When Yardi expanded to the Asia Pacific (APAC) market 15 years ago, it entered uncharted territory. Supporting a new team more than 11,000 miles away from the Santa Barbara headquarters required creativity, cultural savvy, a bold sense of exploration—and of course, technology. Since then, the Yardi Systems Pty Ltd. has established itself as a trusted leader in proptech. That trust has developed in part due to the marketing team which consists of three members serving from Sydney and Singapore. The team builds association relationships and develops the Yardi profile as trusted partners to and supporters of the real estate industry. This is done through content-rich materials such as white papers, articles, online events and APAC’s biggest initiative, the APAC-wide PropTech survey. The team is also responsible for translating Yardi’s global identity to the local markets. This includes marketing materials dedicated to the APAC region as well as sales and service materials. Big fish, growing pond Marketing manager Nina Feldman began her career with Yardi APAC five years ago. She was intrigued by working with a global organization that was relatively new to the region. “I get to work in the most awesome corporate environment that also functions like a startup – this gives me a whole heap of challenges but lots of fun, too,” says Feldman. Nina Feldman The APAC marketing team shifts through diverse workflows to accommodate the needs of the region’s sales and services teams. She finds it challenging to balance local agility with the unique demands of a global organization. It’s a challenge she tackles each day with the help of communication. “Communication, communication, communication. I’m a firm believer in one team, one dream. We’re all working for the same outcome. Whilst the ideal process never exists, I will always keep everyone in the loop so they feel informed and comfortable with whatever is happening or the timelines involved,” she says. Get in-depth insights on local best practices at the Mingtiandi Asia Logistics Real Estate Forum, sponsored by Yardi. Building cohesion while working thousands of miles apart Sasha Shatilova and Ian Khoo are marketing associates in the APAC team. Though both virtually joined Yardi during the pandemic, they felt welcomed and engaged from day one. Ian Khoo Sasha Shatilova “A highlight is definitely the first team lunch with Nina and Ian where each of us made a short PowerPoint presentation about ourselves. Very geeky, I know, but we have really bonded as a team through that activity,” says Shatilova. Khoo adds, “It has been a complete work-from-home environment which eliminates that warmth you get when you are in an office. Thankfully, my marketing team has been really warm and supportive and daily video calls with them has generated that sense of camaraderie that you’d get over office lunches.” Both associates were pleasantly surprised by corporate culture at Yardi. “There is an incredible support system here at Yardi,” says Shatilova. “Despite it being a very large company, the culture is surprisingly flat. You really feel that your ideas are being respected and your voice heard.” Khoo agrees. “I am able to feel a sense of community. Nobody shies away from extending a helping hand wherever possible, be it across the world in the U.K. or even locally in a separate department. There is a strong sense of collaboration within each project where everyone feels heard and feel like they are able to contribute their own ideas.” Interested in becoming a Yardi team member? Explore opportunities in your...

Is Hong Kong is poised for a real estate resurgence? Two years ago, Hong Kong was the world’s third largest real estate market, trailing only New York and London. The twin challenges of protests and a pandemic have taken their toll. So last week, Yardi called in the experts for their take on Hong Kong’s future. David Green-Morgan, managing director at Real Capital Analytics in Asia Pacific, Tommy Wu, lead economist for Oxford Economics in Asia, and Yardi regional director, Bernie Devine gathered for the first instalment of Yardi’s 2021 Executive Briefing Series. Here’s why they think Hong Kong real estate is ready to bounce back. The macro indicators are positive Political unrest had already damaged Hong Kong’s economy prior to Covid-19, and a 6% contraction followed in 2020, Wu told Yardi’s engaged audience. But Oxford Economics is forecasting a strong recovery, with 4% growth in 2021, and then 2.5% annually out to 2025. All the macro indicators bode well, Devine added, pointing to the vaccine rollout, slowly improving retail performance and unemployment rate, as well as the city’s strong financial governance framework, which remains a source of competitive advantage. Office’s bumpy ride is over Political protests had a greater impact on Hong Kong’s commercial office sector than the global pandemic, Wu highlighted. Office prices fell during the protests, but the market is “bottoming out” and demand is returning. Green-Morgan agreed, pointing to recent deals struck at the 73-storey skyscraper at 99 Queens Road, The Center, which were “more or less on par” with 2018 prices. “Quite a few multinationals have been shifting business functions to other key cities in Asia – like Singapore and Kuala Lumpur – but they are still keeping their offices in Hong Kong,” Wu added. Oxford Economics expects the financial sector “to continue to thrive” and the tech sector, while small, will be a powerful engine for growth. Hong Kong remains “the gateway in and out of China”. Residential remains resilient While Covid-19 hurt the labour market, and unemployment currently sits at 7%, this has not affected housing demand, Wu said. Why is this? Most participants in the housing market are in the financial and other high-paying sectors, and these weren’t hit hardest by Covid. “The real impact on Hong Kong was the protests. In fact, Covid has had hardly any impact on property prices, when