#422: How To Leverage Your Past For A BIGGER Future with Jerry Inzerillo CEO Of Diriyah Gate Development Authority & Vice Chairman of Forbes Travel Guide
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When I started podcasting, an online store was the furthest thing from my mind. Now I'm selling my group coaching on the regular and it is just so easy all because I use Shopify. With technology now, you have to plan for 10, 20, 30, 40 years out. And the crown prince doesn't want to participate in that.

He wants a lead in that. So he's instructed the entire kingdom and we're blessed because we have His Excellency Abdullah Al-Shuara, fabulous leader and fabulous tech proponent to make sure that the kingdom has a very big role, leadership role in the decades to come. Come on this journey with me. Each week when you join me, we are going to chase down our goals, overcome adversity and set you up for a better tomorrow. That's a no-brainer.

I'm ready for my close-up. Hi, and welcome back. I'm so glad you're back here with me this week. Okay, this is wild. As you know, in March, I was out in Saudi Arabia for the LEAP 2024 tech conference, the largest tech conference in the world. I was brought in as a keynote speaker, right? That's why I was brought in.

Here's why I want you to know, say yes to scary things. This is so crazy. So I said yes after a lot of thought and prayer about that trip because I was nervous about going to the Middle East. I'm so grateful I went. It was such an incredible experience, life-changing experience, by the way. So see fear as a green light that means go and go faster and say yes to these opportunities. Well, I went out there knowing I was giving a keynote.

not knowing anything else. Once you say yes to one thing, it's like a domino effect. Things just start changing so quickly and doors start opening and opportunity starts coming for you, but you have to say yes first, right? So the first opportunity I got after I said yes to doing the keynote in Saudi was, I don't know, a month later, Stephen Bartlett's team reached out and asked that I interview him live on stage at the conference, which I was beyond excited for, like beyond.

So many other opportunities came as a result of saying yes to this. And actually, today is a conversation we're replaying Leap 2024, one of my interviews while I was there. And this one is massive. I mean, this is so wild. And I'll tell you, I interview next, you're going to hear right now, Jerry Inzarello, which he is a world renowned hospitality and tourism visionary. I mean, visionary. I'm going to give you some of the highlights of what this guy's done. But

not only that, he's so cool. He put me at such ease. He met me in the green room before we went on. Mind you, he has a team of like a hundred Arabs around him everywhere he goes. The guy is literally best friends with the royal prince. I mean, he's...

he's it, right? He is it. Now I had no idea going in that it was going to be like this. Again, I was super scared. I was really nervous, but I decided to say yes, think of the best, project out the best expectation and energy and just go for it. And I'm so grateful. This guy was incredible. In June, 2018, Jerry was appointed by the HRH organization

crown prince Mohammed bin Salman of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia to be the first CEO of the newly created Daraya Gate Development Authority, a $40 billion B, $40 billion development project aimed at restoring and reimagining the ancestral home of the original Saudi state. It's incredible what this man has been charged to do and what he's

It's the biggest project in Saudi Arabia, the kingdom. And what he's doing is transforming that portion of the world. There's going to be nothing like it in the world. And I got a glimpse, and you're going to get a glimpse too right now, of what a brilliant man Jerry is. Okay, Jerry also serves as vice chairman of the Forbes Foundation.

Travel Guide. The Forbes Travel Guide five-star award is universally accepted as the Olympic gold medal of hospitality. As CEO of Forbes Travel Guide from 24 to 2018, Jerry successfully spearheaded the globalization of North America's company footprint for more than 100 countries worldwide. He was also president and CEO of IMG Artists, the global leader in artist management, performing arts, and lifestyle events planning from 2012 to 2014. He

He directed global stages, music events, festivals, government consulting. The guy's incredible. I mean, next level. I'm just going to hand on a couple other things that he's done. He in 1987, he was the founding president and CEO of Morgan's Hotel Group, later rebranded as Ian Schrager Hotels. While there, he conceptualized and opened Morgan's, Royalton and Paramount in New York, the Delano in Miami Beach and the Mondrian in L.A.,

He's unbelievable. He actually had a cameo in the James Bond film Casino Royale. He's been on the cover of Forbes magazine. He's an incredible person. I loved getting the chance to know him. He was so welcoming. He's such an incredible individual. And this is just another reminder, say yes to scary things. You never know who you're going to meet. You never know what path you might cross. And I literally got to interview an icon. So yeah,

Let's listen in and let me know what you think.

As-salamu alaykum, Riyadh. So we have heard about your incredible career, the amazing work that you're doing here. And I was so interested to know how technology is playing a role in preserving the historical sites in Darayya. Yeah, thank you. First of all, salamu alaykum. Thank you, everybody, for coming from all over the world.

