Dubai-it: 'The opportunities here are bigger than anywhere else in the world'

Dubai: Ask 37-year-old Amy Morris how her life’s improved since she moved to Dubai and she’ll give you a list – year-long sunshine, people who want to see you win, the work-life balance … it goes on. The Founder and CEO of Pop Up Global had been running her entertainment business in the UK for nine years, before she won a contract with one of the biggest retail businesses in the UAE. “We kept flying into Dubai and sometimes our client would fly to the UK. Eventually, we realised that life seemed pretty great in Dubai and after a year, I took the decision to expand the business to move to the UAE,” she said. As she prepared to relocate, her husband secured a job in Dubai and moved six months before she arrived in 2023. “Since then, we’ve never looked back. We have had more people from our team move to Dubai and we’ve hired more people as well,” she added. 'In Dubai, they'll do it in a week' Morris said she has a genuine appreciation for the way in which the UAE focuses on giving women more opportunities Morris, who operates in the live entertainment industry, has clients across the world, from the US to the UK, and runs the business from Dubai. “The opportunities that come to me as a business owner are so much bigger in the UAE than opportunities I get anywhere else in the world,” she said. "If someone has an idea for an entertainment piece or an event, it will just happen, whereas in the UK we'll have to do that next year. In Dubai they'll do it in a week," she added. That pace has also translated into growth. Morris and her husband have since launched another venture in the UAE, a festive family experience that is expected to welcome thousands of visitors during the holiday season. One of the biggest misconceptions Morris has encountered, however, is the assumption among people who have never visited the UAE that women face fewer opportunities here. “I tell them, ‘no, it’s quite the opposite’,” she said. As someone who’s had her fair share of dealing with the ‘boy’s club’ mentality in other countries, where contracts often get circulated among the same group of men, Morris said she has a genuine appreciation for the way in which the UAE focuses on giving women more opportunities. “In the UAE, they absolutely want to give women in business more opportunities. While in other countries you’d meet a lot more men in those positions, I don’t feel it at all in Dubai. I feel like I meet just as many women in decision-making roles as I do men,” she said. “Most of my competitors here are male, and, in fact, I have a pretty good relationship with many of them. It doesn’t feel aggressive, the way it does elsewhere,” she added. More time for life This sense of support that Dubai’s community has is another one of the many reasons why Morris chose to settle here. “I’ve noticed that whenever you meet somebody new in Dubai and you tell them what you do, nine times out of 10 they will tell you: ‘I know someone you should connect with’. I found that really interesting when I moved here, because that’s never been my experience,” she said. “It’s the willingness to see people succeed, instead of having a ‘crab mentality’, where you bring the person down if they are on their way up,” she added. This year, Morris and her husband welcomed their first child – Mila – and it gave Morris a renewed appreciation of the quality of life the city has to offer. "Raising a daughter in this region, I feel like I would not worry half as much as I would in another country. Especially as a young woman, I know that she'll be safe," she said. She also believes that despite the fast pace at which things get done in the city, she’s been able to strike a better work-life balance because of the convenience with which life moves ahead. "It gives you so much time to do things for yourself that I didn't have in the UK. I'm trying new things—I decided I was going to take tennis lessons and I'll try horse-riding. It gives you the opportunity to do that,” she said. For Morris, it is that change in the quality of everyday life that has made all the difference. "If you're considering the move, take it from me, it might just be the best thing you ever do," she said.