“I have had many ‘lightbulb’ moments,” says Elinor Davies-Farn, founder of Olew Hair, a vegan friendly, natural hair care product brand.

“I’ve worked for BMW in Park Lane, London – I worked with VIP clients, from football players, golfers to other celebrities. I worked long hours (sometimes over 14 hour days), granted I had a good wage and a brand new BMW every 9 months. I always worked beyond what was expected of me and one morning, I was 15 minutes late due to traffic and I was told off like a child; with no remorse or recollection that I was always one of the first ones in and last out. That was the first,” she recalls.

“The second was when a colleague saw me (a senior manager) with my hair scraped back into a plait one day and said: ‘Oh that looks so much more professional, you should do that more often.’ And I thought, ‘How dare you, how dare you judge my professionalism based on my hair.” And then I realized, ‘Oh gosh, how many other women and men have had these comments said to them? What can I do to help with this?’”

Telling herself she has had enough after spending four years in the corporate world, Elinor went on her own.

“I had no plan, just a determination to be my own boss and work my own hours and do what I want as well as help other girls, women and men fall in love with their natural hair and feel confident in their own skin. Something I wish I had growing up,” Elinor said.

“Olew was born out of the frustration at the lack of natural hair care products available for my mane. Combined with my extensive research into the harmful chemicals and preservatives that are a mainstay of many of the products available on the market.

“I used to straighten my hair twice a day, I used to hate my natural curls. Looking back, I had no confidence growing up because I was so obsessed with my hair being straight. I never thought it looked pretty. Then one day during a month-long tour of Spain during the university summer holidays in 2012, I ditched the straighteners. It was a revelation. I thought to myself ‘What have I been doing all my life? I’m never doing this again.’

“But my hair was damaged from years of treatments and so I started mixing up my own treatments after months of classes and research to find the right product to help with growth and repair, and that’s when Olew was born,” Elinor said.

Olew has had its share of birth pains.

“I was working for another start-up while also building my brand and had handed my notice in at the beginning of 2020 – and my last day was March 5, 2020 just as London was going into a lockdown. I was so scared. The other job had given me a crash financially as I was not taking any money out of Olew at the time. I thought, nobody is going to want to purchase hair products in lockdown and a global pandemic- I have really messed up this time, I cried for a whole day and felt sheer panic as I thought, how am I even going to pay my bills next month,” she said. 

“I think this fear helped push me into a mode I had never reached before. And of course, when it rains it pours. At the same time, I had sent thousands of products to Belgium as we were going to a curly hair festival to be one of the main sponsors in March, and of course it was cancelled and my entire stock was in Belgium. 

“Due to the pandemic, naturally, the shipping costs to get the products sent back tripled and I had no stock – the stock I did have in the UK were in my fulfilment center which had now been closed and nobody could access it. So I was totally stuck. After much deliberation I took the plunge and paid for the astronomical fees to get my products shipped to my flat in London and of course, the products arrived and a huge number of them were damaged or broken or had leaked over the other products. I vividly remember sitting on the floor opening each booth and just my hands covered in glass and product and the tears came rolling down my face again!” Elinor said.

She managed to pull through. 

These days, Elinor gets her motivation looking through all of her brand’s  five-star reviews and messages from customers who comment on how Olew hair has helped with their self-confidence and loving their natural hair again.

“It just fills me up with so much joy,” she says, adding that happiness is also derived “remembering that I set my own hours and have nobody to answer to.”

Her advice: “Don’t compare your journey to others, stay focused on your own journey and stay true to yourself and what you are doing.”

Elinor was recently named as a leading 2020 “30 under 30” female entrepreneur.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Expo 2020 Dubai’s star-studded opening ceremony will be streamed live to more than 430 locations across the UAE, giving everyone the chance to participate in the mind-blowing spectacle, wherever they might be.

This will be followed by three spectacular fireworks displays in Dubai, marking the first full day of the Expo in a spectacular visual celebration commemorating the journey from winning the bid in 2013 to opening the first World Expo in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia region and the largest global event held since the start of the pandemic.

On Thursday, 30 September, nationwide Opening Ceremony viewing parties will take place across the country, thanking the nation for its support and inviting everyone to come together to celebrate this momentous occasion for Dubai, the UAE and the region as a whole.

