TABLE OF CONTENTS

Date: 11-05-2022

Travelling: Bengaluru to Sharjah

The OBSM batch 2020-22 comprised 26 members accompanied by Prof. Nagendra Hegde sir. We all boarded a flight to Sharjah on 11-05-2022 at 4:30 am and reached at 8:30 am UAE local time. Mr. Wael Azeem, a tour coordinator from Ureka Group guided us throughout the OBSM trip. We checked into hotel rooms and got ready for the day.

Day 1: Orientation and Dubai Tour Dubai Silicon Oasis Authority:

On the first day, we had an orientation meeting with the Ureka team. Mr. Sarfraz, Founder of Ureka gave a brief introduction about their company and further explained to us what we have to do in the next 6 days. They gave us the itinerary of all six days of the Dubai Tour. For the final presentations, they made 7 teams of 4 members each. The Ureka team asked each of the team to make a vlog of 10 minutes and present it on the final day. This was the task assigned to a touring team.

Dubai Tour:

After the orientation programme, we were taken back to our hotels. The Dubai tour was planned for next. We started at 5 pm for the Dubai tour where a guide was assigned to us to explain the places we were going to explore. First, we visited a place called “Bastaki”, which is the old city of Dubai, where we could find all the old structures and old houses of Dubai. The guide explained that Bastaki was a trading centre where traders from Iran would drop in from the creek nearby. Iran has been a major trade partner for UAE for a long time. We went to the textile street from there and then to Gold streets. The guide asked us to explore gold street for one hour and then to assemble at the meeting point at sharp 7:30 pm.

From gold street, we then went to a place called “The Pointe” in Palm Jumeriah which has the biggest colourful fountain in the world. The fountain show was spectacular and left us speechless. The last stop for the day was Dubai Mall which is right next to the tallest tower in the world Burj Khalifa. It did not disappoint us as we witnessed the biggest fountain show and the largest Aquarium in the world.

Date: 12-05-2022

DAY 2 – Apple Store & Ecyclex Apple Store:

On day 2, we were in for the biggest learning surprise. We were taken to the third biggest Apple store in the world, which is located in the Mall of the Emirates. There we had a session for an hour and a half. Two employees took us around the store and explained the layout of the store. It did not take much time for us to understand why brand Apple is a much sought-after brand across the world. Then we had a brief photography session. The following points give an overview of about the sessions;

• Store – 7 years old.
• Store motive – Not for buying only but for chilling
• Forum Area – Place where sessions are conducted to teach people about the usage of Apple
• Photography, videography and music sessions have been conducted in the store for the last 6
• Giant Screen inside the Store – 465 inches, 6k resolution, 20 crores worth in Indian currency.
• Store Design – Lines go around the store in order to catch people’s
• Wood used in Table – Imported from Europe with texture and colour, which will never fade.
• No locking of showcases – Gives customers the option to touch and feel the experience of all the
• Apple store app – Gives the option to pick, pay online and leave the store instead of waiting at payment counters for local
• Zero Security – The store trusts its Hence it didn’t have any security guards or machines.
• Belkin – Third Party Company provides products, which are specially made for apple in white
• Live wall – Plants on the wall as a background for the sitting
• Return Policy – Any product can be returned within 14 days of purchase and customers get a full
• Apple Products – Carefully positioned to ensure customer
• Plants in-store – Special plants imported from Amsterdam which then go to the USA and from there it reaches
• The backend store size is half of the main store where all the backend work happens along with some board meetings when
• The Apple store is not only for selling the products but also has a service centre
• Earlier 15,000+ people used to visit the store per
• After the new store opened in Dubai Mall, the footfall for this store has reduced. 20,000+ people visit the store in a week
• The common question asked by the customers to the employees at the store people is, when is the new version going to get released?

ECYCLEX:

After Apple store visit, we were taken to Abu Dhabi industrial area. The industry, which we visited, was “Ecyclex”. This is an e-waste recycling company, which started in Dubai first and is now in Abu Dhabi which is just 6 months old. The first thing we did after getting into the plant was to introduce ourselves. We also played a game called BINGO with sustainable products in it. Soon after the game, we were divided into two teams consisting of 14 each. One team was taken to the workshop and the other to a plant visit. Safety gears were provided to all members. As part of the workshop, the students were divided into a team of two members. Each team

was asked to dismantle the Computer CPU in a given time. The tool kits were provided to accomplish the task. Each team was observed and the top two teams which successfully dismantled the CPU well ahead of other teams were applauded.

Meanwhile, the other team was exposed to a recycling method inside the plant. The process of recycling tons and tons of plastic, glass, and wood items was explained. They showed the process as well as the output of the recycling.

Date: 13-05-2022

DAY 3 – Gracia Group & Masdar Sustainable City GRACIA FOODS:

Gracia Foods focuses on sustainable farming and food processing. The Co-Founder gave us a brief overview of what Gracia does and insights on Sustainable farming.

Ms. Jaya, a consultant to Gracia Foods gave us insights related to the challenges we are facing right now because of climate changes and how serious it is going to be in future if we do not stop this right now. She also proposed several solutions for these problems.

We had a team activity, where we were divided into a group of 4 members and the task was to find a solution to the problem that we are facing in the world right now. Every team came up with their solutions and presented their views.

