Artaaj Events

It was an honor and a pleasure for us this week to organize the Press Launch for the prestigious Saadiyat Island, appointed by Bates Pangulf. Abu Dhabi’s flagship 100bn Dirham project was revealed by His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces, at a press conference at the cavernous Emirates Palace Hotel in Abu Dhabi.

His impending arrival had successfully generated butterflies in all of us, even our normally unfazed CEO, Biju, who had driven down especially for the occasion. Will the DVD play on time, is the red carpet ok, will the Kabuki fall!!!!!!! Well, yes it did, it was ok, and it fell.
 
We literally executed the project in 5 days including massive branding, décor, sound & light, hostesses (a bevy of 15 no less), and a good deal of technical coordination. Yea team! Kudos to Ashifa for getting us beautiful, well spoken hostesses. I had only about 15 minutes to brief them, and with all of them understanding and grasping their roles, we were able to dispatch them in minutes.


 
Of course the event gods and powers that be have to play havoc with our lives until the last minute. One of our beautiful display cases, part of a set of 6 filled with the elements of nature (water, sand and leaves) sprung a nasty leak with water spurting out the corners. Where is some waterproof adhesive when you need it? Flo swooped down on it as she does with some electric tape, but alas, the water was not to be interrupted. With a puddle rapidly forming on what surely must be ridiculously expensive carpeting, Molin saved the day by suggesting we switch cases. It worked, what we would have done if they were all leaky, I don’t know. One crisis averted, we didn’t quite know which way to look when our water, supposed to be blue, started turning a rich violet…
 
Of course!! we intended it to be that way!!
 
But, finally the pieces all came together and a seamless show was executed. It was an exclusive gathering of world media and VIPs.



Starting with a speech from His Highness, a wonderful mood film was played, after which His Highness unveiled the model hitherto concealed behind white draping.





I was watching from back stage cuing Hadi who was directing the stage hands. I couldn’t suppress an exuberant smile when the event ended, another well run event from Artaaj!

We had the unexpected opportunity to be part of the premiere of Dubai Heritage Vision, a preview show which happened last week in Dubai. We had been contracted by Gerhard Meyer, the artistic director, to assist with realizing his vision of an authentic Bedouin experience as well as to assist with the production of the show. Set amid the dunes, about 30 minutes away from the city, right bang in the middle of no where, we provided for the event 30 extras for stage, 40 costumes, including a few very challenging props (try finding a 1920s camera in Dubai!).





We also organized a Bedouin village with traditional flutist & drummers, a welcome Habban troupe, bread makers, sweet makers, henna painters, belly dancers, camels, goats etc....



Finally we also supported the event by providing the stage manager, the costumes assistant and backstage assistant.



We had a great time working on this project although the weather forecast kept throwing us curves. On the first day, during rehearsals, we had a sand wind blowing strongly forcing us to wear face masks to protect against the sand, then the second day was really hot in the middle of the dunes. 45 degrees for the rehearsal at 2pm has been a real challenge for all the team.



This show took place in an amazing "natural" venue as the arena and stage were only dunes and sand. The guests were 350 cruise clients traveling around GCC for couple of days and spending only 1 night in Dubai.



Gerhard had chosen the famous theme of Lawrence of Arabia to entertain the guests and we had the pleasure to watch the famous dialogues between Peter O'Toole and Omar Shariff enacted live by two very talented guys.

This one off show was a small sampling of what Gerhard is preparing at the purpose built venue. Gerhard has been hired to create "the biggest and most spectacular outdoor show in the world" which will be inaugurated in Dubai next September.....

Easy to imagine how proud we are to have been helpful and involved in this event. The best compliment has been sent by Gerhard himself a couple of days ago as:

"Not only was it a pleasure working with you, I am also very aware of all the extra time and effort you gave to every detail of your responsibilities and the professional conduct of your entire team. You certainly removed a huge load of strain at the right time and I remain very impressed by the special care you took of us. I believe this has paved the way for many more events in the future"

Thanks Gerhard for your trust in us!

No sooner had we finished settling the Etisalat Seminar and Award ceremony, we set to producing the launch of Selva International's flagship middle east store, a premier furniture brand from Italy. Poonam from Bates Pan Gulf, our client, was coordinating, and her support was invaluable!! Our inital challenge was to cater for 250 people in a space that would not accommodate more than 50! Yes, it was a showroom, but the furniture, of course, occupied most of the space!! A site visit, however, revealed a delightful parking area at the rear - covered with a trellis laden with lush creepers, providing the ideal setting. A few quick sketches later and a POA was developed. Thanks to the wonderful landlord, and accommodating neighbours, we were given the permission to block out the parking for the day and problem solved!

We set up the showroom with a red carpet entrance, criss crossing sky trackers and architectural lighting that highlighted the new showroom from afar. Two flower stands with decorative ribbon flanked the entrance for the ribbon cutting.

The interior of the showroom was decorated with flowers and votive lights gave the entire space a festive glow.



