Music & Arts

DHL Flies to New Heights with Latest Partnership

The world-famous artistic entertainment troupe of Cirque du Soleil gets a lift with DHL as Official Logistics Partner.

The world’s leading live entertainment company, Cirque du Soleil will now be supported in their groundbreaking acrobatic feats by DHL, who has signed on as Official Logistics Partner for the next three years.

The partnership includes providing global logistics for the corporate headquarters in Montreal, Canada, along with the support of event logistics for various Big Top and Arena tours worldwide.

It’s a unique partnership that will touch all corners of the world, and demand a variety of logistics solutions as it brings the top grossing live entertainment tour to more than 15 million people worldwide. The Cirque de Soleil touring show portfolio currently includes four Arena shows with artists performing in existing venues, and six Big Top shows held in the grand Cirque du Soleil tent which is constructed specifically for such performances.

The main logistics requirements of Cirque du Soleil consist of the transportation between tour venues, including the use of air, sea and land transport and customs clearance services.  A single Big Top show, for example, takes eight days to set up and three days to tear down. Each six to eight-week run also involves the movement of up to eighty 40-foot freight containers. Less time intensive are the Arena shows, such as those held in Lisbon, Hamburg and Istanbul in 2014, which take just two days to set up and a day to tear down.

A total audience of 15 million people is expected to attend any of the 19 Cirque du Soleil shows around the world in 2014 (including nine resident shows in the USA).

“Cirque du Soleil and DHL are a perfect fit,” said Ken Allen, CEO, DHL Express.

“We look forward to replicating the breathtaking performances under the Cirque du Soleil Big Top in our own operations behind the scenes.”

Cirque du Soleil Senior Vice-President, Touring Shows Finn Taylor said: “With a global touring operation spanning over 150 locations across more than 6 continents, logistics is critical to the success of Cirque du Soleil. In announcing DHL as our worldwide Official Logistics Partner, we are delighted to have this opportunity to work with another global brand that shares our commitment to excellent quality. We look forward to integrating DHL’s services into our supply chain and to introducing the Cirque du Soleil experience to new audiences and markets together.”

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