TPiMEA #042 - Jun/Jul 2023

Backstreet Boys: DNA World Tour I

Dubai World Cup

TERHAL by Dragone

Michael Jobson

TPMEA Awards 2023

A massive multidiscipline production to celebrate a true Dubai institution

An inspirational audio-visual journey through the rich and varied history of Saudi Arabia

‘Curly’ shares his personal journey and reveals his ambitions for the legacy of MDLBEAST

The deserving winners are announced at the live events industry’s favourite night out

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to TPiMEA

Peter Iantorno Editorial Director

After 41 issues of TPMEA, I’m proud to present our 42nd issue – the first under our new moniker, TPiMEA. It’s a subtle change in name, but one that reflects the direction of TPi as a global brand that has been the definitive authority of live events production since 1998.

Over the past 25 years, TPi has built a reputation for its in-depth, on-site coverage of the world’s biggest live events, fascinating interviews with the industry’s top talent, and insights on the latest state-of-the-art technology powering the live events industry. TPMEA was launched in 2015 to shine a light on the live events sector in the Middle East and Africa, and as the regional industry has developed, so too has our coverage – with the magazine growing year on year from a small regional insert inside TPi to the fully-fledged publication you see today.

With this ever-increasing quality and quantity of content, the time is right to bring our beloved regional publication into line with its older brother. The new and improved TPiMEA is a larger, higher-quality print product that will sit proudly alongside TPi on coffee tables and newsstands in offices all over the world.

We’ve been working hard behind the scenes on a slick new design that takes its cues from the original TPi but maintains a strong MEA-specific flavour. We’ve also tweaked the sections of the magazine, with the addition of Event Focus and Gear Heads as well as the renaming of the long-form event coverage to Production Profile, reflecting the evolving nature of the industry.

As well as allowing us to continue our growth in the Middle East and Africa, these changes strengthen TPi as a global brand, paving the way for further expansion into other regions in the near future.

Our inaugural issue of TPiMEA gets off to a storming start, with Backstreet Boys’ massive DNA World Tour gracing the cover. I was at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena to catch up with the team behind the legendary boyband, who shared some of the intricate workings behind this gargantuan tour. Read more on page 38.

Also in this issue, we have in-depth coverage on Dubai World Cup (page 52), a feature-length story on Dragone’s first foray into Saudi Arabia (page 66), MDLBEAST’s Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson shares his personal journey (page 10), the winners of the TPMEA Awards 2023 are revealed (page 18), plus all manner of other industry-related goodies to get your teeth into.

Enjoy the issue.

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INTRODUCTION

Contents Cover Story

38 FLETCHER MACHINE An audio rendering processor offering incredibly simple operation with highly efficient spatialization tools.

66 88

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First Look 10 Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson

MDLBEAST Executive Director of Events shares his personal journey.

Event Focus 16 TPMEA Awards 2023 The deserving winners are announced.

22 Expo City hosts SPAA

SPAA students get the opportunity of a lifetime.

24 WTTS

A spectacular fireworks, drone and light show for the World Travel & Tourism Summit.

28 Lollapalooza India

The festival’s Asian debut, set to usher in a new era of lighting design in India.

32 Lusail Motorsport Festival A fast-and-furious celebration of Qatar Airways’ new partnership with Formula 1.

36 SLS Expo

TPiMEA reports from the show floor in Riyadh.

Production Profile 38 Backstreet Boys

The DNA World Tour hits Abu Dhabi.

52 Dubai World Cup

In-depth coverage of a Dubai institution.

66 TERHAL by Dragone

Dragone makes its Saudi Arabian debut with an imaginitive and innovative theatrical production.

In Profile 78 Pop Up Global

The UK entertainment company is aiming to make its mark on the Middle East market.

80 Eventify Entertainment

The Eventify team looks back on two successful years for the company.

84 Pitchblack

As the company moves in to a shiny new premises, Mark and Sarah Hammond share the story of Pitchblack so far.

Feedback 88 THA Staffing

Emma Clark talks staffing in Saudi Arabia.

90 PRG

The PRG team shares news of its KSA investment.

92 INFiLED

Samer Otaibi on INFiLED’s Middle East expansion.

94 Safe Events

Mark Breen on being an ‘enabler of creativity’.

Gear Heads 96 SSE Ultra Tri-Fold

The new in-house trussing solution from SSE.

98 Regional Round-up

The latest news from the Middle East and Africa.

Editorial Director Peter Iantorno Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7763 233637 e-mail: p.iantorno@mondiale.co.uk Contributing Editor Stew Hume Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344 e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk

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CLUSTER

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Contributing Assistant Editor Jacob Waite Mobile: +44 (0)7592 679612 e-mail: j.waite@mondiale.co.uk Senior Account Manager Fran Begaj Mobile: +44 (0)7852 336728 e-mail: f.begaj@mondiale.co.uk Account Manager Matilda Matthews Mobile: +44 (0)7413 555978 e-mail: m.matthews@mondiale.co.uk Account Manager Philip Tucker Mobile: +44 (0)7522 130473 e-mail: p.tucker@mondiale.co.uk Digital Content Manager James Robertson Mobile: +44 (0)7725 475819 e-mail: j.robertson@mondiale.co.uk Marketing And Event Manager Alice Clarke Mobile: +44 (0)7752 392465 e-mail: a.clarke@mondiale.co.uk Chief Executive Justin Gawne Mobile: +44 (0)7768 850767 e-mail: j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk Mondiale Group Chairman Damian Walsh Graphic Design & Production Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Mel Capper: m.capper@mondiale.co.uk Accounts Lynette Levi / Sarah Miller: ar@mondiale.co.uk Cover Photography Backstreet Boys by Live Nation Printed By Buxton Press www.buxpress.co.uk www.tpimagazine-mea.com www.tpiawards-mea.com www.tpimagazine.com www.tpiawards.com @TPiMEA_Magazine /TPiMEAMagazine @tpimea_magazine /company/tpimeamagazine

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FIRST LOOK

Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson The MDLBEAST Executive Director of Events looks back on four decades in the industry and reflects on his personal journey throughout a distinguished career so far.

A 40-year veteran of concert production, having worked with the likes of Echo & The Bunnymen, The Waterboys, UB40, Slayer, Anthrax, Ministry, Jane’s Addiction, Richard Ashcroft, Regina Spektor, Queens of the Stone Age, Wet Wet Wet, Amy Winehouse, Swedish House Mafia, Avicii, and many others, there’s not much that Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson hasn’t come across in his time in the industry.

In his current role as Executive Director of Events at MDLBEAST, Curly now finds himself at the sharp end of the creation of a brand-new industry in Saudi Arabia.

With a high-powered position at one of the industry’s most exciting and rapidly developing companies, it would be easy to assume that life has always been a walk in the park for Curly. However, in this exclusive and intimate interview conducted the day after the TPMEA Awards 2023 – where the MDLBEAST team bagged an impressive seven awards – he shares the story behind his personal journey, charting the ups and downs that have shaped his outlook on life and helped him become the person he is today.

Ted Gardner, who had started managing Jane’s Addiction.

That led to me getting into the world of US grunge, and I worked for the likes of Slayer, Anthrax and Hole, as well as Lollapalooza for five years in various guises and Perry Farrell’s Enit Festival.

I started to transform into a more business-minded person when I left Lollapalooza to take a General Manager position with Riverdance, and helped change the methodology of how they toured, from a more theatrical style to something more like we would expect in rock ’n’ roll.

How did you get your start in the industry?

I started in a privileged position, as my brother was the singer in a Scottish punk band called The Skids, best known for their 1979 single Into The Valley. Their guitar player Stuart Adamson went on to form Big Country, and my brother went on to be a filmmaker. I started working for The Skids as a guitar tech at the age of 11, and my career path was mapped out from there.

