“A Day in the Life” allows you to step into the shoes of a UAE resident to experience a typical 24 hours in their work and home life
Mathew Tait knows his way around a pitch, having lit up rugby's biggest stage for England against South Africa in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final in Paris.
Sixteen years later, the former rugby player is a year into his role as the general manager and festival director of Emirates Dubai Sevens.
The 37 year old is responsible for developing commercial and strategic opportunities across both the Emirates' Dubai Sevens and the Sevens Stadium. He oversees logistics, social media, marketing and manages the teams and the event calendar.
With the much-anticipated tournament kicking off this week on December 1, the father of two has been busy setting up what is poised to be an action-packed weekend of sport, live performances and experiences.
Here, he shares with The National how his typical weekdays look and what it takes to organise an epic weekend in Dubai.
5.30am: Early riser
Up at the crack of dawn, Mr Tait leaves his home to take his two sons, aged eight and 10, to school in Al Barsha before driving 25 minutes to the Sevens Stadium for a full day of work.
If he has time, he'll head to the gym for short cardio intervals or a HIIT session.
"I don't have the patience to do anything more than 30 minutes, so I'll do some cardio on an assault bike, with 30 seconds on and 30 seconds off," he said.
"Then I'll get straight into replying to emails and working through various tasks for the day, or I'll go through budgets and sit down with members of the team to make sure they're OK.
"If I don't get to the gym, I'll go for a walk around the site."
10am: Catch-ups
With so many moving parts to the event, Mr Tait uses his morning to meet different departments to ensure everyone is on track and up-to-date.
"I have my core staff who work at the Sevens Stadium and Dubai Sevens and we work with government entities who help us strategically," he said.
"Every Wednesday, we have an open forum to go through everything.
"I'll meet the marketing team to make sure everyone is aware of what's going on, then I'll tend to catch up with a few functional areas who I haven't been able to speak to including partnerships, servicing and sports operations."
1pm: Protein-packed lunch
Mr Tait's role involves ensuring the athletes from all 180 teams have everything, from accommodation to nutrition, in place.
"One of the pluses here is working with the athletes and understanding that they are creatures of habit, so making sure we have all provisions in place for match day and event days, as well as appropriate areas for them to chill out," Mr Tait said.
"It's also important to make sure that their food is on point – that it is full of high-performance nutrition – to ensure they are able to perform on the day."
For Mr Tait, the same applies.
"I'll bring leftovers from home, or eat a protein-packed lunch, such as steak and chips from the restaurant on site," he added.
2pm: Straight back to work
With it being Mr Tait's busiest period, he gets straight back to work in managing the full-scale infrastructure, hospitality chalets, bars and partner activations ahead of the Dubai Sevens.
"Everything is being built on schedule and we're aiming to get everything delivered. I have regular check-ins with teams to see if there are any glaring red flags," Mr Tait said.
"This includes checking the weather forecast for this weekend and making sure that our partners who have built structures are aware of that and can preserve what has already been built."
This year's event has a number of new features, including Padel courts and a children's stage that will have its own line-up of Disney singalong shows, balloon bending and giant roaming mascots.
It will also have a new shaded garden.
"Historically this has been an issue, so we invested in a large shaded garden area so people can chill and relax out of the midday sun," Mr Tait added.
"The kids area is also twice the size [of last year's] so we've invested in this to include a larger square footage for kids and families to engage, as well as a few new elements that we have refined and tweaked based on feedback."
4.30pm: Delivering excellence
Since his role includes arranging the entertainment for the event and venue, Mr Tait has a few meetings throughout the day to catch up with the relevant teams.
"We have invested heavily in the music offering to set us apart from other festivals and events, so we have DJ Luck and MC Neat on the Beats On 2 stage on Friday, then Artful Dodger performing on Saturday afternoon, followed by headliners Becky Hill and DJ MK in the evening," he said.
While his role is somewhat stressful in the lead-up to the Dubai Sevens, Mr Tait says the hard work and long hours are worthwhile.
"I enjoy the interactions with the teams. We are one big collective group and are learning skills and insights from each other. Our goal is to deliver a world-class service that shows the world how good we are. Days are long but it's worth it in the end.
"These types of events take around 11 to 12 months to deliver, so it's full-on until the last note has played on the final day."
He says the most satisfying part of his job is when he realises his team has collectively come together to deliver an amazing experience for paying guests.
"That's the closing hours of the final day or just after the last musical note has been played," he said.
"I take a breath, enjoy what happened, give myself about five minutes of grace and then I get back to working on reviewing the event and taking stock before planning ahead for the extra events we have coming up."
Mr Tait is also preparing to host Ed Sheeran at the venue in January.
7.30pm: Quality time with family
After a long day of co-ordinating teams across the event site, Mr Tait finally heads home to spend time with his wife and two boys.
