Redefining exclusivity in Dubai is a private members club, a concept by Mohammed Zaal in conjunction with his real estate brand KOA, is tucked away in the city’s plush residential area of Al Barari.
The member’s only club invites like-minded, ambitious, and creative individuals to connect and collaborate with one another. The number of followers you have on Instagram is not a foot in the door at Nasab; if you want to join, it’s important to bring something tangible to the table. Rejecting the influencer community and honing in on “real people, doing real things” and “making a real impact,” are the members Nasab allows in.
Ruthie Qadan has had an extensive career in pioneering marketing strategies for some Middle East’s biggest companies, including Al Tayer and Chalhoub, and in 2016, she joined forces with Emirati, Mohammed Zaal in conceiving the home-grown KOA Canvas, and the exclusive members club Nasab. Being part of a private club is most definitely enticing and allows for an air of mystery and we caught up with Ruthie to find out more about the concept and what it takes to be a member.
Tell us a little about KOA/NASAB and the concept behind it?
KOA is an innovative real estate concept founded by Mohammed Zaal which is focused on creating unique real estate offerings that reflect the values of a new generation. The whole ethos of KOA, and Nasab, is creating spaces that foster creativity, allow for individual expression, and above all have a strong design element and create real communities. Nasab is a private workspace that offers a fresh interpretation to working in Dubai. Based on a membership model, Nasab provides work, wellness and social spaces that are designed to feed the spirit of creativity. The whole idea of Nasab is to provide a platform for the creative community to come together in a space that feels that home and that inspires members to collaborate, connect with like-minded individuals and in-turn produce great work.
Who does the space welcome?
Nasab is intended for the creatively inclined, the conversationalists, those who like to connect with others - industry or social status doesn’t matter as much as mindset. We have a community of people who are doing things a bit differently, looking to break the mold and challenge the status quo. We don’t go looking for influencers; we are looking for real people, doing real things, and people who are making an impact.
What are the requirements to become a member/who is the ideal candidate?
We have several parameters that look at things like industry, level of experience but it’s about what the individual is hoping to get from their time at Nasab and what they are hoping to contribute. For us it’s key that our members share our values in terms collaboration, their openness to new ideas, and doing things a little differently. We curate the community to make sure that interactions between members in the space are meaningful. Nasab is a space where you’re guaranteed to meet someone interesting and start a new and substantial conversation every day.
What are the benefits of becoming a member?
As a member of Nasab you have access to the stunning facilities, the workspaces, the F&B outlets, the pools, the gym. The range of amenities at Nasab is unmatched and created with the highest design credentials. Every membership also comes with access to our curated programming. We have monthly calendars of workshops, exhibitions and social events that provide the opportunity for entertainment and cultural enrichment. But to me the most valuable benefit of membership is access to our community. We take a lot of pride in our members and the work they are doing and the work we have seen them produce at Nasab.
Through being an exclusive members' club, what does NASAB hope to achieve?
They say you are a product of the people closet to you, and this is our approach at Nasab. When we were building the Nasab concept, we went down the members only, application-based route to ensure we could curate a community that was really like-minded, would truly connect, collaborate, and feed off of each other. It was about creating value for our members through giving them opportunities for meaningful associations that lead to better work.
What is the process of becoming a member?
We have a simple registration process on our website which then feeds through to our membership committee. This committee review applications each week in-line with our various parameters and current member mix. Once a membership is approved we have an orientation process to introduce members to the space and the community, and then you can make yourself at home!We have a simple registration process on our website which then feeds through to our membership committee. This committee review applications each week in-line with our various parameters and current member mix. Once a membership is approved we have an orientation process to introduce members to the space and the community, and then you can make yourself at home!
