Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena has announced an investment in digital technology and artificial intelligence (AI) to launch new features aimed at elevating the live experience.

The new digital initiatives, which include “AI-powered personalisation, immersive seat selection and seamless purchasing”, will debut ahead of Danish rock band’s Michael Learns to Rock’s concert at the 17,000-cap venue on 27 April.

The first phase of the rollout is led by an AI-powered WhatsApp channel, enabling “real-time engagement, ticketing assistance, frictionless navigation and concierge-style services for attendees”.

“Coca-Cola Arena is fulfilling a long-term vision to reimagine live events from the moment a show is announced”

“With these investments, Coca-Cola Arena is fulfilling a long-term vision to reimagine live events from the moment a show is announced,” says Mark Jan Kar, the venue’s general manager. “By combining advanced AI, immersive technology and consumer-first services, we’re creating a platform for fans to enjoy personalised, unforgettable moments on their own terms within a click of a button.”

Coca-Cola Arena has also launched 3D-interactive seat views within an interactive map on its website, allowing fans to preview sightlines and select optimal seats. In addition, it is introducing flexible payment terms, so fans can split the cost of tickets, hospitality and other add-ons across  instalment options.

The announcement comes ahead of Dubai AI Week 2025, where 8,000 industry experts will join 500 investors and 100 exhibitors from around the world.

Upcoming concerts at Coca-Cola Arena include Kygo, David Gray and Deep Purple.

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Leading entertainment company SES Live! has entered into a strategic partnership with UAE live powerhouse Ethara to bring global touring productions to venues across the Middle East.

Announced this week at ILMC in London, the link-up will see SES Live! and Ethara work together to expand the reach of internationally acclaimed shows, bringing a diverse lineup of events to the region including Disney on Ice and Cirque du Soleil.

Additional productions will be announced soon, as the companies bid to further cement the Middle East’s status as a key market for live entertainment.

“As the Middle East’s leading live entertainment promoter, SES Live! has delivered some of the world’s most renowned family entertainment experiences across the region,” says SES Live! CEO and founder Ali Haidary. “We are honoured and excited to partner with Ethara in this unique collaboration. With their unrivalled network and industry expertise, we look forward to expanding our reach further by bringing more globally renowned productions to audiences across the UAE, GCC, and beyond.”

“Together, we are looking to set new benchmarks for live entertainment in the region”

The organisations will deliver shows across the region in multiple cities across the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and Saudi Arabia, with some performances marking national and city debuts.

“The demand for live entertainment in the Middle East is at an all-time high, and Ethara is committed to driving the industry forward by expanding our regional footprint and delivering world-class experiences to audiences,” adds Saif Rashid Al Noaimi, CEO of Ethara.

“Our partnership with SES Live! brings together two industry leaders with complementary strengths – Ethara’s unmatched event delivery and venue management expertise, and SES Live!’s exclusive relationships with globally renowned IPs.  Together, we are looking to set new benchmarks for live entertainment in the region, ensuring that fans have access to the very best productions while reinforcing the Middle East’s position as a key destination for world-class events.”

Ethara launched in 2023 following the merger of state-owned promoter Flash Entertainment and Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management (ADMM).

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A handful of leading Middle East-based executives broke down the region’s rapid development on the live entertainment scene and the issues impacting the nascent market in an ILMC panel.

Chaired by CAA’s Emma Banks, today’s Middle East Live: States of Growth session featured Oak View Group UAE’s Ian Campbell, Fridge Entertainment founder Shelley Frost, Platinumlist’s Cosmin Ivan, All Things Live Middle East CEO Thomas Ovesen, Saudi Arabia’s Music Commission CEO Paul Pacifico and Lance Tobin booking VP for Bahrain’s Al Dana Amphitheatre.

Cosmin presented a slideshow of Platinumlist’s statistical findings throughout 2024, which included an 800% increase in popularity for hip-hop across the region, a marked rise in attendees for Arabic and international live music concerts, and a wildly different “ticketing culture” compared to the West.

“We need to understand that the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) countries have a different pattern of purchase compared to Europe, which means a lot of last-minute ticket sales,” noted Cosmin. “Eighty percent of sales sometimes occur in the last three days prior to an event, which does cause some slight panic from organisers unfamiliar with the region.”

