KHP were tasked with creating a VIP media event for 
Okay, so perhaps we’re best known for our work within sports marketing however a new era for the agency has begun as our Middle East arm pulled off the spectacular launch of the Bahrain Financial Harbour last week.
Bahrain’s Prime Minister His Highness Shaikh Khalifa bin Salman Al Khalifa opened Phase I of the $1.5 billion Bahrain Financial Harbour — the “Financial Centre” of the region’s first fully-integrated financial district – in a spectacular event that illuminated the night sky above the Kingdom’s capital, Manama.
We were charged with delivering an exclusive VVIP event for 2,000 invited guests. An all-Bahraini ensemble performed a show devised and produced by KHP for His Highness and the assembled guests, consisting of the world’s leading banking industry professionals, diplomats, VIPs, regulators and senior government officials from Bahrain and other local, regional and international dignitaries. The formal opening ceremony concluded with a multimedia laser and fireworks show of an unprecedented scale before the guests returned to a gala reception with live music and five star catering to conclude one of the biggest events that KHP has delivered.
KHP’s ties with the Middle East reach back over five years, since initiating the promotion and media management programmes of the Bahrain International Circuit prior to the inaugural Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in 2004, including an official launch party for the international motor sport community at the 2003 Italian Grand Prix and taking Formula One onto the streets of the capital city, Manama, in the run-up to the first race. In 2005 KHP Middle East W.L.L. was founded as a Bahraini company, alongside KHP’s offices in London, Munich, Paris and Shanghai, not only to service the requirements of the BIC but also to bring international expertise together with local and regional flair tailored to the many diverse brand-building and activation needs of businesses in the region.
Amid a host of regional and international programmes undertaken by KHP Middle East have been the opening of the Behbehani Brothers’ magnificent $47 million showroom and vehicle servicing centre for the Porsche, Volkswagen, Chrysler, Jeep and Dodge brands; the launch of the Lexus IS model range; a national media event at Durrat Al Bahrain; the Ithmaar Group Yalla Bahrain! cultural and community events and PR programme supporting the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and the official launch and ongoing PR contract for RUF Automobile, the first sports car manufacturer to build a factory in the region.
The Bahrain Financial Harbour launch was the largest single event KHP has undertaken in the region, and the rapturous reception which greeted it both from the clients and guests in attendance and from the regional media. Katja Heim, Managing Director of KHP, said: “The last three months have been a time of incredible achievement for the team in Bahrain. We have organized and promoted six major cultural and community events for the Group Yalla Bahrain! programme, the opening ceremony of the RUF factory, the international PR and on-site events management of the Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix and now the launch of the Bahrain Financial Harbour. The response from our clients and the strength of the relationships we enjoy through being able to deliver on time and on budget are testament to the quality of staff we have in the Middle East.”
“By committing to host the FIA Formula One World Championship, the Kingdom of Bahrain created an international shop window for its wide array of high-profile business and tourism developments,” Katja Heim said. “The completion of the first stage of the Bahrain Financial Harbour is the most significant step towards realizing the potential that Bahrain has on the international stage since the inaugural Grand Prix. It is a great privilege for our Middle East office to have been involved in events of this magnitude, and we look forward to developing our role and relationships in the region in future.”
The Gulf region is witnessing a significant change on all fronts. The financial sector in the region, of which Bahrain is a key driver, has also been undergoing a dramatic transformation, successfully emerging into a global financial centre. Hosting the Formula One race has helped to put the Kingdom of Bahrain on the map and certainly assisted with the overall economic development of the island. The Bahrain Financial Harbour project is the perfect example of the growth within the country.
For more information or imagery please contact:
+44 (0)20 7313 9180
khp@khpconsulting.com
see also: Yalla Bahrain 2006