I Said NO to Naguib Sawiris.
1/4 of CHAPTER III
Finally, the third presentation arrived.
The atmosphere was charged; people eagerly awaited it. You could feel the admiration in the
audience. The previous speakers were brilliant, articulate, and offered invaluable information,
but this conference was not only brilliant—it was interactive. In a very serious business
environment, Naguib Sawiris was the only speaker able to make us laugh with his irreverent
way to explain anecdotes about the extortions he faced due to emerging nations’ policies,
something those of us familiar with the whims of improvised leaders understand well.
Pure genius!
The audience gave a standing ovation at the end and while this was happening, I rushed to the
exit to try to interact with him, but there were too many people crowded around, and he was
accompanied by two people acting as some sort of bodyguards, making sure everyone kept a
distance to avoid chaos. You could see the disappointment on people’s faces who wouldn’t get
to greet him or take a photo. But with a year-long plan, I wasn’t going to stand idly by. I followed
him from a distance as he quickly headed to the exit and that’s when I thought he was leaving,
with a car waiting to whisk him away, and I was already planning to visit his Dubai office the next
day.
But no!
Instead, he was led to a lounge in the hotel’s reception, away from the conference bustle, where
he sat to talk with someone for about ten minutes. You could see them, as it wasn’t closed off;
you could’ve even walked by and greeted them if you were bold enough. I decided to stay a few
meters away, watching the two bodyguards, who were nearby but distracted, no longer focused
on the conversation.
Suddenly, Eng. Sawiris stood and walked toward the exit, right where I’d been sitting, observing from
afar. It was incredible—I just stood, extended my hand, and introduced myself:
– “Good morning, Engineer Sawiris. My name is Eduardo, from Silversands Mexico. I want to
congratulate you on your brilliant conference…”
Before I could continue, with a surprised gesture, he asked:
+ “Silversands Mexico?”
– “Yes, that’s right. Last year, I bought the rights to the brand that coincidentally matches yours,
and I came here to ask you to bring your version of Silversands to Mexico.
+ “I’d love to!”
+ “I’ll need you to find a beachfront plot near an airport and it cannot be one of those saturated
beaches you have in Mexico. I want a place where we can pave the way for a Silversands hotel
and once you have options, send me the information to the email on this card.”
He then handed me his business card and I was in disbelief, thinking to myself:
“This is what he means by quick decisions!”
It didn’t take him a second!
+ “Do you have your business card?”
– “Huh, ah, mmmmm… I don’t have one, but this brochure has information about the business
potential for the brand in Mexico and some beachfront plot options I’ve already researched.
While some meet your specifications, I’ll look for alternatives.”
+ “Have you seen my Silversands hotel in Grenada?”
– “Not yet, but I plan to see your work firsthand, though I had to come find you first.”
+ “Great! Send me the information to the email, and I’ll respond when I can. We’ll meet later to
discuss contracts and fees.”
– “Perfect! I’ll gather more information and get to work as soon as I return to Mexico to have it
ready per your requirements.”
My comment about returning to Mexico seemed to trigger something, and before we parted, as
to clarify our brief talk, he grabed me by the arm and said:
+ “Hold on! You said you came all the way from Mexico just for this, right?”
– “Yes, yes, yes. My only goal in coming here was to meet you and discuss this in person.”
+ “Then let’s meet Friday at my office to discuss details.”
And there I was, with a proposal to meet and discuss business with the living legend, as he’d
been introduced at the conference. I don’t know how many attendees would’ve given anything
for that opportunity, and I was getting it on a silver platter.
Or maybe I should say, I was receiving it on Silversands!
A year of research, studying Arabic, obsessing over every detail about him and his companies. A
year of dreaming, pushing everything to the limit, using all my imagination to make things
happen, and deciding that the best strategy was this trip with no certainty but immense
confidence in everything I’d done to tell Naguib Sawiris in person how much I wanted to bring
his Silversands to Mexico.
All the hours of study, nights and days daydreaming, ideas generated to get here—it all boiled
down to this moment, and it turned out far better than I could’ve imagined.
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Nothing could ever go wrong, right?
Well, it did!
Because I Said NO to Naguib Sawiris.
You want to know what happened next?
I will let you know in my soon to launch arabic translation.
Wait for it.
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