inCROWD: Atlantis Dubai's Ian Renton
In our latest inCROWD interview, we catch up with Atlantis Dubai’s Director of Sales Ian Renton about all things luxury and events, his love of exploring the underwater world and the stunning scenery of the Scottish Highlands.
Originally from Scotland, Ian moved to Dubai with his family in 2007. He’s always had a passion for hospitality, having started his career in a nine-bedroom hotel as a kitchen porter.
“I never looked back, and I’ve been working in hotels for close to 23 years now. Today at Atlantis Dubai, I am responsible for the MICE segment of both Atlantis The Palm and Atlantis The Royal as well as our Marine and Waterpark Sales,” he says.
The thing I most love about working in events is… working and dealing with such a wide range of cultures and nationalities and bringing events from conception to life.
Luxury to me is… the ability to deliver unique experiences through a personalised and seamless service delivery with exceptional and quality craftsmanship. Also creating a guest experience that is unique to the brand and the property which is genuine, authentic and meaningful.
My earliest travel memory is… when I went camping with my parents during a fine Scottish summer in The Highlands. I remember driving around on the windy roads and taking in the exceptional scenery.
I think wherever we are in the world we tend to take for granted what is on our doorstep. I revisited The Highlands a couple of years back and those memories came flooding back to me just like it was yesterday.
City slicker or beach bum? Definitely beach bum. Vacations for me are a time to chill and re-charge, I love diving and snorkelling and exploring the underwater world; it gives me a great sense of disconnection which is very calming and soothing.
If I could get on a plane right now, I would fly… back home to Scotland. I know I’m not alone when I say how tough it has been living in today's world and wondering when the time will come to see my loved ones back home again.
Suitcase essentials?
An extra phone charger for sure. I don’t think you can ever have too many phone chargers.
One of my favourite places in the world is… the Philippines. It’s a place of great beauty and is home to so many undiscovered places and gems which are not mass in tourism.
I believe the culture is extremely hospitable and it offers me something very different to what I enjoy about living in Dubai.
My most memorable event moment… would have to be our 2020 New Years Eve concert with global rock band KISS. It was the first vertical concert in the region and the highest production Livestream experience of the Covid-era, with a 250-foot stage and 50 surrounding 4k cameras. The pyrotechnics alone were nearly $1 million.
We also broke the Guinness World Record for “highest flame projection in a music concert and for most flame projections launched simultaneously in a music concert.” The entire event was just spectacular and a New Year’s Eve I will never forget.
Do you have a mantra you live and work by?
“Never look down on anybody unless you're helping them up” – Jesse Jackson
When I’m not working, I’m most likely to be… spending time with my family, making memories and relaxing.
When the pandemic is over, I am most looking forward to… meeting with all my customers, partners and friends of the industry and getting back to a new normal of live events and face to face interaction.
Why inVOYAGE? Although I haven’t personally attended inVOYAGE we have attended as Atlantis and I’m looking forward to connecting with like-minded industry professionals and sharing all of the new and exciting experiences we have to at Atlantis, Dubai.