Resilience keynotes for Manama’s banks and business events
Manama is a long-established Gulf financial centre, and Bahrain hosts Formula One every year. Paris brings The Grit Code to its conferences.
Finance and Formula One
Manama, Bahrain’s capital, is home to Bahrain Financial Harbour and the Bahrain World Trade Center, and has long been a centre for Islamic finance in the Gulf.
Bahrain hosts the Bahrain Grand Prix at the Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir, and Paris’s TV work includes motorsport from F1 to drifting and dune buggies. Paris has spent the last 17 years working, filming and having adventures across the Gulf, making TV shows that uncover the culture of the Middle East.
Banking and fintech teams face tight regulation and fast change. The keynote gives them a framework for staying motivated and adapting.
Who Paris speaks to in Manama
Banking and fintech
Conferences for financial-services teams.
Motorsport and events
Hosting and keynotes around major events.
Government
Sessions for teams delivering national plans.
Leadership offsites
Practical resilience tools for leaders.
Where Manama meets
Bahrain’s calendar includes the Grand Prix in Sakhir and conferences at Exhibition World Bahrain.
- Exhibition World Bahrain – the exhibition centre in Sakhir
- Bahrain Bay and Seef hotel venues – in and around Manama
Ways to book Paris in Manama
Choose the flagship Grit Code keynote (45–60 min), a Grit Deconstruction workshop (90 min to half day), a 30–45 min virtual keynote, or Paris as host and MC for the day. Compare formats →
Endurance you can measure
A marathon on every continent
7 marathons on 7 continents in 5 days, 21 hours and 51 minutes, from Antarctica to Miami via Cape Town, Perth, Dubai, Madrid and Fortaleza.
4,800 km of open ocean
The 2023 Pacific row, which raised more than £150,000 for marine conservation.
Watch Paris’s motorsport episode from Guy in Dubai. Motorsport episode · All TV shows
Speaking in Manama, in person or virtually
Available for in-person events in Manama, or virtually in your local time zone.
Organisers in the Middle East typically book speakers one to two months ahead, and shorter notice is sometimes possible, so it is worth asking.
See also keynote speaker in Bahrain, or browse all keynote speaker locations.
Manama: Bahrain's financial centre
Manama is Bahrain's capital and financial centre, home to banks, fintech companies, insurers and regional headquarters, with a busy calendar of conferences and exhibitions.
Bahrain Economic Vision 2030 puts Bahraini talent at the centre of a more competitive economy. The Grit Code supports that shift with practical habits for performing through change, drawn from rowing the Pacific and running seven marathons on seven continents.
Events take place in the hotels of Manama and the Bahrain Bay area, at Exhibition World Bahrain in Sakhir and at the Bahrain International Circuit. Paris is available for keynotes, workshops, hosting and virtual sessions.
Seventeen years in the Gulf, on stage and on screen
In Saudi Arabia, Paris hosted the UN Tourism meeting in Riyadh, filmed his TV shows in AlUla, where Blazing Sand Studios has made destination work for the Royal Commission for AlUla, and hosted shows at the Dakar Rally in Qiddiya. Across the region he has spoken at COP28 at Expo City Dubai (December 2023), Expo 2020 Dubai (2021) and TEDx Amman, where he addressed 4,000 people in a Roman theatre (October 2025).
Paris Norriss has lived and worked in the Gulf for 17 years. He moved to Dubai around 2009 because he believed in the region's long-term vision, and he has built his whole career here since: as the presenter of Guy in Dubai, which ran for four seasons and 26 episodes on Dubai Television, and as CEO of Blazing Sand Studios, the production company behind his adventure series. His shows have aired on Dubai TV, OSN, Emirates, flydubai, Etihad Airways and Air Arabia, and they are distributed in 123 countries.
Regional clients include Nokia, Kraft Heinz, Dubai Airports, Dulsco, Al Kabeer Foods, IHG, DHL and the Sharjah International Travel and Tourism Forum (SITTF).
For Manama audiences, that means a speaker who understands how Gulf organisations work, how multinational and national teams sit side by side, and why long transformation programmes need people who keep going when the plan breaks. Every keynote is shaped in a briefing call around your theme, your audience and your goals.
FAQ
Can I book Paris Norriss as a keynote speaker in Manama?
Yes. Paris speaks at conferences, company events and leadership programmes in Manama, in person or virtually.
How much notice do Bahrain organisers give?
One to two months is typical; ask about your date even if it is sooner.
Can Paris host an event as well as speak?
Yes. He hosts and moderates full-day events as well as delivering keynotes.
Is the talk relevant to fintech teams?
Yes. It focuses on change, pressure and adapting the plan.
Does Paris speak to banks and fintech companies in Manama?
Yes. The Grit Code works well for financial services teams working through technology and regulatory change.
Can Paris host a Manama conference?
Yes. As a TV presenter he hosts conferences, panels and gala evenings across the Gulf.
Does Paris know the Gulf?
Yes. He has lived and worked in the Gulf for 17 years, presented Guy in Dubai on Dubai Television and is CEO of Blazing Sand Studios.
More about Paris: About · The Grit Code · TV shows · Contact