BREAKOUT DXB

A GRASS-ROOTS MUSIC, CULTURE AND ARTS EVENT BREATHES LIFE BACK INTO DUBAI’S EVENTS INDUSTRY AND SUPPORTS THE LOCAL COMMUNITY IN THE PROCESS.

Ever since the global pandemic slammed the breaks on the UAE’s previously thriving events industry, professionals throughout the sector have been racking their brains to come up with a way of getting live events back up and running in a safe and secure manner. One such industry authority who has been relentless in his pursuit of a safe return to events is Dan Bolton, Owner and Director of Dan Bolton Creative Management Agency.

As TPMEA reported back in August [issue 25], as soon as the pandemic hit, Bolton began working with Gallowglass Health and Safety to produce a comprehensive set of guidelines on how live events could recommence safely. This November, those guidelines were put into practice as Bolton, along with internationally renowned DJ, Lobito Brigante, put on the first ever Breakout Dxb – a music, culture and arts event that took place at Dubai’s Rove Downtown Hotel on the weekend of 6-7 November.

“During lockdown, Lobito and I put our heads together and tried to come up with something that would allow us all to get back to doing what we need to do,” Bolton explained to TPMEA, discussing the origins of the festival.

Having put pen to paper and designed what they thought was a feasible concept, the challenge for Bolton and Brigante was convincing everyone else that the idea would work in a realworld scenario. “The question that kept coming up was ‘how do we actually put these ideas into practice?’” Bolton posed. “How do we show people that it is possible to put on an event in these conditions?”

The answer, it seems, was through a lot of hard work and sheer perseverance. “We shared the idea and had extensive discussions with DTCM [Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing], as well as the potential venue, artists and sponsors,” Bolton revealed.

After countless meetings, slowly but surely, the various stakeholders were convinced that the project could work. “There were multiple iterations of site plans, floor plans, operational plans – every kind of plan you could ever need to prove that this event was going to go ahead without putting the attendees, performers or crew under any risk,” he added. “It was a rigorous process, but one that was necessary to be able to deliver the event.”

The event itself was a multifaceted affair, with two days of entertainment including retro and indie video gaming, live art installations, a marketplace for independent sellers, various F&B options, a range of engaging panel discussions from the Emirates Music Summit and, of course, a full line-up of the best homegrown musical talent in the region. “This was a real grass-roots collaboration,” Bolton stated. “It was amazing to see how everyone came together to make this event special.”

With such a variety of activities and entertainment on offer, the various attractions were spread throughout the hotel, both indoors and out – something which, according to Bolton, was done by design. “The whole concept was that we would try to disperse people as much as possible throughout the entire space,” he

“It really was vital that 3DB came onboard to provide something that would live up to expectations – and what they came up with was outstanding.” Dan Bolton, Owner and Director of Dan Bolton Creative Management Agency

confirmed. “We wanted to make sure that the event had something for everyone. We wanted it to be inclusive enough so that anyone could contribute and get something from it.”

According to Bolton, the Rove Downtown was a natural choice when it came to deciding on the venue. “We knew that we needed to partner with a venue that had the capability of managing public spaces,” he explained. “Rove Hotels have been open pretty much throughout lockdown and they are used to all the procedures and policies that had to be incorporated into the event, such as sanitisation and social distancing. The vibe there is different from most other Emaar properties in that it positions itself as a home for creatives. It’s a place for early adopters, those who are first out of the blocks – and that is exactly what we’re doing, so it was a perfect fit.”

‘A FULL-ON WEEKEND-LONG CELEBRATION’ The technical supplier for the event was 3DB, which provided a complete package including audio, lighting, video and staging. “3DB was vital in making sure that everything looked and sounded on point,” Bolton stated. Set up in the car park of the hotel, the main stage was custom built by 3DB, measuring just under 10m by 5m. A d&b audiotechnik PA was used, comprising 12 Q1s, six B2 subs, two Q7s and seven D12 amplifiers. The monitor package included eight Mackie 550s, an SRM150 as well as a Sennheiser four-way IEM kit, while control came in the form of a DiGiCo S21 with MADI rack. A selection of Shure microphones were used, including SM57, SM58 and SM81.

The primary visual element on the main stage was a 6m by 3.5m 4.8mm LED outdoor video wall,

which ran content from an Intel Core i7 laptop through a Roland V40HD video switcher. This was complemented by a simple yet effective lighting rig, which comprised four Vari-Lite VL2600 Profile moving heads, eight LED blinders, eight 300W LED moving head washes, eight 230W moving head beams and 88 QPAR LED RGBWAP units, with atmospheric effects being provided by two Viper 2.6 smoke machines.

As well as the main stage, 3DB also supplied custom-built stages, audio and lighting for the Lobby Lounge and the secondary TGI Fridays stage, as well as lighting for the entrance and washrooms, and a range of sanitisation equipment, including a ULV disinfection sprayer, five litres of Bioguard sanitiser fluid and a sanitisation PPE kit. “The calibre of the artists we were working with are quite high-profile in the region and they expect a certain standard of technical setup,” Bolton commented, explaining the importance of 3DB’s role in the project. “It was vital that 3DB came onboard to provide something that would live up to expectations – and what they came up with was outstanding.”

