Ladies Who Lunch is a Facebook-based initiative that provides support and socialisation to the capital’s women through communication, events and advice.
TOAD spoke to founder Sally to find out more about the group, what it does in the community, and the ladies who do, in fact, lunch.
Ladies Who Lunch appears to be a well-supported group (500+ members and growing), do you think there was a niche for this kind of group in Abu Dhabi?
We were completely overwhelmed by the response; we were so taken back with how many ladies attended our first event at the Westin. We initially thought that possibly around 30 ladies would come, we had planned to host the event in the coffee shop but then had to move to the far larger function room as we had more than 100 attendees.
Is there a specific type of woman who joins the group?
The group wasn’t set up for a specific type of lady, in my five years here I have noticed such a diverse selection of ladies that we wanted to appeal to all nationalities and tastes.
How did this group begin?
My friend [and co-manager] Rebecca and I had attended many of the ladies events in Abu Dhabi, but unfortunately we always went away feeling a little disappointed afterwards, as if there was something missing. Over coffee we thought ‘Why don’t we just do our own? But let’s make it exciting and fun!’
How many women are involved in the administration and organisation of the group and events?
There is myself and my close friend Rebecca, just the two of us! Luckily, we tend to agree about everything and think the same ideas will work so it’s a perfect partnership.
What is next on the Ladies Who Lunch agenda?
We are planning two huge events – the first in January as a welcome back after Christmas, and the second sometime in April or May. It’s quite difficult trying to pick the right date for events like these as we have to take into consideration all the other things that happen in Abu Dhabi (and Dubai), plus the term timings for the children as most families tend to fly out of the country for holidays and such.
Do you find that the community in Abu Dhabi is supportive?
Our last event was a great success, again a great turnout of around 70 ladies. We decided to hold a canapé and blends evening, and the event was held at the Abu Dhabi Golf Club. We had arranged for a pianist to serenade our ladies as they arrived, guests also had the opportunity to browse and buy beautiful gifts from the stands located around the room. We then kicked off our surprise fashion show which featured clothing from Kudibal and jewellery from SNO of Sweden. We also had huge support from Sue Young at the Susan Young Beauty Clinic. Sue provided Guinot gifts and a Dhs50 gift voucher for each of the ladies – not forgetting the two Dhs1,000 amazing prize draw prizes. At every event we put together a gift bag – in each bag we have treats, offers and discounts from businesses in Abu Dhabi.
What would you say to women considering joining?
If you are new to Abu Dhabi or if you would just like to make new friends or opportunities please join our group. We promise to try and make each event different and exciting.
What’s the best part for you and Rebecca as organisers?
Rebecca and I make the point of meeting every lady as they arrive at our events, together we also hand each lady a gift bag as they leave. We always listen to their ideas and thoughts and we love to hear how they have enjoyed themselves. This gives us a feeling of happiness and that we are doing something good for the ladies of Abu Dhabi – sometimes it can be hard living as an expat we hope we make that a little bit easier.
Anything else to add?
We love helping people promote their businesses at our events – if you are interested in promoting yourself or company to the community of Abu Dhabi, please email Sally and Rebecca at ladieswholunch.ad@gmail.com
www.facebook.com/groups/ladieswholunch.ad
