Written on 5^th January 2023

TAG Turns up the Volume in the Middle East

With the heat blazing and sand as far as the eye can see, hundreds of thousands of people gathered in Saudi Arabia to dance, laugh and experience the time of their lives. Post Malone, DJ Khalid, Bruno Mars, Marshmello, Carl Cox and David Guetta brought the heat as just a few headliners in a lineup of more than 200 regional and international artists, across seven stages. Thousands of lasers sprawled for miles as confetti covered the crowds—and just as the beat dropped, flames lined one of the largest stages in the world, in an array that couldn't help but make someone feel alive. When you think of a three-day music festival in the desert, Saudi Arabia may not be the first place that comes to mind; we think that's about to change. 

For the second year in a row, MDLBEAST put on the largest events in the Middle East - XP Music Futures, Soundstorm and Balad Beast. TAG was thrilled to be part of such a groundbreaking experience and we have been waiting for the right moment to share it with the world.
 
After numerous months in the making, TAG partnered with MDLBEAST, Ginger Owl Productions and productionglue to pull off not one, but two, epic weekends of music in Saudi Arabia. As the country works to become the entertainment capital of the Middle East, MDLBEAST helped bring that vision to life by turning up the volume and hosting two music festivals—Soundstorm, in the capital city of Riyadh and Balad Beast in the city off the Red Sea, Jeddah.

With TAG's long-standing history of creating seamless travel experiences within entertainment, we felt much prepared to support such massive events on an international level. Our partnership with MDLBEAST, Ginger Owl Productions and productionglue made perfect sense to ensure A-list artists and their crews had flights booked, the VIP airport lounge arranged and luxury hotel accommodations awaiting after strenuous travel. TAG became an extension of MDLBEAST, handling the smallest of details to result in seemingly effortless events.
 
We pride ourselves on providing white glove service to all clients; therefore, it was important for us to handle all logistics from beginning to end. TAG teams were out in Saudi Arabia for months prior to the events taking place, smoothing out any hiccups that inevitably come with traveling abroad. Our flight team worked around the clock to arrange flights for artists and crews. At a moment's notice, these travel experts were readily available to rebook any travel to ultimately get all parties where they needed to be.

TAG also flew airport and hotel teams out to the Middle East to ensure all details were in place before each of the groups arrived. Upon arrival, all groups and individuals were greeted by a TAG staff member at the airport, regardless of flight delays, terminal changes or hold-ups at customs. Our airport staff waited with the designated driver for each traveler and after confirming identities, the traveler was walked to the awaiting vehicle by a TAG staff member. This established seamless meet and greet transfers to appropriate hotels. In addition, this team sorted out any lost baggage for the travelers, elevating their peace of mind. VIP travelers experienced an additional level of support with our airport team handling their baggage retrieval, while they rested and refreshed in the airport VIP lounge. Once baggage was received, TAG staff assisted in loading up the transport vehicles so VIP travelers could effortlessly be on their way to a restful sleep.

Once en route, TAG airport staff communicated with hotel teams to expect each traveler's arrival. Prior to travelers landing in Saudi Arabia, our hotel teams completed pre-registration forms for the guests and ensured the needs of all groups were taken care of—checking every room to guarantee top-notch cleanliness, working amenities, appropriate keys and fully stocked coffee, tea and water stations. Regardless of what hotel the guests were staying at, our teams were on-site working with the Ginger Owl Production teams to ensure key packets were prepared and ready for each and every guest as they arrived after a long day of travel. 
 
With TAG teams in flights, hotels and airport as well as our partnership with MDLBEAST, Ginger Owl Productions and productionglue, these events were massively successful—for attendees, artists and crews. TAG staff poured blood, sweat and tears into ensuring traveler experiences were seamless. Our collaborative efforts guaranteed the smallest of details were taken care of so that exhausted travelers didn't have to worry. TAG smoothed out all unexpected chaos that comes with travel to ultimately make the impossible, possible and the memories unforgettable.