Facing the music

Lara Teperdjian, executive VP, Centre Stage Management

Do you think local promoters can pull resources together and work in collaboration (to an extent) to ensure the longevity of the live events market in the region?

There are international organisations, such as the International Festivals and Events Association, which is based in the UAE for this specific reason.

I also noticed such collaboration in 2008, with organisers asking others to organise their VIP areas and so on. Why not? We are not many, so why not help each other?

Promoters can’t forget that we are all in competition with each other, but competition is good for the audience as it promotes content diversity and so on.

How will you diversify the level and type of content you bring to, or promote in the region to ensure that audience numbers are kept high?

As we organise festivals it enables us with the opportunity to create new on-site activities to attract all ages and types of event goers. At last year’s Desert Rock we hosted the world premiere of the suspended bar, in addition to the Infusion dance tent and the arts and crafts area for children.

At the Back 2 School festival we included games like ‘dunk the teacher’ and at the Urban Desert festival we had graffiti walls, a fake tattoo parlour and so on. Other services, including free bus shuttles are always appreciated and are an extra value-added benefit to increase ticket sales.

Regarding promotions, we have just revamped Desert Rock’s festival’s image with the help of TBWA/RAAD and Christian Scheurer, the designer behind the Matrix and Final Fantasy.

So far it’s generated a lot of buzz online since we revealed the artwork in January, and we are waiting to see if this approach helps us reach-out to new audiences.

What type of shows and performers can we expect to see come to the region in 2009? Where is the market demand coming from?

From our side, the market demand is coming from Desert Rock’s metal fans. Every day, we receive dozens of e-mails requesting for particular rock bands and we keep a record of them to ensure we are keeping-up with these trends.

How will you tackle, or trim down the growing rate of operational and rental costs from your local business partners?

We started to contract production jobs to companies outside of Dubai in 2008 and will continue doing so in 2009.

Even with having to pay the shipping and travel costs for the staff, the rate of operational and rental costs still remains more cost effective than to for us to use companies in Dubai, and also more professional, with better quality products and services.

What new ventures will CSM look to invest in through 2009 and beyond?

In 2008, we organised two festivals in South Africa. This year, we are branching out into Hollywood under the name of Scorpio International, which will specialise in music, reality TV and movies.

In the UAE, CSM will continue its event organisation. The end of 2009 will mark CSM’s 10th anniversary, so diversifying seems like a natural thing to do at this moment.

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