#265 Gemma Gallagher: Design & Dine, Dubai

<p>Gemma Gallagher is an award-winning Visual Artist and the Founder of <a href="https://designanddine.co.uk/about/">Design & Dine</a>, a Creative Workshop company based in the UAE and Northern Ireland.</p> <p>The aim was to create an event where guests could discover their creative abilities and learn to make art in a fun, sociable environment. What started as a small workshop has now grown to become the UAE’s largest interactive, creative experience with consistent sell-out events and over 7000 guests having attended so far.</p> <p>After founding <a href= "https://designanddine.co.uk/about/">Design & Dine</a> in 2015, she has built the company up to operate across multiple cities with a team of Artists from around the world working with her to make Art fun and accessible to everyone.</p> <p>Her vision is to grow Design & Dine to be a global brand, allowing anyone to have fun and connect through the joy of creativity.</p> <p>In today’s episode we talk about:</p> <ul> <li>Growing up on the Antrim Road in the 90s</li> <li>Working on a banana farm in Australia</li> <li>What brought her to Abu Dhabi in 2014</li> <li>Her experience working as a teacher in the Middle East</li> <li>Where she got the idea to start her business</li> <li>How she scaled her events from 15, to 25, to 50, to 100 people</li> <li>The secret to incredible in-person events</li> <li>What she misses most about home</li> <li>And her greatest highs/lows of the journey so far.</li> </ul> <p>Check it out.<br /> <br /> //<br /> <br /> <a class="notion-link-token notion-enable-hover" href= "https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/gemma-gallagher-design-and-dine" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" data-token-index="0" data-reactroot=""><span class= "link-annotation-unknown-block-id-282705285">https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/gemma-gallagher-design-and-dine</span></a></p>