The artists in question included the likes of Emirati singer-songwriter, Hamdan Al Abri; Dubaibased R&B star, Layla Kardan; South African DJ, Charl Chaka; Saudi hip-hop artist, Big Hass; Emirati soul singer, Arqam Al Abri; Afro-pop star, MKO; and many more. “Every artist who was selected has made a significant contribution to the fabric of the UAE music scene,” Bolton explained, adding that it was thanks to Brigante’s connections that they were able to attract such a variety of topclass local acts. “Lobito has got the relationships with many of the artists, so all the curation was done through him.”

While many of the performers are already well established on the local and, in some cases, international music scene, the event also welcomed a several up-and-coming artists. “We really wanted to support all the artists and give them a platform to be able to perform,” Bolton explained. “Some of the artists have barely done anything for the past eight months so, for them,

“It was fantastic to see an event such as this go ahead in what has been such a challenging period for the whole industry. It was a superb weekend, and the organisers, suppliers and artists deserve a great deal of credit for that.” Steve Kearney, Managing Partner, Gallowglass Health and Safety

it was an important step to show that they’re still here, they’re still relevant and they want to get back to doing what they do best.”

When it was first announced, Breakout Dxb was set to be a one-day event. However, as Bolton explained, “the more people who heard about it, the more who wanted to get involved”.

He commented: “We started as a one-day event because we didn’t know what the reaction would be, so we wanted to avoid overstretching ourselves. However, once we got a few partners and some sponsors onboard, we found that more and more people were coming to us saying that they wanted to be a part of the event.”

And, of course, holding the event over two days instead of the originally planned one worked out better for several reasons. “We invested in infrastructure, which is obviously more costeffective if we can keep it in place for a whole weekend rather than just one day,” Bolton said. “It was fantastic to be able to turn the event into a full-on weekend long celebration.”

‘A NICE FIRST STEP’ While health and safety is always an integral part of any event, due to the current climate, it was more important than ever to ensure that absolutely no stone was left unturned in creating a safe and secure environment for attendees, performers and crew. The event was operated on a framework that was devised in collaboration with experts in the field, Gallowglass Health and Safety. “Gallowglass was absolutely vital to the success of this event,” Bolton stated. “Their team supported us throughout. As well as the guidelines that we had been working on with Gallowglass during lockdown, we also had some extra measures from DTCM – and they were instrumental in helping us apply those as well.”

With Gallowglass on-site to offer support throughout the event, as well as during the install and de-rig, the team aided the planning, considering everything from technical and live issues, to attaining government permissions and special COVID-19 measures.

Steve Kearney, Managing Partner at Gallowglass, was delighted to support the event. “It was fantastic to see an event such as this

go ahead in what has been such a challenging period for the whole industry,” he told TPMEA. “It was a superb weekend, and the organisers, suppliers and artists deserve a great deal of credit for that. We hope this is just the start of the industry getting back to where it needs to be.”

Bolton added: “It was great to have the level of expert support that Gallowglass provided. Their team was so helpful, offering an extra pair of hands and helping to make sure that everything was being done safely. That backup and reassurance that pretty much every possible scenario had been thought about and planned for was invaluable.”

While Bolton described the feedback as “generally very positive” he admitted that the event came with its fair share of challenges. “Of course, there are always things that we can learn. Social distancing, mask wearing – things like this are all challenging to what we would normally associate with a festival and they can lead to the environment feeling a bit stale and clinical at first, because we’re not used to having to do these things,” he conceded. “But we tried to minimise that feeling as much as possible and, if you ask me ‘was there a good vibe?’ Then the answer is definitely a ‘yes’.”

He added: “Sometimes people forget that we are putting on an event right in the middle of a global pandemic and it’s not the easiest time to do that! There are so many restrictions and so many things that people are used to seeing or doing at events that are different now or simply can no longer happen. This was definitely a nice first step. I feel that we pushed the boundaries and I hope that we have helped in some way to get things going again.”

Other challenges Bolton highlighted were common in events, regardless of the pandemic. “Balancing budget and availability is always an interesting challenge,” he commented. “We all went into this knowing that we weren’t going to make profit from it. As long as we could pay the artist fees and the suppliers, then we were happy. Hopefully this will be the driving force that opens the door for other people to do more. If we can get the wheels moving, then that will be when we make our money – not on this single project. It’s all about the long term.”

Bolton went on to praise the many people who invested their time and resources for free – something which he is “eternally grateful” for. He commented: “The team gave lots of time and energy for free. But this event was about much more than being a commercial venture. The intent was to set a marker and make a statement that we can do events; we can do them safely, we can come back together, and performers can get back on stage where they belong.” Photos: Hyku Photography / Breakout Dxb www.3db-dxb.com www.danbolton.me www.gallowglasshs.com