Name: Amir Golestan
Date of birth: 22/02/1983
Profession: Executive Director
Nationality: Iranian
His story: Amir launched The Mansion Group in 2006 after five years of running successful web hosting company Micfo.com LLC. He turned Micfo into a multi-million dollar organisation, employing 50 staff and hosting more than 30,000 websites. Specialising in the communication of lifestyle experiences, The Mansion Group includes eight subsidiary companies, including Mansion Creative, Mansion Model Management, Media, Mansion Interiors and more. Check out www.mansion.ae for more information.
Could you give us a brief overview of what Mansion is and what it does?
The Mansion is a creative live communications agency, providing lifestyle and experiential events and
environments to its audiences.
How would you describe the Mansion brand?
I tend to leave that to people’s imagination. It is, however, paramount to me that our work does the talking. Around the world, and particularly in the Middle East, people like to be associated with great brands. Great brands overexceed expectations, create trends, lead, not follow, challenge creativity, extend boundaries and immerse their audiences experientially. Our brand is synonymous with these.
How do all the different aspects of Mansion sit alongside each other?
This is the beauty of The Mansion Group; all the eight subsidiary companies directly and indirectly interlink with each other and complement one another when needed. For instance, for the live events, our clients require models and hostesses as well as entertainment, that’s when Mansion Model Management and Mansion Entertainment can add value to Mansion Creative’s needs and requirements.
You’re 25 and are at the head of a very successful company. Do you ever feel overwhelmed that you just want to let go with everything?
Overwhelmed with excitement and anticipation is more the case, and this is not a problem. In fact, it is the key to The Mansion Group; the ‘going home on a high’ atmosphere that affects all my team members is never going to leave me exhausted.
The ever-lingering problem of an entrepreneur is the unstable feeling of having too many fingers in too many pies. But when you understand what you are offering to each project you start to paint a picture of what it is you are actually good at. Once you can appreciate your ability you can start to develop a single focus that is made up of multiple directions. The Mansion is this for me. It represents a number of very special projects that all share one very important asset; the ‘support of each other’.
Was Mansion an easy venture to set up?
Nothing is easy. Can I rephrase your question more fittingly: Did you enjoy establishing Mansion? The response to that is absolutely. I put my heart and soul into establishing and setting up The Mansion. Every morning, it was a new and a better day for me. I woke up and went to work more excited than the day before. Although I must admit the biggest challenge I had was finding the key people and the creation of the Mansion team. Finding a team of creative, young, ambitious and forward-thinking people was definitely the hardest part. As you know it’s the people you work with that make the difference.
How are you different from other events companies in the region?
We chose our clients in the same way they chose to work with us. It is only natural for us to target companies that have the ambition to be or are world class companies. We are a creative agency. In order for us to add value to a company’s BTL communication, they have to have the need for us to create ideas that will reflect their goals.
How is the Abu Dhabi royal family involved?
We have a great personal relationship with the Al Nahyan family. They are involved in The Mansion Group because of their belief in this home-grown brand. We enjoy both their advice and support, and work closely with them on many projects.
Why is Mansion successful in the UAE?
It’s simply because we have extended the brand-sell message beyond the scope of traditional marketing ventures, with the intent of delivering a consumer or guest experience that only that particular brand can provide. Others call this experiential marketing. We have raised the bar and elevated special event production and experiential marketing to a higher standard, we call ‘Live Marketing’, where experiential marketing attempts to differentiate products through experiences, setting your brand apart by touching consumer’s emotions in a way that reinforces brand positioning.
There is the Model Management arm to the company as well. Are you involved with Dubai’s Next Top Model?
We tend to not lose our core focus which is high-end fashion, again encompassed in the team I have built and the models we have on our books. Mansion Model Management is going to be a key player in introducing the standards of the fashion industry to Dubai. We are bringing international models every three months to Dubai, not only making our streets more attractive, but making the marketplace more competitive.
What do you think about these competitions? Are they good for the modelling business, like American Idol is ‘good’ for the music industry?
Any competition is healthy as long as the motives behind it are to contribute and add value to society, rather than making a quick buck and being fly-by-night.
Who do you take your lead from as a businessman?
My parents without a doubt. My dad continues to inspire me with the fact that he left home at the age of 14 when he lost his parents. He worked alone, got married at 20 and by the age of 24 had three of my sisters. What inspires me more, however, is my mum; being the businessminded person that she is, working hard, supporting my dad and now, 40 years have gone by and my parents are still together and have five kids. That’s priceless to me.
Where do you see the future of Mansion?
Let’s meet again next year.
You guys are paid to think of exciting ideas for your clients. What is the best idea you’ve had?
I would love to be able to disclose it, but I’ll let the world experience it themselves. Towards mid-2009 a project we are working on will be launched, which will speak for itself.
This interview was posted in iQ Magazine in it’s 8th issue. Words Scott Walker, Pictures Mosh Lafuente