Screens will be set up in locations ranging from airports and shopping malls to hotels and other landmarks, relaying the incredible music and cultural performances as they happen.

Viewers from anywhere in the world can also join the evening’s proceedings via a global live stream, available on virtualexpo.world
https://virtualexpo.world/ and Expo TV
http://www.expo2020.com/tv from 1930 GST onwards.

Among those slated to perform are world-famous tenor Andrea Bocelli; Grammy-nominated, Golden-Globe-winning actress, singer and songwriter Andra Day; platinum-selling British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding; international mega-star pianist Lang Lang; and four-time Grammy winner Angelique Kidjo.

The incredible fireworks display will take place on the evening of Friday 1 October, kicking off at 2020 GST, at Dubai Festival City, The Frame and The Pointe, Palm Jumeirah, with each presenting their own unique celebrations. Both The Pointe and Dubai Festival City will incorporate their fountains into a dazzling light and sound show themed on Expo 2020, while The Frame façade will be lit up in Expo colours. The flags of participating countries will also be displayed at each, with booths on the ground for purchasing Expo 2020 tickets.

The roster of streaming locations for the Opening Ceremony includes more than 240 hotels nation-wide, including Emaar’s Rove, Armani, Address Hotels & Resorts, and Vida Hotels & Resorts, as well as Accor, Marriot, Hilton, IHG, Rotana, Jumeirah, Hyatt International and Atlantis The Palm.

In addition, 17 Majid Al Futtaim malls, plus City Walk, Nakheel Mall and Ibn Battuta Mall, as well as 50 Jashanmal locations across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, 97 Mediclinics, Dubai and Abu Dhabi International Airports and Zabeel Ladies Club and Sharaf DG will also stream the experience.

Expo 2020 Partners are also offering their invaluable support, with many, including Dulsco, Terminus Group, L’Oreal and Nissan, hosting Opening Ceremony viewing parties for their staff. Emirates, the Official Airline Partner of Expo 2020 Dubai, will also stream proceedings across its first and business class lounges, both local and international.

Adding to the evening’s magic, viewings are taking place at various locations in Umm Al Quwain, Yas Plaza in Abu Dhabi and across various locations in Ras Al Khaimah, including the Corniche, Al Marjan Island and Manar Mall. Ajman Heritage District and Fujairah Fort will also host a live broadcast, the latter accompanied by an evening of other festivities that include a mini village, folklore bands, traditional crafts, heritage displays and traditional food.

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates: Emirates, the Premier Partner and Official Airline of Expo 2020 Dubai, has revealed a head-turning A380 livery dedicated to further carrying the global event’s messages worldwide.

A bold departure from the airline’s traditional white and gold paint scheme, this bright blue aircraft livery features large-scale graphics in vivid green, orange, pink, purple and red, which run across the fuselage and all the way up to the tail and fin interlaced with the distinct ring-shaped Expo 2020 Dubai logo. Special ‘Dubai Expo’ and ‘Be Part of the Magic’ messages run across both sides of the A380 fuselage. The engine cowls also carry the Expo 2020 Dubai messages and dates of the event.

In addition, the brave Burj Khalifa stunt woman who appeared in the recent viral Emirates ad, carries an invitation to visit the event on both sides of the aircraft, holding a message board that says: ‘See you there’ and ‘Dubai Expo Oct-Mar 2022’.

The iconic Emirates red belly branding, which can be only seen when the aircraft is flying overhead, has been replaced by the opportunity themed orange ‘Dubai Expo’ branding, further increasing the event’s visibility and awareness as it flies to the airline’s A380 network over the course of the next 6 months.

The new A380 livery was designed, painted, produced and installed in-house by the teams at Emirates. The livery was not just a decal, but a complete paint project, and is by far the largest one the airline has ever embarked on. A great deal of planning and ingenuity was involved to ensure the distinct livery design was brought to life and flawlessly executed.

