The Assembly

The Brief

For 2019, the Global Education & Skills Forum asked the simple question: “Who is changing the world?” – examining the way in which a new generation of leaders, thinkers and entrepreneurs are bringing about positive change across the world. In the same year, The Varkey Foundation would also launch ‘The Assembly: A Global Teacher Prize Concert’ to thank teachers for their unsung work and spread the message of teacher respect to the next generation. The inaugural Global Teacher Prize Concert, would be held at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre for 15,000 people, and was designed to spread this vital message about the importance of teachers to the next generation, raising their consciousness through the power of music. The concert would feature Liam Payne, Rita Ora, Loren Allred and would be headlined by Little Mix with a guest appearance from Hugh Jackman.

Venue Dubai Media City Amphitheatre
Year 2019
Client Varkey Foundation

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The Approach

Scope of Work

In the launch of the first Global Teacher Prize concert, George & Burnell Events played a key role in working alongside the Varkey Foundation to conceptualize and design The Assembly as an event concept. George & Burnell were entrusted with an extensive and all-encompassing scope to envision and execute the project. This scope of work would also be managed alongside the existing project management for the Global Education & Skills Forum and Global Teacher Prize that would be happening in tandem over the same weekend as The Assembly.

Infrastructure

With Dubai Media City Amphitheatre being recognized as the one of Dubai’s favourite outdoor venues, George & Burnell Events were to create and build an event infrastructure that would fit and exceed industry expectations in Dubai’s lively concert landscape. The objective would further be to build the set-up from a blank canvas that would be befitting of the unique look and feel for The Assembly and its own brand identity as a concert. This would include, but not limited to the build and management of the following elements:

  • Production Offices
  • Power & Generators
  • Staging; to feature a 49m x 21m main stage with 40-ton capacity ceiling grid
  • Artist Village
  • Artist Cabins with Dressing Rooms
  • Entry/Exit Archway
  • VIP Platform; custom-built 50m x 24m 3 scaffold system deck
  • Grandstand Seating for 1000 PAX
  • Venue Fencing – Perimeter, Gold Circle, F&B Queueing and more.
  • F&B Village
  • Bar Counters
  • Furniture
  • Toilets
  • Venue IT System

Production

Given the nature of the event, production for the project would be a focus with a high pressure to get this right. This would include all sound elements that were managed specifically by George & Burnell in a challenging and broad technical feat. This would incorporate, but not limited to, house P.A, stage wedges and sidefill, audio consoles, system management, radio I.E.M, microphones and comms along with audio backline.

George & Burnell provided all lighting and truss components, including spotlights and lighting towers. The scope would further encompass concept development and execution for video content and special effects; an end-to-end process that would require storyboarding and content creation, graphics and animation.

Artist Management

In a concert that would feature multiple artists over the course of the event, George & Burnell would be responsible for the full artist management for each act – acts that included Liam Payne, Rita Ora, Little Mix, Loren Allred and an appearance from Hugh Jackman. Given the caliber of these acts and the complexity of managing artist timelines and individual requirements, this element of the project was managed by an exclusive VIP Guest Services team that were dedicated to faultlessly delivering on the experience for each artist and the relevant band, dancers and crew for each act. This scope would include travel management, rider management, on-ground logistics and transport during the course of the event as well as coordination of rehearsal and sound-check schedules.

Ticketing & Marketing

George & Burnell worked with the client and third-party service providers from scratch to develop both the approach to ticketing for the concert as well as the marketing and advertising campaign around the event. This would involve George & Burnell to manage this right through from the offset with setting ticket pricing and implementing a strategy around sales to on-site accreditation and wristband management. George & Burnell would additionally be responsible for working with the Varkey Foundation to roll out an effective marketing and advertising campaign across digital, print and radio, working with strategic local media outlets.

Further project management handled by George & Burnell included:

  • Venue Sourcing and Rental
  • Creative Visual Branding
  • Cameras, Filming & Photography
  • Government Authority Management; Permits
  • Event Catering
  • MC Management; featuring Kris Fade
  • Emergency Services
  • Event Security
  • Event Staffing; to include project management, hostesses, assistants and crew.
  • Venue Branding