First Look Middle East

ECLIPSE STAGING SERVICES’ MARTIN LUBACH

AS WE LOOK FORWARD TOWARDS THE RAPIDLY APPROACHING SEASON, WE CAN LOOK BACK OVER OUR SHOULDER AT A PRODUCTIVE SUMMER IN PREPARATION FOR THE MONTHS TO COME.

Summer for the truly local offices is historically slower and this is the time to catch our breath and get our shop in order. We use this time to stock check and maintain our equipment, carry out training to drive innovation, collaboration and a culture of continuous improvement among our team of experts. During this time, we encourage the professional learning of all employees to develop their skills to the fullest capacity and ready themselves for the busy season ahead. We ask ourselves what went well last season and what went not so well, so we can continually improve our systems, processes and strategic planning.

The summer has not been completely dead; we have worked on concerts and special events, to name but a few. We offered our support inside Barasti Beach Bar’s Superdome throughout the FIFA World Cup. In addition, our full technical production services were extended to the first international leg of the “Morissette Is Made” concert and some sizeable corporate events. The Middle East is undergoing rapid expansion with many ambitious projects in the pipeline. With the launch of several new venues, Abu Dhabi has enjoyed huge success, hosting worldclass events such as the Special Olympics and attracting yet more visitors which contribute massively to the emirate’s economy. Expo 2020 will be a major boost for the lucrative MICE market here, further strengthening Dubai’s position as a premier tourism, events and knowledge hub. The eclipse Group companies, especially eclipse Staging Services (ESS) and eclipse Venue Services (EVS), are very well placed to take advantage of this expected MICE growth and particularly as EVS now has a portfolio of over 20 of the key hotel venues in the UAE with more to be announced soon.

Over the years, the local market in the UAE has become more saturated as more players enter the region. We have started to see a shift with our customers becoming more priceconscious and discerning in what they want. Pricing is under pressure and a higher price point needs to be justified through value-added services and superior quality of the product. Having said this, every player in the region provides similar services. What differentiates eclipse from its competitors is the quality of our work, the partnerships we create with our customers and the determination to drive Health & Safety standards in the region. We are ethical in our approach and passionate about delivering exceptional customer service.

The developments in Saudi Arabia is the talk of the town and a lot of technical suppliers are looking to this region as a route to growth as the UAE market becomes more competitive. The entertainment sector remains a cornerstone of the Saudi Vision 2030 to diversify its wider economy. As the Kingdom aims to realize its vision to become the leading destination in the region for meetings and events, a growing wave of live events and shows for the local population and overseas visitors is expected as part of the reforms.

We see a strong future in Saudi Arabia, not just for our flagship brand, eclipse Staging Services but also for our eclipse Venue Services division, providing technical services to the hotel and venue sector. As the clear regional industry leader in the venue services market serving a wide range of luxury hotels across the UAE, eclipse Venue Services prides itself on top-tier service and adaptability with a focus on customer service whilst achieving the highest level of HSE standards. We also continue to pursue opportunities to add to our portfolio, and in turn, increase our market share over the coming years. In the last few months, we formalized additional key strategic partnerships with leading hotel brands, yet further cementing our position. For us, one of the key elements is understanding Saudi Arabia as a local market with its own demands and requirements. We believe simply cloning events doesn’t work; they need to be adapted to the local culture and environment. With the help of our partners, we will look to build on our market knowledge and relationships and expand our operations and interests in the Kingdom over the coming years. As with all our territories, we are there for the long term and recognize that some markets, such as Saudi Arabia, take longer to mature than others.

Our new office in Riyadh will not only be investing several million dollars in new technology but we are also committed to being part of the development of the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia. Initially, this will take the form of recruitment of Saudi nationals in key roles to manage sales, operations and ultimately technical positions and a pro-active approach of training and educating to enable the development of Saudi nationals into roles across the company.

Since the passing of our founder, Mark Brown in December 2016, although time moves fast, his legacy continues on today through the great leadership of our executives, championing the core values instilled in the organization since it was established back in 2003. Mark will always be remembered and despite his absence, we only move in one direction and that is forward. www.eclipse.ae