As I looked at the Abu Dhabi brand guidelines book on the Etihad flight over, I noticed that the brand pyramid ended with one word that supposedly encapsulates the essence of the Emirate. The word was ‘Respect’.Over a few intense days of meetings it was evident that ‘Respect’ defined the common tone throughout.

Within two minutes of arriving at a BBG lunch at The Club, not only did I have in my hand a delicious drink but had been warmly welcomed by Committee member Bashir Simaan, who introduced me to a group of three members who gave me a fascinating in-depth insight into the state of the market and the barriers and short cuts to setting up in Abu Dhabi. All this before I had even sat down for lunch.

This had been preceded by a quick visit to Reed Smith Richards Butler for my first meeting of the week with BBG Chairman Peter Michelmore, whose 20 years of experience in the Emirate proved invaluable.My trip was the first in a series of fact-finding visits to review the viability of a Gulf regional hub for MC2, the UK marketing agency that I founded in the late nineties. The agency began as a niche, specialist full service agency focusing on the financial and professional services sector. Averaging 26% growth over the following nine years, MC2 has evolved into one of the UK’s leading independent agencies. It has divisions specialising in Healthcare, Education, Property and Technology and an established consumer arm.

The strength of the agency is its reputation for top-end consultancy advice and its sustainability generated through its academy, set up to develop young talent. Strategically, the weakness of the business is its UK focus – apart from a few Europe-wide accounts, the majority of the business comes from the home market.

After many months of market analysis addressing the key question of which market to enter, Abu Dhabi seemed to make sense in many ways, due to the ambitious vision evident in the region, key sectors already established in the Emirate, the potential growth and the communication links provided by Etihad Airways. The competition seemed less prevalent than down the road, yet developments such as ‘The National’ and Abu Dhabi Media City, twofour54, means that the media would be readily accessible. Against other growth regions like India and China, Abu Dhabi seemed to have an upper hand. However, it is all very well looking good on paper but any international move depends not on figures and charts but on a cultural match that can only be determined by visits.

For MC2, sustainability of an Abu Dhabi base could only be achieved if we could find local talent to develop. The key concept was that the agency would work with the local universities to attract graduates, expose them to a year’s development programme in the UK through our established academy and then incorporate them into the Abu Dhabi business. This would only work if we found an appetite for this type of long-term play from government, education and business.

The first box was ticked at the BBG lunch, where H.E. Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak made it clear that the Government has a vision and commitment to forge greater links between Emirati and foreign businesses through education and training. Meetings with higher educational establishments and over 20 businesses proved the point. People in Abu Dhabi seem genuinely interested in developing win-win situations. That sounds an obvious conclusion but it isn’t the case in many countries that we have explored. Wherever I went, I found a community that took forward ideas and arranged introductions that added value, allowing us to add detail to our concept idea.

Of course the economy has taken a hit. The global crisis has affected every city. I have been left, though, with the feeling that this slowdown isn’t being viewed as a negative but as a chance to take a breath and concentrate on building the infrastructure that will be needed to support the projected long-term growth. I found a quiet confidence in Abu Dhabi that mirrored the feeling that has always run through my hometown of Manchester. Confidence comes through belief. For Manchester, it stems from being the original modern city, at the heart of the industrial revolution, the birthplace of the programmable computer and the place where the trade union movement was established. For Abu Dhabi, the confidence seems well placed. Everything is in place to deliver the next original modern community. It has the vision, the talent and the finance to deliver this.

Do I think it can achieve this vision? On the evidence of my visit, I certainly do.

Do I want to be a part of this? Absolutely.