In those early days, I also worked for The Armoury Show as John McGeoch’s guitar tech, but my big break was when I got a call to work with Echo & The Bunnymen as Production Manager and part-time guitarist.

Why did you decide to close your company after 18 successful years?

In that era, a few very difficult things happened to me, starting with the loss of both my mother and father in a relatively short period of time. That time was hard on me psychologically. I had a wonderful relationship with my parents, but I hadn’t lived with them since I left Scotland at the age of 15, so I always had a yearning to go back and be closer to them, but I never got that opportunity.

The death of Amy Winehouse also hit me hard, and when Avicii died in 2018, the compound grief took a devastating toll on me. I’d never known anything about depression and anxiety before then, but suddenly I became a very anxious and depressed person. I struggled, started to withdraw and wanted to shut my company and stop working altogether.

How did the American phase of your career come about?

I was PM for UB40 doing a shed tour of the US when I got a call from The Bunnymen’s former Tour Manager, Middle East

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How did the launch of your own production company help your career progress?

I started MJM Production in 1999 and that operated until 2018. By 2010, my clients included Amy Winehouse and Florence + the Machine, and over the course of the next six years, my office became the go-to place for event production in the electronic world, with the likes of Swedish House Mafia and Avicii on the books.

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How did you recover?

I bounced back by rediscovering myself. There was nothing I could do to change what had gone on in the past, but I did have the power to change what would happen in the future. I started doing things for myself. I walked the Camino De Santiago; I circumnavigated the UK in my own boat. I’m aware that not everyone has the luxury of being able to do those things, but depression is a devastating illness that can come to anyone no matter what position they’re in.

I got help and I managed to reinvent myself, lay new foundations and grow new branches to the tree of life. I’m very lucky that I managed to get that back.

Help is out there, but the industry could be doing a lot more. There was a lot of focus on mental health in the industry during the pandemic, but now everyone is back working, that has taken something of a back seat again. Mental health is something we take very seriously within MDLBEAST. We have a retained mental health team available 24/7 and my door is always open. If there’s ever anything I can do to help someone, I’d be more than happy for them to reach out and contact me.

How did you get involved with MDLBEAST? I was sailing in Ibiza in February 2020 when I got a call from my long-time friend and colleague, Panos Ayassotelis, asking if I’d be interested in doing some consultancy work in Saudi Arabia for MDLBEAST. I had come through a difficult phase in my life, and I was keen to get back into work, so I went for it.

I travelled to Jeddah at the end of February with the intention of staying for a few days and, lo and behold, COVID-19 hit, sending us into lockdown. I missed the last Middle East

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repatriation flight back to the UK, meaning I was stuck in the country indefinitely. I extended the work with MDLBEAST, staying for six months before I could fly back to Europe.

During that period, they then offered me a full-time job, which I took.

Did you have any idea of the potential scale of the company when you took the job?

It was unfolding in front of me. I had the blueprints from the 2019 festival, so I understood the scale it was at already, but that was done very differently to how we do it today.

As much as I changed a lot going forward, I’ve got to give kudos to the people involved in the first MDLBEAST festival.

The guys from LarMac that put it together so quickly did a tremendous job and I doff my cap to them.

How did you go about assembling the team to build your version of MDLBEAST Soundstorm?

The first thing I did was listen to our leadership, take what they were saying and translate it into entertainment industry vernacular, so we could approach potential suppliers and accurately communicate what was needed. Yvonne Donnelly-Smith from PRG who I’ve known for many years got involved early in the project, and she was a massive help in contextualising the way forward.

I was always of the opinion that we didn’t need to reinvent the wheel here. There’s been a lot of learning in our industry already, and there’s something to be said for sticking to what works. At the same time, I’m also aware that we can get stuck in our ways and sometimes a fresh perspective is exactly what’s required. Some of the ideas from our leadership in those early stages broke the norms

hello@hudamediaevents.com Dubai

Abu Dhabi

Doha

Amman

Jeddah

Riyadh

Kuwait

Cairo

Manama

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FIRST LOOK

but they proved to work just as well if not better than the conventional wisdom.

Who were some of your first hires?

Alex Reardon from Silent House came in to design BIG BEAST and fulfil the role of Creative Development Director for the whole site. Sam Tozer designed the UNDERGROUND areas, Cassius Creative’s Chris ‘Squib’ Swain and Dan Hill designed DOWNBEAST, and the guys from Ushuaïa started out with DANCEBEAST. Jim Digby’s experience was vital in the first year; Nancy Skipper and Ginger Owl supported on the administrative side; Steve Coleman handled security; Mark Breen, health and safety; and John Wilson, site infrastructure.

The final piece of the puzzle came when productionglue and Matt Richman got involved. Matt and I are a great partnership, and we would be a very difficult pairing to break up if anybody ever wanted to do it.

Martin Corr at Rock-It Global, Eddie Mulrainey from 3DB, JJ Trichardt at AES, Michael Clark from Al Laith, Phil

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Grucci at Grucci Fireworks, and John Gianquitto from TAG have all been steadfast partners; General Saeed Ayyash at Full Cycle has given me endless support in Government Liaison; and the support from Clair Global and Britannia Row Productions, as well as The Robert Bird Group has really been incredible.

What did you learn from your first year putting on Soundstorm in 2021?

We had some failings in the first year, mostly around the patron journey. Parking was a huge challenge. Bearing in mind that we’re putting 135,000 people and 80,000 cars into the festival daily, it was always going to be a big ask.

We had serious parking issues on the first day of the 2021 festival and had to change the method going into day two.

We managed to do that overnight, which is testament to the skillset we had on site. This year, it worked seamlessly.

The level of permanency on the site now is incredible.

The network of bridges, which means that the VIP patrons’ feet never even have to touch the ground, is like nothing

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I’ve ever seen on a festival site before. The chance to create something like that doesn’t come along very often, and we continue to increase our footprint year on year.

With Soundstorm just one of several MDLBEAST events taking place throughout the year, how do you manage to juggle everything?

That’s not difficult – it’s all about teams. I’ve got an amazing core team and we scale up as needed. There’s no shortage of talent out there. We got some great people after the pandemic who are at the forefront of evolving our offering year after year. When you have incredibly talented people from all corners of the globe with centuries of production knowledge between them, you know that something special is going to come out of the other end.

formation of an industry. To the likes of Haydn Cruickshank at Colour Sound Experiment and Ryan Hagan from ER Productions, who both believed in the project and invested in Saudi Arabia from day one without hesitation, I would like to say thank you for being pioneers.

We can put on gigs all day long, but the exciting stuff is the creation of an industry at large – that’s the legacy for me. I’m not at the beginning of my career, and who I pass it on to and what state I pass it on is very important to me.

I’m extremely grateful to the guys who came before me and gave me the template, and I’m proud of those who came along for the journey, showed willing, and put their money where their mouth was. The vision and dream for me is that we’re handing this over to young Saudis who are trained, willing and able.

What are you most excited about for the future?

We’re incredibly excited about the legacy that we’re leaving for young Saudis. Historically, companies would be in and out of the Kingdom and leave the country with nothing to show for it, but we’ve got a government mandate that the companies we use must register in Saudi Arabia, have equipment in the country, and be training Saudis to be part of the industry.

Long-term development is the goal, and what an incredible gift it is to be giving, being at the sharp end of the

Finally, how pleased were you with the results of the TPMEA Awards?

We’ve all been to the TPi Awards in the UK and loved them, and I have to say that I was equally impressed with what I saw at the TPMEA Awards in Dubai. We won seven awards between the group, and I was delighted for everyone who was recognised in front of their peers. It was a great night, I loved the format, and we’ll definitely be back next year.

