Ever since Saudi Arabia emerged as an international event-hosting nation, the subject of Nitaqat – or Saudisation – has been a hot topic among those with a vested interest in the development of the country. As easily the biggest driving force in the Saudi Arabian live events industry, it’s no surprise that MDLBEAST is once again at the forefront of the issue, with its recently launched BEAST ED initiative aiming to develop the next generation of Saudi events professionals.
“We are determined and dedicated to the task of putting young Saudi talent into the right positions to take us forward,” began MDLBEAST Director of Events, Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson, explaining the motivation behind the BEAST ED initiative. “We have a duty not just to come in and put on shows, but to build up the industry to a point where it is being run by the next generation of young Saudi talent.”
After two successful terms of BEAST ED’s Career Path Programme in August and September, the organisation recently held its inaugural Soundstorm Job Expo in Riyadh, with more than 1,200 people descending on the festival’s site in Banban to introduce themselves to a selection of MDLBEAST partners and suppliers in the hope of breaking into the industry.
Welcoming TPiMEA to the event and explaining more about the initiative was Melanie Lemnios, Senior Producer and MDLB Lead at TAIT, who has played an integral role in delivering the BEAST ED Career Path programme. “Our mission is to build the local workforce here in Saudi Arabia,” she stated plainly. “With more and more large-scale live events taking place here, it makes sense on every level to create a large base of local talent that can service these events rather than have companies flying in talent from all over the world.”
Promising to provide Saudi-based participants with “the knowledge, skills, and network to secure a job in the growing field of events and live entertainment”, the end-to-end Career Path Programme is designed for learning to be completed within a single one-month term, with all lessons taking place in-person, in English and at various locations around Riyadh, including MDLBEAST head office, Soundstorm festival site, and other regional facilities and event spaces.
The curriculum begins with a two-week core foundations course taught by the Academy of Live Technology (ALT), which covers the basics of events production. From there, students enter a more focused segment of study depending on their area of interest and skillset, with specialised courses on everything from site management, security, and health and safety, to stage production, audio, IT connectivity, and event logistics, delivered by a selection of MDLBEAST’s partners.
“It’s been incredible to see how everyone in the ecosystem has pulled together to bring this emerging industry forward,” commented ALT KSA’s General Manager Matt Glynn. “We’re a specialist higher education institution from the UK, expanding into Saudi, so to get this level of traction we’ve needed and appreciated the full participation of the partners. With massive projects such as Soundstorm demanding bigger workforces, we look forward to being part of the solution to deliver the local workforce vision.”
According to Lemnois, the curriculum was carefully crafted to produce graduates who were immediately employable. “When we designed the curriculum, we talked to the suppliers and asked what skills they are looking for in their applicants,” she explained. “We ensured that as many of those skills as possible were included in the course so we can say confidently that students who come out of BEAST ED are qualified and ready to work in the industry.”
The first two terms held in August and September saw an intake of 33 students each, with an impressive 65 graduating the course. “One of the reasons why I believe the pass rate has been so high is the level of detail we built into the application screening,” Lemnois commented, revealing that more than 700 people applied for the course in its first year.
“Every applicant had to go through several stages including written essay questions and a series of phone interviews where we found out what kind of a person they were. We weren’t necessarily looking for people who had any experience or knew anything about events, but we needed people with that ‘special sauce’ that all good events people have.”
One BEAST ED graduate who has already benefitted from the course is Abubaker ‘Fifty’ Mohamed. “I’ve always followed anything that MDLBEAST has done, so as soon as I heard about the BEAST ED programme, I knew that I had to be involved,” he told TPiMEA at the Job Expo. “The course is amazing – especially the modules from ALT and Special Projects; I can’t believe that we get this quality of education for free. I feel very fortunate to have been part of the programme.”
A standout performer in this year’s intake, Fifty has already been hired by ALT to work as Lead Trainer for the incoming Soundstorm 2024 crew. “It’s a massive opportunity that I’m going to make the most of,” he beamed, adding that his long-term ambition is the become a creative director or a producer. “I hope to travel, collaborate with great people, and achieve a lot of things amazing things along the way.”
The buzz is off the charts!
Fifty was one of more than 1,200 people who attended the Soundstorm Job Expo to meet the event’s impressive roster of exhibitors, including: Academy of Live Technology, ARGA, Colour Sound Experiment, Clair Global, Creative Technology, ER Productions, ESM Operations, Event Lab, FULLCYCLE, Lowe Rental, Rock-it Cargo, Safe Events Global, Spendlove Group, TAIT, THA Staffing, and Zen Studio.
