The United Arab Emirates is one of the most important stations of regional expansion in my career. My experience there is linked to entrepreneurship, founding companies, developing technology and education projects, consulting, artificial intelligence, virtual reality, the metaverse and business development in a fast-moving regional and international environment.
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Abu Dhabi was an important base for this stage, through founding and managing Albawaba Almotakamela (Integrated Gate), a company working in education, training, consulting, technology, AI, virtual reality and business development. The work includes preparing operating plans, feasibility studies and cooperation offers, and developing partnership models between institutions, companies, training providers and technology partners in the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and Gulf markets.
Founding businesses and consulting
Through Integrated Gate, my experience extended to developing business models, operating plans and consulting for education and technology projects, with a focus on building bridges of cooperation between institutions, training bodies and technology companies.
This stage included developing feasibility studies, operating concepts, commercial offers and institutional cooperation models, reflecting practical experience in moving from an idea to a business model that can be developed and delivered.
The UAE market was also a platform for connecting with partners, institutions and investors from multiple markets, and for linking the projects developed in the UAE with markets in Egypt, Morocco and the Gulf.
MetaLife Metaverse from the UAE to the region
The UAE is directly linked to the development and spread of MetaLife Metaverse, a technology project focused on applications of AI, virtual and extended reality and the metaverse in education, training, events, culture and digital tourism.
Through the project, we developed a range of virtual solutions and experiences, including digital learning environments, simulations of universities and classrooms, digital museums, virtual events, and immersive tourism and cultural experiences.
The UAE is one of the environments that helped present the project in a more regional and international context, and link MetaLife’s technologies with sectors such as education, conferences, exhibitions, tourism, culture and training.
MetaLife Arena and virtual events
One of the most notable concepts developed within MetaLife is MetaLife Arena, a virtual environment designed to host and organise conferences, events, workshops, training programmes and meetings in interactive digital spaces.
The concept combines virtual reality and AI to offer a digital, interactive alternative to traditional events, with halls, exhibitions and spaces that can be designed to suit each event.
The project reflects a move towards using the metaverse as a tool for work, education and institutional communication, not just as an entertainment platform.
The COP28 virtual experience
In this direction, the projects included developing a concept and digital experience linked to the COP28 events in Dubai: the COP28 VR Arena, which used virtual reality to offer a digital experience inspired by the conference environment and its related events.
The importance of this experience lies in showing how virtual reality can be used for global conferences and major international issues, making it possible to present events and content in digital environments accessible from anywhere.
Artificial intelligence and virtual reality
Alongside MetaLife, the experience in the UAE focused on developing solutions and consulting in artificial intelligence, VR, XR and immersive technologies.
The work involved developing concepts for using AI and virtual reality in:
- Education and training
- Conferences and exhibitions
- Digital tourism
- Simulation and interactive experiences
- Digital product development
- Institutional communication
- Developing scalable technology business models
The UAE environment, with its strong activity in technology, innovation and entrepreneurship, helped widen my network of relationships and cooperation in these fields.
Taking part in technology and international events
My professional activity in the UAE included taking part in and attending a number of major technology, AI and investment events and exhibitions.
Among the most notable were events linked to GITEX and AI Everything, as well as exhibitions and forums on investment, technology and digital transformation.
The experience also included taking part in professional activities and delegations linked to IGate, and attending academic and technology events on AI and education.
The UAE as a regional base for business and innovation
The importance of the UAE in my career goes beyond taking part in conferences or events: it has been a real base for founding a company, developing business, managing technology projects, and building regional relationships and partnerships.
Through Integrated Gate and MetaLife Metaverse, the UAE market has been linked to developing solutions that combine education, technology, AI, virtual reality, consulting and business development.
This stage also made it possible to expand projects from the local to the regional level, and to connect teams, partners and institutions in the UAE, Egypt, Morocco and the Gulf states within multiple cooperation models.
The UAE thus marks an important step in moving from experience in education, training and consulting to technology entrepreneurship, digital innovation and the regional expansion of projects built on AI, VR/XR and the metaverse.