There has also been a concerted effort to combat ticketing fraud in the Gulf, with nonexistent shows and tours often being advertised on social media with the aim of taking advantage of an audience still getting accustomed to the region’s increasing prominence in the live entertainment sphere. Despite those concerns, it is a huge “sign of growth for the market” according to Tobin.

“We obviously have to strike down on these scams with the help of local government initiatives, but in a way, it shows that there’s a lot of money to be made as the show count continues to rise in the region,” he said.

“There is a real push to change the perception of the KSA as a hub of vibrancy and enthusiasm to outsiders unfamiliar with the country”

Cosmin also spoke about the boom in Saudi Arabia, where attendances for parties at beach clubs rose by over 100%.

“Seventy percent of Saudi Arabia’s population are younger than 35 years old and are more digitally aware than previous generations, so there is a real push to change the perception of the KSA as a hub of vibrancy and enthusiasm to outsiders unfamiliar with the country,” Campbell said.

The importance of developing a sustainable music grassroots ecosystem in the Middle East was also discussed.

“I read the other day that 60% of streaming numbers on [streaming platform] Anghami emanates from Arabic music, which is fascinating as music consumption leaned more towards Western music in the past,” Frost recalled, adding that international acts should make inroads in collaborating with more local talents during their tours.

“When we brought Jacob Collier over to the UAE, I remember him wanting to join a local jam session,” she added. “Tapping into the local music scene and working with grassroots organisations can only be beneficial for everyone.”

It’s a new thing for Arabic audiences to get accustomed to paying to see local talent on stage

That sentiment was echoed by Ovesen, who emphasised the importance of changing the framework in the grassroots scene.

“Historically, the top Arabic artists generate most of their revenue via their records, so there’s no incentive for them to perform live shows,” he said. “It’s a new thing for Arabic audiences to get accustomed to paying to see local talent on stage as opposed to seeing them for free playing at a wedding, for example, and one way to change this model is to have Western promoters getting their artists to showcase more domestic supporting acts.”

From funding new venues and investing into talent to initiatives designed to redefine cultural norms within the Middle East, regional governments role in supporting the ever-growing live entertainment scene across the GCC was also detailed.

“September 2025 will mark the first time that public schools in Saudi Arabia will have a music curriculum,” said Pacifico, whose role as the head of the country’s musical commission saw 9,000 teachers hired to head up this historic programme as well as advocating for all-year-round schedules in the calendar.

“Because of a shift in working culture compared to a decade ago, there are less people leaving in the summer as you’re expected to work all year, so we’re focusing on building more indoor venues and showcasing more Arabic content during the summer so that families will have something to do even during a normally quiet off-season,” Pacifico continued.

The 37th International Live Music Conference wraps up tomorrow (28 February) at the Royal Lancaster in London.

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It is wonderful to host the exciting Middle East Live: Venue Boom session at the 2025 edition of ILMC. Our speakers include many leading venue experts within the region including the UAE’s Brint Jackson from Ethara and Mark Jan Kar from Coca-Cola Arena; and Saudi Arabia’s Khouloud Ben Khalifa from Riyadh’s Rotana Arena and Barry Bremner from Qiddiya.

As I celebrate 25 years supporting the ILMC, and having led many international businesses, including Oak View Group and the European Arenas Association, it is amazing to see the ground-breaking changes occurring in the Middle East.

At the start of the new millennium, much of the Middle East Gulf Region had not developed in terms of sports and live entertainment content and infrastructure. Today, the Persian Gulf region attracts and produces some of the world’s major events, including Formula One Grand Prix races in Bahrain, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.

The NBA has hosted several games at Etihad Arena for the past three seasons. And for music and festival’s, the strength of the region is clearly demonstrated by Coldplay’s record-setting four shows attracting 200,000 fans at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium, and with MDLBEAST’s Soundstorm festival, located near Riyadh, attracting annually more than 100 artists and 700,000 fans.

“For the next five to ten years, the region will continue to explode”

For the next five to ten years, the region will continue to explode, with new sport and entertainment venues in Saudi Arabia located within major “giga projects” and markets. These include Riyadh’s Diriyah and King Salman Park, and other projects in Qiddiya – NEOM and ROSHN – and cities including Jeddah and Dammam. Many of these will be developed to support the 2030 World Expo and the 2034 FIFA World Cup, featuring 15 proposed stadiums.