you take a high-level view,” Devine observed. Will migration, especially from those who hold British National Overseas passports, affect the housing market? Wu pointed out that the bulk of these migrants are young and footloose, but not asset-rich and were unlikely to be in the market for housing. Meanwhile land supply will remain “tight – at least over the next few years,” Wu added. Risk and rewards in restructured retail Retail could take some time to recover, and Oxford Economics does not expect to see a repeat performance of the bounce back in 2003, following SARS. This marked a golden decade for retail and China’s emergence as a “major force” in tourism. “This won’t happen again,” Wu warned. More than 80% of inbound tourists hail from China, but the falling price of luxury goods in China has eroded Hong Kong’s appeal as a shopping destination. Tourism is now at a “crossroads,” Wu added. Recovery in tourist arrivals will lag other nearby cities, and this will lead to “structural change” in retail. While Hong Kong has some of the highest rents in the world, and while yields have been “incredibly low” in recent years, some investors are beginning to take a punt on the return of Chinese tourism. “This is the big unknown,” but prices are now low enough “that people are willing to take a bet,” Green-Morgan added. Hong Kong stays strong “The last two years have been a real challenge for Hong Kong, but overall investor sentiment towards the city is becoming more positive,” Green-Morgan said. Despite...

The human brain is capable of tremendous achievements. But what are its limitations in business transactions, specifically those involving property and real estate investment management? At what point do machine data-based systems make more accurate decisions than intuition? Human intuition certainly has its place. As Deloitte researchers Surabhi Kejriwal and Saurabh Mahajan have noted, “The [real estate investment and management] industry has long thrived on relationships, which is how many investors have traditionally gained access to unique information. Traditionally, most investors have combined this information with their gut instincts to make investment decisions.” But although intuition can be a useful tool, Harvard Business School Online writer Tim Stobierski cautions that “it would be a mistake to base all decisions around a mere gut feeling. While intuition can provide a hunch or spark that starts you down a particular path, it’s through data that you verify, understand, and quantify.” A team of McKinsey experts echoes this sentiment, noting that complex decision-making requires analysts to “sift through tens of millions of records or data points to discern clear patterns and place their bets with few supporting tools to help glean insights from that material.” By the time the data needed to determine a course of action is collected, compiled and processed, they note, “the best opportunities are gone.” There’s also the problem of “cognitive biases” that misguide decisions with information drawn from the wrong sources. Fortunately, Stobierski notes, “it’s never been easier for businesses of all sizes to collect, analyze, and interpret data into real, actionable insights” into portfolio health measurements such as revenues, debt, risk, occupancy and sales, along with property-level operations like energy consumption and accounts receivable. Ronald D. Marten, CCIM, writing in Forbes, adds that “CRE brokers who can tap into today’s sophisticated data tools can differentiate themselves and their core value proposition to clients. Knowing everything about a building by using flood maps, demographics reports, traffic counts, tenants and retailers … and more gives a potential buyer an accurate idea of what their ROI is going to be on day one.” What do machine learning algorithms in the real estate realm consist of? One example is combined macro and local forecasts that identify areas with the highest demand for residential housing. On another front, retail mall investors can combine operational data at the property level with sales data from mobile sensors, social media and physical store sales, then use machine learning algorithms to analyze consumer buying behavior. Similarly, commercial property tenants can compare rent rates across various markets to make more informed decisions and get into spaces faster. Data compiled from multiple disparate systems is complicated and prone to error. As a result, sophisticated software applications capable of collecting, processing and using data across the asset management lifecycle have been developed and brought to market. This technology, complemented by machine learning recommended actions, enable management of deals, budgeting, investor reporting and more in a single connected system. Developers seeking new parcels, for example, can use advanced analytics to assess the properties’ potential, property uses and even pricing, among other things. Asset managers can evaluate pipelines and match deals with investors, benchmark their properties’ rent against others in the area, tie capital calls to investment lifecycle data and generate reports. Property-level data collected within a centralized location enables everything from online tenant payments to reduced heating, cooling and ventilation costs and better oversight of construction projects. Kejriwal and Mahajan point out that “investors and managers can leverage analytics and AI across key steps in the investment life cycle, from deal sourcing to portfolio management to risk management. In addition, these technologies can help increase efficiency and effectiveness of operational processes, such as information integration, investment accounting, and reporting.” Real estate software technology holds massive potential to shift decisions from humans to machines. Assimilating all asset management information at the property and portfolio levels and makes it universally available can preempt...

