Glittering towers of steel, glass, and gold. Skiing indoors and playing with penguins in a desert. Gliding through sand dunes in a Range Rover. This is the desert jewel of Dubai: home to the world’s tallest building—Burj Khalifa, Aston Martin police cars, competitive camel racing, and vast Arabian markets. Obsessed with bigger, better, best, Dubai offers some of the most mind-blowing venues, food, and adventures for an absolutely unforgettable incentive travel event.
A Crystal Sailboat
This out-of-the-box destination lies near the spiky boot tip of the Arabian Peninsula along the glorious Persian Gulf. Now picture a hotel rising like a crystal sailboat from its brilliant teal waters. The Burj Al Arab is a stunning piece of architecture and made a beautiful backdrop for our welcome reception. Sitting at round tables draped in white linens, palm trees silhouetted by the setting sun, we ate an incredible Arabian feast: flatbread, salads of fresh vegetables and chickpeas, tasty hummus (which I generally don’t like but which is amazing here), savory meats and fish.
A Wave of Glass
Nearby, our own hotel rose like a cresting wave of glass and light. The award-winning Jumeirah Beach Hotel not only has luxurious rooms, but each one guarantees a beach and ocean view looking out at the Persian Gulf. The entire interior has recently been redone in classy tones of white, gold, and blue, perfectly echoing its environment. Tiny islands with palm trees dot the pools, and the beach beckons close by with amazing views of the Burj Al Arab and breathtaking sunsets.
Dhow Wow
After a day of meetings at our hotel’s convenient and beautiful convention spaces, we set sail on a beautiful Dhow Dinner Cruise on Dubai Creek. We boarded a traditional open-air wooden vessel lined with lights and enjoyed a delicious traditional dinner with local music and dancing. From our boat we could take in the glittering skyline of Dubai lighting up the night as we cruised the waterways.
Souks and Sci-fi
We orchestrated a day where our clients could choose from four different activities. The first was a Dubai Sights and Sounds tour which included both the old and new sections of town. Delving into the old Arabian markets or souks, our guests explored the gold, spice, and clothing souks, hopping on old traditional boats to ferry them across the river to visit each one. Other guests went for option two, a tour of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building. Rising like a shimmering structure from a sci-fi dreamscape, this hotel climbs an incredible 160 floors. From its observation tower at the top, the surrounding skyscrapers look like a child’s Lego creation, and the cars are tiny pinpricks of movement. Seeking instead the contrast of fire and ice, others opted for the novelty of indoor skiing and sledding, and interacting with penguins at the enormous Mall of the Emirates in this desert landscape. The final option was also at this jaw-dropping mall and the even larger Dubai Mall which boasts of being the largest mall in the world—a once in a lifetime, shop-til-you-drop excursion.
Dune Bashing
We ended this epic day with the best adventure of all. We handed out traditional headscarves, 70 white Land Cruisers and Range Rovers showed up at our hotel, four people climbed into each, and we headed out into the desert. Once we headed off-road, we deflated our tires a bit so our vehicles could have superior traction in the sand, and we set off to bash some dunes. Riding the ridges, slipping down into the valleys, then climbing the slopes again, we had an absolute blast. All the vehicles rallied to the Sunset Camp where we had in incredible falcon show as we watched the sun slip behind the dunes. We then loaded back into our vehicles and drove to Sahara Camp for a traditional dinner. This fun location is set to look like a traditional persian city. Inside tents, we sat on ornate pillows, ate delicious flatbread, salads, lamb, and rice, and enjoyed awesome entertainment—Emirati Hair dance, as well as Tannura, belly, and fire dancers entertained us in classic Arabian style. It was one of those days where you keep saying to yourself, “I can’t believe I’m here. I can’t believe I get to do this!”
If Bond had a Bucket List
And shouldn’t that be the goal of every corporate event or incentive travel trip, to leave your people in awe, shaking their heads in wonder, mouthing the word Wow! again and again? Dubai makes that easy. It’s the type of place people see on travel shows but don’t dare put on their bucket list because it is so over-the-top, so modern yet ancient, so far away. This trip proves that simply isn’t so. Opulent like the setting of a Bond film yet rugged in its harsh desert environment, Dubai is unlike any other incentive travel destination. Unmistakeable. Unmissable. Undoubtedly Dubai.