It is also important to recognise the paradigm shift of event production in the Middle East. Instead of hosting special one-off events in the region, with many artists not bringing their full production due to the expense of travel, set-up costs, and lack of facilities, the global touring market for artists now has multiple cities within the region from which to host concerts and sport events. Thus, planning can be accomplished on an east-to-west (and vice-versa) basis, encompassing routing through Europe to the Middle East, Africa/South Africa, and Asia.

There probably is no better example than Coldplay’s global Music of the Spheres Tour, which began in 2022 and will end this August, with 225 concerts encompassing unique markets. These include Bocaue in the Philippines, Jakarta, Kaohsiung in Taiwan, and Mumbai and Ahmedabad in India, in addition to the aforementioned UAE shows.

Please join us for this exciting session and to hear from the industry experts on the tremendous growth of the venue and entertainment business!

• Brian Kabatznick will host Middle East Live: Venue Boom at ILMC on Thursday 27 February from 11:30-12:30.

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Green Day capitalised on the UAE’s “untapped” audience for rock music to deliver their first-ever concert in the region.

The American trio, who are booked by CAA, performed at 30,000-capacity open-air venue Expo City Dubai on Monday (27 January), days after performing two stadium dates in South Africa as part of their ongoing Saviors Tour.

Thomas Ovesen, CEO of promoter All Things Live (ATL) Middle East, tells IQ the Dubai show had been a long time in the making.

“I have wanted to promote Green Day in the UAE for many years,” says Ovesen. “We made several offers when potential dates became available, but until now, we hadn’t been able to secure their first-ever Middle East show. This time, with the routing aligned with their two South African shows, we finally made it happen.”

According to Ovesen, the show – which featured heavyweight support from The Offspring – highlighted the demand for rock concerts in the Middle East.

“Very few local media channels cover rock music to any great extent, leaving a large untapped market of rock fans”

“The appetite is strong, especially for hard rock, which is significantly underrepresented compared to other music genres,” he points out. “Very few local media channels cover rock music to any great extent, leaving a large untapped market of rock fans. We see this clearly whenever we bring rock acts to the region, particularly when ticket prices remain affordable.”

Tickets were priced between AED 445 (€117) to AED 3,000 (€786), with the gig also showcasing the potential of the Expo precinct as a concert venue.

“Since the conclusion of Expo 2020, and aside from a multi-day festival staged in a different venue configuration, this was the first large-scale concert at the site,” adds Ovesen. “We developed the 30,000-capacity layout in collaboration with the Expo events team and our key suppliers, and it worked very well.”

Earlier this month, Italian composer Ludovico Einaudi played his largest Middle East show to date in front of 6,500 fans in the lower bowl of Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena. The concert, which was presented by ATL in partnership with the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi and Miral, came 12 months after Einaudi sold out three shows and more than 5,000 tickets at Dubai Opera.

ATL has a mix of its own and co-partnered shows coming up across the entire region – including Istanbul, Doha, Abu Dhabi and Dubai. Acts will include Diana Krall, Ghostly Kisses, Lionel Richie and comedian Trevor Noah, along with new IP projects and another large-scale UAE show planned for Q4.

“The region is increasingly investing in new purpose-built venues”

“The region is increasingly investing in new purpose-built venues and already has some of the best operators and production equipment,” says Ovesen. “On the challenge side, the market is now heavily skewed toward government and city-controlled, underwritten shows, with fewer promoters willing or able to take financial risks. This could lead to show congestion or pricing issues, making it harder for independent promoters to operate.

“Additionally, the traditional promoter-venue-fan model is less prevalent here, meaning artists and their representatives need to consider long-term opportunities and the quality of show promotions. Currently, many shows are secured with high artist fees but lack strong marketing and fan engagement strategies.”

In closing, Ovesen expects the volume of events in the market will continue to grow – hopefully hand-in-hand with a thriving domestic scene.

“Just look at Saudi Arabia, where entertainment demand is far from reaching saturation,” he says. “As entertainment becomes as strategically important as top-tier sporting events for city and country branding, we will likely see more global event IPs making their way to the Middle East.

“I also hope to see more local talent touring within the region and eventually making it onto international festivals and tours. That would be a true testament to the Middle East emerging as a genuine entertainment and touring market.”

