[ad_1]
The opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
You are reading Entrepreneur Middle East, the international franchise publication of Entrepreneur Media.
As entrepreneurs set up shop in Dubai (and are required by law to have a business address in a commercial building to complete the licensing process), demand is also increasing for locations that cater to young businesses looking to keep costs low while they test the market. A UAE-born startup is now offering a cost-effective and suitable solution to meet this need: Fluidmeet, founded by Jareer Oweimrin and Suleiman Salloum, is a value-added marketplace for work, meeting and event spaces that allows users Book everything from meeting rooms to banquet halls, coworking spaces to serviced offices, all from the startup’s app and website. Both founders were management consultants working in the GCC region, where their tasks included meeting clients, conducting workshops and organizing in-house training.
So whenever they needed a space to hold these meetings, Oweimrin remembers running into a lot of questions as they tried to identify the area they needed, the research sites that area offered, and then call them and ask for details and convenience facility. But it doesn’t end there – they then have to wait for proposals, which can take anywhere from a few hours to a few days, then compare all the proposals and finally decide on one, and then they have to go to the venue and submit payment, before actually using the space Before. If it wasn’t already clear, Oweimrin and Salloum found this process extremely annoying and needlessly time-consuming, which is what drove them to look for a better way of doing things, and thus, fluidmeet was born in 2015.
Jareer Oweimrin, founder and executive director of fluidmeet
Source: fluidmeet
When they started using FluidMeet, the founders knew there were others facing challenges like theirs, so they started by asking colleagues in the consulting industry, such as trainers, life coaches and recruiters who often need on-demand space. Venue providers embraced their idea as they wanted more business and a streamlined inquiry and booking platform. “It turns out that the industry is highly fragmented and in desperate need of standardization – fluidmeet steps up to the plate.”
When they were building their business, assembling a great team was the first hurdle, and Ovemlin believes it was the “established values” they set early on that helped the startup solve these problems. The young company also remains financially prudent, being cautious about “money coming in and money going out.” He praised the support of friends and family as equally important, as they were how Fluidmeet reached its first customers. For their current strategy, the team has invested (and will continue to invest) in over 15 digital marketing pipelines, as well as events and roadshows to market the product.
Suleiman Salloum, founder and executive director of FluidMeet
Source: fluidmeet
It’s worth mentioning how this new startup has grown with the needs of its customers. Initially, fluidmeet started providing meeting rooms in business centers and hotels. They later discovered that people wanted to work in serviced offices and coworking spaces – and these were quickly added to the platform. They also realize that some potential customers are looking for freedom from contracts and long-term leases. But they also have potential customers who want to book or inquire about space for weeks or months at a time, so the team developed the platform to accommodate both user journeys. Today, the startup offers meeting rooms, coworking spaces, serviced office spaces and event spaces online by the hour and daily, while those looking for space on a monthly or yearly basis can also request a call or tour.
The Fluidmeet team also began to understand the differentiating factors between meeting room requests and event space requests in terms of guests and space capabilities, so functionality for catering requests and accommodations was subsequently added online. In addition to offering a variety of free and paid subscription deals for landlords, they also noticed how providers were looking for business efficiency and productivity – which led them to create a customer relationship management tool to manage space listings, bookings, production, advertising and marketing. “They’re starting to see new performance metrics related to their spaces that are, at best, on Excel, sometimes on paper, and at worst, nothing,” Oweimrin said.
Related: Middle East legal advice wants to help startups get legal assistance more easily
Alliance Business Village Conference Room
Source: fluidmeet
The founder recalled that in the first few months, fluidmeet had no more than 500 visits, but now it receives more than 40,000 visitors per month and currently has more than 2,000 display spaces on the platform. Notable milestones for the startup include securing an undisclosed investment as an angel investor from a family group in the GCC, which paved the way for a major marketing campaign in January 2016, followed by partnerships with travel agencies, aggregators Established strategic relationships with travel agencies. law office.
The following year we launched an automated quote request service for event seekers and diversified from corporate bookings to include social segments such as weddings and anniversaries. In 2018, fluidmeet implemented subscription-based featured lists, launched an app, and began operating in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
NEST Dubai shared office space
Source: fluidmeet
The popularity of coworking spaces is another trend Oweimrin is looking to capitalize on at FluidMeet. “The ability of these spaces to be more dynamic than other workspaces is quite profound and will have a significant impact on the real estate market going forward,” Overling said. “We believe WeWorks around the world have played an important role in this evolution, and our role as an aggregator and enabler will help shape this transformation.”
Over the next few months, the team is focused on building a scalable technology and operations platform that works with external vendors. They’re also preparing to raise about $2 million in pre-Series A funding to grow the business—expansion of the team is on the horizon, as is entry into new markets like Egypt and the Levant. Oweimrin also said that fluidmeet aims to expand to multiple regions in the next few years, from Asia to Africa and then Europe.
Bonington Conference Room
Source: fluidmeet
“It’s already on that trajectory, but steering the ship requires calculation, skill and a bit of luck,” he said. “Our dream has always been to develop FluidMeet into a global brand. We have always viewed FluidMeet as the realization of the dream of Dubai. Its values are synonymous with everything built in Dubai. This is a land of dreams and opportunities, and fluidmeet is It’s just one of those opportunities to outdo your peers.”
Related: Five questions to ask when choosing a workspace solution
[ad_2]
Source link