VisualGPS Creative Trends Culture Business in Dubai: Beyond the Boardroom

A couple of months ago, Getty Images had the exciting opportunity to bring together creators for a Getty Images Create event, set in the Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC)—one of the city’s most relevant and evolving business hubs. From the beginning, the intention wasn’t to recreate traditional business imagery, but to capture something more reflective of business life on‑the‑go in Dubai.
What unfolded was a shared experience, shaped by different perspectives, but grounded in the same environment. Each creator approached DIFC in their own way, and collectively, the visuals began to form a story of movement, connection and everyday moments.

Rather than isolating business within offices or formal settings, we focused on capturing what happens naturally. In DIFC, work extends beyond the workplace:

• Conversations happen while walking between meetings
• Ideas are exchanged over coffee
• Moments of pause unfold in open plazas and public spaces.

For me, one of the most important parts of this shoot was the opportunity to shape it through a local lens.
Having lived in Dubai all my life, I’ve seen first‑hand how often the region, and Emirati identity in particular, can feel simplified or misrepresented in visual media. Across the creative industry, the challenge of representation is something many of us carry in different ways. For me, it’s always been tied to a desire to see the place I know, and the people within it, reflected more truthfully.

There’s a difference between showing something, and showing it well. And often, that difference comes down to nuance. The way a kandora is worn, the variation in abaya styles, the way people of diverse backgrounds interact in public spaces. These are small details, but they shape whether an image feels believable, whether it resonates with the people it represents. Being involved in the preplanning of styling and wardrobe was something I felt deeply proud of. Being able to contribute to shifting that narrative felt meaningful. We were intentional about the details to ensure authentic and relatable representation.

• Emirati men wearing kandoras styled both with ghatra and agal, as well as the more relaxed hamdaniya

• Women in abayas that reflected modern styles—incorporating colour, variation and personality rather than defaulting to a single visual stereotype (often black abayas).

What I love most about the imagery is how the story reveals itself across moments. You see it in:

• Business colleagues walking side‑by‑side in conversation
• An Emirati family in a modern shopping space
• Groups moving through the district, somewhere between work and life.