Very, very historic time here in the kingdom. So thank you for coming. For all my beloved fellow Saudi citizens, thank you for taking the time and thank you for dreaming. I think there's a misconception around the world that there's an inherent conflict between the preservation of cultural identity and preservation of cultural sites and embracing modernity. Sometimes people feel that tradition...

and modernity are in conflict. The Crown Prince doesn't see it that way, nor do I. We see technology enhancing what we have of 300 years in environmental and sustainability preservation, in quality of life for our citizens in Dadaer, and in the ability to entertain and have people see a whole rich 300-year history. So we embrace it fully.

And today, a $63 billion, 14 million square meter master plan is already contractually doing business with over 300 different type of technology companies. So we deeply embrace technology, especially for preservation and enhancement of quality of life.

And as an American getting the opportunity for the first time to be out here enjoying that culture, I'm grateful that you see it so clearly how important it is. As you were explaining to me, all the various places you've worked around the world, it's so special to see. You know, this is a historic time in the kingdom. I've had the honor and privilege of being in tourism for 50 years now, and I've witnessed some great things.

But thanks to the custodian of the two holy mosques, King Salman, if we didn't have him, we wouldn't have had a UNESCO World Heritage Site at Teref in Derea. The kingdom now has seven UNESCO World Heritage Sites, but because of His Majesty the King and the dynamic vision of our Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman,

We opened up the Kingdom to Tourism in September of 2019. And we were, at that time, pre-COVID, we were the fastest growing tourism entity according to the World Travel and Tourism Council, WTTC, and the United Nations World Travel Council. So we had a big week this week because a few days ago, we announced that we hit

Already a 2030 goal, thanks to His Royal Highness and our fabulous Minister of Tourism, His Excellency Ahmed Al-Khatib. We welcomed 100 million visits. So this is beautiful because now people can come and see the birthplace of Arabia.

the house of Al Saud, where one great family of 300 years has presided over this blessed kingdom in the middle of one of the most beautiful oasis, or as we call in Saudi Arabia and in Arabia, a wadi, the wadi Hanifa. So very, very special time. And I'm so happy that you're here.

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I ask you to try to find your passion. Grateful to be here. Can you share how Dorea is linked to the kingdom's rich heritage and the future as embodied in the Vision 2030 plan? Yes. So part of Vision 2030 is that the Crown Prince feels very strongly that in order to be optimistic for the future, which the Saudis are,

One of the things that I love about being here for six years is right now the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, its society is unified behind one vision, which is the king and the crown prince's vision 2030. So you have a very united society.

But what's beautiful is that it's a very positive, very optimistic society. If you look through the G20, these great countries, our beloved United States of America, you look at the United Kingdom, you look at France, you look at Germany, you look at Spain, wonderful countries. But going through what I would suggest a temporary period of high polarization,

you know, maybe not as optimistic as they used to be. I believe they'll come out of it. But right now, the kingdom is very positive. So in the Crown Prince's vision, he sees our culture of 300 years as the roots of a mighty tree. And he feels that if you're anchored in your identity as a people, the source of national pride,

you can be very optimistic to the future. So now another trend that we're seeing is the kingdom did, they don't like to brag about it, so I'll brag, but from every king in Saudi Arabia has put a phenomenal amount of money into training and development.

But now, all the young Saudis by the millions that went abroad to be in college, they're all coming home now because they see a very bright future for themselves, especially the women.

39% of my staff, 2,419 as of Thursday. But 85% of my staff are Saudi. 39% of my staff are Saudi superstar women. 16% of those women are in divisional leadership, full KPIs, full compensation, unlike some other places in the world. And 14% of my staff are from my community of Dedea.

So the Crown Prince envisioned 2030. We want to have a thriving economy. We want to have a healthy society. We want our people to be healthy, educated, have a highest self-esteem, be positive about their futures and their families. So that's why bringing our rich culture with us

gives us a sense of national pride, a sense of unique identity to be a leader for the generations to come. That's such a beautiful philosophy and way of looking at life. So thank you for embodying that. What will the guest experience be like in Dorea? You know, it's interesting because the kingdom was never open to tourism.

Now, we're blessed because we are the custodian of the two holy mosques. So we have the two blessed cities of Mecca and Medina.

And prior to COVID, we welcomed 16 million people to pilgrimages. But in the vision of His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, we're putting substantial infrastructural monies into the two holy cities where we can attract immediately 30 million pilgrimages. Now, if you're Muslim...

The embodiment of your life's dream is to do a pilgrimage to the kingdom. And the kingdom has been historically, through its history, very generous and welcomed people from all over the world. But previous to the new tourism strategy by the crown prince was that if you did a pilgrimage, you had to go to the two holy cities, but then you had to return home.

