Olympics 2012
The 2012 Olympics represent a true once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the hospitality, transport and travel sectors. It is not too early to start now, to ensure you make the most of this event. Anabol Consulting can help you optimise the period leading up to 2012, during the games, the subsequent Paralympics and dismantling of the facilities. There are numerous markets to consider: competitors, officials, staff, spectators, non-participant visitors to UK – they all need accommodating, feeding, transporting, entertaining and impressing so they come back again. Local authorities and healthcare providers are just two of the other sectors that need to be geared up for the diverse and demanding influx of visitors to the South East of England. Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express may have been selected as the official providers of hotel services, but that still leaves lots of room for other companies to tap into this event. The Anabol Consulting team have the breadth of experience and insight to make your organisation a winner in the 2012 Olympics.
Abu Dhabi
The Anabol Consulting teams are capable to advise on many aspects of the enormous infrastructure development underway in Abu Dhabi, now one of the most commercially exciting places on Earth.
The capital of the United Arab Emirates continues to be transformed with $208 billion budgets for the city’s top ten civil projects. The projects range from new cities and island resorts to new communities and a light rail system. They have a sovereign wealth fund estimated at $328 billion. More than $208 billion of that has been earmarked for the master-plan budgets. The new capital city for Abu Dhabi – Khalifa City has a budget of $40 billion and is planned to comprise all federal ministries, local government offices and embassies. The city is expected to be completed by 2030. Work has started on the Yas Island Development, a massive $39 billion mixed use tourist development including residential, hotels, beaches, marinas, retail, golf and equestrian facilities. The island will have a total developed area about one-third the size of Abu Dhabi island. There is also a $24 billion mixed use real estate community project in Abu Dhabi to include 11 residential towers, offices, four hotels and a shopping mall. Saadiyat Island is massive offshore development underway with a budget of more than $28 billion. It includes 29 hotels, three marinas, 8,000 residential villas and more than 38,000 apartments. The project also includes museums, concert halls, maritime history centre, three harbours, a park, golf course and sailing club. A $22 billion budget has been allocated for the ambitious Masdar City project, billed as the first zero-carbon, zero-waste city. It will depend on solar energy. Masdar City will also be car-free. Underway is the $18.5 billion Al-Raha Beach Complex, another mixed-use hospitality development involving reclaimed land and will include 50 high-rise and a number of low-rise buildings for approximately 120,000 people. Another project in planning is a $10 billion mixed use city, tentatively called Ghantoot Green City. The project will comprise commercial centres, hotels, offices, residential areas, warehousing and light industrial areas. Al-Reem Island development is a $7.8 billion mixed-use community next to the bridge connecting Al-Reem Island to Abu Dhabi city. Several 40 and 50 storey towers will form the central business district. The development will include two 80-storey buildings and house approximately 80,000 people. With a budget of $6.5 billion, Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed City is another new city comprising 374 residential and commercial buildings as well as the associated infrastructure and entertainment facilities. Budgets of $3 billion each are allocated for the Abu Dhabi Light Rail project and the MGM Grand Hotel. The rail project will involve some 350 kilometres of rail. The MGM Grand project will have two further branded luxury hotels and more than 1,200 rooms. It will also feature a 12,000 seat arena, retail, restaurants, waterfront residences and private yacht berths.
The Anabol Consulting Hospitality team is just one of our arms that can go beyond adding value and truly make the difference in the GCC region. So if you want to get your business in on these opportunities or are a GCC area business looking to make the most of all that is happening, call Anabol Consulting for assistance.
Saudi Arabia
Saudi Arabia, the world’s oil powerhouse, is looking at attracting up to $900 billion (Dh3.3 trillion) in foreign direct investments over the next 10 years in the energy, power, financial services and real estate sectors. The Kingdom is on track to achieving the goal of the “10 x 10″ programme that is to put Saudi Arabia in the top 10 of the world’s most competitive nations by 2010.
It was hailed by the World Bank as one of the world’s top 10 reformers in 2006/2007, and was granted membership to the World Trade Organization in 2005. This is going to be one of the hot locations for investment in the coming years – starting right now – and Anabol Consulting teams are equipped to assist a wide variety of local and inward investment companies make the best choices for the future.
Iceland
The blood of the Icelandic economy has literally been drained out with corporate interest rates at 25%, currency restrictions, and foreign government debt amounting to somewhere between 160% to 200% of GDP. Icelandic companies have to live in their new ‘real world’. Unemployment has risen in a few months to 10% and will continue to rise as companies are now scrambling to find cash to pay value-added tax. But life has to go on. Figuring out what new export markets to pursue or how to attract a wider tourist market and optimise yields from their visits, are all areas Anabol Consulting teams can advise on.
Retail & Leisure
One of America’s best known steak houses, Palm Restaurants, is opening in the UK with 15 new sites in Europe planned over the next six years. Meanwhile Mango, the Spanish clothes retailer, plans on opening between 120 and 130 new stores around the world this year including in Iraq. These add to its 3,000 strong network across 92 countries. 5 of the new openings will be in House of Fraser stores in the UK. So if you are one of the competitors of either company, how should you respond? Anabol Consulting Retail and Leisure experts can provide specialist support to help you react to these competitive challenges and spot your opportunities to take your company into this growth and investment mentality.
Automotive Industry
Business transformation or re-engineering seem almost inadequate terms for the change needed in this distressed sector. The initial response to the crisis from some of the Boards seemed to indicate they just did not realise how serious it was or how far they were going to have to change to have a future. GM is now effectively a nationalised industry. Who’d have thought it? So now the hard work begins – how to remodel the industry from a root and branch review and not allowing any ‘no go’ areas for consideration. Anabol Consulting will focus, analyse, and get you on track to act decisively.
Sri Lanka
The civil war is over and at last Sri Lanka is in a position to exploit its natural resources and truly capitalise on a world hungry for new travel destinations. This beautiful island will witness massive inward investment and Anabol Consulting can advise on resorts, hotels and a wide variety of other issues, using our team members that have undertaken similar assignments all over the globe.
Exporters
Whether you are food processor in Thailand or a craft business in Scotland, if you are seeking new markets, the Anabol Consulting team can scope your overseas earning opportunities, rank and risk evaluate them and test your footprint.
Qatar
The sectors that are expected to expand include financial services, particularly Islamic Banking, and tourism, as Qatar positions itself in the international market as a prime destination for business travellers. The government’s decision to make a significant investment in improving education as part of its wider move to develop human resources and embrace a knowledge-based economy presents further opportunities. If you are an inward investor wanting to understand this opportunity or a local business wishing to capitalise on it, Anabol Consulting is the team to come to for expert support.
This is just a selection of examples of where our thinking and expertise take us. Our ‘in tray’ overflows with challenges and opportunities. If you would like to learn about our capability in your area of the world or particular sector, call us for a free consultation meeting.