What role does Flash Entertainment play in the development of Abu Dhabi?
We were mainly set up to develop the live entertainment scene in the capital, by bringing high calibre international artists to the emirate and establishing the highest standards of operational excellence. We also provide stakeholders across Abu Dhabi with operational support and platforms to engage consumers. Progress has been made in 16 months. We have built a solid reputation for bringing international artists to the region as well as star athletes such as those that compete at our annual tennis event – the Capitala World Tennis Championship.
Is your remit focused only on Abu Dhabi or do you view the whole of the UAE as your ‘entertainment playground’?
We are just getting started and Abu Dhabi is our focal business today. We exist to satisfy both the needs of the Abu Dhabi crowd as well as attracting crowds from further afield, with our main aim being to project the city as a progressive capital, and a worthwhile place to live or visit.
From event concept planning and design through to marketing, sponsorship and artist liaison, you tackle every piece of the live entertainment puzzle. Please list the challenges that you face in realizing these objectives?
Abu Dhabi has exacting standards when it comes to events and already had a proven capability for delivering major events, for example the Abu Dhabi Golf Championship. However, since the city didn’t have a proven track record for delivering major live music concerts, our biggest challenge was to cater meticulously to the specialised needs of international performers. Flash is able to do this because we are made up of people that are responsive and knowledgeable about music and have international experience. With these insights on board, we’re not only able to develop successful entertainment programmes, but also talk to artists, managers, and tour teams on a level they appreciate and react positively to. Multi-level coordination on a local level has also been vital. Partners, suppliers, government departments such as the Police, as well as workable contracts, crowd control, ticketing, health and safety, F&B had to be ensured in order to bring together all asects of best practices to evolve a memorable event. Each event has its own interesting set of challenges and we want our events to be of the highest international standards and be as good as and compete with anything, anywhere else in the world. We have set a high benchmark and continue to work very hard to improve with every event we do.
How have you developed your global network to give you access to some of the planet’s most sought-after performers, athletes and musicians? Isn’t it just a question of ‘throwing money at performers’ and they will come?
Our rates are no more than anywhere else in the world, but it is much more than just money. For major recording artists it is about the whole experience of coming to perform in a new city. For instance, the artist seeks a reliable promoter capable of delivering world class production quality. They want to know that their image and reputation will be respected and enhanced by the marketing teams behind the show, and they ultimately want to perform to great crowds. These artists expect to be treated the same in Abu Dhabi as they would in Tokyo, London or New York, and with Flash these expectations are satisfied. We have provided the best lighting, venue, technical support, hospitality, crowds etc for megastars including George Michael, Coldplay, Jamiroquai, The Killers, Beyonce, Rihanna and Aerosmith. We develop a stellar show that draws enthusiastic crowds, as well as showing the artist a fabulously good time with premier hospitality. The music industry is a small world, and so word travels quickly about Abu Dhabi and the positive experiences artists enjoy here.
In terms of specific milestones and achievements, how has Flash evolved since its inception? To date, what has been your pivotal ‘moment of glory’ and ‘near-miss disaster’?
The ‘Yasalam’ programme was a proud moment for all of us. Our crowning glory. It is the broadest entertainment programme we have ever been involved in with over a month of events, concerts, movie nights and exhibitions to celebrate the inaugural F1 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi. I’m delighted that we enjoyed outstanding results, with excellent feedback from artists, suppliers, media, sponsors and everyone involved. There are always challenges and near misses when setting up events of such magnitude but we have a very diligent, hard-working team at Flash who ensure the safety and well-being of everyone involved in our events remains paramount.
What is your wish list for seeing the event industry develop sustainably in this region? What are the trends?
We are seeing a trend in Abu Dhabi towards indoor venues and mixed-use facilities as the city grows and develops as an international destination. We will need to develop programmes that drive utilisation of these venues and spaces. From a musical talent perspective, besides concerts for international and regional artists, we will see more dj-based events happening across the city. After the roaring success of our first ever dance festival – Creamfields Abu Dhabi - the market place has shown it wants more than just live rock or pop. We are also looking at family-based shows, Yas Island events, more creative and annual programming and international sporting events as well.
What rationale do you adopt in terms of conceptualising a ‘calendar of events’?
The first thing is practicality; we look at what’s happening in Abu Dhabi and make sure events don’t clash. We have had a very busy events calendar in the last 12 months and so for us it’s really about ensuring we don’t saturate the market or cannibalise our own programming. The market place needs time to breath and the calendar of events should reflect this. We also investigate the practicalities of what events will work in terms of demographics and scope. Abu Dhabi is a multicultural society with over 200 different nationalities, and the one size- fits-all approach simply will not work. Research, insights and good old fashioned gut instincts are crucial in conceptualising event programmes that work.
What personal challenges and aspirations do you have for the future of Flash?
We are in our second year now and have accomplished a great deal. We have much more to achieve and have far reaching ambitions including growing the organisation and of course the scope of our business. Above all though, we have to continue to improve the standards of events in Abu Dhabi whilst also delivering robust and diverse programmes of entertainment that all areas of the community can enjoy.
With the promotion of a viable Emiratisation policy being a common thread within all government departments and initiatives, what policies and initiatives do you have in place to ensure that young Emiratis can be absorbed into your operations?
We want to mentor people in this exciting field and have young and ambitious Emiratis working for us. We are also looking to set up student programmes and internships to aid in Emiratisation and get the local community as involved as possible which is one of the company’s key mandates.