"I'll try to get back for dinner and evening with my family. I'll also put the boys to bed which takes twice as long these days, and then I'll answer a few emails," he added.
"I'll also spend half an hour with my better half to catch up on her day before we head to bed."
Post-event, Mr Tait is looking forward to heading back to the UK for some much-needed family time.
After his break, he'll be back in Dubai and busy planning how the Sevens Stadium will play host to Ed Sheeran in January.
But knowing how full-on his schedule can be with planning high-scale events, would he trade it all to get back on the pitch?
"I did my 15 years and I'm grateful for that but I'm very done with playing rugby," Mr Tait said.
"There are a lot of my contemporaries still putting their boots on. But if they wanted to pull my leg on to the pitch, I think it would fall off."
Company Profile
Company name: OneOrder
Started: October 2021
Founders: Tamer Amer and Karim Maurice
Based: Cairo, Egypt
Industry: technology, logistics
Investors: A15 and self-funded
The biog
Name: Younis Al Balooshi
Nationality: Emirati
Education: Doctorate degree in forensic medicine at the University of Bonn
Hobbies: Drawing and reading books about graphic design
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Closing the loophole on sugary drinks
As The National reported last year, non-fizzy sugared drinks were not covered when the original tax was introduced in 2017. Sports drinks sold in supermarkets were found to contain, on average, 20 grams of sugar per 500ml bottle.
The non-fizzy drink AriZona Iced Tea contains 65 grams of sugar – about 16 teaspoons – per 680ml can. The average can costs about Dh6, which would rise to Dh9.
Drinks such as Starbucks Bottled Mocha Frappuccino contain 31g of sugar in 270ml, while Nescafe Mocha in a can contains 15.6g of sugar in a 240ml can.
Flavoured water, long-life fruit juice concentrates, pre-packaged sweetened coffee drinks fall under the ‘sweetened drink’ category
Not taxed:
Freshly squeezed fruit juices, ground coffee beans, tea leaves and pre-prepared flavoured milkshakes do not come under the ‘sweetened drink’ band.
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Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
BULKWHIZ PROFILE
Date started: February 2017
Founders: Amira Rashad (CEO), Yusuf Saber (CTO), Mahmoud Sayedahmed (adviser), Reda Bouraoui (adviser)
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: E-commerce
Size: 50 employees
Funding: approximately $6m
Investors: Beco Capital, Enabling Future and Wain in the UAE; China's MSA Capital; 500 Startups; Faith Capital and Savour Ventures in Kuwait
BlacKkKlansman
Director: Spike Lee
Starring: John David Washington; Adam Driver
Five stars
The Equaliser 2
Director Antoine Fuqua
Starring: Denzel Washington, Bill Pullman, Melissa Leo, Ashton Sanders
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Juliet, Naked
Dir: Jesse Peretz
Starring: Chris O'Dowd, Rose Byrne, Ethan Hawke
Two stars
Match info
Manchester United 1
Fred (18')
Wolves 1
Moutinho (53')
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The specs
The specs: 2019 Audi Q8
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre turbocharged V6
Gearbox: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 340hp @ 3,500rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 2,250rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 6.7L / 100km
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
Squad for first two ODIs
Kohli (c), Rohit, Dhawan, Rayudu, Pandey, Dhoni (wk), Pant, Jadeja, Chahal, Kuldeep, Khaleel, Shami, Thakur, Rahul.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
One-off T20 International: UAE v Australia
When: Monday, October 22, 2pm start
Where: Abu Dhabi Cricket, Oval 1
Tickets: Admission is free
Australia squad: Aaron Finch (captain), Mitch Marsh, Alex Carey, Ashton Agar, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Chris Lynn, Nathan Lyon, Glenn Maxwell, Ben McDermott, Darcy Short, Billy Stanlake, Mitchell Starc, Andrew Tye, Adam Zampa, Peter Siddle
Company profile
Date started: December 24, 2018
Founders: Omer Gurel, chief executive and co-founder and Edebali Sener, co-founder and chief technology officer
Based: Dubai Media City
Number of employees: 42 (34 in Dubai and a tech team of eight in Ankara, Turkey)
Sector: ConsumerTech and FinTech
Cashflow: Almost $1 million a year
Funding: Series A funding of $2.5m with Series B plans for May 2020
Day 3 stumps
New Zealand 153 & 249
Pakistan 227 & 37-0 (target 176)
Pakistan require another 139 runs with 10 wickets remaining
UNSC Elections 2022-23
Seats open:
- Two for Africa Group
- One for Asia-Pacific Group (traditionally Arab state or Tunisia)
- One for Latin America and Caribbean Group
- One for Eastern Europe Group
Countries so far running:
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
