September 2021 11 www.bahrainthismonth.com interview Regardless of effectively and unintentionally monopolising both: Bahrain and Dubai, Elissa understood the complexities involved on the business side of what appeared to most as an intensely glamourous career. “Mirage was built on a solid foundation of relationships and corporate partners, without that a significant number of big names would not have played in the region. From the late 1990’s onwards we attracted the sort of artists who would generally have skipped the region had it not been for corporate support - Alicia Keys, Mariah Carey, Destiny’s Child, Enrique, to name a few,” she says, modestly crediting sponsorship strategy and partnerships for her long-term success. As their reputation of reliability, longevity and professionalism grew, Mirage promotions caught the attention of corporations and governmental entities seeking high calibre entertainment for their different programs. “It wasn’t long before we found ourselves undertaking talent booking on behalf of airlines to fulfill VIP gala events to promote global destinations- booking major performers everywhere from Venice to Houston, to Washington DC and everywhere in between,” she says. With the growth of corporate relationships near and far, the natural progression of geographical scale began. “It was exciting to break new markets, by the mid 2000’s we were the indisputable leading talent booking and concert promotions agency in the region, we were in demand in Egypt, Lebanon, Greece, Turkey and Africa. During this prolific period, we were responsible for the touring of Aerosmith, Duran Duran, Ricky Martin, Shakira, Phil Collins, Santana and leading classical artists such as Jose Carreras and Placido Domingo,” she reminisces. One of Elissa’s biggest personal successes was in 2005. “I was very privileged to be selected by Mathew Knowles to exclusively represent his daughter and superstar, Beyonce, as her booking agent for the Middle East, Africa and Greece. This appointment led to a number of fantastic Beyonce concerts in the territories I was responsible for. During a four-year period, this led Beyoncé to perform in Ethiopia, UAE, Egypt, Nigeria, Greece and at a significant number of private engagements across the region,” she says. Mirage was also hired by This Day publications in Lagos, Nigeria to book talent for a groundbreaking annual festival there. “During those years we were responsible for booking and festival management, bringing Rihanna, Beyonce, Jay Z, Kanye West, Snoop Dog, Mary J Blige and 50 Cent, to name a few,” she says. After several years of unconditional hard work and momentous obstacles that were overcome – Mirage came to a fork in the road that solidified its place in the international live music industry. “Our major turning point was when the US entertainment giant Live Nation, which is based in Los Angeles, approached us to buy a stake in Mirage. Over the years we had become their preferred partner in the region and as they expanded their operation across the globe, Mirage was to become their flagship operation in the region,” she says of a moment that changed everything. In 2007 Elissa agreed to sell 65 percent to Live Nation and remained as Managing Director and Partner within the newly branded company, Live Nation Middle East, with its office in Dubai. “It was in essence basically a change of name because the business was already very established and far ahead of any competitors. The partnership was cementing what already was a long and successful collaboration. Mirage had come a long way from a small office in Bahrain,” she says.
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