SUPPLY chain solutions provider for air and sea freight, GAC Logistics, has moved the entire set of the Quidam show for Cirque du Soleil's show in Dubai that is being staged during the city's Shopping Festival. It also marks the first time the circus has come to the Middle East.

The set filled 104 TEU equivalent units and required a fleet of side loader trucks to complete the turnaround of 1,040 tonnes of equipment within three nights. The set had to be transported from the United States for the month-long live show at the Ibn Battuta shopping centre.

Matthew Diggle, business manager for Freight Services at GAC Dubai, said: "The logistics operation demands precision in planning and execution to ensure all the cargo - from the infrastructure for the tent, staging, sound systems to costumes and props - arrive safely at the venue as scheduled."

To move the four marquees for the main tent, four open-top containers had to be utilised, and outsized equipment was transported in high cube containers. At the same time, specialised tools were needed to handle the custom-made costumes and props, which are one-of-a-kind and fragile.

"The key challenge was to synchronise the delivery of every single piece of equipment to the venue which could only accommodate one trailer," said Ronald Dayanand, operations manager of Projects, GAC Dubai, who supervised the entire operation.