In Cairo, it’s often impossible to get into a trendy club or make reservations on a crowded night, unless one has the private number of a club’s owner or has a habit of heavily tipping bouncers at the door.
“It’s ridiculous that I have to beg places and restaurants to take my money, points out Adam Mowafi, who along with his brother Waleed recently launched My Tazkarty, a website that allows for users to make restaurant and night-time hot spot reservations in a more simple and efficient manner.
Emulating websites such as Ticketsmarche.com, My Tazkarty aims to be a one stop shop for people wishing to make do without the hassle that is common with any matters related to organization in Egypt, while catering to local habits and preferences.
My Tazkarty is intended to be a simple matter of three clicks online when booking a restaurant. People will then wait 20 minutes for a confirmation via SMS text. And if booking a concert ticket, it is the only company in Egypt that offers pay points throughout the city and ticket delivery to one’s door, paying upon delivery. “Complete simplicity, says Adam.
Each restaurant and club has a personal database of clients’ names and numbers. VIP patrons will be recognized as such on the system, but new clients and tourists will also get a better chance of getting in, ensuring that the experience is better for all, explains Adam.
“The idea is to make reservations and information super easy and available [respectively] to people, says Adam. “We’re a one click society, people don’t have time to waste. We’re also a society that loves their mobiles and Blackberries, and internet use on the go has become a phenomenon in and of itself in Egypt. “Now you have farmers with mobiles logging on to FilGoal to get football scores, points out Adam laughing.
The website also taps into the need to get more than word-of-mouth information about nightspots and events. My Tazkarty aims to gather all the information related to concerts, club events, restaurants and assorted activities in one forum and judging by the traffic on the site, www.tazkarty.net, the Mowafis were onto something.
Since launching four months ago, 10,000 new users have been joining the site every month, and announcements on Facebook of events and parties have generated more interest.
My Tazkarty is also targeting the sales and organization of major concerts. Adam Mowafi explains that as big name stars make it to the region, the only factor that prevents them from performing in Egypt is the lack of organization. But now, as sponsors and concert organizers have started to successfully host concerts, ticket sales also need to be organized and efficient. Major acts will be coming to Egypt soon, and the Mowafis intend to be at the forefront of these events.
They also plan on creating additional forums to the website: an events blog for people to critically comment on parties and events, a shout box for people to post information and opinions, and a Blackberry application to serve as a mobile version of the site and updates on the go.
The latest addition to the My Tazkarty website was photo website, Cairo Zoom www.cairozoom.com . “This country is voyeuristic as much as people hate to admit it; they love to pose for photos and look at photos, says Adam. Cairo Zoom plans on regularly updating its website of events and people out and about. But as its website’s tagline suggests, it’s a question of getting caught.
