How much does Long Service cost per person?

AED 390 per person for 40–79 people; AED 340 per person for 80–149 people; AED 300 per person for 150+ people. All figures exclude 5% VAT. A group below a band's minimum chargeable size is billed at that minimum: 56 people in the 40–79 band. Where a larger band costs less in total, it is quoted instead: groups of 70–79 are billed as 80 people at the rate for 80–149 people; groups of 133–149 are billed as 150 people at the rate for 150+ people.

How long does Long Service take, and when does it start?

3.5 hrs. Ideal start: 18:30 — straight from the office, no going home to change. Departure window: 18:00–19:30.

What is not included in Long Service?

Alcohol (priced separately, licensed venues only); Live entertainment or DJ (see add-ons); Gifting beyond the awards themselves; 5% VAT. These are stated before enquiry rather than raised at invoice time.

What happens to Long Service if the weather turns?

Trigger: None — fully indoor. Fallback: Venue failure moves to a contracted alternate function room, or to the client's own premises, at 72 hours' notice. The awards are the constraint — engraving runs 10 working days and cannot be compressed, which is why the lead time is 21 days and why the recipient list freezes at 14. You are told: Immediate for any venue change.

How far in advance do we need to book Long Service?

The booking lead time is 21 days. Ramadan and December dates book out first.

I-05 Ceremony Year-round

Long Service

A recognition evening, not a gala. Three and a half hours, the awards done properly, and everyone home by ten.

A team mid-programme on Long Service — Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi, hotel function room or the client's own atrium. — Illustrative

Duration: 3.5 hrs
Ideal start time: 18:30 — straight from the office, no going home to change
Departure window: 18:00–19:30
Group size: 40 min — 200 max
Emirate / venue: Dubai, Sharjah or Abu Dhabi — hotel function room or the client's own atrium
Season: Year-round
Booking lead time: 21 days

Price per person · excluding VAT

Group size	Price per person
40–79 pax Billed from 56 people	AED 390
80–149 pax	AED 340
150+ pax	AED 300

Where a larger band costs less in total, it is quoted instead: groups of 70–79 are billed as 80 people at the rate for 80–149 people; groups of 133–149 are billed as 150 people at the rate for 150+ people.

50% advance on signature. 100% cleared 3 working days before the event.

Numbers lock 7 days prior. Booking lead time: 21 days.

Last updated 4 November 2026.

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Why this is not the retail version

The comparison is our own I-01 Year in Review at AED 700 — the full gala, five hours, ballroom, band, the whole production. That is the right package for a company marking a year. This is for a company marking people, and the two are not the same event.

What is deliberately removed: the ballroom, the band, the five-hour running order, the dress code and the going-home-to-change. What that removes with it is the reason half the workforce quietly does not attend a gala.

What is deliberately kept, and where the money goes: every recipient walks, every recipient is photographed individually, and every citation is read out loud. That last one is the whole package. The standard corporate failure here is a list of names read at speed while people eat — and the person who gave a company fifteen years hears their name in a list. Twenty-five citations at forty seconds each is seventeen minutes, and it is the seventeen minutes the evening exists for.

The named photograph set is the second thing. Every recipient gets a proper photograph of themselves receiving their award, delivered as a file with their name on it. People keep those. They do not keep a group shot from a gala.

Sell this to a company with more than thirty long-service recipients and no appetite for a gala, and sell it alongside I-01 rather than against it — a client can genuinely want both, in different quarters.

The day, minute by minute

Timeline

14:00 Build begins — staging, AV, awards display, branding
18:30 Doors. Arrival drinks, the awards laid out where people can see their name
18:50 Guests seated
19:00 MC opens. Senior leader speaks — eight minutes, and it is written in advance
19:15 The awards. Every recipient walks, every recipient is photographed, and every citation is read aloud
20:00 Dinner buffet opens
21:00 The long-service segment — the 10, 15 and 20-year recipients, last, with a short film
21:30 Close. The photo wall stays open
22:00 Guests away

Included

Venue — hotel function room, half evening (or the client's own space at a AED 3,000 reduction)
Staging, AV, screen, lectern and lighting
Awards, trophies and engraving for every recipient
MC for the evening, briefed on every name and its pronunciation
Dinner buffet with full dietary coverage
Arrival drinks and soft beverages throughout
Full custom branding — stage, photo wall, awards display
Photographer, videographer and an edited 90-second reel within 5 working days
Individual photograph of every recipient, delivered as a named file set
Two event coordinators on site

Not included

Stated up front so there is nothing to argue about at invoice time.

Alcohol (priced separately, licensed venues only)
Live entertainment or DJ (see add-ons)
Gifting beyond the awards themselves
5% VAT

Weather & backup plan

Trigger: None — fully indoor.
Fallback: Venue failure moves to a contracted alternate function room, or to the client's own premises, at 72 hours' notice. The awards are the constraint — engraving runs 10 working days and cannot be compressed, which is why the lead time is 21 days and why the recipient list freezes at 14.
You are told by: Immediate for any venue change.

Customisation options

Long-service film — interviews with recipients, 4 min	AED 6,500/event
DJ and dancing after the awards	AED 900
Live band	AED 7,500/event
Upgrade to a plated dinner	AED 100/person
Premium awards — crystal, engraved brass	AED 140/recipient
Partner invitations	Priced per person
Printed programme with all citations	AED 25/person
Photo-booth with branded prints	AED 3,200/event

Questions about Long Service

How much does Long Service cost per person?: AED 390 per person for 40–79 people; AED 340 per person for 80–149 people; AED 300 per person for 150+ people. All figures exclude 5% VAT. A group below a band's minimum chargeable size is billed at that minimum: 56 people in the 40–79 band. Where a larger band costs less in total, it is quoted instead: groups of 70–79 are billed as 80 people at the rate for 80–149 people; groups of 133–149 are billed as 150 people at the rate for 150+ people.
How long does Long Service take, and when does it start?: 3.5 hrs. Ideal start: 18:30 — straight from the office, no going home to change. Departure window: 18:00–19:30.
What is not included in Long Service?: Alcohol (priced separately, licensed venues only); Live entertainment or DJ (see add-ons); Gifting beyond the awards themselves; 5% VAT. These are stated before enquiry rather than raised at invoice time.
What happens to Long Service if the weather turns?: Trigger: None — fully indoor. Fallback: Venue failure moves to a contracted alternate function room, or to the client's own premises, at 72 hours' notice. The awards are the constraint — engraving runs 10 working days and cannot be compressed, which is why the lead time is 21 days and why the recipient list freezes at 14. You are told: Immediate for any venue change.
How far in advance do we need to book Long Service?: The booking lead time is 21 days. Ramadan and December dates book out first.