1/ This month, Electra celebrates its 25th Anniversary. What thoughts and emotions come to mind when you think about that?

Pride of course, but not for myself…I’m proud of the people who were part of the company at that time and for some who are still are….and who have accepted the challenge of changing and progressing with the company.

I’m also very proud and thankful to the team members who joined over the last 14 years since I took over and to those who have accompanied me along that exciting journey.

I cannot speak without mentioning Nino Mastrorili who founded Electra and who passed away a few months after handing over. Nothing would have started without his trust.

2/ Why did you start this business?

Electra was born in 1992 in Dubai, originally in the electrical contracting business, hence the name “Electra”. A few years later, the company turned into a stand contracting company. At that time, I was already working on the exhibition and events industry. My first expatriation to Dubai was in 1997 for just under 2 years. Once back in France, I knew that something was happening in that country and I had to come back to be part of it. I came back in 2002, met Nino, knowing he was ill, he very quickly proposed to sell his company. The company was not doing very well. We were about to lose money and I had the opportunity to produce the décor for the VIP village of the 1^st Bahrein Grand Prix. That was it, we did 1/3 of our yearly turn over on one event and turned the company from exhibition contractor into an exhibition & event contractor. Very fast, many key international players that I knew from my previous life started to work with us. Electra only followed the story of Dubai itself. The adventure has been so exciting that I wake up 14 years later without noticing it.

3/ What do you see as the biggest accomplishments since your start?

There are obviously many… coping with the growth of Dubai is one of them. To have gained such a good reputation not only in the region but also at an international level.

To have kept a “family” spirit in the medium-sized company is another and to have stuck to our core values through the years. However, the main accomplishment is to have seen our team members growing so much in terms of professionalism and clients servicing.

4/ What are the key strengths of Electra today?

We started with 14 employees, building pavilions at DWTC; we now have 500 in-house experts, providing 360 degrees’ event and exhibition contracting solutions, including décor & furniture rental, and tents & marquees services. In 2016, to cope with the growth and better serve our clients we moved our headquarters from Ras Al Khor to Dubai Design District, d3.

We have everything in-house. By having a high-skilled team that trust, respect each other and are used to working together, we can ensure that our clients benefit from a completely integrated service that will be delivered on time.

Through the years we also have been able to invest in the best equipment. Our 25,000 square meters premises are equipped with state-of-the-art machinery from Europe.

5/ Where do you expect to go in the next 10 years?

I think our development will still follow Dubai’s crazy evolution. 2020 is tomorrow, after that expo, we predict that more and more international events will come to Dubai. More than just a hub for events in the Middle East, it will probably be another interesting gateway for African countries.