JUMEIRAH BEACH HOTEL — It’s only 830 in the morning and just sitting outside, waiting for the car, I have got a sunburn and my clothes are almost soaked through. You don’t mess with the weather out here.

You never know what the day holds in Dubai. Yesterday was rain. And I didn’t think they did rain in this part of the world.

—

11 HOURS LATER — I am back now from a full day of conferencing. I think it’s one of the best I have been to. And it was all about marketing. Normally our line of business and marketeers don’t entirely see eye-to-eye. But that didn’t feel like the case today.

There were speakers from big brand firms, from to highest heights of corporate communications companies. There were CMOs and statisticians. A whole mix!

But a surprising number of them talked about employees.

There seems to be detente.

My speech was titled “Building brand value from the inside”. And it was great fun to deliver. I like to challenge people at their own game… And I seem to have survived.

I had three main points:
1. Brands are stronger if they are built from the inside out.
2. Employees can build brand value and they can destroy it. You can affect which they do.
3. Treating employees like other stakeholders, as trusted partners, will help you and your brand.

Except, I wasn’t really that concise.

/df