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Coldplay completed their record-breaking four-night run in Abu Dhabi last week, achieving the largest and longest series of ticketed shows in the UAE.

Promoted by Live Nation Middle East and supported by the Department of Culture and Tourism Abu Dhabi, the sold-out Music Of The Spheres shows drew 200,000 fans across the four nights, surpassing the nearly 69,000 people who attended Ed Sheeran’s two sold-out concerts at Dubai’s Sevens Stadium last year.

The shows took place at Abu Dhabi’s Zayed Sports City Stadium which is now operated by Oak View Group and its Middle East partner Ethara.

Demand for the British band’s Abu Dhabi concerts was deemed unprecedented, with millions of fans attempting to secure a ticket.

Initially planned as a single show, the overwhelming interest led the band to add three additional dates, all of which sold out within hours.

The Middle East, one of the fastest-growing live music markets in the world, will be a key focus of this year’s International Live Music Conference (ILMC), with two expert-led panels: The Venue Boom and States of Growth.

“It has been an honour to bring Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour to the UAE”

“At Live Nation Middle East, we take immense pride in creating unforgettable events for the region, and it has been an honour to bring Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour to the UAE,” says James Craven, president of Live Nation Middle East.

“Organising the region’s largest concert series showcased the skill and hard work of our team, and we are deeply grateful for the support of the Department of Culture and Tourism – Abu Dhabi (DCT Abu Dhabi), Miral, and the dedicated team at Zayed Sports City Stadium.

“We also want to thank the local media for their invaluable role in sharing information with fans and ensuring the event ran seamlessly. We look forward to future collaborations with Coldplay and more exciting artists while continuing to deliver some of the most iconic events in the region.”

Coldplay will deliver another record-breaking show later this week when they perform at the largest stadium in the world, the 100,000-capacity Narendra Modi Stadium in India.

The second of the two Narendra Modi Stadium concerts, on 26 January (Republic Day), will be streamed live on Disney+ Hotstar, it was announced last week.

The band’s Music Of The Spheres tour has already set records as the best-selling and highest-grossing rock tour ever thanks to 10 million tickets sold and grosses over $1 billion to date during its three-year run.

Coldplay are represented by Wasserman Music’s Marty Diamond and Larry Webman in North America and WME’s Josh Javor for the rest of the world.

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Amsterdam venue Paradiso and TicketSwap are claiming the first 100% face-value price cap for ticket resale in the Netherlands.

The new partnership ensures that tickets for Paradiso events can only be resold at their original purchase price (excluding service costs) or less, preventing price inflation and “supporting Paradiso’s mission as a non-profit organisation to make arts and culture accessible to a wide audience”.

To make the buying and reselling of tickets as seamless as possible, TicketSwap is integrating with Paradiso’s primary ticketing provider See Tickets Benelux.

“With rising costs for artists to go on tour and a possible VAT increase in 2026, ticket prices are under pressure. Visitors can only spend their money once and increasingly have to make
choices,” said Erik Luyten, Head of Ticketing, ICT & Data at Paradiso.

“Our partnership with TicketSwap ensures that we can keep prices low on their platform, while sellers can still earn back the full price they paid. Through TicketSwap’s SecureSwap technology, we can also guarantee that tickets resold on their platform are valid for admission. Tens of thousands of tickets per year for Paradiso events have already been sold via TicketSwap, from now on safer and more fairly priced than before.”

“With rising costs for artists to go on tour and a possible VAT increase in 2026, ticket prices are under pressure”

Elsewhere, Platinumlist says it is introducing the Middle East and North Africa’s first fan-to-fan ticket resale on its app.

The feature – which is already live in the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman – allows users to securely buy and sell tickets within the app marketplace.

In October, Platinumlist moved to combat fraud by transitioning from traditional PDF tickets to QR code technology called SafeTickets. The two new offerings have now been integrated.

Elsewhere, CTS Eventim and TikTok have rolled out their ticketing feature in Spain after launching the partnership in Germany earlier this year.

The feature will enable fans to discover live events and buy tickets through Eventim Spain’s platform Entradas.com from within the TikTok platform.

Any artist or content creator with more than 1,000 followers will be able to promote tickets to concerts, plays, musicals, festivals, exhibitions or sporting events in their TikTok videos.

