It’s taken a while, but I’ve finally found another design industry website that works.

The site belongs to Hospitality & Leisure Asia, a hotel and resort industry design firm whose name I came across while  researching companies that work in Dubai and elsewhere in the Middle East.

Their website, www.HLAKL.com, is a model that other larger design firms should follow.

It’s concise, easy to navigate and user-friendly.

The site offers a succinct overview of the staff, the information presented in the “client list” and “portfolio” is nicely categorized, and this site has more specifics, and fewer meaningless generalities (and words) than most.

No, HLAKL.com isn’t perfect. It has too many flash effects at the beginning, a possible “put off” for visitors who are in a hurry.

And the site is out of date; it’s “introducing” tab promotes offices in Muscat, Oman  “opening in January, 2006.”

That said, there’s alot to like about the format of this site. I recommend it as a case study  for design companies who are looking to revise their website — or possibly create a new one.

“The economy here is slumping. That’s the problem.”

That remark by a designer who attended my “Supercharge Your Sales!” presentation this past week at the Seattle Design Center got me thinking.

Maybe the “slumping economy” isn’t the problem. Maybe it’s the point.

The point is that clients need skilled, established design professionals now more than ever.

They can’t afford to make mistakes as they move ahead with their design projects. They need experienced professionals who can save them time and headaches — and money.

Skilled interior specialists get the job done right the first time. And they can share the wisdom gained through years of experience.

The “point” is that design professionals should view this economy not as an obstacle, but as an opportunity.

More about this in our March 11 teleseminar: “Don’t Slump, SOAR! How to Recession-Proof Your Design Career.” http://fredberns.com/TeleSeminarRecessionProof.html

(Dubai, U.A.E.) Who they serve is different, but what they seek is the same.Design professionals in part of the Middle East share a common goal with their North American counterparts. 

Respect.

Design professionals gathered here for my recent presentations spoke of not getting the recognition they want and deserve.

It’s the same complaint I hear so often from so many of their counterparts in the U.S. and Canada.

Interesting, that, considering how different is the business of interior design in this, the world’s fastest growing city.

Dubai is gleaming skyscrapers, man-made islands, a mall with indoor skiing and a seven star hotel where the top suite costs more than $12,000 a night.

Coming soon: the world’s tallest building, and Dubailand, an entertainment complex twice the size of Disney World.

Design firms here work on sheikhs’ palaces, luxury hotels, posh villas, malls, resorts, spas and a whole lot more. But they face challenges in doing so.

Challenges like finding and keeping staff, pressure to finish projects on budget and on time, client demands that they work “on spec,” free design offered by some suppliers and contractors, and the inevitable cultural differences in a country with nearly 200 nationalities.

 “But the big thing is that clients don’t appreciate our work,” an Emirati designer told me. “They don’t understand the difference between decorators and designers. They don’t respect us.”

What is it about design professionals worldwide … and “respect?” So many want it, but so few say they get it.

That’s because they’re their own best kept secrets. They’re the only ones who know how good they are.

Some tips I shared here on how to get more R-E-S-P-E-C-T:

+ Toot Your Flute. Promote yourself to prospects, clients — and prospective employees.

+ Differentiate Yourself. Play up what ONLY you do - - and have done.

+ Establish Your Expertise. Write articles for, and present seminars to those you seek to influence.

+ Create Credibility. Publish an ezine or blog. Post articles on your website. + Tout Your Team. Discuss your collective experience and capabilities.

Dubai, U.A.E.– Design firms here are long on projects and short on staff.

There’s plenty of opportunities for complanies to design the interiors of luxury hotels, villas, resorts and even palaces. But finding the people to do the work is something else again.

Getting and retaining staff was a key challenges voiced by the design professionals who attended my recent presentation here.

Designer “poaching” is commonplace among area firms. Consequently, some companies are so protective of the designers on their team that they won’t identify them.

Dubai design firms seem to range in size from five to 100. But those numbers are inadequate to handle a local building boom expected to attract $300 billion in projects over the next 20 years.

Add to that the pressure imposed from the powers-that-be — from Sheikh Mohammed on down –for design professionals complete these projects on budget and on time.

Promoting themselves to prospective clients isn’t the key marketing challenge facing some firms here. Promoting themselves to prospective employees is.

Dubai, U.A.E. — Start with New York. Mix in Hong Kong. Throw in some Las Vegas. Add a touch of Disneyland.

Blend in  nearly 200 nationalities, mix it all together, and serve it up in the middle of the desert, and there you have it.

Dubai.

What a remarkable city this is, a shining jewel on the Persian Gulf and the  hustling, bustling commercial center of the United Arab Emirates.

And what a remarkable opportunity it has been for me to address the interior design commmunity here , on behalf of the Association of Professional Interior Designers(apid.ae).

What once was a sleepy desert trading outpost is now the world’s fastest growing city, featuring gleaming skyscrapers, seven-star hotels, mammoth malls(one of which features the world’s largest indoor ski run),  man-made islands, luxury villas, international sporting events, and choking traffic.

Under construction here: the world’s tallest building; a 300-island, manmade archipelago in the shape of the world; and Dubai-land, a fantasyland that will be twice the size of Disney World.

For design professionals and industry partners here, business is booming.

Therein, lies the potential. And therein lies the problem.

Design firms, which take on everything from office buidings to sheikh’s palaces, are hard-pressed to find and keep  staff.  There’s tremendous pressure, originating from with Dubai’s ruler, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashin al Maktoum, for projects to be finished on time and on budget.

Traffic is horrendous; getting to a job site often happens later, rather than sooner.

Competition among firms for the best projects is intense; companies from around the world are scrambling for part of the action.

More about all this in upcoming postings.