— Elisa, let's say I have come to Dubai from the Netherlands and want to organise a party. Do I just negotiate with the venue and do it? Or how does it work?

— Yes, you can negotiate with a venue and make it happen, but getting to that point requires some groundwork. First, you need to find a venue that matches the vision you have for your parties. You will need to meet with the venue managers to explain who you are, what your event is about, and what kind of crowd you are bringing in. A lot of venues may be interested, especially if they don’t have much going on. However, they will likely have a lot of questions to make sure your event aligns with their space and audience.

In simpler terms, it is all about finding the right venue and striking a deal. But keep in mind that there are venues you might not be able to secure, especially if you are new to the scene. Smaller parties usually start in smaller venues, which is totally fine and actually easier to manage. That is how most people start, and then you can grow your brand and move to bigger venues as you gain more traction.

For us, though, it becomes much harder because we do something really specific — something that allows us to bring in our full production. Finding venues that can cater to our vision is nearly impossible. What we always do is enter a venue and then make adjustments to fit our needs. But even this isn’t always possible, as not all venues will allow you to make changes, or it might not be worth the effort in the long run and unfortunately it is always pro bono work.

A big part of the job is building a good relationship with the venue managers and making them feel like part of the team on the night of the event. When you start detaching from that relationship, that is when problems arise. You have to adapt to their needs and rules, especially regarding security. We have learned over time that it is also crucial to be mindful of their concerns.

Another consideration is what happens after the party. The manager will want to see revenue from the bar and other income streams like door charges. So, after the event, you need to assess how things went and plan your next steps accordingly.

For us, the venues that perfectly match what we want and need don’t really exist in Dubai, so it is always a big struggle. We have big plans for the future and what this place could be for us, but for now, we have to work closely with venue owners and adapt to the lack of club spaces in the city. This is something that every party organiser has to deal with, not just us. That is the reality of throwing events here.

— You are planning a party. How far in advance do you start preparing?

— There are multiple scenarios when planning a party. For example, if we are working in a venue we have used for months or years, it is easier because our equipment is already set up inside. But there are times when we have to bring everything in and out, and that can be a big challenge. In Dubai, 99% of venues barely have a 32 amp electricity plug. We own everything — our sound system, lights, the entire production setup, and decorations — and everything is done by us.

Each time we throw a party, there are usually weeks of preparation involved. If we have to install everything from scratch, that can take weeks. If the setup is already in place, then it is about fine-tuning — fixing the club, adjusting the lights, tuning the sound, and making sure everything is just right. This might take about a week, depending on the venue and the setup we need for the night. For example, if the DJ is playing vinyl, we have to do extra work on the sound to avoid issues that can come with using vinyl.

Even if it is just a normal night in a club we regularly use, we always look at what went wrong the last time and try to fix those issues. We review the sound, the lights, and anything else that might need attention. Sometimes, it is just minor tweaks, but other times, it requires a lot of work. For instance, this time, we had to do a lot of overdue work on the lights and effects that have been problematic in the past. So, it is constant work for us — it is never just plug and play. It is continuous fine-tuning and improving whatever we can.

When planning a party, there is also the creative side to consider. We handle all the creative direction, the assets, and the ticketing. We usually prepare for our events a month in advance, dedicating that month to the event and moving on to the next one. However, when it comes to new seasons, we start planning three to four months ahead, depending on what we want to do for that season — winter or summer — and whether we are changing venues.

Planning entire seasons involves a lot of business meetings, locking in partnerships and deals, getting the team in place, and going through countless disappointments in the process. It is not just about showing up and plugging in stuff; it is about doing all the groundwork beforehand. Depending on the party, this preparation can take anywhere from a month to several months. That is how it works for us.

— At Secta, you have organised many high-quality events. It looks like everything goes smoothly and wonderfully because you have a super team. Is that really the case? 

— Yeah, we have been doing a lot of events throughout these years. Many have been wonderful, but some have been really challenging. Of course, most of the time, people don’t see the behind-the-scenes struggles because it is our job to manage those issues without showing them. To be honest, it is a constant effort to keep these challenges under control, especially the ones that could arise during the event itself. That is why we have so many pre-event meetings — whether with venue security, management, our team, door staff, or the awareness team, everyone involved needs to be on the same page. And, of course, there is all the production work too.

Even when everything seems to be running smoothly, there is always some problem. It is not always as perfect as it looks. But as I said, we try to anticipate potential issues and address them in advance through these meetings and scenario planning. Most of the time, we can fix problems before they happen or as they arise during the event.

— Have there been situations where you wanted to throw a party but couldn't due to circumstances beyond your control? Can you tell us about them?

— There have been many situations like this. For every successful event, there have been just as many times when things didn’t go as planned. This is especially true when we are trying to evolve or do something new for our audience and ourselves. We don’t want to stagnate in what we do, but when things don’t go as planned, it can be demotivating for the entire team.

Dubai is a particularly challenging place for organising underground events like ours. It is tough to find suitable venues, and when we do, they often need a lot of work, which requires time and money from our side. Fortunately, we are a passionate group of people who always want to deliver the best experience for our audience, so we take on these challenges. But over time, it can become really stressful, especially when we put in so much effort and things still don’t go as they should.