October 20-22, Yardi provided three days of education, training, inspiration and support to clients during the YASC Global conference. The expansion of the online event to attendees worldwide, building on a U.S.-focused event held in May, was well received. Over 20,000 attendees, representing more than 2,500 companies from 58 countries, took 45,000 courses over 72 hours. The event was hosted on the Yardi Aspire learning platform. Anant Yardi, founder and president of Yardi, delivered an introduction to the event and remarked on the rapid adaptations real estate professionals have made worldwide. “Last year we had six different conferences: Washington, D.C., San Diego, London, Dubai, Singapore and Sydney. They were festive occasions where we had the opportunity to meet and greet you. Today, things have changed,” Mr. Yardi said. “We now work from home. We no longer meet face to face, but through digital media. And as all of this is going on, we yearn for those good old days. I don’t know about you, but it sure is nice to meet face to face. And we look forward to the day when we can do that.” But to help deal with the “new normal” that the real estate industry now faces, Yardi has continued to expand its product suites to assist with remote business management, data transparency, social distancing, working from home and much more. These features augment the business and accounting features that have made Yardi the go-to technology provider for real estate over the last 40 years. Product spotlights During YASC Spotlight sessions, clients heard from Yardi executives about the development and progress of product suites, including Affordable Housing, Commercial, Investment Management, Multifamily, Senior Living, and Public Housing. There were also regional updates for international clients from Asia, Australia/New Zealand, Europe and the Middle East. “Through a single connected solution, we remain focused on providing a set of products and services that have a real impact on your property operations and property performance. These products help to create transparency and efficiencies in the interest of reducing risk, reducing expenses, increasing revenues and increasing property values,“ said John Pendergast, senior vice president at Yardi. Products highlighted for multifamily operators were RENTCafé Reach search marketing;  Marketing IQ, a new marketing analytics product; RENTCafé  Self-Guided Tours, which allows socially distanced property tours; RENTCafé Chat IQ, an automated marketing assistant using AI and machine learning; Maintenance IQ; Asset IQ; and the Procure to Pay suite. “There have been some dramatic changes. Remote working, asset distress, residents and tenants’ ability to pay rent, and a real focus on data have been part of our conversations with clients both big and small, operational or institutional ownership. The challenges are common across the different platforms and client perspectives,” shared Richard Malpica, vice president and general manager, Eastern region for Yardi, in the investment management spotlight. While different commercial real estate sectors have been affected uniquely, data visibility and the ability to access operational data have been especially important to investors and operators alike. The Investment Management product suite provides tools to deliver data transparency, risk exposure analysis and real time reporting that investors are seeking now. “Though we have incredible optimism about the next 18 months, it is important that we acknowledge the hardship that many of you have faced in a personal and professional manner,” said Rob Teel, senior vice president at Yardi, in the commercial product spotlight. “I want to assure you that Yardi has passionately contributed philanthropically and to professional trade organizations to help with a global rebound from this crisis.” Commercial clients learned about the latest updates to the Yardi Commercial Suite, including Yardi Elevate, which sits on top of Yardi Voyager and provides operational tools to drive performance and gain operational visibility. Leasing, forecasting, deals, retail tenants and construction projects all have specialized management modules and reporting oversight within Yardi Elevate. Its real time informational visibility has been especially beneficial...

