Abu Dhabi’s dream maker rises to the challenge!

He is the man charged with putting Abu Dhabi on the entertainment map. And after little more than a year, John Lickrish can be said to have accomplished his mission – certainly if success can be measured by the way he has enticed some of the biggest names in the international entertainment world to perform in the capital.
He has brought you the likes of George Michael, Shakira, Elton John, Bon Jovi, Coldplay and Andrea Bocelli.
But life for John could easily have been so very different.
Just three years ago, the dreams of the ambitious young events consultant from Toronto lay as shattered as the bones in his body following a fluke near-fatal accident. During a visit with parents to Scotland, he slipped from a third-floor balcony to be impaled on metal railings below. The spikes missed his heart by inches, but left horrific injuries to his arm.
Five operations and a year in hospital –during which time doctors had considered amputating his left arm – left John Lickrish a man broken in both body and spirit.
Talking in the lounge of the Emirates Palace Hotel, which has become something of a second office for the dynamic Mr Fixit, he recalls those dark days.
“I thought my world had ended. I simply did not know where I was going to go or what I was going to do with my life,” he confides. “I had narrowly escaped death, but there was also a danger that I was going to be disabled for life.
“Needless to say it was a low point for me, and I really didn’t know what the future held. I couldn’t see how I was going to go on.”
A string of operations healed his body, but his mind was left in turmoil. Fortunately time and the support of close friends proved to be a great healer. And as if fate was dealing a fresh hand, the results of those dark days have proved a turning a point in John’s life. Certainly it put him on the path to fulfilling the role that he may have well been born for and a challenge that he had longed for.
“Throughout my career I’ve met many people who have been supportive to me, especially during my time recovering from injury. It was one of those who invited me to come to Abu Dhabi and have a look at the scene here,” John explains. “I really wanted to repay that support and so I came.”
It was a decision that would change his life. “Before that, I had always had an idea of the kind of job and role that I wanted from life—but I had no idea how I was ever going to actually achieve it. Suddenly the opportunity was there.
“Now, I am at the place where I had always imagined I would be one day.”
Initially John was invited by Abu Dhabi’s investment arm Mubadala to put the finishing touches to the Justin Timberlake concert. Then came the offer of his biggest challenge – “put Abu Dhabi on the map”.
The rest, as they say, is history. He formed the event management company Flash, and a procession of star names has since found their way to Abu Dhabi. Once they would have had to Google Abu Dhabi to find out where in the world it was; now the star names definitely know where to find the capital that is rapidly becoming the entertainment centre of the region.
As Flash’s managing director, John is eager to point out that it’s not simply because Abu Dhabi is waving the biggest chequebook in order to attract these names. “Actually a lot of Abu Dhabi’s reputation has come from word of mouth,” he insists proudly. “I think it began when Justin Timberlake came and enjoyed such a wonderful reception. He went back to The States and starting spreading the word.
“We have concentrated on establishing a good management team, one that can run all aspects of the concert business with expertise and professionalism. That was the message that went back and began to circulate, not just the attraction of the big fees.”
Despite projecting a calm exterior, John Lickrish is obviously a man of single minded passion gleaned from years of learning his trade, promoting shows and events in America. There is an air of steely determination behind the man’s boyish charm.
“We wanted to learn from the mistakes of neighbouring countries that had hit problems of one form or another when hosting concerts,” he says. “Our goal was professionalism. We didn’t want a situation where artists would simply come, add an extra date on their existing tour, then take the money and disappear. We wanted to attract artists who truly wanted to come. “Now, it’s the artists who are calling us.”
Clearly John and his team must have been doing something right. They enjoyed the recent Middle East Event Awards 2009, fighting off competition from a number of global event companies to win two of the most prestigious awards: ‘Best Fair/ Festival/Concert’ category for George Michael and Alicia Keys Live in Abu Dhabi in December last year, and ‘Best Sporting Event’ for the Capital World Tennis Championship, Abu Dhabi’s first international tennis tournament held in January this year.

But while others may have been content to rest on their accolades, especially now that summer is with us, that is far from the case with John and his Flash team. They are using the recent successes as a launchpad for bigger and better things – the coming months will see them working to secure an even wider array of stars performing at even more venues throughout the capital for the forthcoming year.
“We will have even more major names performing in Abu Dhabi than last year,” declares John, who admits that his dream booking would be a Guns and Roses concert. “I can promise that, but we will also be seeking to widen the scope of interests for people.
“Apart from the huge international names, I want to see artists that are popular but hold more of an interest for younger fans. I’d like to see bands such as Franz Ferdinand who might appeal to a younger audience.
“But we also have to remember that our remit is to provide entertainment for all cultures, and not only expat communities. I want to give more opportunities for local artists to be recognised, and to help export our local culture. I think we could make a wonderful mix of all our cultures if we tried.”
To spearhead this year’s calendar, he is currently working on a season of big-name concerts at the Al Yas Marina Circuit to coincide with this year’s first Etihad Airways

Abu Dhabi Grand Prix from 30th October to 1st November. No names have yet been confirmed, but negotiations are well advanced.

He is also planning a simultaneous mini-festival of music from the Emirates to be held along the Corniche, as well as a variety of other events promoting the best of Emirati culture.
The Formula 1 spectacles will be followed by another big New Year’s Eve concert in the capital in the wake of the dazzling performance at the turn of the year from Shakira. That will coincide with the second Capital World Tennis Championship, which has drawn some of the biggest names in the sport to the capital.
Determined to continue his mission and prove to the world that his company’s debut success is certainly no flash in the pan, John Lickrish admits to being driven.
“We have done well, but there’s a lot more to do yet. We are on course and Abu Dhabi is certainly on the map. But we’re going to be bigger and better!” he predicts.

[Writer] Patrick Hill

[Caption] Flash successes –tennis, rock, operatic Standing ovation for Andrea Bocelli

[Originally published in Abu Dhabi Week vol 2 issue23]