Photos: MDLBEAST, Ob Panakal www.mdlbeast.com

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TPMEA Awards 2023 A record-breaking night at Hard Rock Café Dubai Festival City sees this year’s deserving winners crowned.

Now in its fifth year, the TPMEA Awards is firmly established as the must-attend industry night for the live events community – and, sure enough, on 4 May, the region’s live events industry gathered en masse once again at Hard Rock Café Dubai Festival City to celebrate those who have been outstanding in their field over the past year.

With more than 500 people in attendance, the event allowed guests to network freely with colleagues and peers and make new connections while celebrating the achievements of the region’s top talent.

Hosted by Flo Akinbiyi, who was back by popular demand following his excellent debut in 2022, the awards also welcomed Dubai-based singer-songwriter Ibby VK, who provided the evening’s entertainment.

Congratulations to all the winners.

Photos: Ob Panakal www.tpmeaawards.com Middle East

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2023 WINNERS

THURSDAY 4 MAY

PRODUCTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR

LIGHTING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

LIGHTING DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

In Association with

Sponsored by

ANDY HEAD

STEVEN NESS

PAUL COOPES

LIVE AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

CORPORATE AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

VIDEO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

In Association with

VALERIE GARD

NICOLA PISANO

SATENDER SINGH

VIDEO CREATIVE / DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

RIGGER OF THE YEAR

SFX ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

ALEXANDER WOOD

MARK HAMMOND

PAUL HARRIS

AV PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR

HYBRID / VIRTUAL EVENTS SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

RICKY CECONI

HEADLINE SPONSOR

BAR SPONSOR

TICKETING PARTNER

PETER HERRING

CONTENT PARTNER

LIVE PRODUCTION

CATEGORY SPONSORS

STEFANO MILAN

THE NIGEL BEATON STAGE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

EVENT COORDINATOR OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

SITE INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

POPPY BALLON

MELISA HOPWOOD

JOHN WILSON

TEMPORARY STRUCTURE PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR

TEMPORARY POWER SUPPLY ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

EVENTS PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

JJ TRICHARDT

DANIEL SHAW

MATT RICHMAN

ENTERTAINMENT MANAGER OF THE YEAR

OUTSTANDING EVENT PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR

THE TPMEA EVENTS & AV INDUSTRY RECOGNITION AWARD

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

TYLER DAVIS-SMITH

Sponsored by

MDLBEAST SOUNDSTORM

LORRAINE LUDMAN

THE GREEN AWARD

THE EINO BACKSTAGE AWARD

MTD

JHESSA ‘YUMI’ NITUDA

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EVENT FOCUS

TPMEA Awards 2023 Green Award MTD wins the inaugural Green Award for its outstanding work in the field of water and waste sustainability.

New for 2023, The TPMEA Awards Green Award was introduced to recognise achievements within the live event production industry for sustainable practice. The coveted award was judged by a panel made up of industry experts, including Production Manager and TPG Sustainability facilitator, Jamal Chalabi; Vision: 2025’s Graham Brown; Hope Solutions’ Luke Howell; and Sustainability & Social Values Manager from SLX, Phoebe Currie, winner of TPi’s 2023 Green Award.

There was no shortage of enthusiasm for the new award, with a strong shortlist including the likes of Aggreko, BE Experiential, BeWunder, Encore, FLOW Solutions, MTD, and Skymagic.

The winner of the inaugural Green Award was MTD – a family-owned global company with its headquarters in Tilburg, the Netherlands, and offices located in Europe, the Americas, the Middle East

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Middle East and Asia Pacific – for its work at MDLBEAST Soundstorm.

MTD has been the preferred strategic partner for MDLBEAST Soundstorm since 2021, planning and executing the complete water infrastructure for the event. Besides taking care of the entire drinking framework at the world’s biggest festival overlay, at this year’s festival, MTD had the world premiere of its wastewater treatment unit, the black label.

Using reverse osmosis, a process used to remove a large majority of contaminants from water by pushing the water under pressure through a semipermeable membrane, MTD can recycle water.

During Soundstorm 2022, wastewater from the toilets was purified inside the black label unit to the extent that it could be re-used for watering the plants and cleaning by the sweepers. During Soundstorm, MTD employed the black label unit for three weeks at a rate of 1,000 litres per hour.

MTD is further developing the unit, to be able to treat 25,000 litres of wastewater per hour.

Besides working on upgrading the treatment capacity, MTD is also aiming to further improve the unit so that wastewater can be used as shower and flushing water after treatment.

MTD is continuously innovating its products and services to contribute to a sustainable and water-saving infrastructure, improving the water balance and reducing the CO2 footprint. The company is recognised as a true end-to-end water partner, undertaking 1,500 projects per year, for events, expos and industrial markets.

Photo: MTD www.mtd.net www.hopesolutions.services www.tourproductiongroup.co.uk www.vision2025.org.uk

GROWING PLANTS USING WASTEWATER MTD, YOUR WATER PARTNER Our service goes beyond providing a temporary water infrastructure.

Thinking about the future and water conservation, MTD contributed to the sustainability of Soundstorm 2022.

We used our Black Label, a wastewater filtration unit, to reuse the wastewater for watering plants.

WWW.MTD.NET

EVENT FOCUS

SPAA students explore Expo City’s creative process As students at Sharjah Performing Arts Academy get the opportunity of a lifetime to take a behind-the-scenes journey through Expo City Dubai, TPiMEA tags along for the ride…

Expo 2020 Dubai may have come and gone, but its legacy lives on through Expo City and the spectacular Al Wasl Plaza. The dome’s projection content has amazed audiences since its unveiling, and now, the Expo City Entertainment and Experiences team has given students from Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) an opportunity to experience the creative process behind it.

Organised by Expo City Technical Director Mark Ross in collaboration with SPAA Lead Sound Tutor John Parkhouse, the unique learning experience saw the Expo City team host SPAA students on two consecutive days, providing a once-in-a-lifetime chance for them to look behind the curtain of Expo City and engage with the world-class technical team behind its operation.

“Having the world’s largest 360° projection surface and an incredible immersive system that is second to none, we have a unique opportunity to inspire the next generation and give them a chance to understand what goes on behind the scenes,” Ross commented.

Parkhouse added: “There’s nowhere else in the world like Al Wasl Plaza. Every single person who we’ve met here is pioneering the use of all the different technological disciplines. So, for the students to get the opportunity of seeing that first-hand and witnessing the innovation taking place here is astonishing.”

TPiMEA was given rare access to join the SPAA students on their immersive experience, which began with the introduction to the renowned ‘Awakening’ content, serving as the catalyst to transport students from the conceptual stage to witnessing the live show.

Amna Abulhoul, the Executive Creative Director, and her team of visionaries are instrumental in creating the mesmerising projection content on the Al Wasl dome. During the open day, the students had the privilege of meeting this creative team as well as hearing from Kate Randall, the Executive Producer responsible for the operational delivery of Al Wasl events, who offered insights into the logistical aspects of bringing these incredible shows to life.

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A workshop was designed to provide the students with a glimpse into the inner workings of the creative process at Expo City. They were exposed to the thoughts, inspirations and techniques that shape the captivating content displayed on Al Wasl dome. The animation team showcased their digital production skills, revealing the intricate steps involved in transforming concepts into awe-inspiring visuals.

Their experience encouraged the students to explore their own creativity and understand the collaborative nature of the production industry.

The students were also granted access to Expo City’s immersive audio studio, where they got to grips with Al Wasl Plaza’s L-Acoustics L-ISA system, taking the opportunity to record sounds, experiment with effects and mix them into Expo City’s Halloween content.

The journey continued into Expo City’s WYSIWYG and followspot studios, where the students were introduced to the intricacies of lighting design. As well as exploring preprogramming and previsualisation techniques, they gained insights into how lighting designers and operators bring performances to life and learned the importance of synchronisation and technical precision.

