Midas Promotions, EMI and THE One announced details today on the Robbie Williams Concert set to take place at Nad Al Sheba on April 21, 2006 with tickets going on sale as of tomorrow March 8, 2006.
Speakers at the press gathering included Andy Yavasis, General Manager, Midas Promotions, Rachel Monk, Promotions Manager International, EMI and Thomas Lundgren, Dr & Master, THE One.
Midas Promotions
Andy Yavasis General Manager of Midas Promotions FZ LLC explained some of the key unique attributes surrounding the superstars’ imminent arrival to the UAE:
• First time for Robbie Williams to perform in Dubai
• First time for a concert to be held in front of the Mill Grandstand at Nad Al Sheba
• First time to handle a concert in such a way i.e. podiums for children, areas for physically challenged etc
• First time to not have 100 sponsors involved! Brand Loyalty and lack of clutter
EMI Records
Rachel Monk, Promotions Manager International for Robbie Williams’ record label company EMI, explained how Robbie Williams has sold Platinum and Multi-platinum on all of his albums, making him one of the biggest selling artists in the Middle East.
THE One
Thomas Lundgren, ‘inventor’ of THE One Total Home Experience, the leading home fashion brand in the Middle East, detailed the company’s reasons behind its involvement. Among these was a desire to give something back to the people of the Middle East who have helped, over the years, make the brand what it is today.
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of THE One, born and bred in the UAE. The company has grown from 1 store in Abu Dhabi in 1996, to 11 Theatres in 5 countries across the Middle East and Europe in 2006. Thomas went on to explain that THE One had not done any market research as to how the brand would benefit from the sponsorship. They just think everyone should have some fun and live their dream.
Commenting on the sponsorship, Lundgren explained, “It’s fun and it fits in with our dream! As we’ll be celebrating our 10th anniversary this year in the Middle East, where we were born and bred, we feel it’s the perfect opportunity to give something back to the people of the region, who have made us what we are today and make it possible for us to do what we love. We think everyone should have some fun and live their dream!”
Lundgren added, “It has always been a dream of mine, since writing the business plan for THE One in 1995 when I read a book on how Apple started out - flying all their employees to New York to see the Rolling Stones. I couldn’t do it at the time, as (unlike Apple) we were a small company with very little money. But today we can afford to bring someone even bigger than the Rolling Stones to THE One. Now THAT rocks!!!”
Commenting on promotional activities that THE One is planning, Lundgren said, “Apart from the pre-concert stuff we have planned for the night itself, we will also be giving our fans a chance to win tickets for the event at each of our Theatres across the Middle East and Sweden. We’ll be supporting this promotion through press, radio, online etc. so look out for more info! We are also trying to make it easier for fans to get to the concert and back without spending hours in traffic jams. But you’ll hear more about this if we manage to pull it off.”
Ticket sales
• From 9am March 8, tickets can be reserved on the special 24-hour hotline 04 367 6520
Or through
• www.boxofficeme.com
Or visit
• Virgin Megastores outlets in UAE
Or visit
• Selected Hallmark outlets in the UAE
Ticket types and prices
Front standing AED 395
Rear standing AED 195
Grand stand A AED 495
Grand stand B AED 595
Grand stand C AED 495
VIP tickets and corporate: call the hotline
Factual details:
• Robbie Williams Proudly Presented by THE One Live in Dubai at Nad Al Sheba
• Date: April 21, 2006
• Sponsor: THE One
• Promoter: Midas Promotions
• In association with: X-Ray Touring and EMI
• Media partners: Radio 2 and Showtime
• Tickets go on sale as of 9am March 8, 2006
• Doors open at 5pm and people should get there as soon as possible
Speaker Bios
Andy Yavasis, General Manager Midas Promotions
Midas Promotions have appointed former Sony Music Asia Marketing VP Andy Yavasis as General Manager. Yavasis has 30 years experience in the music industry and worked with many artists such as Ricky Martin, Savage Garden, Celine Dion, Julio Iglesias, Mariah Carey and Jennifer Lopez.
Rachel Clare Monk, Promotions Manager International
Rachel graduated from the UK in Human Communications in 1998. Having spent 4 years learning about managing language difficulties in children and adults she left it behind to come to work in the Middle East. Previous PR experience has developed from London, Cairo and Dubai in agencies and Food and Beverage. Rachel has since been with EMI Arabia for 2 years as Promotions Manager International.
Thomas Lundgren, Dr & Master, THE One
Thomas Lundgren holds no college degrees or any other prerequisites which could possibly qualify him to become a retail mogul in charge of a global home fashion empire. He describes himself (when pressed) as a seriously obsessive-compulsive, frustrated artist on a heaven-sent mission and ascribes his entrepreneurial success to sheer naivety, stupidity, creativity, curiosity, passion, stubbornness, luck in employing the right people and good old-fashioned hard work.