“We seek to connect users with artists through the language of social media,” said Susana Voces, Managing Director of Eventim Spain. “This collaboration represents a step forward in the innovation of the ticketing sector, uniting technology, social media and live entertainment to offer fans a more direct and simple experience.”

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Middle East-based online ticketing platform Platinumlist has moved to combat fraud by transitioning from PDF tickets to a “more secure” mobile system.

Its new SafeTickets function, which operates exclusively through the company’s mobile app, employs QR code technology that updates a few times a minute, preventing screenshots and offering a ticket transfer feature.

The Dubai-headquartered firm is active across Saudi Arabia and the UAE, and expanded into Turkey last year.

“This innovation will revolutionise the industry, not just in the UAE and the MENA region, but globally”

“The event tickets market is rapidly expanding, particularly in the UAE,” says Cosmin Ivan CEO of Platinumlist. “We’ve noticed a demand for increased convenience, and traditional PDF tickets are becoming outdated.

“Also, based on our experience of operating in the Gulf region since 2009, we’ve noticed a growing demand for digital security and comfort across events. This is why we decided to launch new mobile tickets featuring screenshot protection, offline functionality and sharing options.

“We are going to announce another great feature soon. This innovation will revolutionise the industry, not just in the UAE and the MENA region, but globally.”

Platinumlist says that SafeTickets has reduced reported fraud by 85% at events over the past six months, having been piloted across six GCC countries.

The business, which is featured in IQ‘s 2024 International Ticketing Report, has approximately 80% of the entertainment market in the UAE, according to Statista.

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Oak View Group (OVG) has added the first two Middle East venues to its portfolio after announcing its expansion into the region last year.

In partnership with UAE event management and venue operator Ethara, OVG will take over operations at Zayed Sports City in Abu Dhabi and House of Sustainability (formerly UAE Pavilion) in Expo City Dubai.

Zayed Sports City has been touted as a cornerstone of Abu Dhabi’s sporting and entertainment landscape, having hosted major tennis and football tournaments such as the Mubadala World Tennis Championships and the FIFA Club World Cup.

The city features a range of facilities, including the Zayed Sports City Stadium, International Tennis Centre, Khalifa International Bowling Centre, Zayed Sports City Ice Rink, and Mubadala Pavilion.

The 45,000-capacity stadium – the largest in the UAE – is set to host four shows on Coldplay’s Music of the Spheres World Tour on 9, 11, 12, and 14 January 2025.

“We are thrilled to be expanding OVG’s venue portfolio with the first two venues in the region under OVG Middle East”

The House of Sustainability, formerly the UAE Pavilion at Expo 2020 Dubai, offers 8,000 square meters of exhibition space in Expo City Dubai. The venue’s new guise was unveiled at Cop28 (United Nations Climate Change Conference or Conference of the Parties of the UNFCCC) in 2023.

Last year, OVG announced its expansion in the Middle East through a joint venture Ethara, which promotes events such as the Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and Yasalam After-Race Concerts, and operates venues in the United Arab Emirates, such as Etihad Arena, Etihad Park, Yas Marina Circuit and Yas Conference Centre.

“We are thrilled to be expanding OVG’s venue portfolio with the first two venues in the region under OVG Middle East,” says Jessica Koravos, president of OVG International.

“They each embody excellence in their respective domains with Zayed Sports City’s rich heritage of world-class sporting and entertainment events, and the House of Sustainability with its groundbreaking design and significance in Expo City Dubai. This expansion aligns perfectly with our vision of delivering bespoke venue and hospitality solutions and commitment to delivering exceptional experiences at world-class facilities throughout the region.”

David Powell, chief strategy and business development officer of Ethara, added: “Ethara has a legacy of operating four of the region’s most iconic and groundbreaking venues which have each helped shape the event and venue industry in the region over the last 16 years. Through our partnership with OVG, we look forward to integrating Zayed Sports City and the House of Sustainability into our portfolio as we look to evolve to meet the ever-evolving demands of the industry under OVG Middle East.”

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A raft of new and forthcoming venues, huge investment in live entertainment, and the opening of the Saudi market means family entertainment is big business in the Middle East. What’s the key to success? IQ investigates.

Interest in the Middle East as a touring region has grown significantly in recent years. New venues have opened, and there are many more in the pipeline, not least in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is investing heavily in culture. And while concerts often steal the limelight, it’s family entertainment and other non-music shows that are among the top attractions.