Next on the agenda was a tour of the basement, where the students explored Creative Technology’s projection control room, witnessing the control mechanism that brings projection shows to life. Then came what was for many the highlight of the day, as the students got the chance to stand on the stage lift and experience it ascending into the centre of Al Wasl dome, where the magic unfolds.

The penultimate session took place inside the North Control Room, where lighting operators revealed the intricacies involved in uploading and adjusting WYSIWYG pre-programming and explained how the integration of multiple control systems gives life to the variety of lighting fixtures positioned throughout the dome.

The students were also treated to an indepth explanation of audio control and gained knowledge of what is required when transferring

studio mixed content into the live setting. With the sun setting, the conclusion of the students’ journey was the culmination of all the previous sessions, as the ‘Awakening’ content brought the dome alive. This was followed by the Halloween content that the students had contributed to earlier in the day, before they got the chance to utilise Expo City’s innovative new Notch-based system that allows real-time manipulation of content on the projection canvas.

Looking back on the experience, Ross was delighted with the level of engagement from the SPAA students. “We’ve all been encouraged by the students’ knowledge, their inquisitiveness, and their ability to absorb information,” he reflected. “They reacted to the sessions in exactly the way we hoped they would – not just seeing what was in front of them but going deeper and asking pertinent questions. That hit the nail on the head for me in terms of why we’re doing this.”

Parkhouse meanwhile was equally proud of the students and thankful to the Expo City team.

“I made a big deal of the fact that there are very few people who have been given the chance to spend a day like this, and I’m pleased that the students grabbed it with both hands and made the most of it,” he commented.

“Everyone here is extremely busy, so for them to take time away to give something back to the next generation is incredibly generous, and I can’t thank them enough. I sincerely hope that more people get the chance to experience what we’ve experienced over these past two days.”

Ross added: “I’m glad we had this opportunity. We will push boundaries here for as long as we can, but these students are the next generation and at some point, they will take over the industry. I hope this is the beginning of a deeper education programme that encourages and empowers them and makes them feel obliged to continue this legacy.”

Photos: Expo City www.expocitydubai.com www.spaa.ae 23

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EVENT FOCUS

World Travel & Tourism Council Global Summit AO Multimedia & Drones partners with Fireworks by Grucci to deliver spectacular multidiscipline display.

The 22nd World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit took place in Riyadh recently, welcoming more than 3,000 travel executives with a visual spectacular featuring pyrotechnics, lasers, searchlights and fireworks designed and produced by Creative Director Phil Grucci of Fireworks by Grucci, alongside Drones, Lights and Lasers Producer Marco Niedermeier from AO Multimedia & Drones, and Light and Laser Designer, Jerry P. Appelt.

For Phil Grucci, only “the best of the best in the industry” would do for this project. “The summit attendees were totally blown away with the multimedia show,” Grucci reflected.

“I have worked with Marco and Jerry for many years, including back in 2014 when we put on a show to celebrate the National Day here in Saudi Arabia, so we have a very long history of success together and we don’t let technology drive the design. In fact, it’s the other way around – the design drives the technology. By continuing Middle East

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to use our imagination, we will continue to deliver more ambitious, incredible displays.”

Appelt added: “This kind of show works well with different departments, and the human interaction between our different creative approaches worked great under Phil’s guidance.

He has the vision, and we follow that vision. We are a very good team.”

“Phil Grucci and AO Multimedia & Drones have a successful history of creating great fireworks and drone shows,” Niedermeier commented. “Phil wanted to go big on this event, and brought us in to deliver a memorable LED drone, pyro drone, searchlight and laser show, including technical planning and execution, that would coordinate perfectly with the Grucci Fireworks display and be programmed to showcase logos and 3D effects while highlighting and respecting the historical site we were in.”

The multidiscipline show used a 1,600-strong fleet of AO drones – 1,000 of which were AO’s

robust, supercharged LED drones, with the remaining 600 made up with AO pyro drones, which can eject a ‘waterfall’ of glitter-sparks into the night sky.

“The latest generation of high-end, supercharged drones enable us to create super flexible and super precise shows,” said Niedermeier. “The extended battery time and related additional power makes them less sensitive to high winds and allows larger distances between the take-off and landing zone and flight zone. These drones are adjustable to be used as LED or pyro drones as required.”

The team specified 34 lasers and 40 Falcon 7K Searchlights to enhance the skyhigh dynamics, as the huge fireworks display splashed colour across the summit’s supper ceremony, held in the At-Turaif area. The LED drones were programmed to showcase WTTCrelated imagery, while the lasers were used for 3D effects, beaming from the historic city towards the VIP terrace and programmed to map the outlines of the historical buildings in At-Turaif.

There were multiple challenges to realising the project – not least that fact that the drone launch pad was within a UNESCO World Heritage site where archaeological digs are live, and adjacent to the Royal Palace, where King Salman bin Abdul Aziz resides and has a helipad.

“We conducted many site visits and worked closely with the Diriyah Gate Development Authority to ensure our operations would be permitted and respectful of the surroundings, and they were incredibly supportive,” Niedermeier explained. “We had a lot of technical permissions to go through with the Royal Guard, with aviation authorities, and the police. We were in regular communication with them and were ready to halt test flights when there was a helicopter flying in or out of the palace. I am thrilled that we delivered a highly professional execution of the job, considering the special conditions for setup and security and observance of the guidelines.”

AO Multimedia & Drones constructed a specially designed launchpad for the drones using scaffolding to ensure it was raised from the ground, so as not to disturb the site or interfere with the many palm trees in the vicinity. The company also took special measures to ensure no damage was done to excavation areas.

For power, the team laid dozens of kilometres of cables, distributing power from six generators that were brought to site. The searchlights required specially built scaffolding towers, which were placed along the path of the Salwa Palace. “We even had to temporarily remove a telecommunications tower, which was next to the launch site and could have obstructed the drones,” Niedermeier revealed.

Testing was key, and much of this was done on-site in collaboration with the Diriyah Gate Development Authority, Royal Guard and security services. AO geofenced the drones’ flight area and showed the authorities pre-visualisations, which clearly depicted their movement and ringfencing. In the planning stages, the teams worked closely to ensure the drones, lasers, searchlights and fireworks would be choreographed in perfect unison with each other and the accompanying show soundtrack.

With the show successfully combining multiple elements, TPiMEA asked Niedermeier if he thought this is indicative of a wider trend in the industry. “Yes, for sure,” he answered. “During 25

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the first years of LED drone shows, with limited control options and few experienced designers, they were mainly a standalone concept. Now, this new amazing kind of ‘flying pixel media’ can be fully integrated into complex programmed show runs, interacting with LED, light, laser, and pyro to add totally new impressions, contents, emotions and messages to any kind of show. It’s a new, sustainable, lasting and very versatile kind of entertainment and art.”

With the technology increasing in popularity, Niedermeier stressed the importance of experience in the field. “To design and operate complex drone shows requires much more than just investment,” he stated. “Drone pilots carry the same responsibility as aeroplane pilots.

The micro-technology needs to be maintained perfectly; any production needs to be prepared with perfection. And this is just the operational part beside the challenging skills in a new dimension of design and programming. It is very important to choose reliable, experienced partners with this advanced technology.”

However, with the vast experience at AO’s disposal, Niedermeier believes that the company can be at the forefront of innovation in the future.

“This new kind of media and entertainment is just starting to lift off. Just imagine a 150,000 sq m flying video screen providing a live feed during a World Cup, live interaction with shows, flying billboards in between buildings and amazing new creativity as soon as more and more designers start understanding and using the options of freeflying pixels in the sky. This will create thousands of new concepts, new companies and new jobs in media, communication, and entertainment.

We are proud to have been part of this from the beginning and using our global experience to support this development.”

