The Dubai Air Show was originally established as Arab Air in 1986 and was a civil aviation trade show held at the Dubai World Trade Centre. By 1995, the show had moved to Dubai International Airport and had become the biggest aviation event in the Middle East, drawing major commercial and military firms from around the world, as well as thousands of visitors. Its new location was across the street from the Intermarkets office, and we often received enquiries from clients who were keen to know if we had any extra invitations that we may have received from our different airline clients.
As the preparation for the 1995 Dubai Air Show got underway, we sent out invitations for our own Intermarkets Air Show to all our clients and their families. This we organized on the rooftop of our office building on the Dubai to Sharjah Road. We installed a large and colorful gazebo-shaped tent to shade the visitors, underneath which we kept beanbags and a majlis-style seating arrangement. We also had a popcorn machine, for which we ordered buckets with “Intermarkets Air Show” printed on them. A finger sandwich station with beverages was arranged by our client, The Royal Abjar Hotel, and we had a candy floss-weaving turntable to ensure all the families were well cared for. Then we deployed a reception committee to welcome our clients and their families, who arrived at 4pm to watch the demonstration flights, with the roar of the engines a source of enjoyment for all.
The event received some very interesting media coverage[1] on top of the goodwill that was so apparent as our clients thanked us upon departure.
A year later, Abdallah Humaid and his wife invited me and Joseph Ghossoub, together with our wives, to dinner at the Chinese restaurant in the Ramada Hotel in Bur Dubai. Halfway through dinner, Humaid received a call from Dubai’s fire brigade, which alerted him to the fact that the Intermarkets office was on fire. Humaid, Ghossoub and I rushed to the Dubai to Sharjah Road where, from the top of the street, we could see the blaze, the black smoke, and the flashing lights of the fire engines. It was a nasty fire that destroyed the entire agency.
All our records were backed up on discs which were stored in the agency’s safe. Although the safe was fireproof, the heat caused all the computer discs to bend. Luckily, the office was covered by insurance and the fire brigade’s report revealed that the fire had been caused by an electrical fault. The data on the computer discs was retrieved by a Dubai-based company introduced by the insurance agency.
Clients kindly offered us temporary office space, which we gratefully accepted until our burnt office was cleaned, repainted, and refurnished, although the smell of smoke and burnt plastic remained in the air throughout the salvage operation. We surfaced after this accident having learnt a lesson that we pledged never to forget. Fire can destroy all that you have worked hard to build. Do not operate for even one day without comprehensive insurance and backup your accounts, your campaigns and all your work, making sure to store it in a fireproof, flood proof and theft proof safe every night.