Energie Entertainment is a name that feels synonymous with the UAE’s live events industry, with the company cropping up on high-profile events all over the country and its prolific social media presence helping to keep the brand in the spotlight even during the typically quieter summer months. In fact, such as the ubiquity of the company, it’s difficult to believe that it was formed just four years ago, as the world wrangled with the challenges of the pandemic.
Back then the company’s charismatic Founder and CEO, Tyler Davis Smith, described the business as his ‘COVID baby’, and in subsequent features, we’ve charted the growth of Energie, from newborn into childhood, and adolescence. Continuing the long-running analogy, in our latest catch-up, Davis Smith revealed how recent developments at the company – including the opening of its fully licenced Saudi Arabian operation – have seen Energie take the next step into what he described as “early adulthood”.
“This year marks another huge leap forward in the development of the business,” he began. “The opportunities in Saudi Arabia are clear for all to see, and while we have done some work there over the past few years, for us to really gain a foothold in the Kingdom, we made the decision to open a fully licenced operation in Saudi Arabia.”
With Saudi Arabia’s prominent, government-backed event agencies making no secret of their desire to work only with companies that show a commitment to investing in the long-term development of the Kingdom, this latest move by Energie seems a logical step if the company is to achieve its ambitions of becoming a major player in the country. And according to Davis Smith, the decision started bearing fruit even before it was formally announced.
“As soon as we decided that we would launch in Saudi Arabia, we had a list of the top companies and organisations who we planned on approaching, and I’m delighted to say that even before we advertised the fact that we’d become fully licenced, many of those companies have already come to us and asked us to pitch for some incredible projects,” he revealed. “The opportunity to be at the forefront of a brand-new industry is extremely exciting. We’ve only dipped our toe into the market so far and already it is proving to be very promising. Hopefully with the news now out, the floodgates will open.”
Davis Smith’s confidence is based upon Energie’s “unique” offering, the likes of which he believes simply does not exist in Saudi Arabia yet. “We feel that we’re well placed to offer something new to the market over above what currently exists,” he commented. “We bring the full package – from special projects to talent booking to show control, and everything in between.”
With the size and scale of the projects that Energie is involved in continuing to increase, the company is investing in bringing in new full-time team members to help cater to the demand. “We’re bringing in some seriously high-calibre people who are already at the top of their game and known widely throughout the industry,” Davis Smith revealed.
There have also been some major changes in the company’s branding to reflect the different clients that Energie is now working with. “We have refreshed our brand approach from the early days of Energie to a more corporate, grown-up look,” Davis Smith noted. “We’re working at a higher level now and we’re evolving quickly to ensure that our aesthetic matches the expectations of the kind of clients we’re increasingly attracting,” he said, adding that the addition of in-house designers has made a big difference in the company’s ability to go into the finer details of branding.
Among this constant pursuit for growth, the Founder and CEO sounded a note of caution. “You are only as good as your last event and we must always maintain our core values that have got us to where we are today if we are going to maintain and build on the success,” he explained. “We’ve always had a strong ethos that runs throughout the company and as we grow, it’s essential that we ensure that our company culture is carried through in anything we do.”
According to Davis Smith, it’s these core beliefs of being a partner rather than just a supplier and always looking after its people that are the major drivers for the company’s success so far.
“It’s vital that we continue in the same vein, as this ethos is what we’re known for throughout the industry,” he said, noting his pride at recent industry recognition in the form of a nomination for Best Supplier at the Middle East Event Show and a win for the company’s Lisa Pearson in the Entertainment Manager of the Year category at the TPiMEA Awards 2024 – marking the second year in a row that an Energie employee has taken home the prize following his own victory in 2023. “We’re certainly making our mark on the industry, and we must carry on.”
At the start of January, Davis Smith laid out a three-point plan for the development of the company, and now just over halfway through the year, he’s pleased to report that progress is on track. “First, we needed to stabilise, because you can’t grow if you’re not stable. That meant upgrading all our back of house infrastructure, and working on policies and procedures,” he explained. “As part of that we have moved over to a fully mainland trade licence in the UAE, essentially closing one company and opening a new one. It wasn’t an easy process, but it supports our infrastructure for future growth.”
Next on the agenda was strengthening, which Davis Smith said included hiring for new positions and securing new business. “The third aim for the year is cementing ourselves as the leader in entertainment in the region,” he stated boldly. “It’s an aggressive target and we’re not there yet, but with what we anticipate will be a crazy Q4 on the horizon, if we continue to deliver to the same high standards, it’s a target that is well within our capabilities.”
Having already worked on projects as far afield as Turkey, India and Uzbekistan, Davis Smith isn’t putting any limits of where Energie can go and what it can achieve. “I said before that Energie is an adult now, but we’re nowhere near done yet,” he smiled. “We’re building a team of people who really care about the brand and who carry through our ethos in everything they do. The plan is to continue to grow while maintaining the high standards we constantly set ourselves. I don’t think we’re anywhere near our full potential yet. There’s much more to come from Energie.”
Photos: Energie Entertainment