Photos: AO Multimedia & Drones www.ao-technology.com www.grucci.com Middle East

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“During the first years of LED drone shows, with limited control options and few experienced designers, they were mainly a standalone concept. Now, this new amazing kind of ‘flying pixel media’ can be fully integrated into complex programmed show runs.”

Marco Niedermeier, AO Multimedia & Drones

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Lollapalooza India Lighting Director, Naveen Deshpande describes how the first Asian edition of the globally acclaimed music festival ushers in new a wave of positive transformation for lighting design in the region.

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With Lollapalooza’s presence now spread across numerous cities in multiple continents, in 2023 for the first time ever, this larger-thanlife festival brand finally made its way to Asian waters, taking place at Mumbai’s Mahalakshmi Race Course Grounds. Brought to India by BookMyShow – which served as promoter and co-producer alongside global producers, Perry Farrell, WME and C3 Presents – the maiden edition of Lollapalooza India was spread across two days and hosted the likes of Imagine Dragons, AP Dhillon, Diplo, Divine, Prateek Kuhad, The Wombats, and many more.

More than 60,000 fans flocked to the four unique performance stages, which comprised the BUDX stage, the Walkers & Co stage, the Perry’s stage, and the NEXA stage.

Star Dimensions Inda and Stage Engage were brought onboard to commission the intricate and extensive lighting rigs for the four stages. The BUDX stage and Walkers & Co stage were adorned with close to 250 different lighting elements each, while the Perry’s stage and NEXA stage were outfitted with close to 200 and 150 lighting fixtures respectively, with each stage’s visuals controlled by MA Lighting grandMA3 full sized consoles. Naveen Deshpande and his team Middle East

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at Ground Control was tasked with creating an overall lighting design that gave each stage a unique sense of individuality while also fitting with the general vibe of the event.

He explained how he came to work on the project. “In July 2022, I got a call from Vincent Samuel (Greenstone Entertainment) for a meeting at the BookMyShow office to discuss the first draft of the festival plan with the entire commercial team at BMS and Greenstone Entertainment. I had no doubt about coming on board, and I was even more excited to have my team at Ground Control be part of such a prestigious festival,” he stated.

The planning stages for the project began several months prior to the festival, with the Ground Control team submitting the lighting plots almost four months in advance – a rare feat within the Indian live event scene.

Deshpande recalled that the first step was to lock in the right inventory. “Through our initial meetings, we took genres of every stage as our starting point for the design; and with internal feedback and a few tweaks, we presented the festival plot to the team,” he explained. “We were certain about using branded fixtures only, which helped us ensure that every lighting designer

would have 3D access to pre-visualise the rig and come prepared. This in turn meant that they’d spend the least amount of time on site getting acclimated to the setup, which helped the show run much smoother.”

With this in mind, the spec called for the likes of Claypaky Mythos, Sharpy X Frame, B-EYE K20 and K25; Elation Professional Platinum FLX and SBX; Martin MAC Quantum Wash, MAC Aura XB, and Atomic 3000; and ACME Dotline180 and Ginamp Strobe. “It was vital that we matched international standards across the entire lighting spectrum,” he reflected.

According to Deshpande, the planning and execution methodologies deployed for this project were unlike any other ever attempted in India. The Ground Control team collated all the data concerning measurements and schematics of the venue and used this to create a base design to understand the layout at each stage.

The team tried different trussing plans while accounting for various rigging options and LED wall placements, and also studied the weight restrictions at each stage to finally narrow down on the perfect combination of fixtures that were ideal for each of the individual lighting rigs, keeping in mind the genres that each

stage would host and also the overall theme of the festival. The base design layouts were then mapped in 3D to test run the rig and after considering vital inputs from the programming team, the plots were finalised, and final design was created.

These designs were then forwarded to the organisers for approval; following which they were shared with the teams at Star Dimensions and Stage Engage to study and subsequently detail an efficient and neat cabling schematic for the setup on-site.

Once the teams at Star Dimensions and Stage Engage submitted their cabling plans, the Ground Control team used the cumulative information to zero-in on the final DMX data sheet. Following this, the data sheets were fed into a house show file with 3D data – and all the details of this file were double-checked before it was sent out to all the travelling lighting designers and the organisers to reconfirm if all the fixtures appeared and worked correctly and as per the plot on the 3D file.

The execution of the working plan was every bit as meticulous. The teams at Star Dimensions and Stage Engage respectively ensured that every detail including aspects like IP addresses for console, Artnet, NPUs and complete addressing of fixtures remained the same as the final approved plans. “We had a fantastic on-ground team who planned swift rigging on

site, giving us a spare day for pre-programming, which worked out great for us as every LD was able to check their show files very swiftly,” Deshpande recalled. “We did thorough checks with the house show file and ensured every piece of data that was shared was accurate before we did an official handover. Even during the festival, we had a representative from Ground Control and from Star Dimension or Stage Engage at each stage to assist every guest lighting designer.”

Deshpande was present at the BUDX stage along with colleague Ramanuj Deka, while Satvinder Singh, Akshay Khubchandani and Ajay Teja handled the Walkers & Co, Perry’s and NEXA stages respectively. “The setup at each of the stages looked absolutely fantastic and was duly appreciated – even by the headliners,” Deshpande stated. “We did not need to make any changes to the rig except for a few headliners where we had to add a couple of additional fixtures as part of their floor packages.”

Looking back on the project, Deshpande believes that Lollapalooza India was so efficient and effective in every aspect of its preparation and on-ground commissioning, that it has the potential to usher in a new era of lighting design within the country. “It was phenomenal to see fixtures clearly even in daylight, and the fact that we used the lighting rig to its full capacity to create mesmerising designs even for the day acts is a testimony to the unbelievable level

of planning, coordination, and collaborative expertise that we’ve all invested in Lollapalooza India,” he reflected.

“By the end of the festival, we had many travelling lighting designers thank us for all the information that was shared with them well before the show, as it evidently eased their preproduction work. In many ways, Lollapalooza India stands as a true trendsetter; and the festival has certainly kicked up expectations and standards several notches higher,” he added.

“We at Ground Control have already started implementing these working methodologies across all our shows. The suppliers who we work with on a regular basis have already got the hang of things and the process of rigging to programming has become much more efficient.

At the same time, we’ve also been fortunate to work with forward-thinking event companies and production heads who understand the kind of value we bring to the table.”

Hot on the heels of an incredibly successful first edition of the festival, the organisers wasted no time in announcing the return of Lollapalooza India in 2024 – and unsurprisingly, Deshpande and his team at Ground Control have already been confirmed to retain their working roles for the 2024 edition.

Photos: Ground Control www.lollaindia.com www.ground-control.in 31

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Lusail Boulevard Motorsport Festival QVision Productions marks Qatar Airways’ and Formula 1’s new partnership with a special event for more than 50,000 fans at Doha’s Lusail Boulevard.

Following the huge success of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, Qatar is continuing its quest to become a global hub for world-class sporting events, as its national airline, Qatar Airways, was recently named the Global Partner and Official Airline of Formula 1 in a deal that runs until the end of motorsports’ 2027 season.

To celebrate the landmark partnership, Qatar Airways invited VIP guests and 50,000 spectators to an evening of high-octane motorsport action at Doha’s Lusail Boulevard, featuring F1, rally, drift cars and a MotoGP bike racing down the strip; the display of an FIA World Endurance Championship hypercar; and a live performance from US R&B star, Akon. QVision Productions was entrusted with delivering the Middle East

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impressive spectacle, and Sharif Hashisho, QVision CEO and Managing Director, as well as the event’s Creative Concept Designer and Executive Producer, explained the brief.

