The epitome of intellectual cool arrived in Abu Dhabi yesterday with the city's first annual TEDx event.
Billed as a brain spa and hosted under the banner of an American non-profit company whose motto is "ideas worth spreading", TEDx brought together speakers to discuss science, business, the arts and other globally important issues.
Those addressing yesterday's event at Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre included the director of the economic and social studies department at the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, Google Gulf's regional manager, a behavioural characteristics and workforce trends specialist and Facebook's chief operating officer - in a recorded speech fed in via videolink.
"Each organiser adds a personal touch to the event," says Carmen Oprea, the organiser of TEDx Abu Dhabi.
She had held TEDx events back home in Romania, and decided to bring them to Abu Dhabi after moving here last year.
"For Abu Dhabi, we tried really hard to put together a list of speakers who will address specific issues for the city, for the country or for the region," she said.
The speakers included Yiannis Lagos, the president for international markets at Humantelligence, who spoke about five myths of the modern workplace.
"We are human and we often use conventional wisdom when it comes to managing our people," he told the audience. "But this conventional wisdom does not really work."
The first myth, according to Mr Lagos, is that efficiency in business has improved as productivity has increased. Studies show that the average return on assets has dropped to a quarter of what it was in 1965.
Other fallacies include the commonly held belief that the chief executive is the most important person in the company and that businesses should invest only in high-potential employees.
But the biggest myth of all, said Mr Lagos, is that money can buy effort.
Experiments have shown that money can be an effective motivator for mechanical tasks such as moving boxes. But for tasks that require more brain power, money actually has the opposite effect.
"We can't reward people with money when we ask them to use their brains," said Mr Lagos.
People take many of the myths for granted, said Doris Hazzan, a senior analyst with Jones Lang LaSalle in Dubai. But Mr Lagos "had stats to prove otherwise", she said.
Like many others attending the event, she was familiar with TED.
"I watch TED Talks a lot on YouTube and I can't believe they're here, so I am really excited to see them live," she added.
Tim Gilliatt, who also attended yesterday's event, uses TEDx talks as a resource in his job as a science teacher at Dubai British School.
"It's really quite interesting to see the future concepts," he said.
Tom Segers and Nadege Noblet both travelled from Dubai to attend the talks.
"I think if it was during the week we wouldn't have made it, especially coming from Dubai," said Mr Segers.
Other speakers at the event included Yalman Khan and Kunal Wadhwani, both founders of Agricel, a company based in Dubai that uses a water-efficient process to grow crops without soil. "Ninety per cent of all the water used in agriculture is wasted either in evaporation or by seeping into the ground," said Mr Khan.
Their speech included a stark warning.
"Mother nature will sustain itself. We as a dominant species, if we want to sustain our dominance, we have to change a lot of things," said Mr Wadhwani.
gduncan@thenational.ae
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A State of Passion
Directors: Carol Mansour and Muna Khalidi
Stars: Dr Ghassan Abu-Sittah
Rating: 4/5
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Lamsa
Founder: Badr Ward
Launched: 2014
Employees: 60
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: EdTech
Funding to date: $15 million
THE BIO
Family: I have three siblings, one older brother (age 25) and two younger sisters, 20 and 13
Favourite book: Asking for my favourite book has to be one of the hardest questions. However a current favourite would be Sidewalk by Mitchell Duneier
Favourite place to travel to: Any walkable city. I also love nature and wildlife
What do you love eating or cooking: I’m constantly in the kitchen. Ever since I changed the way I eat I enjoy choosing and creating what goes into my body. However, nothing can top home cooked food from my parents.
Favorite place to go in the UAE: A quiet beach.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
The advice provided in our columns does not constitute legal advice and is provided for information only. Readers are encouraged to seek independent legal advice.
UAE SQUAD FOR ASIAN JIU-JITSU CHAMPIONSHIP
Men’s squad: Faisal Al Ketbi, Omar Al Fadhli, Zayed Al Kathiri, Thiab Al Nuaimi, Khaled Al Shehhi, Mohamed Ali Al Suwaidi, Farraj Khaled Al Awlaqi, Muhammad Al Ameri, Mahdi Al Awlaqi, Saeed Al Qubaisi, Abdullah Al Qubaisi and Hazaa Farhan
Women's squad: Hamda Al Shekheili, Shouq Al Dhanhani, Balqis Abdullah, Sharifa Al Namani, Asma Al Hosani, Maitha Sultan, Bashayer Al Matrooshi, Maha Al Hanaei, Shamma Al Kalbani, Haya Al Jahuri, Mahra Mahfouz, Marwa Al Hosani, Tasneem Al Jahoori and Maryam Al Amri
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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The biog
Favourite food: Tabbouleh, greek salad and sushi
Favourite TV show: That 70s Show
Favourite animal: Ferrets, they are smart, sensitive, playful and loving
Favourite holiday destination: Seychelles, my resolution for 2020 is to visit as many spiritual retreats and animal shelters across the world as I can
Name of first pet: Eddy, a Persian cat that showed up at our home
Favourite dog breed: I love them all - if I had to pick Yorkshire terrier for small dogs and St Bernard's for big
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
Sheikh Zayed's poem
When it is unveiled at Abu Dhabi Art, the Standing Tall exhibition will appear as an interplay of poetry and art. The 100 scarves are 100 fragments surrounding five, figurative, female sculptures, and both sculptures and scarves are hand-embroidered by a group of refugee women artisans, who used the Palestinian cross-stitch embroidery art of tatreez. Fragments of Sheikh Zayed’s poem Your Love is Ruling My Heart, written in Arabic as a love poem to his nation, are embroidered onto both the sculptures and the scarves. Here is the English translation.
Your love is ruling over my heart
Your love is ruling over my heart, even a mountain can’t bear all of it
Woe for my heart of such a love, if it befell it and made it its home
You came on me like a gleaming sun, you are the cure for my soul of its sickness
Be lenient on me, oh tender one, and have mercy on who because of you is in ruins
You are like the Ajeed Al-reem [leader of the gazelle herd] for my country, the source of all of its knowledge
You waddle even when you stand still, with feet white like the blooming of the dates of the palm
Oh, who wishes to deprive me of sleep, the night has ended and I still have not seen you
You are the cure for my sickness and my support, you dried my throat up let me go and damp it
Help me, oh children of mine, for in his love my life will pass me by.
The Pope's itinerary
Sunday, February 3, 2019 - Rome to Abu Dhabi
1pm: departure by plane from Rome / Fiumicino to Abu Dhabi
10pm: arrival at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
Monday, February 4
12pm: welcome ceremony at the main entrance of the Presidential Palace
12.20pm: visit Abu Dhabi Crown Prince at Presidential Palace
5pm: private meeting with Muslim Council of Elders at Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque
6.10pm: Inter-religious in the Founder's Memorial
Tuesday, February 5 - Abu Dhabi to Rome
9.15am: private visit to undisclosed cathedral
10.30am: public mass at Zayed Sports City – with a homily by Pope Francis
12.40pm: farewell at Abu Dhabi Presidential Airport
1pm: departure by plane to Rome
5pm: arrival at the Rome / Ciampino International Airport
LEAGUE CUP QUARTER-FINAL DRAW
Stoke City v Tottenham
Brentford v Newcastle United
Arsenal v Manchester City
Everton v Manchester United
All ties are to be played the week commencing December 21.
The%20specs
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