Anyway - work sent me to Doha, Qatar for... you guessed it...a trade show. While my flight itinerary actually showed IAD -> DOH, there was a very short stop off in Dubai. This was my first time the the gulf region and never have I ever been through so much security. Besides the normal protocol in USA airports, upon stopping in DXB we had to disembark, go through another security station, wait for our gate to open, go through another security screening (palms, waist, ankles tested for explosives residue) plus a bag check. After getting to Doha I waited quite a long time for immigration processing and then grabbed my bag to head to customs. In the customs area, even if you had nothing to declare they had tables and more x-ray machines set up so they could randomly pick passersby for more screening.
I finally made it out into Qatar proper after what seemed like forever.
Upon arrival to my hotel, I was quite impressed. I stayed at the W Doha hotel and it was very trendy looking. It was like stepping into a night club rather than a hotel lobby. The doormen were quite helpful and friendly and assisted us from arrival to getting our bags to our room and helping us find all the proper light switches and such. Below is a room tour:
That night I barely slept, waking up at all hours due to jet lag. It was expected but for once I wish I could just instantly adjust.
The next two days were spent inspecting the exhibition venue and the build of our stand. The venue was very nice. It was clean, well lit, properly laid out, and had sufficient facilities for the size of the event. I've been to many of these exhibition venues and often times they suffer in a few categories but this venue seemed top notch. There was quite a bit of construction happening around the venue but nothing that really disturbed the function.
Set up went smoothly and the event got underway - I won't bore you with the details of the trade show but basically this show was focused on maritime defense and security. Many, many exhibitors were present to show off their wares and services. Others were there to focus on B2B (business-to-business) ventures.
Overall, I did not really know what to expect going to the gulf region. There is a lot of new construction and development currently occurring. There is also a high influx of imported labor from surrounding nations and Asia. I hear that only about 30% of the Qatari population is native Qatari people and that the other 70% are ex-pats and workers.
My flight back was uneventful and I actually slept most of it which I thought would help with the jet lag battle but around 2PM local time I was already feeling tired.
Until next time...
~