“We were tasked with creating a combined private and public event that is impressive, surprising, spectacular and original,” he said. “It was planned and executed through a massive amount of internal brainstorming meetings with our creative, design, technical and production engineering team, as well as external stakeholders. We then decided on the best overlay approach before we initiated our installations and delivery.”

Hashisho recalled how his team approached the brief by splitting the public outdoor event into

four main segments, which were held across a 1.5km footprint on Lusail Boulevard. “The first segment was a welcome reception, which saw invited guests and international media gather and included live music entertainment, a supercar parade and exhibition, as well as seven-star passaround catering,” he commented.

Next was the launching moment of Qatar Airways’ global partnership with Formula 1, where an interactive launch button was triggered by the Minister of Sport, Formula 1 President, MotoGP President, and Qatar Motorsport Association President. “This activated a spectacular musical synchronised multimedia show combining CO2 Jets, SFX, fireworks, lighting and laser show across the entire 1.5km boulevard,” said Hashisho.

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This was followed by a Motorsport Show run featuring 19-time Middle East Rally Championship winner and four-time Dakar Rally champion Nasser Al-Attiyah, a Formula 1 car driven by David Coulthard, a MotoGP bike ridden by Dani Pedrosa, and a Red Bull drift car driven by Abdo Feghali, before the finale of a live performance from Akon.

“Our creative approach included transforming Lusail Boulevard to replicate a motorsport racing circuit,” Hashisho said, adding that 35,000 sq m of branding fabric was used to decorate the surrounding structures, fences and bridges with Qatar Airways and F1 branding.

“The boulevard was overlaid with a complete public PA system, 1,500 moving and static lights, 12 powerful lasers, 14 giant public viewing Middle East

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screens, and 1.5km of fireworks above the buildings,” he continued. “There were also several grandstands to host the guests and media, paddocks to host and maintain the show run, motorsport vehicles and bikes, as well as MOC for race observation, launching and concert stages.”

Among the 1,500 fixtures on the rig, Lighting Designer, Syam Gopinath selected a range of Claypaky fixtures, including: 100 Xtylos, 100 K-EYE K20 HCR, 100 Scenius Unico, 50 Sharpy Plus Aqua, 50 Sharpy Plus, and 25 Mythos 2.

“Once again, Claypaky was our go-to lighting solution for a high-profile event here in Qatar,” Hashisho commented. “Claypaky fixtures always come through for us and help us create memorable experiences for our clients.”

Kvant Show Production also played a major role in the evening, with 10 of its Atom 42W powerful lasers shining bright during the ceremony as well as Akon’s concert finale.

Hashisho gave his final thoughts on the production: “The event brought astounding entertainment and special appearances to Doha, raising awareness of all the motorsport events taking place in Qatar. As well as highlighting Qatar Airways’ and F1’s commitment to working together to reduce the environmental impact of their respective industries through responsible practices, it also showcased Qatar Airways’ commitment to supporting global sports.”

Photos: QVision Productions www.qatarvision.com

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Saudi Light and Sound Expo As the live events industry descends on Riyadh for SLS Expo, TPiMEA’s Justin Gawne reports from the tradeshow floor…

The Middle East’s live events industry is going through a transformation. With shows traditionally being held within the UAE – particularly Dubai – the emergence of Saudi Arabia is changing the landscape completely.

The country is aiming to transition from its oilbased economy into a more mixed offering, with tourism and entertainment a particular focus.

With huge infrastructure projects like NEOM and Qiddiya being built, offering completely new destinations within the country for both native Saudis and overseas tourists to visit, this has created a whole new market and need for products and services within the Middle East.

Aiming to act as the conduit for suppliers, DMG Events in Dubai launched the Saudi Entertainment & Amusement Expo, aimed at the theme park market, and in 2022, the co-located Saudi Light & Sound Expo also launched.

In its second iteration this May, SLS Expo showed some remarkable growth, with 59 exhibitors on the show floor, which was a net floor space increase of 110% on last year.

The exhibitors were a varied mix of local and international distributors, rental companies and a few manufacturers. Visitor numbers saw a yearMiddle East

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on-year increase of 57% with a total attendance of 4,693 excluding exhibitors. The attendees included 28% from outside of the KSA – and it certainly felt like the UAE’s live events industry had decamped to Riyadh for the show.

The programme included a full conference schedule running on the show floor, with talks on all aspects of the industry. Notable speakers included Koert Vermeulen of ACT Lighting Design; Mark Reeves of Six Flags, Qiddiya; and Mark Jan Kar from the Coca Cola Arena. The final session of the conference, Soundstorm: A KSA Case Study, led to the aisles being blocked by attendees as Michael Jobson of MDLBEAST and Matt Richman of productionglue talked through the staging of the premier Saudi festival.

Next year’s show will be moving to The Riyadh Front Centre – a larger exhibition hall which, based on this year’s growth, will certainly be required. Judging by the number of overseas manufacturers visiting this year, it’s a guarantee they will start booking floor space to capitalise on this nascent market. Make sure to save the dates 7-9 May, 2024.

Photos: TPiMEA www.saudilightandsoundexpo.com

Facing page: Michael Jobson and Matt Richman deliver a case study on MDLBEAST Soundstorm; the official ribbon-cutting ceremony for SLS Expo. Above: The Prince AV team; the YesTech stand; Mark Payne at ER Productions stand; Kvant’s Peter Prokopčák and Dusan Navara; Andrea Granata of Meyer Sound with Alice Macaluso of Venuetech and Andrew Nu of Kraftwerk Living Technologies; Huda Media & Events’ Silvio Bartolo; 360 Experience’s Olivier Monod de Froideville, Claypaky’s Alberico Damato, and ACT Lighting’s Koert Vermuelen; PixMob’s Stefan Zubovic and Audrey Houle; the Protec team; the Robe team; The Highlights stand; the Rock-It Global team; Sennheiser’s Fadi Costantine with Ismat Assafiri of Venuetech; TPiMEA’s Fran Begaj gets the immersive treatment from MediaPro International.

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Backstreet Boys: DNA World Tour As the legendary boyband’s epic world tour finally comes to a close with an extensive Middle East and Africa leg, TPiMEA catches up with the crew behind this long-running production at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena.

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The term ‘world tour’ is bandied around liberally nowadays, with the odd date in Asia or a Middle East stopover often considered enough to warrant its use, but in the case of Backstreet Boys’ latest tour, the worldwide credentials are well earned to say the least.

Starting way back in May 2019, DNA World Tour saw the legendary boy band perform 218 shows split over 11 legs, taking in Europe, North America, South America, Asia, Australasia, and Africa along the way.

With the end to an epic journey in sight, TPiMEA caught up with the Backstreet Boys crew at Abu Dhabi’s Etihad Arena. Production Manager Dan Mercer took some time out of his busy schedule to chat about the tour so far. “We’ve been to a lot of different places and done this show in many different formats,” he reflected.

“Our team is the best there is. Everyone is completely on the same page, which is especially important when you’re travelling far and wide. I know everyone says it, but we’re like a family.”

The final leg of the tour comprised shows in Iceland, Egypt, India, UAE, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and South Africa, with tight turnarounds between each date. “This is our local production version of the show,” Mercer explained while describing the setup. “The only difference is the automated Middle East

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elements, which add a little bit of sparkle that you need to compete in those markets. When we’re going from Cairo to Mumbai to Delhi to Abu Dhabi in the space of a few days, it’s not possible to do the 17-truck version of the show that we tour in the US and Europe. This is still fantastic – fans are certainly not missing out on anything.”

With such a far-flung and comprehensive touring schedule, Mercer has had his work cut out when it comes to advancing. “In some places, there aren’t many options for suppliers who can provide what we need. For example, in Iceland, where we started this run, there are only a couple of technical suppliers in the country,” he recalled. “We had pretty much every piece of kit that was available. There were around 11,000 people at the show, which is more than 3% of the country’s population!” Thankfully, the team faced no such issues in Abu Dhabi. “There’s a good infrastructure of well-established companies here,” Mercer commented.