This policy has been changed because now anyone that comes to the kingdom and you can get a tourism visa within minutes, sometimes two to three minutes. But now, post-COVID, we had 27 million pilgrimages, right? So but now you could stay 90 days in the kingdom.

and visit all the 13 provinces in the kingdom. This is beautiful because with modern technology, especially social media, we just had the CEO of TikTok on,

People don't know that it snows in Saudi Arabia. I mean, 2027 will host the summer games. 2029 will host the Asian winter games in the beautiful new modern city of Trajina up in Nile, right? Well, this is going to be revolutionary because people don't know that it snows in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

We have the largest natural sand desert in the world, the Empty Quarter. Take your breath away. We have rolling green hills like a baby Switzerland in a seer. We have the largest palm grove in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Alavasa.

The Egyptians are famous for the Red Sea. They control 21% of the Red Sea. Saudi Arabia has 44% of the Red Sea, but we never opened it. Now we have gorgeous resorts. People are going to the Red Sea. You got the historic city of Jeddah. You got the east coast of Dammam. So there's so much to do here that it's a very exciting time. Jerry, you're right.

It takes a lot. When you say that there's gorgeous resorts here, knowing your background, that says a lot. That these are the best of the best. The best of the best. The other thing, in Vision 2030, there's two very, very important human capital mandates. One is that the kingdom will use all of its resources

to ensure that every Saudi has everything they need to be the best embodiment of their own self-image. What are your goals? What are your dreams? Now, my staff, 2,400, the average age is 31 years old. You take me out, it probably goes to 24. I'm not sure. But the crown prince says, dream big.

Work hard. He works an 80-hour week. So the only thing that stands between you and your dreams and your goals, your passion, your work ethic, the belief in yourself, and the belief in the future of this blessed kingdom. So now it's not about what Vision 2030 will do for you. It's what can I do to sustain 2030. But also in Vision 2030,

on areas of expertise that we didn't have yet, areas of technology that we're coming up to and becoming leaders in, marketing, entertainment,

Vision 2030 says we will attract the best and brightest minds from around the world to help us on our mission of fulfillment of a great quality of life for generations to come until we develop that expertise internally. So for me, I don't have to be here.

I choose to be here. And my favorite thing of being here is to get to work with these young, dynamic Saudis every day. They are fired up. And they're led by an extraordinary prime minister and crown prince.

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We've heard so much about sustainability being here at LEAP. What importance will sustainability have in Dorea? Sustainability, if you say that word to the Crown Prince, he'll look at you inquisitively because now in the last 20 years it's become a buzzword, not to him. What's the alternative to sustainability?

So now, the most prestigious award in the world for environmental protection and sustainability is the LEEDS designation. Dedea had the largest right now, the largest platinum LEED designation in the world with four kilometers. We just finished 110 million construction man hours without a principal accident.

Dedea, just for the fourth year in a row, won Best Place to Work. So we have a happy staff, a safe work environment, the largest sustainability and environmental protection. Why? Because every single meeting you have with the Crown Prince, from tech to culture to entertainment to agriculture to mining and minerals, every meeting...

He's thinking about quality of life. Are my people happy? Are they healthy? Are they educated? Do they believe in their future? What will life be like in 2030, 2040, 2050? So we'll preserve our 300-year heritage at Dedea.

Thanks to His Majesty and the Crown Prince, one of our big holidays here is National Day. So September 23rd, we'll celebrate our 94th year of the unification by His Royal Highness the King, King Abdulaziz. But this king, this Crown Prince, made a federal holiday on February 22nd to celebrate the 300-year history of the birthplace of the kingdom, Dedea.

But now you look at Neom, a lot of people are hearing a lot about Neom. Neom is a giant lab of quality of life, of what will life look like and what will the sociological and communal needs be in 2040, 2050. Now, what we love about technology and the 200,000 people that will be at LEAP is that with technology now,

You have to plan for 10, 20, 30, 40 years out. And the crown prince doesn't want to participate in that. He wants a lead in that. So he's instructed the entire kingdom, and we're blessed because we have His Excellency Abdullah al-Shuwaara, fabulous leader and fabulous tech proponent, to make sure that the kingdom has a very big role, leadership role, in the decades to come.

Jerry, I could sit here and talk to you all day because I love hearing about the amazing work that you are doing. Unfortunately, our time is up, so I just wanted to thank you so much. It's been an honor to be with you today, and thank you to everyone for your time to be here with us as well. Thank you for being a great role model, especially to you for girls and women. You know, we say there's only one leap, but there's only one Derea, so thank you very much. Thank you, and thank you, everyone. I decided to change that dynamic. I couldn't.

I couldn't be more excited for what you're going to hear. Start learning and growing. Inevitably, something will happen. No one succeeds alone. You don't stop and look around once in a while. You could miss it. I'm on this journey with me.

What's up, everyone? I'm Hala Taha, host of Yap Young and Profiting Podcast, a top 10 entrepreneurship podcast on Apple. I'm also the CEO and founder of the Yap Media Podcast Network, the number one business and self-improvement podcast network. That's why they call me the podcast princess. On Young and Profiting Podcast, I interview the brightest minds in the world,

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