Today I renewed the tenancy contract for another year. Over the past month I’ve been meaning to speak to the real estate agent, but kept putting it off. When I finally called there was no connection. A quick call to his office confirmed that he no longer worked with them, but no worries somebody would be contacting me shortly but please send an email thank you have a nice day.
Send an email I did, with the perfunctory details. Dear Sirs, I would like to renew my contract bla more bla. I finished the email off, rather sheepishly, by asking for a reduction in the rent in order to match current market conditions. I wasn’t very hopeful, but I had to mention it else my conscience would trouble me to no end. Later that day I was contacted by somebody claiming to hold the power of attorney for the landlord and asking for (rent) money. Feeling suspicious, I checked his credentials with the agency, and he did send a copy of his documents. He seemed legit enough. Oh and he asked for 16% less renewal rent than I was currently paying. I could swear that I heard a cha-ching! when I told my wife. He also asked for an administration fee of Dhs 500, but I wasn’t about to complain in view of the windfall. The latter part of the conversation involved setting up a meeting, which was to happen at my place. Unsurprisingly he didn’t ask for directions.
Thirty minutes before the stipulated time, it was evident that the house was in no shape to receive guests. There were current cat toys, past cat toys, makeshift cat toys, unintended cat toys, cat hair and cat all over the place. Apart from the normal residues of a working couple everyday living. So we dumped the cat and brought in the professionals. No, just kidding. We tidied the place up like the Sheikh himself was paying a visit.
It finally turned out that I had misunderstood his instructions. We weren’t going to meet at my place, but another empty but furnished apartment on the same floor. Oh well. Went over, wrote the checks. He went to great lengths to explain that the landlord, through him, wanted to take care of their existing tenants and be practical in the current rental situation. He showed me the alleged purchase price of the apartment, which, if true, means that the landlord’s getting a gross return of just over 2%. If true. We finished the meeting with the usual pleasantries. He wished me a pleasant stay for the indefinite future, to which I replied same to you. Oh social awkwardness, how you rear your head unexpectedly.
Is it a sign of the times that I have to go out of my way to write about what gave me intense satisfaction? No I’m not talking about the sexual kind. It happened at work.
We experimented with CSR marketing (corporate social responsibility) . Instead of throwing away thousands of $$$ to buy marketing materials and give-aways, we tied up with a charity in Africa and gave the money to them, splashing our actions on media and publications. Look at us, we’re doing good, now please use our services.
This had two direct consequences. We were the first company in our industry to do this sort of marketing activity, and it caught on with other providers and suppliers. Potentially many thousands more were donated to various other charities as a result of our actions. Secondly, and closer to home, we received an email from the charity in Africa. Attached to it was a class photo of the children who benefited directly from our own donation, holding a thank you message with our company name. What powerful feedback! It sure beats throwing pennies in a cup and hoping it does not go to fund somebody’s Bentley.
There you have it, this is what causes me to get all emotional each time I view it. Who knows, maybe a career change is in the cards for me.
An incomplete look at some interesting characters encountered during the MEBA (Middle East Business Aviation) exhibition. Pronounced like amoeba, just without the “ah” at the start. Rocket science.
The security man who ignored the beeps. Long lines amassed at the entrance, waiting for airport-style searches complete with metal detector gate and x-ray machine, but then the search itself was superficial. While this should have come as a relief, and on some level it did, I also felt that the wait to get in was not justified. Twice the metal detector beeped on my passage – once the security man looked at my name badge, read out my first name, I nodded sheepishly, and he let me in. In retrospect I could have told him that no, it wasn’t me, I just found the card lying around. Then again, maybe not. The other time he just waved me through impatiently.
The magazine distributors who wait like hungry predators, eying their victims as they shuffled to get searched at the aforementioned security entrance, to then pounce on them having not yet finished dressing up. Got to give out those copies before the competition, who would be less than 2 feet away. These would be the same people who arrive first at the show and leave multiple copies of their publications on the as yet unattended booths. I guess somebody has to keep the paper recycling companies in business. Have to remember this when I next receive a pitch for magazine advertising space and get numbers like “guaranteed distribution to all 6,350,002 attendees and exhibitors”.
The cleaner with the intense gaze. Before opening time and every 3 hours or so this cleaner would push his carpet-cleaning gadget around, not bothering to actually cover all the space, just making the rounds dutifully. Passing by our booth he would look up and fix his eyes unabashedly upon me. I could feel them like a subcutaneous itch. His wonder wasn’t subdued after doing the rounds several times. I shouldn’t pump up my self esteem though, I’m sure he was giving the same treatment to everybody else.
The caterer who ate our sweets. We had brought in some give away sweets and left them on our front desk to entice passers-by (event marketing at its finest). One of the catering reps who stocked us with drinks and coffee made it a point to stock up his pockets with our sweets. I guess the sweet is sweeter on the other table. You get the point.
The busy execs with the shade-marked sun-burnt face. I guess they were standing outside at the aircraft static display in the unforgiving sun. They will take home a souvenir, and most likely be pointed at with amusement, but I’m sure they prefer the 27 degree sunshine over the biting cold of Geneva for EBACE (sister show to MEBA held in May, somewhat busier).
The man sleeping behind the exhibit walls. Some background – MEBA is held at the airport expo, like GITEX shopper. They used the entire central hall, but partitioned off half of the east hall. So on one side of the partition high profile companies are peddling their products or services, which could cost millions of whatever currency (if you would be interested in buying a private jet), while on the other side there was this labourer dozing away on a mattress of stand building material waste, who couldn’t care less about the contracts being signed back over his shoulder. I wish I had access to some overhead gantry, from which I could include both imageries in one frame. But I hadn’t, so I didn’t.
The freebie hunters. Commercially worthless, yet no trade show would be complete without them. They roam the aisles looking for the juicier prizes. Even if it’s a petty item like a pen or a keychain, they will pick it up anyway on principle alone. If something is particularly fancy, like a mini-gadget, they will return time and again, hoping not to be recognised while snatching the booty. I’m pretty sure they meet hourly to discuss the action plan and exchange experiences, like which stashes are highly guarded and which should only be given the once-over.
