Wicked Tents appointed to supply World Tour Championship Dubai
June 11, 2012

De Boer and Dubai-based Wicked Tents have been appointed to supply temporary structures to one of the world's most prestigious golf tournaments, the DP World Tour Championship Dubai.

The two companies, which entered a partnership agreement earlier this year as part of a joint strategy to develop business opportunities in The Gulf's Arab states, have secured a three-year deal to provide temporary structures to the tournament to be staged at Jumeirah Golf Estates. The course has been granted an extended contract through to 2014 to host the money-spinning finale of 'The Race to Dubai'.

De Boer, one of the world's leading suppliers of temporary structures, and Wicked Tents, which launched operations in Dubai in 2007, have worked informally for several years but have now decided to formalise their relationship to partner on strategic projects in the region. The collaboration also allows both companies to access each other's stock, creating added value and increased versatility to customers.

The contract awarded to both companies by the European Tour for the DP World Tour Championship marks a major breakthrough for De Boer and Wicked Tents in The Gulf. Both companies hope their appointment to such a high-profile golf tournament will provide an important showcase and act as a launch pad to target other major sporting events in the region.

European Tour Operations Manager Rory Colville said: "We are delighted to be working with the partnership of Wicked and De Boer, on what has become a key tournament on the European Tour schedule. The finale to The Race to Dubai has become a major event on the Dubai sporting calendar, and we are confident that the event will benefit from both suppliers' extensive range of structures."

He added: "The European Tour and The Ryder Cup have a very strong relationship with De Boer and the confidence we gained from their involvement in the project was a key factor in awarding the contract."

John Cochrane, De Boer's Sales Director - Events, said: "De Boer has a long history of supplying facilities to major European Tour events and we have been able to play a significant role in helping to secure this agreement. We are very pleased to be working so closely with Wicked Tents on such an important tournament and are delighted our partnership has been successful in being awarded this contract."

He added: "Together we will be able to offer fantastic flexibility in terms of temporary structures and local knowledge - both essential elements in delivering the best products and services to such a high-profile event."

Alistair McDonald, Managing Director of Wicked Tents, said: "We have been operating in Dubai successfully since 2007 and have developed our business in the corporate events market. Now, thanks to our alliance with De Boer, we can target major public and sporting events, both in the United Arab Emirates and wider Gulf region.

"De Boer has an unrivalled expertise for providing services to major global sporting events and has a vast range of stock, in a wide variety of styles, suitable for any occasion or event. The partnership with De Boer means Wicked Tents can offer a far greater range of innovative structures over and above our own state-of-the-art designs."

Wicked Tents will supply a range of structures across the golf course including VIP hospitality areas, restaurants, catering facilities, merchandising and a media centre. It will be supported by structures supplied from De Boer. The company's International Sales Director Tom Evans will coordinate the operation with Wicked Tents' team in Dubai while John Cochrane will liaise with the European Tour's UK headquarters at Wentworth. A supervisor from De Boer will be in Dubai during the build.

John Cochrane added: "Both companies will be hosting guests jointly at the tournament to demonstrate this is very much a cohesive effort by De Boer and Wicked Tents. With our global experience and their excellent regional knowledge, I believe there is great potential for significant growth in the UAE market."

The DP World Tour Championship, staged from November 22-25, 2012, offers a total prize fund of US$8 million. It also marks the grand finale of The Race to Dubai - a US$3.75 million season-long competition spanning a minimum of 46 tournaments in 25 countries and all five continents on The 2012 European Tour International Schedule. The tournament winner will pocket a cheque for US$1.33 million, however in doing so if he wins the Race to Dubai too, he would win a further US$1 million.

England's Lee Westwood won the inaugural Race to Dubai in 2009. Germany's Martin Kaymer triumphed in 2010 and last year England's Luke Donald became the third winner of the competition when he completed an historic money-list double to become the number one player on both the European Tour and the US PGA Tour.

DP World's title sponsorship is a three-year agreement with the European Tour.

About De Boer

De Boer is market leader in the rental of fully fitted temporary locations for professional and large events and for related urgent business space solutions. As service leader De Boer delivers turnkey solutions with optimum customer service. De Boer is ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 certified. De Boer was established in 1924 and is headquartered in Alkmaar, The Netherlands. The company has offices in The Netherlands, Germany, the UK, Belgium, Austria, France, Spain and Sweden. De Boer is also represented in Qatar and the USA. De Boer employs more than 300 people internationally and during high season another 150 temporary workers are deployed.

In 2012, De Boer assignments include the RHS Chelsea Flower Show, the Farnborough International Airshow, the Floriade 2012 World Horticultural Expo, the RBS Six Nations rugby and Qatar Masters golf championship in Doha.

More information about De Boer can be found on www.deboer.com

About Wicked Tents

The brain child of Simon McDonald and Andrew De Candole and Alistair McDonald, Wicked Tents was conceived in 2007 to address the UAE's lack of indoor event and entertainment venues. By selecting unique, flexible and exciting structures that could be easily and quickly assembled a 'Wicked Venue' could be created virtually anywhere. Operating across the Middle East from its Dubai-based head office, Wicked Tents now provides a host of services related to the temporary structure industry - including tents, canopies, flooring, air conditioning, interior design and fit out, audio visual, landscaping and much more.

More information can be found at www.wickedtents.com