The growth potential of the countries and the new venues coming on-stream has resulted in massive interest from promoters and producers, leading to increasing competition.

Rebekah Shearer is director of arts and entertainment at Live Nation’s Middle East operation. Alongside the company’s music shows, she says the comedy scene in the UAE has experienced significant growth, pointing to sold-out performances by the likes of Zakir Khan, Bill Burr, Andrew Schultz, and Trevor Noah. There are also up-and-coming comedy festivals, scheduled to take place in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, which further highlight the increasing popularity of comedy in the region.

Shearer says the market for touring entertainment has “shown significant growth and potential. This extends beyond music to encompass a diverse array of offerings such as live theatre productions, comedy shows, Arabic content, musical theatre, and children’s content. This expansion reflects the evolving preferences and demands of audiences in the region, as well as the efforts of promoters to cater to these preferences.

“It is a continuous growing economy with vast infrastructure development, cultural exchange, and a growing emphasis on local talent development”

“It is a continuous growing economy with vast infrastructure development, cultural exchange, and a growing emphasis on local talent development.”

A longstanding company in the region, SESLive! is the exclusive promoter of Disney on Ice, Disney Live!, Marvel Universe Live!, and Jurassic World Live Tour, thanks to a partnership deal with Feld Entertainment. It alsorecently promoted Cirque du Soleil’s CRYSTAL across the region. “Every year, we try to add a new market or return to a market we haven’t been to for a few years,” says business development director, Alison Goldsmith. “We aim to make these shows touring prospects, whereas they used to be fly in, fly out. We’re adding more cities every year, so the tours get bigger.”

Goldsmith notes that over many years working in the region, she’s noticed that demands for exclusivity have decreased, meaning shows can hit more cities.

“All the markets have developed sufficiently to the point that exclusivity is no longer seen as a necessity. That demand was previously driven by tourism authorities who sought to bring in regional visitors. Now the tourism authorities’ focuses have shifted into different areas. The only time exclusivity is important is if the markets are geographically close, such as Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and that’s a business decision.”

MAC Global has seen success across the region with ‘film with orchestra’ productions. “We recently worked with our clients at the Royal Commission of Riyadh City to present the city’s first Film Music Festival with titles such Harry Potter and Star Wars, which sold around 6,000 tickets across five days,” says co-founder and CCO, Daniel Goldberg. “We’ve been presenting these titles in the region since 2017 and usually engage the UK’s National Symphony Orchestra, who are versatile and proficient enough to handle a variety of performances and titles in a short space of time.”

He adds: “There’s huge demand for immersive experiences, location-based entertainment, and IP aimed at families.
70% of the Saudi market is under 30 years old, it’s a very young and dynamic market. There’s also a large concentration of families seeking affordable experiences, so the demand is huge.”

“The core market hasn’t increased in line with the amount of content. It’s a much more competitive market than it was before”

Thomas Ovesen has been promoting in the region for years. Currently CEO at All Things Live in the Middle East, his company mainly promotes concerts but is seeking to increase its family content offer.

“Generally speaking, the one common denominator when it comes to shows that can sell tickets region-wide is family content,” he says. “Considering the differences in the GCC countries and indeed in the markets across the MENA region, it is really only family content that can play well in all markets. Some of our markets still don’t really embrace song-style shows, but family shows are welcomed.

“This trend of being the safe bet when it comes to programming will only continue as many new projects and precincts pop up, in particular across Saudi Arabia.”

One of the key challenges is getting the shows to the region. Although things are changing rapidly, it’s still not a regular stop for all touring routes. However, Goldsmith says SESLive! has been making inroads with cross-border logistics, reducing the various challenges of moving these tours between territories, making regional tours even more viable.

“In the past, it was challenging to bring touring productions here from a financial and logistical point of view. It’s tricky to bring things out here because we weren’t really en route to anywhere. The time and cost to bring 45 shipping containers worth of equipment here and then between cities is significant. We’re working with partners to understand those logistical challenges.

“The other challenge – and it’s a good thing – is there are now many more operators in the market; there’s so much more content because there’s such an interest in this part of the world and it’s flooded with new content. But this remains a collection of small countries with limited numbers of people and a limited number of people who have disposable income to spend on entertainment. It’s wonderful that we have all the venues in this space where we can have multiple shows happening at the same time. But the core market hasn’t increased in line with the amount of content. It’s a much more competitive market than it was before.”

