Entertaining the World of Luxury: GF Entertainment on Expanding into the Middle East

From securing illusionist David Blaine to perform in a luxury Ibiza villa to welcoming Shaggy onboard 72m M/Y SERENITY for the LIV Golf Tournament in Jeddah, all alongside announcing its expansion with GFE Middle East, the past few months have certainly been busy for leading luxury entertainment company GF Entertainment.

Following its launch in 2014, the London-based company quickly earned a reputation for being one of the most sought-after boutique entertainment businesses in the world, renowned for supplying incredible acts and entertainment options to UHNW individuals globally; something which was furthered even more so after its introduction to the superyacht industry in 2017. 

Fast forward to today, GFE continues to work closely with Captains, Chief Stews, charter brokers, shipyards and even owners themselves; priding itself on being solution-driven and offering uncomplicated and streamlined services. With an exhaustive list of A-List artists and DJs, strolling bands, string quartets and musicians, as well as magicians, actors, and access to celebrity galas and hard-to-get concert tickets, there is simply nothing that they cannot arrange.

‘There are a couple of companies that are doing what we are doing in the superyacht industry but we are very different,’ explained Founder and Managing Director of GFE, Emmanuel Akintunde. ‘We are solutions-driven as opposed to anything else, which for us, is the most important thing.’ 

This refreshing approach of GFE was indeed replicated in recently bringing pop sensation Shaggy to the Middle East: a prime opportunity to discover how luxury entertainment such as this would be received in the market. Unsurprisingly, with GFE’s expertise, the event was a huge success. 

‘For us, the Shaggy event was our step to see how things would actually function within the Middle Eastern region, so it was great to see how the event and A-list talent like Shaggy were received. That's when we realised that, actually, this can work,’ explained Emmanuel. ‘We then decided let's try and make this bigger than it is and do something spectacular for the region.’

Recognised to be one of the most developing markets in the world, the Founder and Managing Director told us how GFE Middle East has been of intrigue for many years: ‘I've been studying Saudi Arabia for about four or five years, and I've been seeing what they've been doing over that period; the growth is just exponential, admittedly some of the projects are very ambitious, but they can be achieved and are being achieved.’

‘We could have settled on being based in Dubai or in Monaco, but for me, I love to grow with a region and with people and companies, and that's one of the key things of the Middle East, and especially Saudi Arabia. I also want to help educate people: it's not what you think, it's actually a lot bigger than you think!’

With significant investment from the government in tourism developments and multiple consumer industries, as well as funding from the region’s Public Investment Fund (PIF), the opportunities for growth in the Middle East’s entertainment industry are now exponential, and, with its wealth of expertise, GF Entertainment is perfectly positioned to lead this movement. 

‘PIF is trying to push tourism to be number one in the region, so entertainment and getting celebrities in is a priority for them. Of course, the market and industry are growing so there have been ups and downs, and there are things that require improvement, but that's where we come in. We’re here to level the playing field with other regions like Dubai or America,’ shared Emmanuel.

Managing Partner, Chief Strategy Officer (CSO) for GFE Middle East and renowned local expert Moaid Mahjoub commented: ‘I saw the need for Saudi Arabia and the entire region to develop the entertainment structure, and that's why we decided to open another base here, where we can build a structure. The growth is huge, better than any other GCC countries, and we want to work very closely with the tourism board, NEOM, the Red Sea Development and all of the other developments to be able to help them achieve their vision for luxury tourism by 2030.’ 

Moaid continued, ‘the football industry is well developed and has been in Saudi Arabia for the past 20-25 years, the entertainment industry has been here for only five years, and the yachting industry not even three years, so we are playing a big factor by helping the government to create policies and procedures to see how they can facilitate areas of development that apply to our UHNW clients, and obviously for superyachts and their owners as well.’

With huge developments taking place such as NEOM and the Red Sea Development, which is expected to have the largest superyacht berthing opportunities in North Africa and the Middle East, the horizon certainly looks exciting for the region. ‘NEOM is a lot bigger than any of us can fathom. It's a great thing that's happening here. Watch what happens by 2030, it's going to be unrecognisable,’ Emmanuel commented. 

So what can clients expect from GFE Middle East and the future of the boutique entertainment business? ‘Our core competency will remain with A-List talent - that's what we do best,’ shared Emmanuel. ‘I think some of the key differences that we’ll integrate into the Middle East is tapping into ticketed events where it seems clear to me that there is a need for our services and our business ethics to be present.’

‘For now, I'm sticking to Saudi Arabia and London: two key markets already. I am full of excitement for what I see happening in Saudi and the potential of what the company can be. We're nine years in now and I see 30,40, 50 years down the line GFE doing some incredible things. Luxury space travel could be next year, who knows? Or having a recording studio on Mars! So hold that thought!’

‘We might look to expand inside Saudi Arabia, such as in NEOM, grow with those cities, and look to adapt and achieve their goals as well,’ added Moaid. ‘So the sky's the limit for us! We only do land, superyachts and now space too!’

We for one are looking forward to the future of GF Entertainment, whether it be in space or the Middle East!

Find GF Entertainment at @gfeltd on all your social media platforms.