Member User Guide

1. Welcome to the Guild

The Motor Guild is a private, curated B2B community for senior automotive professionals across the GCC. Membership is by approval. Once approved, you get access to peers, vetted suppliers, events, training, and a private messaging layer.

2. Setting up your profile

A complete profile dramatically improves the quality of matches and contact requests you receive. Go to /settings to edit your profile photo, headline, company, role, sector tags, and bio.

1. 1Open Settings from the top-right menu.
2. 2Upload a high-quality square photo (min 400×400).
3. 3Add a one-line headline (e.g. 'Aftersales Director — premium German marque').
4. 4Tag the sectors you operate in. This drives Directory filtering and matchmaking.
5. 5Write 2–4 sentences of bio focused on what you do and what you're looking for.
6. 6Save. Your profile is now searchable in the Directory.

3. Contact info & privacy

Each contact field (email, phone, WhatsApp, LinkedIn) has its own visibility level: Public, Members only, or Hidden. We never expose contact data without your explicit setting.

1. 1Go to Settings → Contact details.
2. 2For each field, choose Public, Members only, or Hidden.
3. 3Members can request your contact via the Connect button on your profile — you approve or decline each request.
4. 4Approved requests are logged so you always know who has your details.

4. The Directory

The Directory at /community/directory is your primary discovery tool. Browse members and businesses by sector, country, role, or keyword. Sponsored listings are clearly marked.

1. 1Filter by sector (e.g. Aftersales, Fleet, EV, Used Cars).
2. 2Filter by country (UAE, KSA, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar).
3. 3Open a profile to see headline, bio, company, sectors, and a Connect button.
4. 4Bookmark profiles you want to revisit using the star icon.

5. Connecting with another member

When you click Connect on a profile, you open a Contact Request. Describe why you want to connect — the other member sees this message before approving.

1. 1Click Connect on the profile.
2. 2Write a short, specific message (one or two sentences).
3. 3Submit. The other member receives an in-app notification and email.
4. 4If they approve, the contact fields they have set to Members only become visible, and you can start a Message thread.
5. 5If they decline, no contact data is shared.

6. Messages

Messages is your in-app inbox at /messages. Threads are one-to-one and persistent. You'll see a notification badge in the header when a new message arrives.

7. Discussions

Discussions at /community/discussions is the public conversation layer. Start a thread, comment, or react. Threads can be tagged by topic and pinned by moderators when industry-relevant.

1. 1Click 'Start a discussion' from the Discussions page.
2. 2Choose a clear, specific title.
3. 3Add 1–3 topic tags so the right peers see it.
4. 4Mention members with @ to bring them into the thread.

8. Industry News

News at /news is a curated feed of GCC automotive briefings, ingested daily from trusted sources and editorially screened. You can save articles and discuss them in-thread.

9. Events

The GCC AI & Automotive Events Hub at /events lists conferences, meetups, and Guild-hosted gatherings. RSVP, save, and submit your own events.

1. 1Browse upcoming events at /events.
2. 2Filter by city, format (in-person / hybrid / virtual), or topic.
3. 3Click RSVP — the organiser is notified and you receive calendar reminders.
4. 4Submit your own event at /events/submit. Submissions are reviewed within 2 business days.

10. The Academy

The Academy at /best-practice hosts structured courses including 'Automotive Dealer AI' (12 modules) and 'Used Car Operations' (8 modules). Progress is tracked, and you receive a verifiable certificate on completion.

1. 1Browse the Course Library at /best-practice/library.
2. 2Start a course — your progress is saved automatically.
3. 3Complete modules in order. Some include quizzes and scenario exercises.
4. 4On completion you receive a certificate with a public verification URL at /certificates/{id}.
5. 5If a topic you need isn't covered, click 'Request a New Course' — our AI drafts an outline and our team reviews it.

11. Tools & Reviews

Tools & Reviews at /tools-reviews is the Guild's supplier and software directory. Browse vendors, read peer reviews, and run a free AI Dealer Audit on your own website or a competitor.

1. 1Browse suppliers at /tools-reviews/suppliers.
2. 2Filter by category (CRM, DMS, Mystery Shop, EV charging, etc.).
3. 3Open a supplier to see capability summary, peer reviews, and a peer benchmark.
4. 4Run a free Dealer Audit at /tools-reviews/dealer-audit — enter a URL and our AI returns a scorecard within minutes.

12. Notifications & quiet hours

Control how and when you're notified at Settings → Notifications. Quiet hours suppress non-urgent emails between the times you set.

13. Code of conduct

Membership is a privilege. We expect respectful, professional behaviour. Spam, harassment, and undisclosed commercial pitches are grounds for suspension. Read the full Code at /code-of-conduct.

14. Getting help

Reach support at support@themotorguild.com or via the in-app chat widget. For account issues, include the email you signed up with.

15. Worked example: connecting with a peer

Illustrative path from discovery to a productive first conversation.