Making business contacts in Bahrain

[gtstuning]

Hi all,

I've a business plan that i've been working on and off for a few years to be based in Bahrain, and expand to other areas of the Middle East. I was working on it with a contact in the area but that's fallen through, because he fell into difficulties with his current business partners.

I keep looking at the business plan and no matter how hard i try i can't put it to bed. It's so exciting and profitable that i feel i have to try and keep it alive. I really need another man on the ground, or a company that can do some of the local foundation work.

I spoke with the Bahrain development board, and they were interested but they wanted me to show I had a degree of the investment required before they could source me a local partner. I need a little more foundation work to be done on the ground in Bahrain prior to sourcing the investment, so i feel in a catch 22 position at present.

Does anyone here work in or with someone in the middle east that might be able to help?

Regards,
Darren

 

[ADS-MARKETING]

What business are you in?

 

[gtstuning]

Motorsports

 

[profitxchange]

Try contacting UKtrade invest its a govt dept that helps get into the export business or overseas trading. They can find contacts for you and do research. Have not used recently but their work in the past has been good.

 

[ssl guru]

I will suggest to join some local websites of Bahrain where you can find group of people who are in related business and can help you. You can start finding people in Facebook and Linkedin.

 

[Export Helper]

Motorsports

Good luck with that. If you are dealing with high end motorsport technolgy it maybe a good idea to check to see that none of the stuff you are sending needs an export licence. IIRC some of the carbon fibre used in F1 cars is similar to that that could be used in missile nose cones and may require an export licence.

 

[Export Helper]

Try contacting UKtrade invest its a govt dept that helps get into the export business or overseas trading. They can find contacts for you and do research. Have not used recently but their work in the past has been good.

Having worked in association with UKTI in the past I can say they are very good and being a joint venture organisation with the FCO has contacts in the local embassies.

 

[gtstuning]

Bahrain is lovely if a little strange compared with the UK.

Very little green grass or trees etc. Just white sand everywhere. Looks on a few feet above sea level so quite strange as you come into land looks like you are landing on a sand bank. Very small too, not much bigger than a standard UK City and fewer people most of which are ex-Pats of some description.

Very nice mix of ancient British influence and moderate Arab culture, less women in veils than you'll see on East India Dock Road in South London. No income tax, very low import duty, no VAT etc. A brand new Hummer on the road price was about £11,500 when i was there in 2006.

I design and make racing cars, and motor racing is a new market in the Middle East. The cost of living is very low there, so i was looking to build cars there (so they could legitamately claim to have Arab/Middle east built race cars). They are looking to get young drivers through the ranks and into F1. For that to really happen they need to have a healthy domestic racing community, they also need to be exposed to European drivers to compete against and compare themselves to.

The low cost of living combined with low costs of manufacturing the cars there means that European drivers can afford to fly out there and pay to race for about the same cost as it would cost to race in the UK. The added bonus is that the temperature in the middle east is only suitable to race in during our winter when its too cold and wet to race here. The added benefit to this is that young inexperienced drivers who are desperate to get races under their belt (because of the way the licencing works and experience counts in your early career to what you can race and when) can spend a few weekends in the middle east and get as much relevant experience as a whole season in the UK for less money.

As a business proposition this combined manufacturing/racing/racing package for Europeans, makes for a fantastically scaleable profitable business. And beacuse we are focused on doing it from the Middle East to help promote them i really hoped it would get some support. There is a lot of interest from the few people i have been able to get to, but, i can't find that key man on the ground who can go and talk to the right person to get argreement to put on a race series. My old contact had that agreement in place so i'm sure it can be got again.

D.

 

[termsandconditions]

Sounds like a very interesting venture.

I have a close British contact in Bahrain from my halcyon days in the Middle East. He runs a couple of businesses and is based in Bahrain. He won't be the man to put on your race series but he will probably know a man who can. He also has extensive contacts in UAE too, should Bahrain fall through for you.

And don't forget neighbouring Qatar - they have a great motor racing circuit where they hold the MotoGP and a ton more cash than Bahrain. By the way, Qatar and Iran share a huge gas field in the Gulf; they have a gas production agreement in place of-course but it's really down to who sucks the hardest!

Back on subject, I am privileged to know the head of the Qatar Motor & Motorcycle Federation (QMMF), Mr. Nasser Khalifa Al-Attiyah. I was involved in some minor sponsorship of his young relative, Nasser Saleh Al-Attiyah back in '05. The latter was triumphant in the Dakar Rally last week.

PM me if you would like my Bahrain contact.

Best Regards

 

[jcm2009]

I would also suggest you contact the Arab-British Chamber of Commerce in London, they can help you get contacts in Bahrain and other parts of Middle East. Also the middle East Association, also in London are very good and they have regular networking events involving Arab diplomats in London. Good opportunity to hand out your business cards. I do general trading business in Middle East and found both of these organisations helpful.

 

[termsandconditions]

OK Darren, there's an e-mail sitting in your in-tray following the response from my chum in Bahrain. He knows Sheikh Salman, CEO of the Bahrain International Circuit and is willing to give you the Sheikh's details if you call him first.

Good Luck!