“By offering shows in multiple languages, we can ensure that a wider audience can enjoy and engage with the content”

However, she welcomes the competition. It’s “what the market needed,” she says. “It raises the bar for everybody and means we all have to deliver to a higher standard.”

Live Nation’s Shearer says family content holds significant importance in the Middle East. “Families often seek out entertainment options that they can enjoy together, creating cherished memories and bonding experiences. We continue to see success across this part of the business.”

Accordingly, Goldsmith says family entertainment is one of the most important genres in the market. “Disney shows are always very popular because they’re cross-cultural. Everybody has a memory with Disney, and it’s not as limited by language and cultural barriers as some other content. Everybody understands it, and it’s suitable for all ages. You can bring your grandmother and your daughter to the same show, and everybody can have a night out.”

She says Arabic content is also big business, whether that’s singers or plays, as well as Russian content, which has grown owing to an increasing number of people from the country, who moved there since Russia invaded Ukraine.

With such diverse audiences, Goldsmith says productions where language isn’t central to the performance are particularly effective at crossing cultural boundaries. “A product like Cirque du Soleil speaks to people on a different level, because you don’t need to speak the language to understand the storyline; the spectacle in itself is something that works across multiple cultures.”

Offering shows in multiple languages is another route to success, says Shearer. “The success of dual language shows like Brainiac Live! underscores the importance of inclusivity and catering to the linguistic diversity of the Middle Eastern audience. By offering shows in multiple languages, we can ensure that a wider audience can enjoy and engage with the content, particularly when it comes to educational, family-oriented entertainment that appeals to children and their parents.

“This approach aligns with the region’s cultural diversity and the desire to offer entertainment options that resonate with different communities and language groups. By embracing this diversity and adapting offerings to meet the needs and preferences of various audience segments, we can continue to foster a vibrant and inclusive entertainment landscape in the Middle East.”

“With a significant population of expatriates, demographics can shift rapidly, impacting consumer preferences”

The large number of different cultures and languages in the region requires a skilled approach to the marketing, as Shearer explains: “One key challenge is catering to a broad audience with diverse tastes. To address this, our marketing approach must be highly focused and targeted.

“The transient nature of the market, characterised by the changing demographics, poses another challenge. With a significant population of expatriates, demographics can shift rapidly, impacting consumer preferences. To stay ahead, we employ continuous monitoring mechanisms to track evolving tastes and demographic shifts.

“By maintaining a keen focus on audience preferences, leveraging real-time data insights, and strategically timing our marketing efforts, we adeptly navigate the challenges of our market, ensuring sustained engagement and relevance in an ever-evolving landscape.”

Ovesen sees a bright future ahead. “The buying power of our region and the need for great content and programming is so significant that I think some of the global family entertainment brands will be doing great future business here by developing and licensing entirely new IPs – some that might never play elsewhere and some that will premiere in our region and go on to tour the world afterwards.

“We will work with and for whoever has the right content, and while our own promotions are likely to be with touring shows in established venues and at ticketed events, I think we will naturally also be working with clients that need our events- and show-producer skills, as well as contacts to content providers and owners to develop their own show and event IPs.”

MAC Global has licensed and delivered many successful IP events such as The Friends Experience and Stranger Things in multiple cities. The firm was acquired by the Sony Masterworks Live network in 2022 and has since started to tap into a wider IP portfolio to expand and build upon its business base of live music concerts. “We’re in active discussions with multiple territories about some of these IPs,” says Goldberg. “We’re also developing our own Indian and Arabic immersive IPs to service the demand in our region, with a view to touring and distributing that back to the US and Europe to service the Indian and Arab diaspora. We’re trying to create a two-way product flow rather than simply importing content.”

“If you come in thinking that you can charge what you want and that ticket sales will go through the roof, that’s not the truth anymore”

The prospect of a more equitable exchange of culture between the Middle East and the rest of the world is on many promoters’ and producers’ minds. Many of the region’s markets have matured significantly in the past decade, meaning the early model of near-unlimited budgets, subsidised by government organisations, no longer applies.

