It was great to go back to HQ for a stint. We spent ten months working on the HIPA Awards, the Annual Parachute Championship Opening, the Zayed Heritage Festival and many more great projects.

I spent this year commuting to Qatar, working on various projects from the Film Festival to small corporate events, and New York consulting and designing the support structure for an aerial ballet installation in Bryant Park. (www.theoneshow.com)

I joined Al Laith to formalise their event industry offerings as a new division of the company reporting to the MD. Responsible for the overall running of the department with an office of 9 staff and a site crew of 150. I recruited the key team members and developed the existing Al Laith staff into an efficient group of like-minded individuals driven by quality and efficiency. I developed the relationship with Serious Stages from the UK who have invested in the region and are partnered with Al Laith for the delivery of stage roofs and outdoor structures. My final role for the company was to recruit and train my replacement.

In 2008 I founded Gulf Crewing Company as the first dedicated event crew company in the UAE. Over the next four years we grew steadily with quality and reputation at the forefront. In 2012 I sold it.

A great introduction into the Middle East and a fun and challenging 5 1/2 years. HQ sourced me from the UK with aspirations to develop their live events offerings from their core business of city branding and decor. With a broad technical understanding of what is realistically achievable, our watchwords soon became 'don't pitch what you can't deliver'. HQ was designing and producing a significant proportion of high profile governmental events between 2005 and 2009 including the launch and further two annual celebrations of DIFC, the 2008 Gulf Cup Opening Ceremony and the Dubai Metro launch. Part of my role at HQ was to contract and develop relationships with as many local companies as possible, only when production values were at risk did I look overseas which led to at least two supply companies setting up regional bases in the UAE.

As TD for the sound, lighting and rigging departments, learned a lot in no time at all. I developed the market from HSL's traditional theatre and installation role to the festival and music touring markets. Creamfields 2000 was the big break for us. I pitched for Audio in the Cream Tent and we ended up doing 7 site venues, light, Audio and Rigging. Sink or swim dos'nt begin to describe it. HSL Group is now one of the biggest technical supply companies in the UK.

In 1997 I founded a 3 day music and arts festival in Suffolk, England called The Gig In The Park. Whilst creatively and culturally successful it was only able to sustain its own costs. In 2000 I gave the festival rights to the local government authorities who still run the event, this year was its 18th anniversary.