After the presentations, we were taken to the farming area. The guides showed us the plantation methods being followed using sustainable practices. The birds, sheep and other animals are also bred and the animal wastes are used for planting which is an organic way of keeping the land fertile. Effective use of land, scientific methods used in farming, drip irrigation and shading system were the highlights of their work. It was commendable from Gracia to not let

even a single drop of water be wasted. Vegetables, plants and fruits thus grown are taken to market and sold directly to customers.

MASDAR SUSTAINABLE CITY:

We visited Masdar sustainable city in the second half of the day. We were again divided into 2 teams of 14 each and taken to different places. A visit to Siemens Energy is worth mentioning as it completely makes use of advanced technologies. We were taken around the sustainable city which has structures that bore unique architecture and are tailor-made to suit the local climate, completely in sync with the UAE’s energy mission. The buildings are constructed in a way they look like a sand waves with dark orange-coloured walls. The area has an education institute inside and also residential facilities for students and staff, along with Knowledge centres. Later we had an experience with unmanned vehicles. This technology is worth mentioning as it is an accomplishment of energy efficiency. It was a lifetime experience. Masdar Sustainable City left us speechless at the end. It substantiated how a necessity is the mother of all inventions. The innovations adopted in the area are definitely the benchmark ideas which other countries need to emulate.

Date: 14-05-2022

DAY 4 – Palm Jumeirah (Nakheel Mall) & Generation 71

Palm Jumeirah (Nakheel Mall):

We visited one of the marvels of the world, Palm Jumeirah constructed by Nakheel Builders, one of the top builders in UAE. The speciality of this mall is that we can go to the 52^nd floor of the mall in just less than a minute and view the beautiful Palm Jumeirah from there. This was the best experience for all of us who have visited the OBSM trip.

Generation 71:

After visiting the Nakheel Mall, we were taken to a co-working place called Generation 71 for a workshop. The place was so unique. It has a coffee shop in the front, followed by a seating space with a TV and followed by workplaces along with some board meeting rooms. They have kept the name Generation 71 because they wanted to give us an experience of 50 years ahead in the world.

For the workshop, we were asked to sit according to our vlog teams, they gave us a task where we had to build a business plan for a new business. They gave us a token amount for seed funding but asked us not to open the envelope until we make our business plan. After finishing our business plan, we were allowed to check the amount in an envelope and it was 5 Dirhams. Now based on this amount we had to re-organize our business plan and give the final presentation to the G71 team. The final team presentations took place and the winning team got 100 Dirhams as prize money.

 Date: 15-05-2022

DAY 5 – Generation 71 & Desert Safari:

Generation 71:

The day started with heading towards the wonderful co-working place which we visited the day before. Our 5^th day was scheduled with 3 sessions conducted by 3 different speakers.

The first woman spoke about the way how she survived the hardships and got into the top positions. The key point she asked us to remember is ‘Never listen to others’ words and stop yourself before doing any work. If you want to do that then go ahead and finish it off. This only leads to the achievement’. She also explained how Dubai is fast becoming a hub of women’s education and how the growth of women in several fields are facilitated throughout these years.

Ms. Aamna Sultan Chief Learning Office of Ureka Group spoke about personal leadership. This was an interactive session. She asked us to introduce ourselves first. Then she started speaking about personal leadership development. She made us write the traits of personal leadership and asked some of us to tell what we wrote, based on that she explained whether that trait is required or not. She also asked us to dream about something, which we want to achieve down the lane of 5 years and asked everyone to tell us about his or her dreams. She spoke about the milestones in her life and how she faced those situations with the help of personal leadership skills.

The third speaker of the day was the owner of Generation 71. He gave insights about how this G71 is built and what made him build this space. He also told us some valuable points like ‘Never judge anyone by the qualification they have’. Success is all about having the talent but not the degrees they have.

Desert Safari:

The wait was over, we were now out for one of the best experiences we wanted to have and one of the best places we are waiting to visit since day one. Yes, it was the Dessert Safari. We were ready by 4 pm and took our respective buses to the location. After reaching the main point, they asked us to shift to different cars. The desert safari ride was a lifetime experience, which made us speechless and filled our hearts with full of happiness. They stopped the cars at one point to take pictures and to have fun for some time. After that, we got into our respective cars

and started our ride again to the main destination which is a place right in the mid of a dessert to have food and some adventure rides. We reached the main destination and took a camel ride and had sumptuous food served. After having dinner, we came back to our cars and returned back to our respective hotels. That was the end of day 5 with a wonderful experience of Desert Safari.

Date: 16-05-2022

DAY 6 – Final Presentations at Generation 71:

The day arrived when we had to present our vlogs of the past 5 days spent in Dubai to the Ureka and G71 team. Each team presented their vlogs and Team 6 was adjudged as the standout team with a creative vlog. The team won a gold medal. After the presentations, we spent some quality time there and had some good conversations with the team G71 and Ureka.

Then we returned to our hotel and spent some time shopping. That evening we met Ms Peaky Mehata, an alumnus of IBA from 2016-18. She is working with IBM, Dubai and she shared her experience at work and gave a few tips to successfully begin her career.

We boarded the flight back to India from Sharjah Airport at 10.30 pm local time. That was the end of a wonderful trip which will stay in our hearts forever.

“We, the students from the 2020-22 batch students wholeheartedly thank our institute Indus Business Academy, Bangalore for providing us with such a wonderful opportunity to have an overseas learning tour. Many thanks to the Ureka team for letting us have a wonderful learning experience in Dubai. It will only be apt to thank Mr. Wael Azeem, who was a tour coordinator from Ureka Group who accompanied us throughout the tour, guiding us from day one.”