Valet parking was set up for the VIP guests, and the backyard of the showroom was setup with cocktail tables, buffet stations, stages for speeches, lit with fairy lights and colored lighting.





A wonderful pianist and vocalist entertained the audience while we awaited the arrival of the royal party for the official opening. As soon as the ribbon was cut, guests were guided through the showroom and again settled out back for an elegant evening.



As I said earlier, events are a funny business sometimes. April is technically summer in this part of the world, so who would anticipate rain, right? No sooner had we started winding down the party, a cloud burst showered us with rain, and a gust of wind started blowing away! We scurried indoors, thanking the rain gods who had waited patiently for us to that night!

Right on the tails of the Dubai International Boat Show came the prestigious Stephen Covey Seminar that we organized for Etisalat on the 20th of March 2006. Maryam, Ebtisam and Saad, the team over at the Career Development Department were a just dream to work with! Over 2005, they had worked on the Young Professionals Program which was culminating early 2006 and they wanted to create a memorable event to award the 30 graduates who had undergone rigorous training. They were also launching their latest program, Future Leaders, for which they had spent months profiling and qualifying eligible candidates. We were also briefed to create an event to launch this simultaneously with the YPP graduation.

What we suggested was quite different from the events that had been organized traditionally. When we heard that Etisalat was game to try something new, we launched ourselves full speed into giving them a unique seminar agenda. The setting was the gorgeous Joarah Ballroom at the Madinat Jumeira Conference Center where we built a glamorous set with shimmering silver logos etched on.



Two projection screens flanked either side and a full service audio visual station was set up at the rear of the room.



Along with sound, light and projection, we also supported Etisalat's technical team who had come in to broadcast the seminar live into four auditoriums across the UAE as well as stream the event live from site. We suggested introducing entertainment into the seminar - Jens, a German aerialist and acrobat who would open and close the show with breathtaking feats with aerial silks.



This was chosen in line with the objective - to leave guests with the feeling that Etisalat believes in "investing in human capital" and that with hard work, one can achieve lofty goals. Of course, the highlight of the day was Dr. Covey who had flown in from the States especially to speak to the 600 guests who had gathered there.



Our role also extended to producing a seamless show, including producing the awards ceremony. Not missing a beat, our watchful team was on hand to ensure that every detail was looked into - from trophies rolling on to the stage to the gift vouchers redeemed at the end.



As the afternoon drew to a close, delighted faces all around told us that we had, once again, delivered a successful event! Go team, I'm proud of you!!

The event management business is sometimes an odd one indeed! Projects throw you a curve ball at times and the Palm Marine one was some "doozy" all right! In a life full of last minute projects, I give full marks to the Palm Marine team for planning this event. Participating in one of the biggest stands at the Dubai International Boat Show 2006, we were approached to create and manage their participation about 3-4 months in advance.

First steps were of course designing and creating a classy stand that would stand out at the show. Artaaj also consulted & created invitations, branding, promotional give aways, hostesses, decoration and logistics. And so we ploughed on planning and creating, helped to a large extent by our stand builders, they were a god send!



You must realize, however, the boat show means that we're actually exhibiting boats. The show was held at the Dubai International Marine Club with both a marina facility and a land display where we were situated. And not just any boats, the biggest ones on display, and let me tell you, they were huge. We had boats up to 54 feet in length and more than 15 feet in height, a grand total of 5 beauties to be displayed on site.



Needless to say the logistics were an area where we were most challenged, and learnt the most as well. For example, did you know that boats can either be towed on trailers which they are hitched to or in the absence of which they have to be loaded on to a truck which will carry them? Sounds simple enough, but watching the entire drama unfold in front of my eyes had me gobsmacked!

The process of loading and unloading a boat is quite majestic. I say that because for about 48 hours straight, our team, in conjunction with the Palm Marine engineers, oversaw a 120 ton crane gingerly lift and load boats on to trailers, trucks, drive them slowly, oh so slowly through the roads of Dubai, escorted by the police, crane them off, and precariously maneuvere and position them on site so that the stand could be built around. Hats off here to Helen from DIBS and DWTC – thank you for your patience with us, we know we tried it, and gracefully, under fire, you held it together through it all!



Finally, we were ready to build, and thankfully, with a lot of support from our suppliers, we turned around the entire construction and build up in exactly 24 hours. Quite a feat, I say, carpets to be laid, cladding and branding around the boats, plasmas and DVDs to be hooked up, lighting, flags and the final finishing touch – flowers, flowers, and more flowers.



Finally, it was time for the inauguration and the boat show went on for about 5 days. We had personnel on site on a daily basis, servicing the stand, replenishing gifts and assisting the Palm Marine staff with their day-to-day requirements. Our stand also bravely faced the elements one stormy day where the wind rattled and shook us and the rain seeped into our electricals – but after sparky fiddling with the systems, we were set and ready again!



I can say without reservation that we were the best dressed exhibition stand at the boat show, largely due to our clients' vision, and our dedication to delivering things just so! After wrapping up and having the boats safely back in the Jebel Ali docks, we're now looking forward to DIBS 2007. Its gonna be just fabulous!