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What innovative entertainment and sports experiences have you brought to the region?
We are very proud of our contribution to the development and recovery of the UAE’s entertainment and sports industries. Collaboration is key to the success of any event and we work closely with a range of stakeholders including the Administrative Affairs Authority (EAA); Department of Culture and Tourism – DCT Abu Dhabi; Abu Dhabi Sports Council, Miral, Abu Dhabi Motorsport Management, Etihad Airways, Air Mubadala and global partners such as Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), FIFA (FIFA) have jointly produced a series of past 14 years of amazing events.
Some of our highlights include Showdown Week in Abu Dhabi and the Fight Island Series, five FIFA Club World Cups, including 2021; the Mubadala World Tennis Championships and the popular Yasalam post-match concert series, which accompany the annual The Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. Yasalam is a true industry pioneer in this field, serving as the first city-wide entertainment festival associated with a Formula 1 event, bringing AAA (adult album replacement) artists, regional talent and more to the emirate for the final race of the F1 season each year.
Hosting three UFC Fight Island events over a seven-month period, including the first with fans since the start of the pandemic, shows Abu Dhabi is ready to welcome visitors and underscores its ability to compete in the world’s highest health Standard for hosting major international events and safety. Through Abu Dhabi Showdown Week and the Fight Island Series, we are supporting DCT Abu Dhabi in bringing some of the biggest names in the UFC to Abu Dhabi in a safe and secure environment.
During the first Covid-19 lockdown, we hosted the region’s first virtual concert, featuring artists from across the UAE, including Freek, FAFA and Mo Flow, for some exciting new work we’re producing Content paves the way.We also partnered with AD Gaming to launch a A virtual esports series featuring four popular events. Another innovation we are proud of is the launch of our Regional Artist Spotlight platform, which aims to support GCC musical talent after the entertainment industry took a hit during the pandemic. The Regional Artist Spotlight is an ongoing initiative to promote content from artists who don’t have access to the scale of promotion that international artists can. Our focus is on helping these regional talent reach a wider audience.
The launch of the regional artist spotlight platform soon followed another innovation at the opening of Ain Dubai in October 2021, where we held our first RAS conference and our regional artists were on the main stage during the weekend festivities on the show. Another major milestone for the RAS platform is to have artists on stage at the 2021 Yasalam After Race concert series. They open for AAA artists on three of four nights to warm up the crowd. We aim to do so again in this November’s edition.
How is the company helping to raise Abu Dhabi’s profile as the sports and entertainment capital of the region?
Abu Dhabi has diverse cultural, sports and entertainment attractions Catering to all preferences, we have contributed to the success of the emirate by hosting over 400 major events including live music, sports, cultural events and events of national significance. Collaboration is key and we have had great success working with government entities and stakeholders to help cement Abu Dhabi’s position as the sports and entertainment capital of the region.We are constantly exploring new opportunities Our stakeholders and partners and are working on joint programmes to increase the length of stay of tourists coming to Abu Dhabi for specific events.Currently, visitors can plan events Spanning several days, it involves a variety of genres and interests, including concerts, museums, arts and culture, lifestyle and sports.
What do today’s customers want when it comes to entertainment? How have their expectations changed since the Covid-19 pandemic?
We’ve learned a lot since the pandemic and we can now do more in the digital space to enhance the fan experience and stakeholders. When it comes to entertainment, however, nothing can replicate the thrill of a live experience. Fans still crave the feeling of being in a live event after a period of inability to experience it; diversifying our offering and being able to deliver a unique and premium experience is critical to the success of our event. At the end of the day, the most important thing in the entertainment industry is to attract people, while continuing to showcase what Abu Dhabi and the wider region are capable of, and all that it has to offer.
Any challenges you face or face due to the pandemic?
There is no denying the challenges posed by the epidemic. The global events industry has been hit hard, and we have not been spared. Covid-19 has changed events and Entertaining the landscape, but it’s all about how to react and adapt. Thanks to our flexible business model, we are at the forefront of the response in the region, adapting quickly to continue hosting events in the Covid era and leading the way post-pandemic. We maximize opportunities to grow our virtual entertainment offerings and digitize content to meet the acceleration in consumption on digital platforms during the pandemic. And, our teams work tirelessly to ensure that health and safety protocols are adhered to at our venues, including Etihad Parks and Etihad Arena. Throughout the lockdown, we have worked closely with Abu Dhabi authorities to ensure we are able to resume live events in a safe environment once restrictions start to ease.
Tell us about your company’s diversity strategy. How can gaming and eSports be a part of it?The development of new technologies has provided event organizers with different ways to reach audiences. Gaming in the region has witnessed tremendous growth in recent years. We see an opportunity to capitalize on the growing trend and support our vision to create a gaming hub in the UAE capital. We launched a series of four eSports events in partnership with our partner AD Gaming to develop the regional gaming ecosystem. The series provides a platform for regional esports talent to develop their skills against some of the best players in the world.
As a strategic partner of Abu Dhabi Gaming, we have events around four popular games: Dota 2, PUBG, Fortnite and FIFA. The Dota 2 MENA Cup event won a Gold Award in the “Esports Event of the Year” category at the recent SPIA Awards. This is a proud moment for us as this is our first award in gaming and a testament to what we can do with innovative events and our strategy to continually diversify our offering.Our diversity drive also sees We re-entered Dubai in 2021 and early 2022, working at Expo 2020 Dubai, we worked with organisers and stakeholders to deliver a series of live events throughout the Expo season, which earned us the “Best Event” Produced the live entertainment show “Awards in the Middle East” with our partners HQWS and The Fridge.
Tell us more about your partnership with AD Gaming and how it’s pushing the UAE to the forefront of esports in the region?
As mentioned earlier, our strategic partnership with AD Gaming aims to transform gaming in the region, with the ultimate goal of nurturing and growing the regional gaming ecosystem in Abu Dhabi. This partnership is in line with our goal of continuing to roll out innovative solutions and provide residents and visitors with an unmissable experience.This is an exciting development for entertainment in the areais another example of how Flash Entertainment is working to elevate the entertainment landscape in the region and provide a platform for regional talent The partnership leverages AD Gaming’s knowledge and our extensive experience in hosting special events. It provides a solid foundation for Abu Dhabi’s esports and gaming community to test and develop their skills with global esports stars.
What is your outlook for the gaming and esports industry in the region in the coming months?
The global gaming industry is growing rapidly and will exceed $200 billion by 2023, and Abu Dhabi is at the forefront of driving this growth.Industry report shows that there are already 100 million gamers in the Middle East, with 73% of the UAE’s population being gamers. Governments in the region are strongly supportive of developing the gaming industry and our partnership with AD Gaming is the next step in creating a thriving gaming ecosystem for the region.
Nearly half of the MENA population is under 25; they have grown to be digital natives and gaming is an important part of their lives, so organizations like ours have a great opportunity to work with our strategic partners to leverage and creating extraordinary events and platforms that allow young regional talent to shine.
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