The most exciting development in the Middle East event scene has to be the major transformations taking place in The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Having worked extensively in the Kingdom in the last several years, Maestra is looking forward to the opening of its Saudi entity in early 2021. This strategic development will allow Maestra to further support both local and international clients as an ‘in-country’ partner.
KSA Opening to The World
While Saudi Arabia’s NEOM giga-project represents the future of the Kingdom, Al Ula is firmly concerned with conserving the past. Al Ula is home to Madain Saleh, the first site in the Kingdom to be recognised by UNESCO and a location often compared to Jordan’s Petra, Al Ula is understandably being placed at the centre of the drive for tourists seeking history and culture. The Royal Commission of Al Ula have a team of local and international experts focussed on protecting, preserving and developing the area for tourism in the coming years. The Winter at Tantora Festival is at the forefront of the drive; a three-month luxury festival spanning sport, music, food and modern Art.
Last December, Maestra were privileged to support a leading international agency in the production of an internationally renowned restaurant at the Festival. Delivering a project of such high-end finish is not a straightforward task, especially in a location as remote as Al Ula. It was clear early in the brief that the success of the project would rely on accurately reproducing each element of the venue identical to its original in the UK. With only a three-week lead-time to produce the project including design, build, transportation and installation we mobilised teams in the UK, UAE and KSA simultaneously.
International Support
In the UK our team focussed on mapping out the original venue and sourcing the very specific custom fabrics, paints, tiles and carpets that came from a pool of suppliers located across France, the UK and the USA.
In the UAE, our Scenic Team led the production of technical construction drawings and organisation of the necessary structural calculations for the custom steel structures that formed the base of the build. Our in-house production facility was quickly put to work and fabricated the complete project within 10 days.
In KSA we mobilised a team of on-the-ground specialists immediately. Our team sourced and organised all the necessary plant and access materials as well as co-ordinating with local government entities and contractors to prepare the site for installation.
A team of three Project Managers led the pre-production process and liaison between several key client stakeholders based in KSA, UK and USA. Our in-house Logistics Department co-ordinated a very carefully planned operation, shipping 18 x 40ft containers of production material from our facility in Dubai to site in Al Ula.
Local Expertise
The pattern of challenges and solutions is something that we thrive on at Maestra. Delivering projects to a high-end international standard in remote regions requires strong partners with local knowledge and expertise. Maestra is well experienced in delivering a diverse range of projects within the Kingdom including luxury fashion events, conferences and exhibitions.
Your Partner in The Middle East.
KSA is rapidly positioning itself as a hub destination for live events and entertainment with many world class events taking place in recent years. Last year the country laid host to some of the biggest events in the world including the Ruiz vs. Joshua fight in Riyadh and The Dakar Rally. This month it was announced that Saudi Arabia would host a Formula One Grand-Prix for the first time in 2021 with a night race on the streets of the country’s second largest city, Jeddah.
With such a packed schedule planned for the coming years, now is the time to look at the opportunities in the Kingdom. Our vision is to be the ‘go-to’ partner for both local and international agencies in delivering projects to a world-class standard in the Middle East. Why not reach out to our team to discuss your next plans in the region?