Safe Events Global all set to build on Saudi base with new hirings

Safe Events Global, the crowd and event-building safety firm, plans to further expand its business in the Middle East after opening its first office in Saudi Arabia in 2023.

The Dublin-headquartered company has already worked in Saudi Arabia itself and also in Qatar during the Fifa World Cup but now plans to increase the headcount in its Saudi bureau.

Originally Martin Cullen and Mark Breen founded a full service event planning and management company called Cuckoo Events in 2012. However, the focus shifted towards the safety aspects of events, so they set up the new brand.

Established in 2017, the company is responsible for the safety at events in Ireland such as the Wild Lights in Dublin Zoo and the annual Pride Parade.

Breen said that “what makes us different from other safety companies is that we come from the event planning scene, so we are event people who are involved in safety”.

He said that most competing businesses do not have an events background and come from other safety and security sectors.

“We know how to run events because that is how we started,” Breen said.

Breen and Cullen started Cuckoo in 2012 to organise parties and college events.

Breen studied business and marketing and worked as an events and marketing manager for Dublin Institute of Technology’s Students’ Union.

At the same time, he was also already involved in safety and security roles.

“I always was someone who minded people,” Breen said. “I was a life guard, did door work for Dublin clubs and was part of the London 2012 Summer Olympics safety staff.”

“We were lucky that the parties we planned with Cuckoo brought in enough cash flow so that we did not have to rely on investors,” Breen said.

At Safe Events Global, Breen is now responsible for the safety of the event set-up and the safety of the event itself.

“We are one of the few companies that offer both, so our client does not have to hire different companies for the set-up of the event and the running of the event,” Breen said.

Apart from the actual safety planning, Safe Events also runs a team of four digital operators who build systems for the procurement and wording of event safety procedures for customers. A total of 21 people work at the company across all locations.

“We try to build really simple systems for customers, especially for international customers who need a programme that helps them through the safety documents and procedures,” Breen said.

One of Safe Events Global’s biggest customers in Saudi Arabia is funded by the Public Investment Fund, which is the sovereign wealth fund of Saudi Arabia.

At the Soundstorm festival in Riyadh, which was planned by Safe Events, over half a million people visited over a weekend.

“For all these events, we only want to work with personnel who have the same attitude as we do,” Breen said. “We are looking for teamwork and we also invest in the people we work with.”

When it comes to hiring the personnel on the ground for the event, Safe Events relies on part-time workers and freelancers, as many competitors do.

“However, some companies are just simple staffing companies,” Breen said. “We offer the people we work with training, further safety licensing courses and try to show them that we care.”

The work in Saudi Arabia also feeds back into improving the company’s Irish operations, he said.

“We develop techniques in the Middle East that we can also apply to the Irish market,” Breen said. “We plan to keep focusing on Ireland as well, as we love what we do here.”

After reporting a turnover of €5.63 million in 2022, Safe Events aimed for up to €6 million for 2023.

For the last nine months, Safe Events has also been an Enterprise Ireland client.

“We joined for the amazing contact opportunities,” Breen said. “One of the agency we use in Saudi Arabia to find personnel was recommended to us by EI.”