Consistency is a quality that Mercer places huge emphasis on. “It’s important in a show like this where there are so many elements,” he highlighted, adding that the work of Stage Manager and Show Caller, David Commisso is incredibly important to this. “Dave calls it just like a theatre show,” he revealed. “Every lighting cue,

entry cue for the boys, and special effect cue is called over our Riedel Bolero 2.4GHz system.”

According to Commisso, the main challenge on a run of this nature is ensuring that as much as possible is in place and ready to go before they arrive on site. “It’s all about contact before the show,” he reflected. “We need to explain what we need, how the show works and ensure that everything is ready for us when we roll in if we’re going to achieve that level of consistency that is so important to us.”

The touring party carried its own marley throughout the run – again, with dependability in mind. “There’s a lot of dancing in the show and we’ve found in some places that if the marley is inconsistent, the guys could be prone to injury,” Mercer furthered. “No matter where we are in the world, we try to keep everything similar. It’s important for the artist that everything is the same – structured and organised. We have done it enough times now to understand what everyone needs.”

Casting his mind back to pre-2019, Mercer reflected on the original design intentions of the show. “The boys are quite involved in the design process,” he revealed. “The inspiration came from the guys wanting to have a thrust that’s like a baseball diamond. The thrust for

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the US and Europe had a fan pit in the middle and we changed it to this solid diamond for the amphitheatres in the US as well as this run.”

The A rig design also included an automated set piece the crew affectionately dubbed ‘the vortex’, as well as a V-shaped screen rigged above the stage, which mirrors the diamond in the thrust – the latter of which was maintained for the Etihad Arena show.

“One of the main inspirations behind the show design was Backstreet Boys’ history – or ‘DNA’ – so there are lots of elements in the video content that speak to their history and what has made them successful over the years,” Mercer added.

“They’re keen to embrace the nostalgic element. They are very proud to be a boy band that has lasted more than 30 years. They love to tour, and they have no intention of stopping.”

‘When the show gets really kicking’ After leaving Mercer to get on with his day, TPiMEA was afforded the rare treat of a four-way roundtable in crew catering with the Backstreet Boys audio team. Talking all things audio while breaking bread was: FOH Engineer, James McCullagh; Monitor Engineer, Michael Pollard; Playback Engineer, Romain Garnier; and Audio Middle East

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Crew Chief and Systems Engineer, Eoghan ‘Sammy’ Murphy.

Kicking off the conversation, McCullagh looked back on the sonic roots of the DNA World Tour. “Backstreet Boys are a band that spans three decades, so sonically there are some variables there but ultimately, they’re a quintessential pop band from the 1990s,” he said.

“That era has a signature sound – the Solid State Logic sound – so, that’s where we started.”

The FOH Engineer recalled how he sat down with Musical Director, Keith Harris; Playback Engineer, Romain Garnier and the band, and the group came to the decision to re-record all the tracks. “Everything down to the sample kicks and snares has been re-recorded,” he shared. “We’ve got 100-plus tracks in the box, spit out via a complex playback system to 64 tracks of MADI.” More on that later…

Ever the pragmatist, McCullagh is comfortable operating either his preferred SSL console at FOH or – as is often the case on local production shows such as the one we were witnessing – a DiGiCo SD10. “They’re easier to get hold of all over the world,” McCullagh said of the DiGiCo console.

“One of the main things we’re trying to create is consistency – for the audience, for the boys and

for us,” he said, echoing his PM’s ethos. “That goes across the whole production. How can we repeat this high standard night after night?”

When he’s using a DiGiCo console, McCullagh utilises some SSL outboard gear across the mixbuss to give some “colour and flavour” to the mix. “I use an SSL Bus+ compressor used in mid-side mode. What it allows is processing on any audio that is routed to your extreme left and right, and anything that is mixed in the middle such as kicks, snares, vocals, bass get processed separately. That means I can create different compressions over those two things,” he explained. “I found it was hard to get a more dynamic mix with a regular stereo buss because the transient was squashing the mix,” he added.

“This way I can use two different thresholds over the sides and the middle, so when the show gets really kicking and in-your-face, you can hold back all those big things that would hurt your ears but keep the energy from the side. It’s very useful.” That goes through an SSL Fusion outboard processor, which McCullagh described as “some smart analogue circuitry”.

Before lunch, the FOH Engineer had invited TPiMEA to listen to the difference in the mix with and without the harmonic distortion as, in his

“One of the main inspirations behind the show design was Backstreet Boys’ history – or ‘DNA’ – so there are lots of elements in the video content that speak to their history and what has made them successful over the years.”

Dan Mercer, Production Manager

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words, “It’s difficult to describe what it does to the mix, and it does different things for different people”. Our impression was that there is a clear difference, and the best way we could describe it would be that it adds an extra warmth and depth to the sound.

McCullagh explained the importance of creating width in the mix, allowing him to put the vocal in the centre. “When the distance between the centre and sides is narrow, it’s hard to perceive, but when you stretch it out, you can notice what is in the middle and the sides much more easily,” he said. “When you’ve got five lead vocals that are all harmonising and need to be the same volume, you need space. Creating that space means I don’t need to mix the vocals as loud as you might perceive in a narrower mix. I can tuck them in and that creates the impression that the mix is bigger and fuller.”

With five singers who spend almost the whole show in front of the PA engaging with the audience, the system design had to be thought about very carefully. “That was one of the key Middle East

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reasons for choosing L-Acoustics,” said Audio Crew Chief and Systems Engineer, Sammy. “They have the ability to offset by 35°, which means if you’ve got a thrust in front of the PA, you can avoid it. Without that, everything is lost.”

Sammy, who has worked with account holder Sound Image for the past 10 years as European ambassador, spends a lot of his time advancing the shows and puts considerable care and attention into the design and placement of the system. “We’re a big Vectorworks family, and we think in 3D all the time across all departments,” he commented. “Once we’ve drawn the shows offline, we go into L-Acoustics Soundvision, which is an incredibly powerful tool that helps us take the design from the CAD world into real life.”

The audio team agreed that every box has its pros and cons. “They all have different characterises, strengths and weaknesses, and we have and will continue to do the show on any available PA, but the support from L-Acoustics has been incredible and it works for our show,” Sammy reflected. McCullagh chimed in: “We

don’t have many days off in between shows and that takes its toll physically and mentally, but knowing that you have equipment you can trust is key to being able to create consistency.”

‘The other end of the snake’ “Whatever we put out, we are dependent on the other end of the snake… Michael and Romain’s department,” said McCullagh as he gave up the floor to Playback Engineer and “the heart of the show”, Romain Garnier.

Having been with the band since 2015, Garnier built the playback rig that was first used for the 2017 Las Vegas residency. “Back then it was ground-breaking in terms of its use of MADI and going all digital, and it’s still state-of-the-art to this day six years later,” he reflected.

“At the time, having any more than 16 outputs was usually very cumbersome, but we managed to pack 63 channels of MADI into a 4U rack,” he recalled. “I got two Macbook Pros running Digital Performer and we were able to get extensive counts of over 1,000 tracks in the box for the

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

entire show.” Garner runs a sample rate converter to up-sample from 48K to 96K. “That way I can send the MADI stream at 96K directly into the Orange Box if we’re on DiGiCo or the Black Light if we’re on SSL, straight into the console,” he explained. “We have massive amounts of redundancy, so it’s super-bulletproof.”

All the tracks were re-recorded by a live band, so the sound has genuine depth and realism. “It’s very dynamic,” he said. “There are samples from the records and the signature sounds mixed in.”

