Middle East

Iggy Rosenberg in Singapore

Distinctive Lighting Designer “Iggy” Rosenberg – on the Global Stage

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Age, Argentina, Asia, Authority, Brazil, Chile, Communications, Cuba, Culture, Design, Dubai, Ecuador, Europe, Gender, Germany, Japan, Language, Latin America, Lighting, London, Loose Time, Mexico, Middle East, Non-Verbal Communications, North America, Perth, Precise Time, Puerto Rico, Relationships, Saudi Arabia, Time, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, Verbal Communications

Ignacio Rosenberg (known as “Iggy” to his friends and clients) is a well-known lighting and visual designer who works for a distinctive global agency called Lightswitch. Iggy grew-up in Buenos Aires, Argentina, but is now based in Salt Lake City. He has spent more than 20 years designing and implementing large touring shows around the world for top rock groups such as Def Leppard, The Rolling Stones, Janet Jackson, Shakira, and many more!

Iggy is a really neat guy – extremely brilliant as a designer, articulate, sophisticated, but really down to earth! He spends time working with people that most of us will never have the privilege to meet. This gives him a very unique perspective as a designer working on large, high-profile projects – while also working across cultures around the world.

Iggy recently spent most of a day with Jeff Hannah and the Creative Team at Exhibit Concepts, at their HQ offices in Dayton, Ohio. Iggy shared his knowledge and inspiration with the creative team and say down with Jeff for this podcast interview.

During this interview, Iggy and Jeff discussed design, culture, lighting, creating experiences and much more.

Common International Mistakes: Awareness (Part 1 of 4)

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Best Practices, Branding, Communications, Culture, Design, Graphics, Language, Marketing, Strategy

You come from a unique background that shapes your view of the world. But what if your approach did more harm than good? What if you really didn’t understand your customers like you thought you did? And, what if your strategy was flawed?

Many companies who exhibit at international trade shows make these AWARENESS MISTAKES every day. The good news: there are ways to avoid these pitfalls! In this four-part series, we will identify these mistakes and help you understand how to avoid them.

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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 Auto Show

Leave Your Cultural Assumptions at the Door

Posted on by Gail Rockburne | In Asia, Best Practices, Culture, Design, Europe, Graphics, Language, Latin America, Mexico, Middle East, North America, Strategy

Picture an auto show in Mexico City. You’ve been to several of these fun shows in the U.S. and know what to expect…or so you think. But as you approach the door, you hear music that makes you think of parties. You enter the building and are immediately surrounded by bright colors, loud music and a throng of very attractive women in short, revealing dresses and spike heels, proffering drinks. It’s not unpleasant by any stretch of the imagination, but were you prepared for this? Probably not!

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Etihad Premium Lounge

Business Meal Basics for the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

Posted on by Jeff Hannah | In Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Loose Time, Middle East, United Arab Emirates

Here are some basics you MUST KNOW for business meals and entertaining in the Emirates.

When you are enjoying a meal in Abu Dhabi or Dubai, you want it to go smoothly and seamlessly – as if it were just another day in the life! So, I suggest you follow these guidelines to avoid an embarrassing or awkward situation for yourself, clients or business partners. 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.