Dubai · Premium
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PART 2 — PROJECT BRIEF
Internal context for founders and team. Not pasted into Cursor.
One-line Summary
The first specialised B2B/B2C portal for art galleries in Dubai and MENA — combining profiles, artwork sales, virtual exhibitions, self-publishing, and a paid press room with distribution.
Why Now & Why Dubai
200+ galleries in Dubai (7 in DIFC/Al Quoz alone), more opening
~100 museums in the UAE
Existing resources are address-book directories, not tools
Global platforms (Artsy, Ocula, Artnet) are invitation-only with no local MENA context
Art Dubai is the largest art fair in MENA and the Global South — generates sustained media attention
Expats comprise 90%+ of Dubai's population → affluent, mobile collector audience
Competitive Analysis
Artsy
Subscription from ~$425/month for artists (galleries higher) + 10%+ commission
CMS, inquiry, collector profiles, Artsy Folio app for fairs, Viewing Rooms
No gallery self-publishing, no press room or distribution, no local MENA focus
Invitation-only — requires partner team approval
Ocula
From $245/month, invitation-only, curated by a committee
Profiles, exhibitions, Viewing Rooms, Ocula Magazine, Sponsored content
No self-publishing, no press room, no direct sales, no open registration
Artnet
Gallery Portal: self-managed profiles, catalogue, exhibitions
Price Database: 19M+ auction records — key differentiator
No press room, no self-publishing, no MENA focus; editorial reduced after Artsy merger
Gap
No platform combines: local MENA market + open registration + gallery self-publishing + press room with distribution.
Roadmap
Phase 1 — MVP
Auth: gallery signup/login, admin login
Gallery profile: public page + dashboard editor
People management: search registry → add to gallery or create new profile
Artwork catalogue: upload, manage, status, tag system
Exhibitions: create, manage, public page
Basic inquiry flow (no deposit in MVP — added in Phase 2)
Press room: upload → admin review → public page + RSS
Subscription tiers: Stripe billing, feature gates, institution discount
Phase 2
Stripe Connect for commissions
Deposit-gated inquiry flow
Viewing rooms (virtual exhibitions)
News/articles publishing (Pro+)
Events with featured placement
Basic analytics dashboard
Phase 3
Full-text search with tag filters
Collector accounts (save artworks, follow galleries, alerts)
Featured slots self-serve purchase
Banner ad management
Press distribution integration (MENAFN API or manual workflow)
Art fairs module (Art Dubai microsite)
Expand to second city (London or Abu Dhabi)
Positioning Notes
British English in all user-facing copy
Open registration — direct antithesis of invitation-only incumbents
Press room as a product — nothing like it exists on any competitor
Canonical URL on platform = first publisher → SEO value flows back to gallery
People registry (not artist-only) — curators, advisors, writers have profiles too
If news / press release / article is published and it somehow mentions existing person with a profile from our database we should automatically tag this person under the text (Crunchbase logic)
Government & public institutions receive 50% discount — builds institutional credibility
People cannot log in independently in v1; accounts belong to galleries
Internal context for founders and team. Not pasted into Cursor.
One-line Summary
The first specialised B2B/B2C portal for art galleries in Dubai and MENA — combining profiles, artwork sales, virtual exhibitions, self-publishing, and a paid press room with distribution.
Why Now & Why Dubai
200+ galleries in Dubai (7 in DIFC/Al Quoz alone), more opening
~100 museums in the UAE
Existing resources are address-book directories, not tools
Global platforms (Artsy, Ocula, Artnet) are invitation-only with no local MENA context
Art Dubai is the largest art fair in MENA and the Global South — generates sustained media attention
Expats comprise 90%+ of Dubai's population → affluent, mobile collector audience
Competitive Analysis
Artsy
Subscription from ~$425/month for artists (galleries higher) + 10%+ commission
CMS, inquiry, collector profiles, Artsy Folio app for fairs, Viewing Rooms
No gallery self-publishing, no press room or distribution, no local MENA focus
Invitation-only — requires partner team approval
Ocula
From $245/month, invitation-only, curated by a committee
Profiles, exhibitions, Viewing Rooms, Ocula Magazine, Sponsored content
No self-publishing, no press room, no direct sales, no open registration
Artnet
Gallery Portal: self-managed profiles, catalogue, exhibitions
Price Database: 19M+ auction records — key differentiator
No press room, no self-publishing, no MENA focus; editorial reduced after Artsy merger
Gap
No platform combines: local MENA market + open registration + gallery self-publishing + press room with distribution.
Roadmap
Phase 1 — MVP
Auth: gallery signup/login, admin login
Gallery profile: public page + dashboard editor
People management: search registry → add to gallery or create new profile
Artwork catalogue: upload, manage, status, tag system
Exhibitions: create, manage, public page
Basic inquiry flow (no deposit in MVP — added in Phase 2)
Press room: upload → admin review → public page + RSS
Subscription tiers: Stripe billing, feature gates, institution discount
Phase 2
Stripe Connect for commissions
Deposit-gated inquiry flow
Viewing rooms (virtual exhibitions)
News/articles publishing (Pro+)
Events with featured placement
Basic analytics dashboard
Phase 3
Full-text search with tag filters
Collector accounts (save artworks, follow galleries, alerts)
Featured slots self-serve purchase
Banner ad management
Press distribution integration (MENAFN API or manual workflow)
Art fairs module (Art Dubai microsite)
Expand to second city (London or Abu Dhabi)
Positioning Notes
British English in all user-facing copy
Open registration — direct antithesis of invitation-only incumbents
Press room as a product — nothing like it exists on any competitor
Canonical URL on platform = first publisher → SEO value flows back to gallery
People registry (not artist-only) — curators, advisors, writers have profiles too
If news / press release / article is published and it somehow mentions existing person with a profile from our database we should automatically tag this person under the text (Crunchbase logic)
Government & public institutions receive 50% discount — builds institutional credibility
People cannot log in independently in v1; accounts belong to galleries