The paint on A6EEU, the aircraft chosen for the livery, was completely stripped. After that, eleven colours were applied on the aircraft in a careful, methodically sequenced manner. A ‘wild spray method’, electrostatic spray guns and conventional cup guns were used to put on the different colours, using over 2,500 sqm of tracing and masking material. All of the stencils and tracing guides were produced in-house by the airline’s UV printer and graphics workshop, and took numerous hours to fabricate and complete. The Emirates Engineering Aircraft Appearance Centre teams skillfully worked through the challenges of fine-tuning the outlines and masking to convert the designs onto a three dimensional aircraft, in addition to managing the contrasting colours and intricate background shades in this unique livery.

Decals were then applied on the engine cowls and, as well as the image of the Emirates Cabin crew holding the message boards adjacent to the aircraft’s exits.

The process of painting the livery design and applying the decals took 16 days and 4,379 man-hours to complete.

Emirates has a long tradition of showcasing special liveries on its Airbus A380 and Boeing 777 fleet, and in the last five years alone, close to 50 unique designs and 100 liveries have been brought to life by the team at the airline. Special liveries have helped pay a special tribute and carry the legacy of the late HH Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan; bring sports fans closer to their favourite clubs, players and global tournaments; spread the UAE’s message of tolerance and multi-culturalism; raise awareness of the illegal wildlife trade, and much more. The innovative work done on the liveries has kept travellers, plane-spotters and the general public looking to the skies for inspiration.

The new Expo 2020 Dubai livery will appear on three Emirates A380 aircraft to help visually tell the story and reaffirm the themes of one of the largest global events to take place since the onset of the pandemic. The distinctive blue Expo aircraft will join the 40 other special liveries dedicated to Expo 2020 Dubai, which have collectively flown to over 130 destinations across the Emirates network since 2018.

The new livery will wow travellers and drive the Expo 2020 Dubai message when it heads to Los Angeles on 29 September.

Expo 2020 Dubai is the first World Expo ever hosted in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia (MEASA) region, and will run from October 2021 to March 2022. Its six-month program is packed with experiences to suit all ages and interests, including a rich line-up of themed weeks, entertainment, and edutainment. Art and culture fans as well as food and technology enthusiasts can explore exhibits, workshops, performances, live shows and more. Visitors can also drop by their national pavilion for a taste of home or experience the 190 other country pavilions. Emirates will be showcasing its own pavilion focused on the future of commercial aviation.

“We have seen 48% decline in our empathy levels over the last 30 years, and the impact of this has a devastatingly powerful effect on our connectivity, our cohesion and our health. We are more disconnected now than at any other time in history and it is leading us to live and work within a loneliness endemic globally,” says Mimi Nicklin, CEO of Freedm, described as the world’s “most free advertising agency, which aims to empower creative talents without boundaries or bias all over the world, and offering clients far more than simply the solve to their brief.”

“I think people become indifferent when the culture they work within or leadership they work under don’t understand and empathize with them, their outlook and their opinions. As human beings we thrive when we are together, we do better when we are connected,” she said.

“The three decades of declining empathy have led to increasing levels of workplace anxiety, burn out, disconnection and low morale. We are seeing high levels of absenteeism and low motivation.  I write a lot about being ‘lonely but not alone’ – we so often find disconnection and misunderstanding while being surrounded by our teams physically. These are all facets that can be turned around if we only commit to doing so,” Mimi further said.

Mimi created global waves in the business world after releasing her book, “Softening the Edge,” which describes how we all need more empathy, and how business leaders can balance humanism and capitalism. 

The creative entrepreneur, keynote speaker, podcast host and leading empathy advocate is set to cause a paradigm shift in global business thinking with the launch of the world’s first organizational empathy platform, Empathy Everywhere, which manifests her authentic passion to drive better business via deeper understanding of the science and art of empathy, communication and human understanding.

Asked about her plans, Mimi said: “To disrupt the advertising industry, as we know it, to redefine our business as truly people first. To prove that humanism and capitalism can be balanced and that we will grow our creative product and ourselves by doing so. In the years ahead I will passionately continue to inspire and coach organizations on how to do this in their teams, cultures and creative work.”

She said “Empathy Everywhere” offers organizations the opportunity to train their staff and infuse their culture with empathy for the growth of their people and their profit margins.  It offers training and workshops to clients to both educate and inspire on the power of humanity’s oldest leadership trait, she said.

Mimi, who completed her degree at Birmingham University in England had simple beginnings.