These days it might be easy, perhaps even understandable, for those in commercial real estate to downplay the relationship of tenant interaction to asset performance. After all, the COVID-19 pandemic has largely evicted workers from their offices while retail continues to endure e-commerce’s expanding presence. But property owners shouldn’t lose sight of how important ongoing communication between owners and their tenants is for attracting prospects, retaining tenants and operating efficiently. Erin Wicomb of San Diego real estate investor Mavrik Investing has noted that “customer retention is often an underestimated factor in real estate success and not given nearly enough attention. Plenty of effort is spent finding and marketing to new tenants, but investors and landlords often neglect to take care of existing customers and make them happy.” Focusing on the residential market, the U.S. National Multifamily Housing Council noted in a 2018 report titled Disruption: How Demographics, Psychographics and Technology Are Bringing Multifamily to the Brink of a Design Revolution that “tomorrow’s renters’ needs and wants are shaping up to be so very different in any number of ways that the industry must begin thinking about how to adapt or risk facing a disconnect with their future customers.” In a similar vein, a commercial property leasing guide published by Colliers International declared that “the number one reason that an owner’s relationship with his or tenant falls apart is lack of communication – and this is often the responsibility of the property manager,” adding, “You can have the best customer service on the planet, but when property management breaks down through lack of foresight or poor communication, that one action can strike a fatal blow against all the goodwill you had built up.” Residential tech demonstrates success How do residential property owners avoid that fatal blow and take care of their residents, maintain communication and build goodwill? Many have embraced portals as the answer. They are a valuable tool for connecting residential community members to the services they might need any time of day or night. Seamless access to contact, lead, lease, resident and property data lets staff focus their attention on higher-value operations. Advanced property management technology platforms host portals as part of an end-to-end system that performs all prospect and resident services in the rental lifecycle, from initial contact to move-in, lease renewal and move-out, as well as timely communication. New advantages for commercial real estate Commercial real estate operators might want to consider emulating their residential counterparts by implementing portals and apps that deliver tenant services much more efficiently than is possible with telephones and emails. Property managers, for example, can easily dispatch announcements, emergency plans and other vital information through a portal. Tenants, for their part, can record maintenance requests and attach audio and photo documentation. Although millennials seeking cutting-edge amenities in their living spaces are the most visible advocates of property technology innovations, commercial real estate is undergoing its own generational shift. The younger workers among the sector’s cohort similarly expect the convenience of online and mobile self-services such as document access, electronic payments, maintenance requests, retail sales data entry and concierge services. Ideally, portals are built into a property management and accounting platform that centralizes financials, operations, leasing, maintenance management and other operations in a cloud-hosted database. Relieved of manual tasks such as the recording of tasks, property owners can concentrate on closing leases, maximizing rental income, increasing conversions and renewals, and ultimately enhancing their assets’ value. Some property management platforms leverage artificial intelligence, machine learning and chatbots to combine historical unit-level performance data with market outlooks. The resulting portfolio-wide data and prescriptive recommendations help managers make informed decisions that cut costs and elevate asset performance. Portal technology offers a human touch that contributes measurably to tenant satisfaction, a key element of retention and a property’s reputation in the marketplace. As Mavrik Investing’s Wicomb advises, “From the start, develop and provide channels of open...

