DUBAI // For a number of workers in the UAE, sipping a flat white coffee goes hand-in-hand with doing business.
Following a trend in cities such as London, New York and Paris, so-called “creativity hubs” and cafes are becoming makeshift offices for budding innovators, entrepreneurs and freelancers.
On a weekday morning in A4, a multipurpose space in an old warehouse in Dubai’s Al Quoz industrial area, a number of people are focusing on their computer screens with hot beverages, bought from the enclosed Appetite Cafe, at their side.
Members of the public are offered a free and unique space to work, with several workspaces accessible by ladders and staircases – a design that aims to boost their creativity and productivity.
Sajjad Kamal, who was sitting on a sofa in front of a laptop with a smartphone at his side, called A4 his office.
“I embody the lifestyle,” said the 26-year-old founder of Inovio, a technology solutions company.
Mr Kamal moved to the Middle East from Canada in 2011 to pursue the “entrepreneurial route”, only to encounter some of the obstacles that individual entrepreneurs face.
“One of the setbacks of being in the Middle East is that traditional businesses are very expensive to set up,” he said.
Places such as A4 have given him a place to do his work while being surrounded with like-minded people.
“I can open my laptop anywhere in the world, and that is my office. That was impossible years ago,” said Mr Kamal.
“Why get pegged to an office space, especially when it’s early and you’re small? Being stuck in an office space just doesn’t make sense.
“As access to processes in the business world become more mobile and technology-enabled, it’s inevitably going to change. I definitely think it’s the future of work.”
To meet legal requirements, he rents a small space in Al Ain that he uses for storage.
“It doesn’t make sense to be around there,” said Mr Kamal. “This place is different.”
“In addition to a decent working spot, the environment is just apt for getting work done, the kind of work we’re doing. Creative work, I can comfortably and productively work out of here.”
From the second-floor loft overlooking the cafe, Abubakr Minalla, 29, conducts his work as the executive director of Al Mashriq, a Malaysia-based charity that focuses on youth development.
Working in a coffee shop was appealing to a specific type of person, said Mr Minalla.
“Some people don’t like to work in traditional places, they’ll get bored,” he said. “Others want to have creative spaces. With similar people, they’ll get inspiration.
“When I come here, I see people from all kinds of different fields. That encourages me. The creative environment is very important.”
Mr Minalla said the arrangement was beneficial for A4 as well. “It’s a very good business model. At the same time, they help young people, the start-ups, to get up and running. It’s helping us grow,” he said.
At the Shabby Chic cafe in Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi, a floor full of mismatched vintage-style furniture is complemented with a handful of electric and acoustic guitars.
This is the office away from the office for Wissam Abdul Baki, managing director of IT Essentials, a web development, marketing and social media company.
“The whole point is to be free,” he said. “I can come to work in my shorts. I start at 9, or sometimes at 10.”
More than free and fast Wi-Fi, Mr Baki said he felt at home in the cafe. The staff will turn down the music if he asks, and keep the doors open if he needs to work a little past closing time.
“I network here, and I got three or four projects because I came here. This area is full of companies, so it suits me to come here,” he said.
But with freedom from the office came responsibility, said Shabby Chic’s co-owner Zaher Ammar, who runs the cafe with his wife, Rouba Hammad.
“It requires a lot of self-discipline. If you’re the type who can be easily distracted, you can deviate,” said Mr Ammar.
“I have a lot of guests and clients like Wissam. People come here and they enjoy it, they can work for hours. I have no problem with that. Basically, I’m enlarging the network.”
esamoglou@thenational.ae