“I grew up in the countryside in the south of Britain with a sister, two dogs and a very grumpy cat. My life was a quintessentially country life; living in a small village where we bought our food locally, went to school down the road and grew up knowing our neighbors. 

“My father was an adman and I was destined to follow in those footsteps. And so I did! I have been in advertising my entire career working for WPP and Omnicom, and have been an expat for 14 of those years, travelling the world with my work and being based in cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore, Cape Town, Dubai, Colombo and Madrid,” she said.

Dubai, she said, is a city that “rewards those who look below the surface.

“It is full of people with a dream of bigger, newer, brighter and it is entirely up to you to find them!” 

One particular life lesson stands out so far: “ To never accept a meeting request before asking the location of the office! I once unknowingly accepted a meeting on the 122nd story of the tallest building of the world (Burj Khalifa) while being afraid of elevators! (I made it, just!)” 

Her advice? “Everything in life is easier said than done, but I have learned that the fear of failure is always worse than the failure itself. In failing we learn, and in learning we grow. 

“Ultimately as humans, we were born to thrive and to continue to grow; without this we bore, lose momentum and lack in inspiration. Balancing the potential for failure against the potential for stagnancy makes you realize that the risk of potentially failing is the far less scary option.”

To facilitate the movement of Expo visitors from different emirates, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has allocated 203 buses: (Expo Bus) to serve visitors to Expo 2020 from 18 stations (9 stations in Dubai, and 9 stations in other emirates). 

Expo bus service will be free of charge in Dubai from nine stations and stops, in addition to two routes to transport visitors from hotels directly to the site of Expo. 

The RTA designated 126 public buses to serve Expo 2020 visitors from 9 stations/stops across Dubai, through operating 455 to 476 trips per day, namely: 

• Palm Jumeirah
• Al Baraha
• Al Ghubaiba, Etisalat
• Global Village
• International City
• Dubai Silicon Oasis
• Dubai Mall and 
• Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3). 

RTA will also provide two additional services: the EXPO Parking Shuttle service to transfer visitors from car parks to the three Expo Gates: (Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability) and the EXPO People Mover service to commute visitors between Expo Gates.

RTA will operate 77 buses to transport Expo visitors from nine locations outside Dubai, including three stations in Abu Dhabi city namely Abu Dhabi International Airport Station, Abu Dhabi Main Bus Station, Marina Mall Station, in addition to one point in Al Ain City at Al Ain Bus Station. 

There will be two stations in Sharjah: Al Jubail Bus Station, Muwailih Station. Other stations include Ras Al Khaimah Bus Station, Ajman Bus Station, and the bus stop near City Centre Fujairah. 

There will be 193 trips per day during weekdays, rising to 213 daily trips during the weekend (on Thursdays and Fridays).

9 Stations

RTA established nine public bus stations to serve Expo visitors, distributed over key areas in Dubai, namely: 

• Al Ghubaiba, Etisalat 
• Al Baraha
• Dubai Silicon Oasis
• International City
• Dubai International Airport (Terminal 3)
• Palm Jumeirah
•  Dubai Mall
• and the Global Village.

The construction of Expo bus stations catered to fulfilling the requirements and standards of integrated transportation and enhancing the interconnection of the city to facilitate the access of residents to and from public transport stations and ensure the safe and smooth access of pedestrians and cyclists to these means. 

The design also serves the needs of a qualifying environment for people of determination and boosted the connection between various transport stations, development projects, and attractions areas in the surrounds.

As such, it focused on providing the requirements of the first and last-mile, and integrated transport such as public bus stops, cycling tracks, pedestrian crossings, landscaping, and bike racks to encourage residents to walk and use individual means of transportation.

Dubai, United Arab Emirates: Dubai Metro Expo 2020 Station will operate on October 1^st, synchronized with the official opening of Expo 2020. 

• The Red and Green Lines of Dubai Metro will offer passenger services from Saturday to Wednesday from 05:00 am to 01:15 am (of the following day). 
• On Thursday, the service will run from 05:00 am to 02:15 am (of the following day), and on Friday from 08:00 am to 01:15 am (of the following day). 
• The service frequency will be 2:38 minutes during peak times. 
• Dubai Tram will provide service from Saturday to Thursday from 06:00 am to 01:00 am (of the following day), and on Friday from 08:00 am to 01:00 am (of the following day). 

