What does it take to get that all important "stamp of approval" around here?

My Bahraini friend and I have been running an events business for over a year now...alot of this business is seeking sponsors...or approval...for your idea or event. Every lecture...exhibition...forum etc needs sponsors...a patron...and lots of extras signing up and taking part. So alot of our job is phone calls...emails...and personal visits to potential sponsors and patrons. In this business you expect to have quite a few no's before you get some yes's...its all part of the game...but after being in the game for over a year...here is what I have learned about the business of Events Management...and finding sponsors and patrons.

1. Bahrainis(as those are who we deal with mostly on a day to day basis) are very reluctant to put their ok on something that someone else hasnt okayed first. One of the first questions we will invaribly get is...."who else has agreed to sign up?"

2. Bahrainis will more likely do business with you and give their ok if your someone well known...if your new to the game or someone they dont know...they pretty much wont give you the time of day. If your unknown but come in with someones name as a recommendation(wasta) they will perk up and listen to you....even if they dont accept your proposal in the end...without wasta in most cases...you cant even get an appointment with them.

3. Bahrainis will most likely listen up if I...the American...do business with them rather then my friend...a fellow Bahraini. We both know this so many times when its to our benefit I will be the one that steps forward and deals with the issue...even though she speaks the Arabic and her family are well known. This doesnt mean they will accept the idea in the end....but the chances are better. Im not sure why this is...it would seem the Bahrainis would be more interested in helping each other out then helping foreigners...I mean the constant lament I hear everywhere is that foreigners get all the breaks and Bahrainis get nothing...or leftovers...yet when the opportunity to help another Bahraini in their business is before them....they will refuse without even giving a moment of their time to hear the proposal or business idea.

4. The days of keeping your word...something I noticed way back when I first came here...the proverbial business on a handshake idea...is long gone. How many times have we had verbal agreements from someone...only to have them back out later when we needed written confirmation. Its happened far too often so seems to be some sort of trend. If you cant get it down on paper quickly...its likely you havent really got a deal with them so dont be surprised when they pull out later with some lame excuse. This is a terrible way to do business and I cant see the image of Bahrain improving or benefiting from this in anyway. It makes it all that more interesting when these same people will come back to you later wanting some sort of favour from you...seemingly forgetting they left you in the lurch previously....go figure!

What I find most frustrating is that the ministries on this island are the hardest to pin down...it would seem they are the first establishments that would be willing to help Bahrainis get a foothold and lend a helping hand when they can. Ministers have the power of their very names to give an event a boost up...thats all they have to give basically...their name...and yet so many times they decline...for what reason? What are they loosing by agreeing to having their name at the top of the letterhead or on the banner promoting the event? I have seen some ministers being patrons or sponsors for some very...shall I say interesting....events...and yet for something that deals directly with their ministerial position...they can be quite reluctant. I dont understand the reasoning behind this.

Right now we are on the hunt for sponsors and a patron for our Health & Beauty event. We are looking for sponsors that deal with dentistry...cosmetic surgery...spas etc...anything really that pertains to enhancing health and beauty....we have had many doors closed on us because we havent found a patron yet...so many are reluctant to sign up without a patron stated...what exactly has this got to do with that...the event will go ahead whether or not there is a stated patron...but it seems to be such a stumbling block for the local population. There needs to be a stamp of approval from a "bigwig" before all the "littlewigs" will get in line. Its extremely frustrating and hard to take people seriously...are you doing business or earning brownie points with your "betters"? I just dont understand it. I applaud the sponsors we have found and those willing to sign up even without a patron stated...at least they realize that business is business.

How can Bahrainis expect to decrease the foreign population to any degree when they are so very reluctant to help each other out in even the smallest of ways? It would seem you are more agreeable to doing business with foreigners then with each other...can someone explain it to me cause its not making sense from my side.

How accurate is the government in determining the needy?

Lately there has been the news that the govt will be giving needy families BD50 a month to help with the rising cost of living. I seen the list of names recently in the arabic press...and here is my question. Just how does the government determine who is needy and deserves that BD50?

I ask this question for purely personal reasons actually....and the reason I ask is because while going down the list of names I came across my ex husbands name. Now, from what I understand this money is meant for families that are in need. Considering my ex no longer has his family with him...and is only giving his 5 children the court ordered BD150 a month and claims he cant afford more than that...which I also know is not true...I wonder exactly what he had to do to apply for the BD50 under the label of family man? Obviously he misrepresented himself and his position in his childrens lives...in which case he broke the law...right? I also know that he has his name down for a government house...also meant for families and he didnt bother to inform them that he is in fact divorced now and does not have his family with him...and yet he still is on the list. I know this cause I got some paperwork in the mail the other day...some of his mail still comes to my house.

So lets break this down a little shall we....and so who is the needy one here.

His salary is roughly BD470 the last time I checked...it might have gone up...but we will consider it the same. He gives me BD150 each month for the children. So now he's got BD 320. He lives with his new wife in her house...so he does not pay for rent or anything...all though he might contribute towards it. He uses a company car so does not pay a car loan. Its just him and the wife so I dont imagine his food bill is all that high either. This of course is not counting whatever monies she makes as well.

Now lets see my situation. I make BD300 plus his BD150...so I have BD450 to work with each month. I pay the rent BD100....pay the electric BD30 or so...the phone BD25....the car loan BD110(I might mention that I had a car before the divorce...he took it with him which forced me to get another one)...and a monthly food bill for 6 people...3 of which are boys that seem to have a bottomless pit when it comes to eating. So all of that is roughly BD400...give or take...this is not taking into account the day to day things...like gas for the car...medical for the family...clothes etc that the children might need....so basically my money is gone within a few days of receiving it. All of this without splurging...shopping for fun...and doing without some much needed things. Yet...he is the one getting the bd50 extra to tackle the high cost of living.

Something doesnt add up. What did he show them to prove he needs the money cause I can show them those same things and more? Does the government investigate these "needy" families or just sign them up cause they say they are needy? And when my ex gets his government house...are my children entitled to it considering their names are listed on his application form...all though he seems to have forgotten they exist since then?

I realize everything in Bahrain is done by wasta and that by and large non Bahrainis cant really partake of that particular bartering tool...but my children are considered Bahrainis...so do they fall under the umbrella of help....everyone I have brought this subject up with has basically two differing opinions.

1. You cant do anything about it cause you arent a Bahraini...and your children arent old enough to speak for you....so what can you do but complain?

2. You need to complain to the right authorities and get your rights from him.

Ok, the first sucks cause whether or not Im Bahraini or not shouldnt matter when it comes to getting my children what they are entitled too...whether they are old enough to go get it themselves or not.

And number two sucks cause Ive been to the courts...did the whole legal crap dance...and both judges didnt want to know...they couldnt be bothered with my petition for my childrens rights...so then what? Who are the right authorities to complain to?

I prefer choice number 3...hire a bunch of cowboys to go and kick the ever living shit out of him...and then let him enjoy his BD50...while I enjoy the memory of that vey enjoyable moment.

The laws in Bahrain are archaic when it comes to women and children...these government handouts are shit when they dont reach the ones who deserve it the most....and this whole wasta thing bites the big one...unless your someone that has some...does anyone on here know someone that knows someone that can help me....when my underage Bahraini children are old enough...Im sure they will thank you for it.