Goldsmith wants to bust the myth that coming to the Middle East is a land of unlimited money. “We’ve been here long enough to see the changes in the way things operate. Some companies have the expectation that this is an easy market to come into, charge a fortune, and walk away. But that’s not the case. We’ve been very fortunate in the past, and we are still very fortunate that there’s a lot of support from the local governments, the tourism authorities, and the development agencies that have invested heavily in building the culture and infrastructure in certain areas. They’re very generous in the way that they work with partners to bring the content that they want. But that’s not in every market.”

She says to make the tour budgets balance, some territories end up being more profitable than others, and in some places the numbers just don’t stack up.

“The expectation from some companies [that lack experience in the region] is that you can charge whatever you want, and the money will be there. But that’s not the case. We’re business operators just the same as everywhere else. If you come in thinking that you can charge what you want and that ticket sales will go through the roof, that’s not the truth anymore. We need to be competitive. We need to set our ticket prices to make them appealing. We need to keep our costs to a level that makes a show viable. There’s a ceiling to what’s manageable in a small population country.”

And she advises any companies seeking to bring content to the region to have a good local partner.

“Having a local partner who has the connections, the accounts with the relevant licensing bodies, and so on is essential to be able to deliver anything in this part of the world”

“We’re very proud to work in this region. This will be our 12th season of delivering live entertainment in multiple countries here, and we’re still doing it because we’re proud of the work that we can bring in, and we love working in the countries that we do.

“We want a chance for everybody to be able to bring content to the region. It’s about coming in with eyes open and embracing the culture, history, and the traditions, and doing everything with respect. It’s important to be part of the communities, the cultures, and to give something back.

“Every country has its own individual identity. Each has its own rules and regulations, and it can take quite a long time to understand exactly how those things work. So having a local partner who has the connections, the accounts with the relevant licensing bodies, and so on is essential to be able to deliver anything in this part of the world.”

One of the drivers of growth in the region is the recent increase in venues, from Abu Dhabi’s 18,000-cap Etihad Arena and Dubai’s 17,000-cap Coca-Cola Arena to Bahrain’s 10,000-cap Al Dana Amphitheatre and the 5,000-cap Arena Kuwait.
There’s also much excitement about forthcoming spaces coming on-stream in the coming years, particularly in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia where ASM Global is building the 20,000-capacity Jeddah Arena Airport City at King Abdulaziz International Airport. There are also rumours that Madison Square Garden boss James Dolan is in talks to build a Sphere in Abu Dhabi.

“With ongoing infrastructure development projects all across the region, including the construction of new venues, the capacity to host touring entertainment will increase,” says Shearer. “This expansion will attract more international entertainment and facilitate a wide range of productions.

“Continued investment in nurturing and showcasing local talent will contribute to the sustainability and growth of the entertainment industry in the Middle East. Supporting emerging artists, fostering creativity, and providing opportunities for skill development will ensure a steady pipeline of talent for future touring productions.

“As promoters we will continue to be innovative and evolve with the region.”

“Rather than us feeling like we’re isolated and away from what’s happening in Europe and the US, there’s an audience here that wants to have access to that same advanced storytelling”

MAC Global has strong links in Saudi Arabia, and Goldberg says the demand for family IP is huge in the kingdom. “We have already been involved in the first Riyadh Jazz Festival and the Riyadh Opera Festival. We also helped deliver the Film Music Festival, so our work there has already been more diverse than our traditionally promoted rock and pop content in the UAE.

“We now plan to introduce more immersive and location-based content, working with our colleagues in Dubai at Sony Music. This involves gaming, e-sports, and anime, which we also have in our wider portfolio. Entertaining families with affordable and accessible experiences is very much at the forefront of our minds right now.”

Goldsmith says audiences are getting more sophisticated, and technology is changing people’s access to content and information. “Kids know what’s cool, they know what their friends are into, and they tell us what they want. They want to see us finding the innovators who are telling stories in new and accessible ways, whether that’s immersive storytelling or using digital technology, puppetry, or something unique. Rather than us feeling like we’re isolated and away from what’s happening in Europe and the US, there’s an audience here that wants to have access to that same advanced storytelling.”

More venues, more content, more promoters, better transport connections: the future looks bright, and there’s a lot of confidence in the market. “Family entertainment might just be the new – or you could say ‘real’ – rock & roll for the Middle East,” concludes Ovesen.

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