Having set foot onto the grounds of Somabay, it was clear that it was more than a touristic spot for vacationers. Besides the hype that the Endurance Festival earn every season, a little bit of reflection on your own lifestyle would seep into your mind and render you awake at night; wondering if you actually CAN move from the heart of Egypt, Cairo, and to one of the southernmost tourist attraction — and most surprisingly consider it a home for good.
Somabay’s CEO, Ibrahim El Missiri, was generous enough to provide 925 with some answers to those questions and reflections:
How important is the Endurance Festival to Somabay?
“What we’re trying to do is establish different events and functions that would give you the lifestyle that you’re seeking. So, the sports section was a key element. Originally, sports in Soma were mainly golf and water sports such as kiting, surfing, diving…etc. Therefore, we wanted to broaden our sports offerings for everyone.” Ibrahim El Missiri noted.
He also added that sports in Egypt have developed over the past decade; seeing this make its way into schools and what he sees as ‘sports moms.’ Recognizing this pattern which had an equivalent in the USA during the 90s after the 1994 World Cup. He highlighted the fact that there was a ‘Soccer mom generation’ present after introducing the sport to the US with the cup.
Getting back to Egypt, El Missiri argues that the change in parent behavior is changing over the years when it comes to sports; adding that when we were all young, our parents would just drop us off at the club gates and from then on, we were on our own. This is not the case anymore as sports have managed to embed themselves into the Egyptian culture.
Why the “TriFactory” specifically?
“Now, you see people cycling, jogging, running, and doing marathons…etc. And sports stars started to surge. Surprisingly, we have an Olympic silver medal winner in the Pentathlon. Such a win in a multi-sport event is very weird to me. However, it’s very interesting and that drove us to put a sport-oriented strategy for Somabay. We’re creating a sports hub that includes swimming, tennis, and all sorts of different sports other than football of course.
And we’re launching this, we need to create a sports calendar. So, the TriFactory has been very successful historically. They’ve been able to develop their brand regarding the Endurance Festival. And since our partnerships are always long-term, we agreed with them to introduce a three-year plan; whereby we can arrange six events over three years.” Added El Missiri.
With the entire country undergoing the 2030 vision, where does Sombay stand among the collective developmental effort?
Right off the bat, he mentioned that Somabay was the first development project in the Red Sea Governorate. Albeit being mainly touristic for the most part for so long, the current vision now is to transform Somabay into a proper destination with year-round living standards.
“We’re the southernmost development in Egypt if you think about it. So, People see us as the developers of southern Egypt. We’re the “Sea of Upper Egypt” right? Luxor is two hours away. Yes, it is a tougher challenge. But the infrastructure of this area is very strong although it wasn’t focused on, previously. Now, the state created new roads such as El Galala road; changing the perspective of the entire area from El Gouna to Soma and even beyond.” He commented.
And he further continued with other development examples; from Safaga port, Hurghada airport, and the roads connecting the Nile to the Red Sea.
“Somabay has a key role in development. There are essentially six integrated development projects in Egypt and we were the first one. I have to admit that our pace wasn’t as fast as the other ones. but now we’re picking up speed because the entire area is gaining a lot of traction.” he concluded.
When it comes to the electrical grid, how green is Somabay?
“You have to know that originally, Somabay had no power grid in the first place. We were on our own for 20+ years. But we had our very own power plant. In fact, we were giving energy to the surrounding area. Then, from seven to ten years ago, Somabay became a part of the national power grid.
Now, we’re to shift into solar energy. We signed a landmark deal with Taqa Arabia and currently, we’re doing the first phase. So, we’re converting 5 Megawatts of our power consumption into solar energy.” El Missiri answered.
“Technically, with our solar power plant on its way, the entire daytime consumption of energy will be solar. That leaves only the nighttime — where obviously there’s no sun – when we get back to the conventional power sources available.” He added.
How about the industrial usage of power?
“Somabay is one of the biggest producers of water in the region since we have a huge desalination plant. And we are shifting our desalination to daytime, which will mainly depend on solar energy.” He briefly stated.
How do you Imagine the Red Sea Governorate, by 2030?
