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Qatars tepid entertainment scene
sees few A-listers; sponsorships
and permits remain an issue
by Sukanya Seshadri March 5, 2014 5 min read original
Coldplay Live in Abu Dhabi New Years Eve 2012
Photo Courtesy: Flash Entertainment
Despite niche cultural events, the mass entertainment
scene in Qatar is quite low-scale as far A-list
performances go. JustHere speaks to events organisers
to understand why Qatar fails to
The frequency of live events in the country is in stark contrast to that
of in other GCC nations like the UAE and even Bahrain. The UAE has
hosted many legendary artistes such as Madonna, Justin Timberlake,
The Rolling Stones and Muse in the past and continues to do so with
high-profile bands and artistes such as Black Sabbath and current
chart-toppers Macklemore & Ryan Lewis who are set to perform there
this year. Cities such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi have music festivals,
concerts and events that run all through the year. Although Doha does
host events, they are specks on a large canvas, which are neither on the
same scale as the UAE, nor do they feature very high-profile
performers.
Problems with venue
it is not affordable to bring A-list artistes to Qatar, especially when
we dont have suitable venues that can accommodate a large number of
spectators.
Bilal Taha
A leading Doha-based events organiser Bilal Taha attributes the
dearth of large-scale concerts by well-known performers to the lack of
sponsorship and scarcity of venues. It is a purely financial issue; it is
not affordable to bring A-list artistes to Qatar, especially when we
dont have suitable venues that can accommodate a large number of
spectators. Madonna, Bruno Mars and Lady Gaga are all willing to
perform here, but nobody is able to finance such large events or to take
a risk on smaller venues. Qatar only has stadiums, which are not
suitable for concerts; alternative venues are usually hotel ballrooms or
beaches.
Organising events such as this in hotels and on beaches has its own
exclusive set of problems. Hotels often subsidise rentals and try to
gain revenue on alcoholic beverages.
This has caused problems before, as most bars in hotels do not allow
patrons in national dress, and the rule is extended to events that serve
alcohol.
There was controversy on the eve of Russell Peters show last year
where the fine print on the ticket said those wearing national dress
would not be allowed. Similar confusion prevails in music events on
the beach in luxury hotels, where alcohol is served.
Since organising social events frequently is not always profitable,
some local promoters sustain their businesses primarily through
corporate events. One such company is Red Apple Events & Media.
CEO Jassim Mohammed feels that Qatar is still a learning market
and has a long way to go before it can reach the level of the UAE.
Qatar is a very funny market in terms of events; what works in the
rest of the world sometimes doesnt work in Qatar. We mainly target
family entertainment and all our acts and concepts are based on these.
We mostly organise corporate events and a few social events a year
that mainly target South Asian families.
The population with a spending capacity for entertainment is larger
in the UAE than in Qatar, a good percentage of Qatars population is
blue collar workers which makes it difficult for the promoters to break
even when planning a big budget event.
Sponsorship woes
The population with a spending capacity for entertainment is larger in
the UAE than in Qatar.
Jassim Mohammed
Taha adds: There is no official financial support in Qatar for
entertainment from either the Qatar government (aside from the Qatar
Tourism Authority, which is making an effort) or from the corporate
world. Corporations in Qatar do not realise that events make for good
communication channels to reach out to the general public and to
certain target groups. In the UAE, many companies are financed by the
government with multimillion-dirham budgets every year to bring in
A-listers; in Qatar, this financial support doesnt exist yet.
On the other hand, the number of venues in the UAE, Mohammed says,
is much more than in Qatar, which makes it an event hub. Before the
Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC), we didnt have any good
indoor venues and the existing ones were almost overbooked
throughout the year. This is a major factor as you can see that once the
QNCC was built, we have had a lot of good events like the Sarah
Brightman concert, Adam and Selina, Disney On Ice, Stomp and many
more. So having quality venues will increase the number of quality
events, he says.
Dubai, too tough a competitor?
a definite lack of localised promoters with an appetite or the required
experience to promote some of the larger scale international shows.
Mel Tyler
Companies that organise several large-scale events in the UAE too
have a hard time breaking into the Qatar market..
Midas Promotions, which has promoted events in over 27 different
countries since 1983 and has brought acts such as Blue, Robbie
Williams, Swedish House Mafia, Michael Learns to Rock and others to
the UAE over the years, has not been able to penetrate the Qatar
market. General Manager Mel Tyler reports about a definite lack of
localised promoters with an appetite or the required experience to
promote some of the larger scale international shows.
In Qatar, Taha explains that organising an event begins with
contacting an artist to gauge their interest and to obtain their approval
to perform in Qatar. Then, based on the dates they provide, availability
of potential venues must be ensured. Once the commercial part is
negotiated, the permits should be processed through the Ministry of
Culture and Ministry of Interior. It is important to finalise with the
venue and get the permits first, before finalising with the artist.
Of permits and rules
Taha speaks of a major challenge he faced in the past related to
permits. In 2011 when I brought World Wrestling Entertainment
(WWE) to the Middle East for the first time, I was granted government
permits very quickly but the final permit for the venue, a football
stadium, had been rejected twice by the Olympic Committee due to
some concerns of the maintenance department. It took a lot of
meetings and several phone calls until it worked out in the third run.
But we lost around one month of time, which in the Entertainment
sector is very valuable time for marketing, he said.
Organising events in the UAE is challenging but not difficult.
Ade
On the other hand, obtaining performance licenses in the UAE is easy,
says Vice President of UAE-based CoSign Group, Ade. Organising
events in the UAE is challenging but not difficult. Challenges are
mainly securing finance to back the events and trying to get sponsors
on board. The government issues the performance licenses for the
artists; they have a very realistic and efficient process which helps
everyone involved. The most important rule for obtaining permits is to
make sure performers adhere to the rules and regulations of the
events. Securing the event is also very important.
Ades company specialises in homegrown artists and Afro Beats,
Dancehall and Urban events, and faced difficulties in securing a venue
and obtaining performance licenses when they tried to organize an
Afro Urban concert in Qatar.
However, according to Taha, in Qatar too the rules are quite simple.
You need an agreement with a licensed security company to ensure
safety throughout the event and agree to respect tradition, culture and
religion in Qatar. Not to offend any of them or disrespect or anything
similar.
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Tags
Entertainment in Qatar
Original URL:
http://www.justhere.qa/2014/03/qatars-tepid-entertainment-scene-sees-few-a-listers-
sponsorships-and-permits-remain-an-issue/