COMMENT THE SHOW MUST GO ON…
Cathy Mead looks into the region’s entertainment industry – one which has truly come of age
As I commented in the last issue of meetme, the Middle East is a cultural melting pot. One area where the differences in culture become abun- dantly apparent is in the entertainment sector. Entertainment is very subjective. In terms
of events, you must position the offering to the target audience. We must also consider the demographic of the audience – the age, male to female mix, and genre. More impor- tantly is to determine if it is all about the entertainment, part of an overall corporate event, or simply background music. This region certainly has some cultural
sensitivities, but probably not as many as you think. There have been several comedians appearing in various events in the past year alone, who could be considered a little ‘risky’; but they have been cleverly marketed to the right target audience. We are currently planning an event in
April for Dubai Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM), where several hundred travel agents from the US will be attending an opening dinner. A high percentage have not been to the region before so the decision was made – ‘subtle, elegant, relaxed with a mix of Arabic entertainment.’ The venue is the events arena at Jumeirah
Beach Hotel, with that million dollar view of the Burj Al Arab – who wouldn’t want to have this iconic building as their backdrop? Guests will be greeted by traditional
Emirati ‘Ayallah’ stick dancers; there will be a sand artist telling the story of Dubai and how it came to be, followed by a live band playing Arabic-influenced background music. This is their first night and they will be tired; so the entertainment needs to be in keeping with the needs of the guest, while promoting the destination. On many occasions, the entertainment
aspect is not given as much thought as it should. It is often seen as an add-on, or there’s a “Shall we just play some back- ground music?” attitude. Many facets go into making an event
successful. The venue, the catering, logistics, transport, and up there in the top five has to be, what was the entertainment? It can be one of those ‘make it or break it’ successes of any event. Some great entertainment
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cities around the world. It’s all subjective, and fantastic that we now have so much choice and for all ages! The talent is out there. I predict we will
see more and more local talent performing a wide genre of music. A question: is there anything from an entertainment point of view that we have not done? We see more and more global artists
coming to perform in the region – Beyonce, Madonna, the Eagles. Justin Bieber, Bruno Mars and Sting have all appeared on the social calendar and we too are welcoming all the ‘come back’ 80s bands that are hitting our venues - it has been a real eclectic mix with something for everyone! Cirque du Soleil is another favorite,
MAY NOTTRANSLATE IN THIS REGION. IF IN DOUBTTHEN SIMPLY DON’T DO IT
SOME THINGS
companies based here can help you every step of the way, such as The Fridge and Sian Entertainment. In recent months, The Fridge has been putting on entertainment shows at the First Group Theatre in Madi- nat Jumeirah, Dubai, with much success. You have companies like Done Events
bringing globally renowned artists to the region. This is what gives us that good mix and balance, and shows the entertainment world globally that the Middle East can stage world-class events, regardless of how big or small the name is. Entertainment companies look for that
blend of local, cultural and global talent so they can offer choices similar to other major
recently bringing its third show to the region, Dralion. It sold out so quickly in Dubai, the promoters had to offer several more dates, which also sold out. This is a great example of a very mixed audience experiencing a show that positions itself to suits all nationalities. Some corporate companies will move
their events around to suit what is coming up on the social calendar. They may go down the sponsorship route – like taking a corpo- rate box at one of the big-ticket items such as the Dubai World Cup or the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix. The region is pushing the entertainment
boundaries, while ‘seeking to understand, in order to be understood’. Event organisers, promoters and plan-
ners must address: What can we do? What will work? Who is the audience? Can we make this work financially? What cultural sensitivi- ties do we need to consider? What does this entertainment bring to the destination? We are aware that on rare occasions some
things may not translate in this region. My advice is if in doubt then simply don’t do it. However, there are exciting times ahead
and the entertainment being offered is get- ting better and better!
Cathy has over 20 years’ expertise in marketing, sales, events and change management. A former Director of the Board for the Meetings Industry Association (MIA) her experience includes senior roles in Dubai at Jumeirah, Raffles and Atlantis The Palm, Dubai. Following a suc- cessful career in the UK, Cathy is now MD of
i4detail.ae. Contact:
cathy@i4detail.ae
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