The UAE Study Tour 2015 was organized by the IBA Marketing Club from 9th to 14th January 2015. A group of 24 senior students from the BBA and MBA programs went to UAE where they visited the Emirates of Dubai and Sharjah. The Study tour was an immersive corporate experience arranged at prestigious organizations like Nielsen Arabian Peninsula, and IFFCO at Sharjah, and Bloomberg AG, and Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods) at Dubai.

At Nielsen - Sharjah, the group was welcomed by Prajakta Bhatkar, and Jooi, both senior researchers in the region. They conducted an insightful half-day workshop on MENAP (Middle East, North Africa and Pakistan) marketing research and business orientation. Since the focus was on the MENAP consumer perceptions and market segment dynamics, the participants were thrilled at the comparison of the business research in Pakistan versus the relative complexity in the MENA region with respect to local, expatriate segments and sub-segments with each. It included an interesting learning activity with the group being divided into 4 groups. They were required to develop and present hypothetical cases describing potential consumers in the fruit drinks and cosmetics category. The students were able to compare and contrast various market and consumer fragments in the MENAP region and understand the underlying similarities and differences across the region. This culminated with certificates presented to the participating IBA Group. Here, special thanks go to Mustafa Moosajee, Managing Director Nielsen Pakistan for graciously arranging this workshop. We are also appreciative of Sunita Varghese for the efficient coordination and meeting logistics making the event a memorable experience for the participants.

With Bloomberg, IBA enjoys a long standing relationship in facilitating student learning and exposure to financial data analysis. The group was welcomed by Jahongirbek Burhonov – Jahon and his team. The group were introduced to the Bloomberg Professional® service which is the most powerful and flexible platform for financial professionals who need real-time data, news and analytics, assisting them in making smarter, faster and more informed business decisions. This was a fast paced highly interactive session ending with a quiz and prizes for participants. The IBA group was especially pleased to meet an IBA alum team member, Nabeel Iqbal, Exchange Business Manager for MESA at Bloomberg L.P.

Next on the itinerary was Mondelez International (formerly Kraft Foods). They were received by our senior IBA alumnus, Ali Shaikh, Regional Head of Marketing. The session was split into two. The first was session conducted by Mahdi al-Husseini, ‎Manager Biscuits, OREO, EEMEA at Mondelēz International explain the dynamics of the behavior of the UAE consumer in general and marketing Oreo in particular. This was followed by an interesting challenge put to the group by Ali Shaikh to generate new ideas for Tang. Indeed an interesting and engaging meeting.

The final corporate visit was arranged at IFFCO (International Foodstuffs Company) where the students were given an elaborate introduction to the organization via a detailed documentary on the history of IFFCO, an innovative and integrated multi food products company based in the United Arab Emirates. The organization was set up in 1975, and has significant presence in impulse foods, packaging, chemicals, agriculture products and interestingly sales and distribution. IFFCO also produces derivatives and intermediates related to these business segments. In addition, the group has built a strong portfolio of brands like, Tiffany biscuits, London Dairy premium ice cream, Noor cooking oils and spreads. These have leading market shares in the domestic UAE market as well as the MENA regional markets. A detailed factory tour of the oils and fats production and packaging facility was conducted by experienced professionals in manufacturing and distribution management. This was excellent value addition for the group in general and students of supply chain management in particular where they were shown the complete production process of edible oils, beginning from plastic molding of bottles to filling, packing and warehousing. The group was then introduced to the complex packaging technologies that ensure protection and preservation of IFFCO's products by a packaging specialist. Next was an interesting session on market research and data management dynamics and its use in managing retail distribution operations. The last part was an in-depth overview of personality and attitude development for working in overseas maar arkets. This was led by yet another IBA alumnus, Ashaar Saeed, Head of HR at the IFFCO Oils and Fats division. This was an eye-opener for IBA graduates vying for positions in the competitive Middle East market.

Apart from the corporate visits, the students were taken to Festival City where they were given a an opportunity to study IKEA - one of the biggest and best retailers of furniture, appliances and home accessories. Being a lifestyle brand, the group gained insights at the retail level by observing buyers. Festival City is home to outlets of many of the most coveted brands in the world and the members of the group were able to relate the classroom knowledge of Brand and Sales Management in this visit.

From a UAE cultural perspective, the group explored Bur Dubai (old Dubai), Dubai Museum, Bastakiah Ruins, Sheikh Saeed Al Maktoum House & Sheikh Obaid ibn Thani House where exhibits of historical and national importance as well as calligraphic masterpieces have been preserved. This gave them a peek into the past of this originally, fishing village and acquainted the group with the history of the land and as well as its journey through time. The Heritage Village was very informative and introduced the cultural aspects of Dubai's Bedouin ancestors.

The study tour concluded with the students flying back to Karachi with some great experiences, and contacts formed in networking sessions, insights into the middle east market as well as global brands. The IBA Marketing Club succeeded in its aim to conduct a rigorous but fun filled trip that would add to the students' professional profiles and remain memorable for the years to come.

We are grateful to the Dean & Director, Dr Ishrat Hussain for affording the senior students this opportunity to assimilate an understanding of the regional socio economic dynamics of business.