The traditional image of a warehouse is that of a windowless box with little visual appeal, inside or out. That perception is giving way to new designs that use technology to integrate efficiency with safety and opportunities for constructive workforce interaction. Delin Property, the leading pan-European real estate investment developer in the logistics market, is on the leading edge of that transformation. Delin’s status as both a logistics real estate developer, asset manager and investor provided a vantage point for envisioning a new type of storage facility. “We’ve always tried to be on the forefront of design and technology, and to use that motivation to create a better experience for owners, tenants and investors,” says Bart De Sitter, development director for Delin Property’s operations in the Netherlands. Elevating the human element Delin Property began its redesign initiative by recognising that labour costs are a warehouse’s largest operational expense. That made improving the experience for both blue- and white-collar workers the company’s top priority. “A grey box with no windows isn’t sufficient today. You have to create a pleasant workplace to attract and retain the 1,000 to 1,500 workers who staff a warehouse, many of them millennials who have higher expectations of workplace amenities than previous generations,” says Jay Lelie, asset and leasing manager in the Netherlands. A design along these lines incorporates features such as windows, green spaces and terraces for breaks and meals. “Windows really make a difference when you’re in there for eight hours – not just to let natural light inside but to let workers see outside. Our clients tell us this feature really helps reduce absenteeism, illness and turnover,” according to Lelie. Along with creating an aesthetically desirable space, Delin Property’s new approach to warehouse design sought to end the sector’s historical workplace separation of white collar and blue-collar workers. “As interactions between managers and their workers become more complex in the e-commerce environment, working closely together onsite becomes more important. We wanted to create an environment that puts a premium on natural interaction and ends separate entrances and canteens and other arbitrary physical or mental barriers,” De Sitter says – although, of course, this scenario can’t be fully realised as long as COVID-19 remains untamed. Delin Property also put a premium on safety, plotting car and delivery truck routes well away from pedestrian traffic. Other challenges in the redesign included maximising parking spaces in tightly constricted urban locations. Using tech to strengthen client bonds Back when Delin Property was solely a property investor, it outsourced most of its direct contact with clients. “That was a logical choice at the time, but it ended up making us too remote from tenants and created too many steps between us and them,’ De Sitter said. “We wanted to manage the communication stream in a way that lets us focus on our relationship with clients rather than on administrative tasks and compiling reports.” Toward that end, the company has adopted advanced real estate management software solutions from Yardi that enable execution of multiple business operations from a single connected platform and promote staff efficiency and client service. Delin Property’s invoice processing, for example, will be paperless for tenants and driven by automated workflows all the way to vendor payment. Similarly, automated project management will help keep the company’s construction projects on time and on budget by providing real-time views of data across multiple capital projects. Meanwhile, tenants will have the convenience of making payments, communicating with Delin Property, accessing documents and submitting maintenance requests online or with a remote device. Other solutions will automate preventive maintenance and other elements of facility management while housing records for equipment and maintenance in one database. A vision rooted in simple changes All of these design and technology elements combine, according to De Sitter and Lelie, to create a future vision that encompasses “a high-end office with a facility behind it that...

Yardi is excited to present a series of bitesize insight videos in partnership with Property Week, ahead of Workspace 2020. This series of interviews gathers perspectives from all corners of the flexible workspace industry, reflecting on the uncertain times that we have found ourselves in during recent months. Justin Harley, regional director at Yardi, captured insights from design company Area, flexspace operator Uncommon and data analytics company The Instant Group. In the last of the series, Harley also summarised Yardi’s technology outlook. How will physical space differ in the future post-covid-19? First to take the Zoom stage, was Kathryn O’Callaghan-Mills, Design Director at Area. Harley jumps straight in with the burning question, “how will physical space differ in the future post-Covid-19?” “The beauty of workspace is that it is so flexible, and the key point of our industry is to give the user a flexible experience,” comments O’Callaghan-Mills. “Operators need to consider two main elements; people and space.” O’Callaghan-Mills explains how operators can make an impact by considering these two pertinent points, including enabling social distancing with space management and rotating people within those spaces. Staying true to the bitesize theme, O’Callaghan-Mills promotes a digestible way of thinking with a ‘the now, the next, and the future’ mindset. With ‘the now’ comprising of immediate measures you can take; ‘the next’ acts as a hybrid of the immediate measures and new normal measures; and ‘the future’ which leverages on the innovation and technology investments you make today. How will the landscape of Flexspace change? Harley also spoke to Chris Davies, Director of Uncommon. Davies expressed that “the traditional faceless office is dead.” And how “the real estate industry needs to support the needs, amenities and service demands of flexspace clients.” “Covid-19 has fundamentally changed the landscape – it’s sped up pre-existing trends such as looking after staff. Staff are the most important part of any business and make up 60-80% of most businesses and flexible office space is the corporate enabler.” Davies explained that office users want a healthier workspace and activity-based working – something that the flexspace market has a hold on over traditional office. Davies expressed how corporate companies will continue to absorb the majority of flexspace market. In 2019 40% of occupiers were corporations – Davies only sees this expanding. Companies signing 5-10-year lease agreements will be a thing of the past in Davies’ opinion. “why wouldn’t a business use a better environment for their staff?” How will the demand for flexible workspace differ post-Covid-19? James Rankin, Head of Research for The Instant Group, gave some insightful perspectives on how the demand for flexspace might differ post-Covid-19. Rankin broke his summary down into three main points explaining that demand for corporates will increase, diversification of location of the office portfolio will be prevalent, and the entrepreneurial sector will flourish. Rankin shared insights from a recent research project conducted by Gartner; “Flexspace operators are moving away from the reactionary thought process that Covid-19 has seen them take, and are now moving to make more strategic decisions about the future of flexible workspace. They are looking to reduce costs, make efficiencies and increase the flexibility of their portfolios as a whole.” Diversification of the office portfolio will be ever more important Rankin explained, “we’ve seen a large number of companies look at how they can expand out of large metropolitan, central hubs.” Rankin explained that the supply isn’t there yet in suburban markets. “We’ve seen a spike in interest for flexible workspace. 5 out of our top 13 global coworking markets are now showing interest levels higher than pre-Covid-19. The bounce back is starting to speed up.” Technology Insights & Predictions Last but not least, Harley closed the Bitesize series with a summary of his predictions and insights that Yardi has taken from clients in the industry. “The future of flexible workspace is healthy and positive,” Harley states. Harley...

