Of every 100 AI experts who want to be on Minbar.ai, we accept 8. Here's what we look for β and why we say no to the rest.
Have they spoken in the GCC before? Do they understand the pace, expectations, and protocols of Gulf audiences?
Are they willing to receive a cultural brief and adapt their content? Some experts refuse. We notice.
We check post-event ratings from previous engagements. Below 4.2/5 average is a red flag.
Experts who play games with pricing β quoting different fees to different clients β are immediately declined.
Is the Gulf a priority market for them, or just an afterthought when their US calendar is slow?
The strongest signal: have Gulf clients booked them again? Repeat bookings tell us everything.
No Gulf speaking experience and unwilling to prepare
Fee expectations misaligned with Gulf market norms
Poor or unverifiable audience feedback from past events
Unwillingness to do a cultural preparation session
Content too generic β no Gulf-specific adaptation offered
Being declined by Minbar.ai is not a verdict on your expertise. It's not personal. It doesn't mean you're not a brilliant mind.
It means you're not ready for the Gulf market right now. Maybe you need one or two Gulf engagements to build the context. Maybe your fee structure needs adjusting. Maybe you just need to be open to the cultural preparation process.
We re-evaluate every 6 months. Many of our best experts were initially declined.