“The Red Sea Governorate is in a very interesting position and it depends on how much focus the government will give it in the coming years. But, believe it or not, I think it’s better equipped than the North Coast. Having the capability to build stuff in the mountains is something that has always intrigued me. You have El Ain El Sukhna, the whole drive towards the Red Sea. You also have the capital moving closer towards the Red Sea which — if I may say – making Cairo have a seashore.
The other thing is that you have an infrastructure that is both present and functioning — and please underline the word “functioning.” And if you look at the government’s main focus, you’ll see that it’s fixed upon making the North Coast a year-round destination. Yet, the Red Sea is already doing that; having several airports, several seaports.
Add that to the fact that the Red Sea governorate occupies the entire eastern coast of Egypt. It’s actually bigger than many countries in fact. The population density is very low and yet, the infrastructure is incredible. So, you’ve good roads, power, water, fiber internet, multiple airports, mega ports, mountains, sea.
I can keep going but the bottom line is that the Red Sea Governorate already is a promising economic attraction with its tourism contribution, railroads, trades through the ports, and the mining industry. I feel proud in a way that a place like Somabay shows that there could be an established community.” He elaborated.
Is there an established community in Somabay?
“One of the most important capitals is the human capital. It’s a backbone here unlike the Sinai Peninsula for example. If you look at other coastal cities in Egypt, you’ll find that migrant labor is the majority. Here, it’s resident labor. Guess what? there is a sprout of a new generation of workers and employees who were actually born in Hurghada or Safaga.
Back in the day, hiring someone to live here was incredibly difficult. But there is a huge paradigm shift in the minds of Cairo residents now. I think as soon as the high-speed train becomes operational by 2025, the Red Sea area will be the place to settle.” He stated.
What is your current 925?
The question drew a laugh on El Missiri’s face…
“I’m not a 925 guy. I’m more of a 24-7 guy. But you know, I miss the work-life balance. And actually managing Somabay is different from any other job I’ve done because you’re actually managing a town. It will shift between development and operational issues. So, the day will be a bit organized until the part of the day which I call “the firefighting” when something erupts and then you try to tackle it.
But normally, I try to structure it. And luckily, we’re getting more and more structured as the business is stabilizing and becoming more institutional. Of course, the Covid era was ‘topsy turvy’.”
He paused a bit and smiled…
“Look, there’s nothing exciting that you might expect from my lifestyle. But I think the best part for me is the amazing variety. For example, I find real estate to be boring. But here, we’re talking clubs, sports, tourism, transportation, companies, schools, hospitals. This kind of variety makes my ‘925’ very interesting and refreshing. You’d rarely get bored.” Another pause…”But very tiring.” he added with a laugh.
Would you recommend your daily life to a young business owner or entrepreneur?
“It actually depends on being connected. That’s part of the issue. But I think it’s deeply intertwined with your passion. If there’s an entrepreneur who is passionate about what he is doing, I don’t think he will have a 925. Simply, if it’s a 925, then it’s just a job.
I remember from my study of behavioral management that they used to say ‘Businesses succeed when you are able to tap in what we call discretionary performance.’ A 925 is not discretionary. It’s basically getting paid to do a 925. ‘Discretionary’ is when you stretch beyond what’s required from you in order to achieve something greater.
So, if you’re passionate, I think you’ll get into it. If you’re smarter and can do it in three hours, that would be great. But definitely, I think what I would recommend is what I’ve changed into. Now, 50% of my time is here in Soma. We used to have our main office in Cairo but now, it’s at least a solid week here and a solid week there. And what I found out is that actually working here is great.
What is the difference between working in Soma and back in Cairo?
In Cairo, I would waste 30% of my day commuting in a very unhealthy way. Meetings are always a mess since people never show up on time because of the commute. Here, you can achieve so much in a day that you will deeply feel the progress. I think people should consider coming to the Red Sea if their type of business is based on connectivity.
When I come here, I have a better life; It’s more structured. I can have a proper breakfast, go for a swim, or cycle. And in turn, your life balance gets back on track.”
Looking at Ibrahim El Missiri’s life transformation from afar:
It would be insane to expect everything to be perfect as the entire universe naturally calls for chaos. But a businessman with a busy schedule could see the order within the chaos and find his own balance in a place arguably far from the nation’s business hub.
