The entertainer

The business of putting on live events is growing rapidly. With the advent of cheap downloads it is the last profitable part of the music industry, and more bands are trying to cash in with world tours. As an ever-increasing number of artists make their way to the Middle East as a destination venue, the local events market is booming. In turn this is driving the growth of local rental companies and the distributors they purchase equipment from.

With 30 years experience of producing events around the world, Lee Charteris, operations director at Flash Entertainment, is in a good position to take stock of the local market. He believes the events industry is at a youthful stage in its development in the UAE but finds it a great market to work in. ‘It’s challenging and it’s exciting, even frustrating at times, but ultimately it’s the reward of seeing people understand what you need and expect from them and learning the standards of the industry that gets you out of bed in the morning. The achievement and jubilation that comes at the end of a successful event, and the credibility that it brings you here is a fantastic feeling.’

Credibility is an important part of the equation for events companies, and Mr Charteris believes support from his suppliers has been important in creating the positive feeling for acts returning to the region. ‘It’s great to know that you are working with suppliers that have really stepped up to the plate. Production managers who work for international acts come here and say “I worked with Protec” or “I worked with Gearhouse and the service was incredible”,’ he says.

For the events market in the Middle East, Q4 is a very busy time of year: ‘Ramadan lulls you into a false sense of security, thinking you’ve got all this time for preparation, and then all of a sudden you’re out of it,’ says Mr Charteris. ‘The fourth quarters of the years I’ve been here have been massive, and they’ve grown exponentially. It used to be we would have a one-off event every couple of months, but in Q4 2010 we have a concert or event every week.’

Flash itself has also followed this rapid growth pattern over the last few years. In 2008 it was a four person company that outsourced a large amount of work. Today, it is closer to 50 people – bringing a lot more expertise in-house – and has just moved to new offices at twofour54 in Abu Dhabi.

With sporting events, such as the FIFA Club World Cup and the World Tennis Championships to cover, not to mention the post-race entertainment for the Abu Dhabi Formula One weekend – which Mr Charteris promises will be bigger and better than last year with more custom events – it is no wonder the company is expanding.

But it is not only Flash that is growing in this sector, all the companies it sources services from are also expanding. ‘An event is about 500 people working together. You can shout as loud as you like as the event manager, if you don’t have a good team it doesn’t matter. The one thing that is overriding is the can do attitude – you need positive energy to make these things happen and there are a lot of people here who will go the extra mile to make an event happen.’

As the market is developing, Mr Charteris is starting to see specialist companies focused on a specific part of the event establishing themselves. ‘We still haven’t reached the level with the suppliers of butcher, baker, candlestick maker – lots of people are still offering two slices of the pie. But you have the introduction of the people like the CTs who just want to do video and Delta Sound who just want to do audio, so you’re getting the introduction of specialist companies coming into the marketplace which I think is healthy.’

This is a far cry from the situation a few years ago where an all servicing production house was the way to go. ‘Quite often this still suits the promoter because it can possibly provide the best price. But when you start to look at some of the demands of people coming in now, you need to go to the butcher, the baker and the candlestick maker individually because the acts demand it.’

An interesting aspect to the live market in the Middle East is its geographic status as a destination market. It is not on the traditional routes of world tours – although this is starting to change with bands dropping in on their in or out legs to Singapore and Australia – so the riders are very specific to the market. ‘They can send a Christmas list rather than a rider because they are not bringing in 13 trucks of equipment and just playing on a stage we provide. We have to promote the show, but we also have to provide the sound, the lights and the video. The balance is managing expectations. You have to provide what they ask for but you don’t want to break the bank – that’s quite a difficult balancing act to have.’

This means that Flash is guided by rather than governed to by riders and has to offer comparisons. ‘Because it’s a destination market people tend to request the latest model, and you think “I’d be hard pushed to get that in America let alone in the UAE”. So you have to push back. I find myself doing that quite often but its working pretty well.’

Spreading the work around is also an important role that Mr Charteris likes to play. ‘It keeps people on their toes, but it develops the market. The market has grown enough to warrant the supplier investment. I know that most of the suppliers have made major investments this summer in new equipment, so we are all doing something right as there is money to spend.’ He believes that sticking with only one supplier would not benefit the market in any way and that spreading the work out aids competition.

As a further commitment to the market, Flash looks to ensure the events it puts on have a direct benefit to the local industry. ‘What I have chosen to do in operations here is to keep the procurement local, I don’t go outside the UAE to look for equipment,’ says Mr Charteris. ‘We have made a hard and fast rule with all our contractors and all the bands we bring in that if we do supply it, it has to come from the UAE so that there is a re-investment of money. That’s my commitment to the local supplier. And when you pull off Beyoncé, Kings of Leon, Jamiroquai, and Aerosmith to 40,000 people over four days with the bands only supplying their backlines, that’s a testament to the market here.’

One thing that Mr Charteris hasn’t lost in his 30 years in the industry is his passion for producing events. ‘What I’ve always said is it doesn’t matter if it’s four people or 40,000 people, what we do is entertain.’ The foundation of this is based upon good basic facilities: ‘If you can’t park, can’t go to the loo and can’t get a drink, it doesn’t matter who’s on – you’re not going to have a good time.’

This attention to detail extends down to the setting up of an event, where he places a huge importance on health and safety. This is one area where Mr Charteris has seen the market develop. An insistence on proper equipment for workers has ensured that now for most suppliers the first box to come off the truck will be the health and safety equipment. ‘The industry in the UAE has grown up, and it’s a really positive thing.’

From a profitability point of view, the events market is currently a strong sector to be in. ‘We’re lucky – as a company Flash has got some long-term deals with some great sponsors and without them it would be difficult, but we are selling tickets. I would always like to be doing more events – I’d love to do one every day but the market couldn’t sustain that. But people will be impressed with the acts we have got coming up.’

Looking to the future, if Mr Charteris could have one wish granted, it would be for an arena in Abu Dhabi. ‘Not because of the challenge of building a venue every time we stage an event, but because the money we spend on building it could be spent on something else potentially or more events, which would be even better.’

The events industry in the region is at an important stage of its development. As more acts start to return to the Middle East, standards and expectations will continue to be raised. Fortunately it would seem that the local industry can support this growth and establish the region as a regular rather than destination location.

www.thinkflash.ae