SOS EVENT LOGISTICS

COMPANY PROFILE: SOS EVENT LOGISTICS

AS SOS GLOBAL OPENS ITS FIRST DEDICATED MIDDLE EAST OFFICE, TPMEA CATCHES UP WITH GENERAL MANAGER OF THE DUBAI BRANCH, BOB O’BRIEN TO FIND OUT WHAT THE COMPANY HAS IN STORE FOR THE REGION.

For more than 35 years, SOS Global Express has been providing customised logistics solutions for the complex and time-critical events industry. Headquartered in New Bern, North Carolina, and with international hubs in Hamburg, London, and Moscow, the company has the experience, resources, and international network to offer a true year-round, 24/7 service to its clients – wherever they are in the world.

That ability strengthened even further recently with the opening of a new Dubai branch, SOS Event Logistics LLC, which will service the company’s existing long-term customers in the region as well as facilitate the expected growth in the industry throughout the Middle East.

For much of the 35 years that SOS has been in existence, Bob O’Brien has operated in the live events industry, working as a Production Manager for a range of artists including Arcade Fire, Ellie Goulding, Franz Ferdinand, The Script, and The Strokes. In 2018, the PM made the leap away from touring to join SOS, with a remit to push forward the company’s entertainment logistics division.

As part of that vision, O’Brien was tasked with opening the company’s first Middle East branch and, according to the new General Manager, there was only one city in mind. “Dubai is the major hub both in terms of logistics and access to the wider Middle East region,” he began, explaining the reasons behind the company opening in the emirate. “We have a lot of clients who are based primarily in Dubai already and the city is still very much regarded as the main hub for commercial transactions and networking in the region.”

While SOS has been moving gear in and out of the Middle East for many years without a permanent presence, with the numerous highprofile projects taking place in the region as well as the explosion in growth in Saudi Arabia, the

SOS Event Logistics General Manager, Bob O’Brien.

incredible demand required a dedicated branch. “We’ve been extremely busy right off the bat,” O’Brien revealed. “We’ve just completed the Olympic Games; we have the Winter Olympics coming up, then it’ll be onto the FIFA World Cup in Qatar – all of which have been supported in part through our Middle East network.

While the Dubai company was only recently incorporated, O’Brien has been in Dubai since the start of the year. “I needed to be here to help handle some of the operational tasks on the ground,” he said, adding that while the office is in DIP, his role will see him travelling around the city and, in fact the region, with a trip to Riyadh on the cards to help manage a major project for Saudi National Day.

“There is so much happening in Saudi Arabia right now, and there is a lot of activity coming up,” O’Brien continued. “Everybody in the industry is clamouring to set up over there and make sure they’re involved in as much as possible.” And while O’Brien revealed that SOS is also planning on opening a branch in the Kingdom within the next six to eight months, he stressed that the move will come at the company’s own pace. “We’re not in a rush,” he stated. “We’re already incredibly busy in the region before we even scratch the surface of Saudi Arabia, so the most important thing is that we continue to look after our existing clients before we look at expansion.”

The GM is currently in the process of hiring two new full-time members of staff to help service the demand out of the Dubai office. “We’re looking to bring in an Operations Manager, as well as someone to support on the administrational side of the business,” he disclosed. “I’m currently engaging with potential candidates for both roles.”

‘A STATE OF FLUX’ The entire live events supply chain has had its fair share of issues over the past 18 months and freighting and logistics are no exceptions. According to O’Brien, the industry is “in a state of flux”, with everything from a shortage of shipping containers to sky-high air freight costs combining to make sending freight around the world incredibly complicated and expensive.

“I’ve been in the industry in some form or another for more than 30 years and I’ve never seen a situation like we have now,” he admitted. “This isn’t as a result of any one airline or company taking advantage of the situation – it’s simply global supply and demand.”

Freighting hit the mainstream media earlier this year with the blockage of the Suez Canal and O’Brien explained how he often points to that incident to explain the issues facing the industry.

“The case of the Suez Canal is the first time that many people who aren’t involved in the world of logistics were able to witness first-hand the kind of challenges involved in the industry,” he noted. “In that instance, one incident had a domino effect on the entire global supply chain, and while something of that scale is rare, the industry is constantly dealing with issues, all of

“Within the next five years, bands and artists are going to be doing multiple shows in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, as well as the likes of Israel and South Africa. There’s a genuine route open here and we’re here to service that.”

Bob O’Brien, SOS Event Logistics.

which impact up and down the chain.” According to O’Brien, while these issues are mostly unavoidable, the most important thing that he can do is keep in constant communication with his clients. “Pre-COVID, we would never bother a client with the behind-the-scenes details of logistics, but now we owe it to them to explain the situation and work on solutions so they can still get their cargo from A to B,” he said. “This region is particularly tough, because historically, some events quite often do not get confirmed until the last minute,” O’Brien commented, explaining one of the unique challenges of operating in the Middle East. “This sometimes means that ocean freight is unachievable due to the short timeframe, so expensive air freight is the only option.” And while previously, if the budget was there, air cargo was always available, with space at such a premium, it’s much more difficult to accommodate large air shipments at short notice.

One thing that’s sure to help is the fact that the company is now part of the NEP Group, having been bought out by the group in 2019. “It has been a huge help in the region,” O’Brien commented. “It has kept us very busy right from the off, servicing a lot of our existing clients while driving new business.” As the only logistics company under the NEP umbrella, O’Brien explained the importance of the company standing alone. “We must continue to steer our own course and drive new business,” he noted.

Having visited the Middle East regularly during his time as a touring PM, O’Brien has witnessed the changes in the region. “With the new arenas here in Dubai and Abu Dhabi, as well as the massive growth in Saudi Arabia, it’s clear that the Middle East is gearing up to become a fully-fledged touring region,” he stated. “Within the next five years, bands and artists are going to be doing multiple shows in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, as well as the likes of Israel and South Africa. There’s a genuine route open here and we’re here to service that.”

As that Middle East touring route continues to establish itself on the international circuit, the long-term aim for O’Brien and SOS remains the same as when he joined the company. “We want to continue to grow our music touring division. That was part of my remit when I first came on board; we were doing exceptionally well before COVID, and as the world starts to return to normal, we’re aiming to continue to develop that side of the business and combine it with our very extensive broadcast history.” Photos: SOS Global www.sosglobal.com