Looking after F1 VIPs is a non-stop job for Muna

ABU DHABI // By the time the 24 cars line the grid, Muna Abdulla bin Zoubaa will have made sure all the VIPs have made their way to their seats and are in prime positions to watch the penultimate race of the Formula One calendar.

The only woman among the seven guides who will help the many VIPs that arrive at the track, Ms bin Zoubaa says part of the job is to interact with the guests.

"It is not all about looking nice," she said. "We have to get them around. We have to make sure everything is organised beforehand and should be able to respond to their requirements immediately."

From making sure all the correct passes are issued to the right people before they arrive at the track to guiding them to their seats, Ms Zoubaa will be kept busy.

It is her third year in the role, and she said it gets easier each year; still, it will inevitably be a non-stop three days once she switches off the laptop from her regular job in the circuit's procurement department on Thursday.

Ms Zoubaa started out in Zadco in 2001, a branch of the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company. Beginning out as a technical assistant, she worked her way up in its procurement department.

She then moved to Royal Jet's commercial procurement department.

She continued her studies and completed a diploma in marketing and sales at the Abu Dhabi Higher College of Technology in 2001. In 2005 she obtained a bachelor's degree in international business at Al Hosn University, and also qualified in the Chartered Institute of Purchasing and Supplies.

In 2009, she joined Yas Marina Circuit six months before its first F1 race.

"The first year was crazy and very difficult. We had to understand the environment, which was unique. We are responsible for buying everything from A to Z.

"We had to put the whole process in place, get the team together, and get all the equipment for each department," she said. "I found that to be a challenging job."

And there was a whole set of new processes - and specialised tools - to learn about, from removing rubber marks from the kerbs to maintaining the grass.

"The facilities and motorsport requirements were unique. The racing team and the drag team had unusual products, which could not be sourced locally," she said. From spanners to special oils, she had to locate them.

With the clock ticking to the first Grand Prix, she had to research the recommended product and then find three other brands and compare price and quality, then decide which was best for them.

Everything had to be bought, right down to the artwork around the circuit and golf buggies to ferry VIPs around the track.

"I have learnt a lot. No one will have the same experience. Even the tents, the TV broadcast centre and all these facilities were provided by the procurement," she said.

And now she wants the guests who arrive on Friday to feel the same way she does. "I belong to this place. I would like to see everything perfect for the fans.

"When people come to our venue, they should see the nice arrangements, it being well organised and know there's a good team behind the management of the track."

eharnan@thenational.ae