In 30 years of doing business, Habegger has continued to expand its activities successfully from event technology to media architecture and film/TV. Today, Habegger is positioned as a premium service provider of immersive events, and completes sophisticated projects both at home and abroad. After establishing a subsidiary in Vienna, an expansion of business activities to the Middle East has now followed. Habegger has commenced business activities in Doha by establishing Habegger Productions LLC there. Thomas Wasshuber has been named Managing Director and will head Habegger's business operations in Qatar.
For many years now, Habegger has completed complex event projects, from the planning to the technical implementation. Many large national and international projects, like Expo 2012 in Yeosu (Korea) as well as projects in 40 other countries have brought Habegger valuable knowledge in the implementation of technical and politically demanding events. Due to the increasing demand for reliable event services and the great potential in the Arabic world, Habegger is now focusing on the Arabic Gulf region.
Experience with large, sophisticated projects
The 2006 Summer Asian Games were the starting point for trustworthy collaboration in Qatar. At that time, Habegger completed a mammoth contract for the illumination of the city of Doha. For 15 months, a Habegger team worked in Qatar. In August 2013, an additional highlight was added in Doha – the festival lighting for the fasting month of Ramadan. Once again, Habegger completed an event project full of superlatives: the technical specifications of this lighting project encompassed more than 1,700 stars, 42 km of cable, more than 3,000 flashing lights, 65 moons, and 360 strings of lights. Also the National Day in December 2013 was a big project successfully implemented in Qatar.
Qatar wants to develop Vision 2030
Qatar wants to develop for the long-term, and therefore has drawn up ‘Vision 2030’. In the spirit of a national leadership programme, the country wants to position itself as a sports and knowledge centre for the Arabic world with large, international events and conferences. Because Qatar does not have its own specific technical knowledge to draw upon, foreign companies are welcome to establish subsidiaries there, particularly those with proven expertise. However, they are only supported if there is trust in an honest and long-term commitment. Habegger was able to establish and solidify the necessary confidence with the previous projects. The establishment of a permanent branch in Qatar is now the next step in implementing large technically and conceptually sophisticated projects there, and for successfully applying years of experience to large events planned in the decades to come.
Habegger Productions LLC brings Swiss values to Qatar
Neutrality and reliability are highly valued in Qatar. For this reason, Habegger has been able to build successful relationships in the capital city of Doha during the last few years. “We see the future of events in the Middle East,” says Simon Ackermann, president of the board of directors for Habegger. “Establishing Habegger Productions LLC with our own European managing director is, for us, the logical consequence of successful business development,” he added. The general requirement for a company branch in Qatar is a Qatari partner. Habegger was able to find a Qatari businessman for this function, Jassim Al Mansoori, who will be actively involved in developing the business.
Thomas Wasshuber as Managing Director
Thomas Wasshuber brings 20 years of exceptional business experience with him, as managing director of Habegger’s subsidiary in Qatar. For the past 10 years, he has been managing director for Bruckschwaiger GmbH in Austria, and has worked with great success for many years in organisational expansion as well as in managing strategic and operational tasks. He was named Managing Director for Habegger Productions LLC in September 2013. Residing in Doha, he will represent Habegger on-site, in order to ensure optimal integration into the local business environment.
Contact:
Habegger Group
Nicole Böni
Head of Marketing Communication
Riedthofstrasse 124
CH-8105 Regensdorf
T: +41 43 388 78 50
M: nboeni@habegger.ch
W: www.habegger.ch
twasshuber(at)habegger.qa
www.habegger.qa
