Every business trip you go on, while full of industry chatter and rumours, always has some lighter moments also. Our time in Dubai, as well as being very rewarding from a work perspective, certainly had one or two of these moments also. So I thought I would share some of these with you as well as a story from my own personal archive of funny anecdotes while away on business.

The Taxi Ride
Getting a taxi back from the Convention Center proved slightly harrowing on occasions. On the Wednesday, we had to share a taxi with a gentleman who was head housekeeper at one of Dubai’s leading beach hotels. Anyway, the driver did not seem overly keen on this situation (two fares at once) and proceeded to ask this gentleman to get out of the taxi in the middle of main highway. I kid you not. Understandably, this gentleman was not too keen and a heated conversation ensued. Eventually, in a kind act, this gentleman was allowed to stay in the car, and the journey continued. Not nice, trying to force someone out on Dubai’s busiest highway.
Then, our new housekeeper buddy proceeds to give us a sales pitch about the hotel, and the 8 million restaurants that it seems to have.

The Dinner
I have to say that I am very fussy eater, and despite improvements over the last few years (thanks to a very patient wife), I don’t do spicy food very well. So when we went to eat at a Thai restaurant one evening, I thought I need to order something real conservative, and steamed fish seemed to fit the bill, or so I thought. Alas, I was about to become horribly unstuck. This thing was just about the hottest thing I had ever eaten. I am surprised my head did not light up. Nothing worse than trying to look all dignified on the outside to your colleagues when your head is ready to go luminous. Needless to say, if I ever go to a Thai restaurant again, I am keeping away from snapper. I have been scarred for life!

The Taxi Ride 2
After a very pleasant dinner at a beach front hotel on our last night (yes, the same one of the infamous housekeeper), the three intrepid Access Intelligence people make their way back to their hotel with their Dubai mission almost complete. But yet again, the taxi ride would be nothing if not dull. The taxi driver had no clue where our hotel was and seemed to spend half the time on the phone trying to figure out where the hotel was. We end up being driven all round Dubai, where thankfully, my colleague, who has an infinitely better sense of direction than me (Mind you, it is impossible to have a worst sense of direction than me) led the taxi driver back to our hotel. How farcical is that? Not only did the scoundrel charge us more for the journey by not taking into account the late night tour, but he only wanted a tip as well. And I thought I was cheeky!

Forget Slumdog Millionaire, Satellitetoday.tv is Where it is at
As you may well have seen, CABSAT marked our first foray into video, which was also not without its humorous moments. Certainly, when I got to Dubai after a 7-plus hour flight, I could not have imagined that I would have a Flip camcorder thrust in my face at close to 1 am in giving a preview about CABSAT. The things we do to bring cutting-edge video to our audience! I have to say it was much harder than it looked. I have to say, it did feel a tad surreal.

Isn’t technology great? These Flip camcorders are so small yet you get great video. One of the funniest comments was just before one of the videos we shot, someone asked me where my production crew was. We all chuckled at that. That was the point where I knew I had made it in the video world. Since returning from Dubai, I have had a slew of agents on the phone. And there was me thinking I had a face for radio! We had a lot of fun with doing the videos, and although I still cringe when looking at myself on video, secretly, I quite enjoyed it. It seemed to bring out the Hollywood Diva in me. Quite scary, really. I will need my hairstyling team (admittedly, I don’t many for this now) and others for the next show we cover.

The consensus viewpoint at CABSAT MENA SATELLITE MENA 2009 was there was less traffic than there had been in previous years, but there was a real optimism about the prospects for satellite players in the region. While everyone is acknowledging that no region or sector is immune from the financial crisis, with so many new satellites set to be launched, it is certainly not a time of doom and gloom in the Middle East.

Yahsat and SmartSat, two new operators who do not have any satellites yet in orbit, were hoping to make a big impression by having had two of the biggest stands at the show. In some ways, Yahsat and SmartSat stole the show for me. Exciting, dynamic new operators looking to make a real impact. It will be interesting to add them to a melting pot of local and international operators already present in the region.

On a final note, we have had a great time covering the show. We hope you have enjoyed our exclusive video interviews with a number of key executives. You can see those at www.satellitetoday.com.

Day 2 at CABSAT MENA SATELLITE MENA 2009 was dominated by a panel looking at the issues for broadcasters in the region, and one thing stands out – something has to give.

There seem to be huge numbers of FTA channels, meaning viewers have perhaps more choice of TV channels in the Middle East than just about anywhere else. The question is, as the economy continues its downturn, can these numbers of channels continue to increase?

There has to be a tipping point. It seems quite incredible when looking at it from the outside, but with broadcasters around the world fighting for advertising dollars, it is surely a situation that cannot continue. Many speakers hoped the economic downturn could be the starting point for more innovation in terms of the delivery of content and how broadcasters will reach consumers. It will be interesting to see how this plays out over the next two years and whether we will see some stunning examples of innovative approaches from broadcasters. It will also be interesting too see whether the number of FTA channels will continue to high or whether we will see a sharp decline in the region.

The first day at CABSAT MENA SATELLITE MENA 2009 (I am still trying to figure out why MENA is in the title twice!) was eventful. The main debates seemed to center on the age old question of access to capacity. Lets be honest, if you are on the lookout for satellite capacity right now, you might not have much luck. It is kind of like going to the cookie store and finding out all your favorite cookies sold out the day before.

But in two years, there could be more capacity than the satellite community knows what to do with. So it is a pretty odd situation but one that makes potentially for some interesting dynamics going forward.

Arabsat is putting up one satellite per year at the moment. Yahsat plans to launch a pair of powerful satellites. Nilesat is getting in on the act, and new operator SmartSat also wants a piece of the pie. That is not mentioning international players such as SES and Intelsat which also want to increase their presence in the region. Everybody wants to answer the demand for more capacity.

The interesting thing is that once this capacity is up, will it all be filled straight away? Will the numbers of free-to-air TV channels continue to rise in the region? Will there be an explosion in demand for HD services across the region? There also could be a drop in demand as military operations in Iraq wind down. It all makes the Middle East one of the most exciting regions to look at in terms of satellite capacity going forward and one that seems to be going from one extreme to another.

Hello from sunny Dubai. Over the next three days, the Satellite Group will bring you the most comprehensive coverage of the CABSAT MENA and SATELLITE MENA 2009 trade show. Not only will we be providing news and interviews via our daily e-letter, but for the first time at a leading industry event, we will be providing daily video coverage.
So what are the key topics this year? The big question is how Middle East based satellite operators will fare and whether the global economic downturn have any impact on them. In a March Via Satellite article on the Middle East, all the CEOs interviewed believe the region would be less impacted by the current global economic situation. But is this optimism well-founded? Time will tell. Also, we are seeing some exciting new operators such as Yahsat and SmartSat emerge. How will these players do and, more importantly, will their entrance into the market change the dynamics? Also, how will the international players such as SES, Intelsat and Eutelat compete in this market going forward. One thing is for sure, CABSAT will not be dull.