289 ABI MATESUN discusses ZAINAB ALSALIH/Carousel Events: One of Dubai’s Leading Women Entrepreneurs

289 ABI MATESUN discusses ZAINAB ALSALIH/Carousel Events: One of Dubai’s Leading Women Entrepreneurs

“It’s not about how a wedding looks; it’s about how it feels.” Andy’s guest co-host today is Abi Matesun, Founder and CEO of Malekfoto Films and Malekfoto Weddings. Abi is a two time Emmy winning cinematographer, filmmaker, photographer, public speaker, and two time Telly Award winner. Listen as they discuss how Zainab honed her skill set as a child, the advantages of traveling to many countries and cultures, and much more on this episode of The Next Level.

Zainab Alsalih is the Founder and Creative Director of Carousel Events out of Dubai, one of the region’s best-known companies for event design. Zainab is also considered one of the most respected authorities on weddings in the middle east. She has been covered and quoted in countless regional and international programs and publications.

Abi discusses how traveling as a child opened Zainab to many cultures and languages, which gives her an edge in her designs. And she honed her skill by redecorating her bedroom frequently as a child.

Listen, as Abi and Andy share how Zainab sets up her office so that when she meets with clients for the first time, they get a feel for who she is and what to expect from her. Zainab believes that less is more because people don’t miss what they can’t see and luxury is a personal experience.

Abi speaks about what Zainab created for Engage!20 Dubai and shares some details about what made it breathtaking. Zainab is an amazing designer and any conversation about her is riveting, but when you add Abi Matesun to the conversation, you end up with the need to go further and find out more about both incredible creatives. Enjoy!

Don’t forget to listen to Andy’s new podcast, The Music Makers. It’s a podcast about behind-the-scenes stories from some of the most influential music industry pros around, including artists, recording engineers, record producers, songwriters, managers, record industry executives, and more. You can find The Music Makers podcast by searching for it in your cell phone’s podcast app or visiting www.themusicmakers.com.

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Show Highlights:

[01:07] Welcome back to the show, Abi!
[02:17] Abi discusses Zainab being a creative and honing that skill even as a child.
[03:35] Abi believes that travel opens your eyes to different cultures and experiences, and all the traveling Zainab did as a child gave her an edge.
[05:37] They discuss how Zainab gets to know her clients before they ever talk about their wedding.
[07:07] Zainab believes that less is more because people don’t miss what they don’t see.
[08:11] Abi explains why luxury is an experience.
[09:05] Abi discusses Zainab’s style and how she designs weddings around the couple’s personal details.
[11:32] Listen as Abi speaks about the experience that Zainab created for Engage20! Dubai.
[14:15] Andy talks about Abi using storyboarding, which for events is unusual.
[16:36] Thank you so much for being on the show!