Meatime, Expo Buses will operate from 06:30 am and continue service for 90 minutes after the closure of Expo Gates. 

Passenger commuting service from the parking area (Expo Parking Shuttle) to the three Expo Gates will start at 09:00 am and continue for 90 minutes after the closure of Expo Gates. 

Bus Service between Expo Gates (Expo People Mover) will start service at 06:30 am and continue service 90 minutes after the closure of Expo Gates. Taxi and e-hail services will be running around the clock. 

Route 2020 of the Dubai Metro extends 15 km from Jebel Ali Metro Station on the Red Line to Expo 2020 Station. It connects seven stations and provides safe and smooth transport for visitors of the Expo as well as Dubai districts.

Route 2020 serves communities populated by more than 270 thousand people namely the Gardens, Discovery Gardens, Al Furjan, Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai Investment Park and Dubai Expo 2020 site.

It has a capacity of 46,000 riders per hour in both directions (23,000 riders per hour per direction). The number of riders is expected to reach 275,000 riders per day in 2030. Expo Station is expected to receive 35,000 daily visitors of Expo during weekdays, and the number is set to increase to 47,000 daily visitors during weekends. This number accounts for 29% of the total expected number of daily visitors to Expo.

“I started very young at 15 years of age as I knew what I wanted to do. I spent so much time with my grandparents who loved food and the rest is history,” Mark Patten, Vice President for Food and Beverage at The First Collection, tells Dubai Vibes Magazine.

Born and raised in Melbourne, Australia, among a family of avid foodies, Mark’s passion for food and beverage developed at an early age. An international award-winning chef, Mark commenced his professional career in 1998, working in Cyprus, Barbados, Hong Kong and Singapore in a series of senior management positions for five-star luxury properties.

“I had a firm belief when I was a young apprentice working in Melbourne that you had to work with great people and from a young age that is what I aimed to do. As I grew into a chef working abroad, I continued to push myself into roles that even surpassed my expectations  

“I believe in being accountable, consistent, engaging and creative. If we continue to do the same thing, like the law of diminishing returns, we will only get the same results time and time again, so we need to be in a way disruptive in F&B,” says Mark.

Mark was with the pre-opening team of Atlantis, The Palm in Dubai as Vice President of Culinary. He was instrumental in the overall success of the property, which led him to being promoted to Senior Vice President Food and Beverage in 2013, a role that saw him assume responsibility for the successful running of the hotel’s 23 restaurants and bars, entertainment and  events.”

“How do you eat an elephant? A bite at a time. The opening of Atlantis was broken down into two main parts, the first being the successful opening of the overall property in September of 2008 with all the restaurants, bars, and banqueting facilities. The second major part was around the grand opening of the property in November of 2008. This opening was a four-day event with many moving parts which required 12 months of planning,” shares Mark.

“Both openings from my point of view went like clockwork and exceeded even my expectations. The critical element of success was having the right structure in place from the beginning and then hiring the right people (I personally hired 190 members of my team that I knew) with solid backgrounds that would understand the scale of the property. 

“Being consistent in delivering high quality products and services is key. Greatness never comes from a coincidence; it is a conscious choice. Evolving the F&B concepts over the period of the 10 years at Atlantis was a great experience and opportunity I will never forget. From fast casual to top-end premium restaurants, there was never a dull moment,” he said.  

Mark said he is excited to be part of a wonderful team at The First Collection and “have an opportunity to work with great people, build a very relevant, accessible lifestyle brand with food and beverage being the theater or heartbeat of each property.” 

Looking back, Mark says he has learned to take it easy. “Don’t be too hard on yourself if you fail, learn to have rigor and resilience and if you do make a mistake, it’s life, we need to do so to learn,” he says. 

His advice to the young ones: “Work with great people or the best in the business in any part of hospitality and participate. Don’t wait to be asked just roll up your sleeves and get moving.”

The First Collection is a new lifestyle brand from integrated property developer The First Group, which recently revealed that it will open its first hotel under the brand – The First Collection Jumeirah Village Circle. 

The First Group is an integrated global property developer with an existing portfolio of 11 award-winning properties, which includes Wyndham Dubai Marina, Millennium Place Marina and TRYP by Wyndham Dubai.

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