In the latest edition of Yardi Proptech Insights, Yardi regional director Richard Gerritsen speaks with Bart de Sitter and Jay Lelie of Delin Property about the company’s efforts to design innovative warehouse spaces that are efficient and functional as well as attractive for workers. With the growing need to attract and retain ecommerce employees for order fulfillment, warehouse spaces with natural light and employee-friendly amenities like lunch and break spaces are more important than ever. Interconnected spaces for warehouse activities and offices for managers and admin staff are also a priority. “We are hearing from our clients that retention of personnel is becoming more and more difficult, and we want to help our clients make a difference for their workforce, and help their employees be proud when they arrive at work,” said de Sitter, the company’s development director. That means moving away from boring, box-like industrial development norms. “In our designs we put the labor force first, creating a warehouse that provides a better workplace,” said Lelie, asset and leasing manager. Design schemes show massive windows, creative office integrations, and terrace-like areas for worker breaks. The company invests and develops industrial space in the Netherlands, UK, and Spain. Use of forward-thinking PropTech is also important to Delin Property, which continues to adapt and improve its technology management platform using Yardi products. Improving communication with tenants, on site safety and automating business processes have been two PropTech priorities for the company, shared de Sitter and Lelie. Watch the video below for more PropTech insights from this valued Yardi client. Learn more at...

More than 100,000 Dubai residents rely on 10 housing communities, ranging from studio apartments to luxury villas, owned by Dubai Asset Management (a subsidiary of Dubai Holding). The subsidiary of Dubai Holding developed its portfolio of 20 million square feet of leasable assets by providing the best customer experience in terms of product, pricing and location, and resident services. Maintaining outstanding customer service as communities, headcount and staffing grow larger isn’t easy. Company leaders realized that retaining stature as Dubai’s premier provider of residential property required better technology and increased staff efficiency in the form of real-time property availability, online leasing, rent payments and resident self services, along with 24/7 online and mobile access to account data. Achieving this goal required a technology platform capable of managing the entire residential lifecycle. In 2015 Dubai Asset Management adopted Yardi Voyager as its property management and accounting platform. Yardi Voyager centralised Dubai Asset Management’s operational, financial, maintenance management and compliance data on a single connected solution. With information easily available online and via remote devices, Dubai Asset Management can show prospective residents real-time apartment unit inventory, including floor plans, which helps the company close leases faster and achieve occupancy targets. The easy access to information also helps the company make and implement better-informed decisions. The full integration of Yardi Voyager with RentCafe and Yardi Maintenance further enhances Dubai Asset Management’s resident service and staff efficiency. Units available for lease are displayed online as soon as they become available, enabling faster unit turnover. Residents have the convenience of making rent payments online, and the company’s maintenance staff can manage work orders in the field without returning to the office. Leasing agents can close deals as easily in the field as in the office. The portfolio-wide data transparency enabled by Yardi Voyager also enhanced reporting efficiency by reducing the time staff members spend manually compiling data. “Yardi Voyager reduces the friction of moving in, moving out, contacting maintenance and paying rent. These benefits make our communities more convenient and satisfying for our residents and solidifies our reputation as a leading residential services provider in Dubai,” said Mohamed Roushdy, head of technology for Dubai Asset Management. Learn more about Dubai Asset Management at dubaiam.ae/. Learn how Yardi serves property management companies across the Middle East at...