience. Recent projects include the grand opening of Warner Brothers World Abu Dhabi, a traveling exhibition for the King Abdullah Foundation in Saudi Arabia, a new lobby experience for Palo Alto Networks and new concepts for the executive briefing program at Dell Technologies.

Other highlights from his career include his work on the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health in Washington, DC, the Lockheed Martin Space Experience Center and Honeywell’s Industrial Safety Customer Experience Center (Shanghai & many other cities).

Geoff also served as Creative Director at the Tom Peters Company where he worked with many top industry leaders – and helped to facilitate leadership training within Microsoft, John Deere, Deloitte and The CIA.

He also worked for more than seven years as a writer at Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) – where he helped develop many experiences, such as the CNN Studio Tour (Atlanta), and the Battleship Missouri Memorial.

Be sure to listen to Part 1 of this interview with Geoff Thatcher.

www.creativeprincipals.com

Twitter: @geoffthatcher

Geoff Thatcher LinkedIn

Marina Bay Sands SkyPark - Singapore

Geoff Thatcher – Creating Experiences Globally (Part 1)

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Asia, Australia, Bahrain, Best Practices, Branding, Branding, China, Communications, Culture, Design, Doha, Dubai, Europe, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Language, Latin America, Leadership, London, Marketing, Mexico, Middle East, Non-Verbal Communications, North America, Podcast, Qatar, Relationships, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Storytelling, Strategy, Sydney, Taiwan, Thailand, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Verbal Communications

Engaging Globally Through Authentic Storytelling

In Part 1 of this captivating two-part interview with host Jeff Hannah, Geoff Thatcher discusses the use of authentic storytelling to reach audiences around the world. Geoff also talks about the evolution of the experience economy. Geoff shares his advice for clients. Jeff asks Geoff about how international travel has changed him over the years. And, they talk about the importance of maintaining your faith while being on the road.

Geoff Thatcher is Founder & Chief Creative Officer at Creative Principals. He has a tremendous amount of truly world-class experience – and is a brilliant thinker, writer, and creative director. Geoff believes that experiences are distinguished by great story telling. Geoff spent many years as Executive Creative Director at The Brand Experience. Recent projects include the grand opening of Warner Brothers World Abu Dhabi, a traveling exhibition for the King Abdullah Foundation in Saudi Arabia, a new lobby experience for Palo Alto Networks and new concepts for the executive briefing program at Dell Technologies.

Other highlights from his career include his work on the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, the Kaiser Permanente Center for Total Health in Washington, DC, the Lockheed Martin Space Experience Center and Honeywell’s Industrial Safety Customer Experience Center (Shanghai & many other cities).

Geoff also served as Creative Director at the Tom Peters Company where he worked with many top industry leaders – and helped to facilitate leadership training within Microsoft, John Deere, Deloitte and The CIA.

He also worked for more than seven years as a writer at Jack Rouse Associates (JRA) – where he helped develop many experiences, such as the CNN Studio Tour (Atlanta), and the Battleship Missouri Memorial.

Be sure to listen to Part 2 of this interview with Geoff Thatcher.

www.creativeprincipals.com

Twitter: @geoffthatcher

Geoff Thatcher LinkedIn

Persian Gulf Marina

Doing Business in Arab Countries – What You Should Know

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Age, Argentina, Asia, Australia, Authority, Bahrain, Best Practices, Branding, Brazil, Chile, China, Communications, Culture, Doha, Dubai, Dusseldorf, Ecuador, Europe, Gender, Germany, Graphics, Hong Kong, Japan, Kuwait, Language, Latin America, London, Loose Time, Manama, Marketing, Mexico, Middle East, Munich, Non-Verbal Communications, North America, Precise Time, Qatar, Relationships, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Strategy, Taiwan, Thailand, The Netherlands, Time, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Verbal Communications
If you want to market, exhibit or host events in other countries, you really DO need to understand their mindset, worldview and culture as much as possible. And this goes much deeper than markers such as demographics. Read More

Mexico Trade Show

Tips for Working With LOOSE TIME Cultures

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Bahrain, Best Practices, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Culture, Doha, Dubai, Ecuador, Kuwait, Latin America, Loose Time, Manama, Mexico, Middle East, North America, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Relationships, Saudi Arabia, Time, United Arab Emirates, United States
Americans and Europeans often experience substantial frustration and anxiety while working in Loose Time Cultures such as Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, India, Nigeria or others. This generally stems from the tremendous contrast between their respective viewpoints surrounding the concept of TIME. Generally speaking, Americans and most Europeans value a more precise view of time when contrasted to those from Loose Time Cultures. Clashes can easily occur as they are working with people who do not reckon time with nearly as much precision.

Read More

Etihad Premium Lounge

They’ve Got All the Time in the World!

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Argentina, Authority, Bahrain, Best Practices, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Culture, Doha, Dubai, Ecuador, Kuwait, Latin America, Loose Time, Mexico, Middle East, Precise Time, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Time, United Arab Emirates

Have you been in those countries where time just seems to move at a much slower pace? Well, it really doesn’t. Time is the same for all of us – there are only ever 24 hours in a day. But, people PERCEIVE those hours in vastly different ways in different cultures.

 

Cultural experts tend to agree that countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Cuba, Saudi Arabia, and India (among many others) tend to have a more casual view of time than other countries such as Germany, Switzerland, and the USA.

 

What does that mean?

Time is not something that needs to be measured precisely. Time is yours to spend in doing what is important to you; don’t rush it all away. Enjoy the time that you have – and spend it doing what you love, with those you want to be with! Those cultures with a loose reckoning of time place the value of human relationships above that of the commodity of time.

 

How does that impact my trade show experience?

  • Expect little punctuality – and establish early deadlines for completion.
  • Go in with a more relaxed attitude and focus more on the relationships than on the specific business at hand.
  • Understand that locals may sometimes feel offended when appointments are cut short, due to the keeping of what is viewed as an arbitrary schedule.
  • Hold loose schedules for meetings, work and public transportation trips.
  • Try to view time as plentiful (but only after your exhibit is finished!).
  • Use time to invest in relationships.
  • See business dealings as more relational than transactional.

 

Here are more TIPS for working with those cultures with a loose reckoning of time.