Behind the scenes of the event logistics for the Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas

As the sun sets on a Friday afternoon in Dubai, caterers are setting up food stalls on the wharf of Port Rashid and an event crew is putting finishing touches on the interior of the lounge for tomorrow's visitors. Meanwhile, a crane assists in lowering the catamaran's wings (no sails!), which measure no less than 24 meters in height. In less than 24 hours, nine national teams will fly over the water in a race called the Dubai Sail Grand Prix presented by P&O Marinas. It’s the seventh race of SailGP’s third season that already took this wind-powered contest to Bermuda, Chicago, Plymouth, Copenhagen, Saint-Tropez, and Cádiz.

About everything on the wharf—from the banner inside the French team’s hangar displaying the crew’s faces, a remnant of the Japanese team’s battered vessel that crashed last season, to extensive toolkits to maintain the hydraulic systems of the catamarans, as well as the catamarans themselves—are there thanks to Expo & Events team's efforts. The 99 containers in which they were shipped make up the structures of the event village.

How do they make this happen? Read on to learn how the team tackle the logistics of the ‘Formula 1 on water’, where crews tackle the wind and waters in their “race for the future” at different locations around the world.

Working as traveling logistics nomads

In an air-conditioned container behind the event village, Expo & Events Logistics Manager, Adam is attending his last conference call before the official start of the Dubai Sail Grand Prix. With his team members in the UK, he’s doing a status update on the shipment bookings and admin preparation for the event.

The timeline is always tight, with the SailGP season involving eleven different races worldwide within a timeframe of about a year. There is no room for errors or incorrect shipment bookings – a delay could be a showstopper and potentially bring the race to a halt.

Adam, who’s usually based in Kuehne+Nagel’s Birmingham office, landed in Dubai three weeks before the event and one day before the  container ship anchored in the port. Traveling to meet the items shipped is not common in a freight forwarding job. The Expo & Event team is an exception, as Adam explains, they are not just responsible for making sure that the content of the 99 containers arrive on time but also ensuring everything on-site ends up in the right spot.

“What I love is that we get to see the results of our freight forwarding services materialise, which feels very satisfactory."

Kuehne+Nagel colleagues, Gary and Iain, are also on-site to man the forklifts and carry out the manual work. A few weeks ago, they were arranging the numbered containers for the event village based on SailGP’s plan. Now in Dubai, they are helping in the lounge area—rolling out carpets and moving around furniture to get everything ready. “What I love about working in Expo & Events logistics, is that we get to see the results of our freight forwarding services materialise, which provides great satisfaction," Adam says. 

Our Kuehne+Nagel Events Coordinator, Jess, loves traveling and revels in her role to liaise between the SailGP organisational team and Kuehne+Nagel colleagues. She joined the team straight out of university in 2021, initially supporting the logistics of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games before starting her role on the SailGP team. With her sporty nature and hunger for travel, being a logistics nomad for SailGP suits her perfectly. “For me, it’s a great way to learn about this amazing sport, which as a rower I feel a connection to. And I get to see parts of the world that otherwise I probably wouldn’t visit any time soon,” Jess adds.

ATA carnets  

To make an event like SailGP happen, planning and organisation start well ahead of time. “For this specific event, the preparation comes in two phases,” explains Adam. “Before the start of the season, we work out what’s possible from a logistics point of view based on the locations SailGP secured and their specific requirements. We then engage with all regional Kuehne+Nagel offices and implement a plan. In the second stage, we focus on the actual events. Three months before each event, we start the detailed planning of moving the necessary goods, arranging the customs clearance administration, and so on.”

According to Adam, the customs clearance processes for event logistics also differ a lot from the regular import and export procedures. His team has a wealth of expertise in that field, where ‘ATA carnet’ is a well-embedded term. “This serves as a kind of passport for goods, which allows you to import them in a country temporarily and export them without having to pay the duty,” Adam clarifies.

Another element that makes the event logistics for SailGP challeging, is that when a catamaran breaks, it needs to be shipped to New Zealand for repair via an alternative transportation mode – and back to the next event's location. This is when planning becomes extremely time critical. It’s not just the crew members of the F50 catamarans racing against time – our logistics experts can relate! 

Focus on performance and sustainability

Stuart Gentry, Director of Operations at SailGP, talks passionately about the event. He has been involved in SailGP since the very start and is pleased to share that each season tops the previous one in terms of size, professionalism, and logistical complexity. That’s why he appreciates having a logistics partner who knows the drill and has the expertise and network to make it happen.

Stuart recalls how Kuehne+Nagel’s problem-solving skills saved the day in 2021. “In the previous season, the cargo vessel that transported our containers was delayed due to heavy port congestion, we wouldn’t have been able to unload our containers on time had it not been for the Kuehne+Nagel team that lobbied with the carrier,” he recalls.

Shared purpose

It is that kind of dedication to the customer that the SailGP’s organisational team counts on, whilst building on shared values to deliver meaningful social impacts to local and global communities.

While SailGP spread the message of sustainability through their ‘powered by nature’ tagline, Kuehne+Nagel’s logistics solutions also promote sustainability at its core. Using biofuels and transport mode optimization to lower the environmental impact, measuring the CO2 emissions, and aiming to reduce this race on race.

Otto Schacht, Member of the Management Board of Kuehne+Nagel International AG, responsible for Sea Logistics, explains: “Our partnership is based on the same sustainability goals and mindset of caring for the future of our planet. At Kuehne+Nagel, we are committed to providing environmentally friendly and sustainable supply chain solutions to avoid and minimise CO2 emissions, for example through the use of biofuel. By partnering with SailGP, we aim to drive change in the logistics industry by offering climate-friendly transport solutions.”