“It’s amazing to see so many of the students out there among the job seekers today,” said Lemnois. “As well as it being a chance for people to show off their skills, it’s also an opportunity for the employers to meet their potential new employees. It works both ways.”
Colour Sound Experiment’s Haydn Cruickshank described the Job Expo as “fantastic”. He added: “It’s been very busy; we’ve got a great stack of CVs and met some brilliant people. We love the concept of BEAST ED. As one of those companies that committed to Saudi Arabia early, it’s brilliant to see a local workforce developing here. We supplied equipment for this year’s courses, and we would love to get involved in the training next year.”
Creative Technology’s KSA General Manager, Martin Hall, was also full of praise for the initiative. “We were very keen to get involved, give our support and introduce ourselves to the people who are the future of the events industry,” he commented. “ALT did their training in our Riyadh warehouse, and we are now looking at that intake of students to see if they could be AV techs of the future.”
Clair Global’s Stuart Wright also gave his two cents on BEAST ED. “I can’t believe how well attended this event is – the buzz is off the charts! The place has been rammed since it opened, we’ve met hundreds of potential applicants, and already hired two people,” he revealed.
Wright continued to extol the virtues of the initiative, explaining how it helps to solve not just a local issue, but also a global one. “We’re building a fully functional Saudi company, which will eventually be able to stand up completely on its own two feet,” he commented. “This is an untapped market, and the people who we bring through here will not only service the local market but also move through Europe and North America according to the seasons, helping to address the global talent shortage.”
Safe Events’ Paul Budden was similarly impressed. “BEAST ED has given so many people opportunities to get involved in different aspects of events that they might not have even considered otherwise,” he stated. “We’ve invested in that process with the courses we delivered, and this Job Expo is the next step where we find out who could be the right fit to work for us in the Kingdom.”
TPiMEA also caught up with Bob O’Brien of Rock-it Cargo. “It’s been excellent to have all these aspiring young people here in one room. There’s no shortage of talent here – they key is finding the right people and guiding them to realise their potential,” he said. “I love what BEAST ED is doing. Traditionally each of the vendors would try to train their own people, but it’s great to see a course that provides an overview that includes the whole industry.”
For Wayne Haxton, General Manager at ER Productions KSA, the Job Expo came at an opportune moment. “We have various positions available here in Saudi Arabia, and I’m hopeful that some of the people we have met today will be the right candidates to fill those positions,” he commented. “I’ve been very impressed with the quality of candidates coming through.”
Another placing his hope in the process was Timothy Hocks of temporary kitchen supplier, Lowe. “We’re not necessarily the most eye-catching aspect of a live event, but the projects that we work on are incredible, so to get the chance to meet so many enthusiastic young people and show them what we do is invaluable. We’ve already had some very interesting applications,” he said.
Describing the Job Expo as “great for us as a business”, ESM Operations’ David Dymitrow gave his thoughts on the programme: “BEAST ED is fantastic,” he added. “Training and investment in local workforce within the Kingdom is essential, and seeing what MDLBEAST has put into it is super impressive.”
Event Lab’s Rula Humsi also reported “lots of potential” in the attendees at the Job Expo. “Some have extensive experience in the industry, and some are fresh graduates,” she described. “I interviewed four of the people who took part in Event Lab’s BEAST ED modules on site today – they all meet our criteria for staffing and I’m looking forward to seeing them get started.”
Looking to the future, Lemnois and the BEAST ED team are already planning for 2025. “We’re collecting the metrics and data from the first two terms, and based on that, we will reflect on what worked well, what we can do better, and where we can grow and add to the curriculum,” she concluded. “MDLBEAST has done a great job of setting the standard for quality of events in the region, and our goal is to do the same with education in the events industry.”
“We have already seen an incredible number of people from all over the region – both Saudi nationals and people born in the Kingdom to non-Saudi parents. We have placed 30 of them around the different disciplines on Soundstorm this year, which is an incredible return after just a single term,” Curly stated
“Our CEO, Ramadan Alharatani, has given this project his blessing and his full support, which makes it all possible,” he concluded. “BEAST ED is all about finding our new team of the future. The talent is here – it’s all about finding it, nurturing it, and building a skilled and experienced workforce for Saudi Arabia’s thriving live events and entertainment industry.”
Photos: Mujahed Salah, TAIT