Another challenge is working with venues, especially those in hotels. Many hotel managers aren’t familiar with club culture or what we do — they come from a corporate background and may not even know what a sound system is. It often falls on us to educate them and help them understand our world. Things usually go well when they are willing to learn and work with us. But we always have to remember that it is their venue, and they can change their mind at any time if they no longer see it as a profitable venture.

Even though normally venue managers trust us, there is always a chance that something could go wrong, and we could lose any venue at any point in time. This could leave us without a place to hold events or force us to follow rules that don’t align with our brand, which can be damaging.

So many challenges are out of our control, and I wish everything could be under our control, but it is not. For example, we often spend months meeting with potential venue owners or entities like hotels or standalone venues. We go through countless meetings and proposals, climbing the ladder from manager to manager, CEO, and so on, just to get everyone on the same page. It is incredibly time-consuming and stressful because even after all that, they might turn around and say they don’t like our proposal.

Over the years, we have faced many disappointments, which can be discouraging for the team. We always have so much hope and excitement about pushing boundaries and making the scene in Dubai more noticeable internationally. But often, it is not our efforts that fail; it is the choices of others that hold us back, cutting off our opportunities even to try and show them the right way to do things.

This is what makes regions like this particularly tough for creative entities, underground movements, and club culture. We are driven by passion and hard work, but Dubai is a business-centric city where everything is about making money immediately. The mindset is, “Show me you’re making money right now, or this doesn’t work,” which can be incredibly limiting. These businesses, venues, and corporations often don’t understand or want to invest the time in understanding our vision, even if we come with a solid background and a successful track record.

Despite our successes and the good relationships we have built with venues, we still face constant rejections and obstacles, even as an established brand. It is a never-ending battle, requiring us to constantly have a plan B, C, D, etc. Even when we are beaten down and exhausted, we are always trying to come up with solutions. That is just how things work in Dubai — we have to be adaptable and resilient.

— Let's move on to the party itself. Do you remember any situations that seemed difficult to get out of, but in the end, you managed and everything turned out well?

— Oh my God, there have been too many situations, unfortunately. Inside the venue, we rarely face significant problems. But that is why we have an awareness team that is fantastic at working with the crowd when in need. We are incredibly lucky to have such a great community and are really proud of that.

Most of our problems happen at the door. Emotions run high, particularly at Secta, because we have a strict door policy, and our door staff works hard to enforce it. I have to be honest; there have been times when our door staff felt defeated or even experienced levels of PTSD, especially during larger events where people reacted aggressively.

There have been times when people have threatened to call the authorities on us or do other horrible things just because we told them, "This isn’t the right party for you tonight." We try to explain our door policy and the reasons behind it, but some people just don’t take it well. There have been countless times when we have had to defuse situations with aggressive or even violent people.

It is especially difficult when you are dealing with men who can become violent when women are working at the door. There have been instances where people verbally abused us and even physically touched the staff inappropriately. These situations can become dangerous, and there have been many times when we have felt unsafe.

I remember one particularly painful situation where a couple was abusing one of my door staff, and I had to step in to try and calm things down. It took me 45 minutes to reason with them, asking why they were being violent and abusive just because they were told "no." We explained that it wasn’t personal — it was just our party, our rules, and they didn’t fit that moment. They were so vile and threatening that, in the end, I let them in because I was scared. That felt like a big defeat, but most of the time, we managed to keep everything under control.

These situations show how some people can be selfish and vile, and it also reinforces why we have a door policy. If someone reacts violently at the door, imagine what they could do inside if something doesn’t go their way. It would likely lead to fights or worse, which is why we work so hard to prevent these people from entering in the first place.

Despite all the challenges, I’m incredibly proud of our team. Between the door staff, the awareness team, and everyone else, we work together like a well-oiled machine to ensure the party goes smoothly. And when everything clicks into place, it is incredibly rewarding. We have learned to solve problems before they escalate, but the door is always where the biggest issues arise. 

Thankfully, at Secta, we generally have a wonderful crowd, and that is largely due to the efforts of our door staff, who ensure that only people with good energy are allowed in. We want people who add to the party, not take away from it.

— At Secta parties, you have a strict door policy. How do you refuse entry to people that don't fit your standards?

We always try to be understanding and comprehensive with the crowd. However, it is important to note that anyone can be refused entry, and we don’t always explain why. Sometimes, it is about the energy of the person — whether they are showing signs of aggression or anything that might indicate they could disrupt the party. That is why most club-door staff will simply say, “Sorry, not tonight,” without getting into specifics. Once you start giving reasons, that is when problems tend to escalate.

We try to keep things as generic as possible, perhaps pointing out something about their clothing, but there are times when we refuse people based on club rules that we have to enforce, which aren’t always made public. Sometimes, the venue has its own rules, and we have to adapt to those without being able to explain them to the crowd.

Whenever we can, we try to help by suggesting they come back next time or try a different approach. But there are times when it is clear that someone just isn’t a good fit for Secta. We suggest other clubs in the city that might suit their style better. It is a sensitive process, and there is no strict rule to follow. The main approach is to stay detached as possible, which can be hard when people want to argue, but it is essential.