Ben McMahon, CEO and Founder, Collaborate Global | Photograph ©Licensed to Ben Stevens PhotographyCollaborate Global, an independent experiential agency, has launched in the Middle East region by setting up its regional headquarters in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia and an international hub in Dubai, UAE.
From cultural storytelling to digital innovation for the city of Madinah; to the tactical launch of Audi ‘s E-tron range; to an influencer campaign for global brand Vita Coca in Saudi Arabia, to the production of the Qiddiya Football FanZones with Rise Sponsorship, the Collaborate Global team brings with it more than 20 years of combined international and Middle East expertise.
The experiential agency has a strong track record of delivering award-winning, impactful experiential campaigns for local and international brands, regional and global agencies and government-led projects. It offers a powerful blend of global quality and local knowledge.
Collaborate Global’s ‘Collaboration Model’
Globally, Collaborate is creating experiential campaigns at scale, including optimised in-store activations, product launches, pop-up shops, concerts and highly personalised experiences for iconic brands such as the Goodwood estate, Aston Martin, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, eBay and pharmaceutical leader Novartis.
The experiential agency is also introducing its ‘Collaboration Model’, which delivers partnership with communications agencies, from large scale network giants to local PR and content specialists, to amplify brand storytelling and engagement at the increasingly critical intersection of experiential marketing, content creation and public relations.
Commenting on the regional launch, Ben McMahon, CEO and Founder, Collaborate Global, said, “Collaborate was founded with a culture of global reach, local roots. And this this belief is happily driving accelerated growth for our clients across markets.”
He added, “Our leadership and locally based teams in Saudi and the UAE are here to stay, bringing our ground-breaking “Collaboration Model” and a collaborative approach to brand, culture and partnerships. The Middle East is an extraordinary, exciting catalyst for business with a winning combination of innovation, commercial opportunity, strategic investment, and youthful, tech-savvy population. We’re strengthening our service here to help ambitious brands grow regionally and on the world stage.”
The Collaborate Global team
Collaborate’s Middle East operation is led by global Chief Expansion Officer, Ross Oxenham and global Chief Growth Officer, Chris Ambidge.
Strengthening agency presence in the region, Nick Walsh – who recently left WPP to launch Migrate, a specialist consultancy designed to help global independent agencies land, expand and thrive in the Middle East – has been named Regional Growth Partner. He brings 16 years of leading agencies and brands to growth in the Middle East, having held leadership roles in the experiential space for WPP operations including Geometry, Ogilvy, and Y&R.
Ross Oxenham, brings a unique perspective on market adaptability and local relevance including successfully the established Collaborate Africa.
Chris Ambidge, whose experience within WPP’s network in driving global client growth across diverse markets, offers deep insight into scalable communications strategies and agency collaboration.
The launch comes in response to growing demand for live experiential worldwide and in region. According to Eye of Dubai, the Middle East and Africa events market is projected to grow from $53.63bn in 2022 to $76.67bn by 2028.
While a Splash’s 2024 Outlook on Events reports that 83 per cent of marketers view events critical to business growth as people increasingly crave unique, real-life experiences as an antidote to digital fatigue.