The show is also noticeably up-tempo from the records. “This is nice because it gives the crowd more energy, it gives the boys more energy and you can fit more songs in,” he pointed out. “The crowd certainly get their money’s worth.”

The newest member of the ‘noise boys’ is Monitor Engineer, Michael Pollard. Having got the call to step into the team during Backstreet Boys’ short Vegas stint in 2022, Pollard quickly got to grips with the SSL platform. “I was excited because I like the SSL sound, but I’ve never used Middle East

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the console before – especially not toured it,” he said. “Fernando Guzman from SSL came down to help me get acquainted with the platform, and immediately I realised how good it sounded.”

Pollard operated a DiGiCo Quantum 7 for the Abu Dhabi show, with various plug-ins to achieve the desired sound. While he’s comfortable on either platform, switching between the consoles can have its quirks. “On the SSL, there is a tool called Sorcerer, which is a cloned version of the Neve 5045 primary source enhancer, which I have on all of their vocals to help clean up any extraneous crowd noise and generally tighten the mix whenever they’re not singing,” he explained. “When we went to the fly rig with DiGiCo consoles, I got 5045s. For four out of the five guys, it was pretty much the same to use the Neve device, but with Bryan, his dynamics are so varied that the 5045 doesn’t have the range to give him the space he needs in his vocal mix.”

In response to this, Pollard has moved to a Waves server for this run. “I’m now running five

instances of the Waves PSE, and the difference has been night and day,” he reported. “Everything is tightened like I had it on the SSL. It’s made my file to my own ears sound way more consistent and given the result I’m looking for. That will be a permanent addition to the fly package. The only thing I wish is that SSL would put out a plug-in version of Sorcerer.”

All five of the band members are on Shure PSM 1000 in-ears. This was another aspect of the setup that has gone through an evolution, when they upgraded to the P10R+ Diversity bodypacks.

“It was instantly apparent how much better they are,” Pollard noted. “They have eliminated the high-gain mode, so everything is essentially at high gain on the P10R+, but the depth of field in the sound staging on the pack is significantly wider. It feels as though you’re on a bigger sound stage and the dynamic range is higher. You can hear much more detail.”

The tour carries its own IEM package, meaning it doesn’t have to rely on local

production having all the right equipment wherever they go. “Shure’s RF is always bulletproof,” Pollard commented. “No matter where in the world we go, if we have PSM 1000s, I’ll be sure to make whatever RF package we have fit – and we’ve been in some nasty RF environments in our time!”

The use of IEMs means there is a clean stage with no wedges and only a couple of flown side fills for vocals if the artists remove their in-ears.

“Kevin does that from time to time,” Pollard revealed. “We have an array of audience mics and they get a mix of those, but still sometimes he likes to get a real feel for the crowd screaming and yelling the songs back to him, so he whips his left monitor out. He has his vocal pan to the right to give the feeling of having an ear out and his vocal sitting on the right.”

For Pollard, that keyword ‘consistency’ remains a priority. “The band are very consistent about what they need in their mix and what they don’t,” he shared. “There’s no mixing psychology

going on with monitors. If they ask for something, it’s always straightforward and easy for me to take action. It’s nice to have a group that always knows exactly what they want and ask for it. You don’t need to be a mind-reader with them.”

The band are on Sennheiser EM 6000 microphones with 5230 or 9235 capsules. “The support from Sennheiser has been excellent,” Pollard reported.

Sammy interjected: “In fact, we’d like to give a massive shout out to everyone who has supplied us throughout the whole tour. From the smallest ‘mom and pop’ shop to the global outfits, everyone has been fantastic. We work with all different companies, but it always comes down to working with people, and we’ve been lucky to work with some amazing people.”

Clair Global Middle East provided both DiGiCo consoles as well as an L-Acoustics PA uplift that tied into the Etihad Arena house system. “We put in the PA a couple of days before the show, so we were in and out of the way,” explained Clair Global

Middle East’s Stuart Wright. “We much prefer to be ahead of everyone else, so they can come in and do their thing.”

Chatting to TPiMEA before the show, Wright was full of positivity for the upcoming postsummer season. “It’s going to be bonkers,” he predicted. “People are starting to understand that we are here and that means they get the same service, the same ethos driven from the top down, and their expectations are met in the same manner as they would be everywhere else in the world. The growth has been massive and we’re going from strength to strength.”

‘I never stop designing’ Lighting Designer and Lighting Director, Graham Anderson has been with the band for eight years.

“It’s been great working for them. It’s a real team sport, and the crew are some of the best,” he commented. “To do the shows in the places we do them in the short times we have to do them in, you need the best – you need people who are 47

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flexible, brilliant at what they do, and can do it with a smile, and that is what we have.”

Anderson described the evolution of the lighting design for this latest run. “This is one of several iterations, which started with our original arena design in 2019 where we utilised a scenic lighting element we called ‘the vortex’,” he recalled. “We took a break during the COVID-19 pandemic as everyone did, and we came back to do a shed run of amphitheatres in the US, which included a bunch of automated pods full of lighting, built by TAIT.” For this local production-type show, flexibility is very much the order of the day. “We’ve always been able to take the show to local production markets. When you’re moving so quickly and you know that freight can’t keep up, you need to take what you can get in every country,” he explained.

“The design is about being the most flexible for all the extremely different places we find ourselves in. Today, we’re in the beautiful Etihad Arena, which has got everything you could ever need, but two days ago we were in a field in New Delhi doing a different design.”

Part of that flexibility comes with the use of the overhead V-shaped screen, which was utilised at Etihad Arena but not for the outdoor shows on the run. “At this stage of the tour, it’s all about modularity. What can we use to fill the space, while keeping the show consistent and keeping the boys doing the exact same thing?” he posed, adding that there are some basic building blocks that always remain in place.

“There are five guys, so I’ve got five big backlights in a lot of looks – and that never changes wherever we go,” he stated.

In terms of fixtures, while Anderson has his favourites, he’s a realist and quite prepared to work within the constraints of the market. “We go with the best of what is available,” he said.

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

all you want, but if a particular fixture is not in the country, there’s not much you can do about it.”

In Abu Dhabi, the rig included GLP impression X4 Bar 20s on the LED risers, CHAUVET Professional Color Strike Ms in place of GLP JDC1s on the bottom of the V-screen and on the three overhead trusses, plus a plethora of Robe fixtures, including BMFLs, which were used as the main workhorse, and MegaPointes subbing for PRG Icon Beams.

The show is heavily timecoded. “When we programme these songs, we go over and over the timecode and add layer upon layer to give it some depth. We want to leave almost nothing for us to do on show night,” Anderson explained.

“Once the show gets going, I’ve got five followspots to call. I also monitor the rig and make sure everything is playing out properly and dive onto any light in need of attention – which happens a lot more often outdoors. Sometimes I miss busking away and hitting everything in time, but there’s too much to do here on the night.”

While the band’s big hits are always audience favourites, for Anderson, Chances off the latest album is a highlight. “It isn’t hugely well known unless you’re a die-hard Backstreet fan, but I Middle East

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think it’s a beautiful song and I was given free rein on that as there’s no video content to go with it,” he shared. “I’ve always loved that moment in the show, but there’s nothing I’m not in love with at this point because we’re 210 shows in and I never stop designing. It’s evolving constantly.”

‘This is just the beginning’ Lighting, video, cameras, rigging and trussing were supplied by MediaPro International. “This was quite a tight timeline for us, with around 18 hours to load-in,” said MediaPro’s PM Reynol Dsouza. “It took some time to perfect the positioning of the overhead V-shaped LED screen, but once that was in place, the rest of the load-in was smooth,” he added.

MediaPro supplied its Gloshine 8.3mm LED for both the upstage and overhead screens, with content running through Barco E2 processors.

The company also provided a comprehensive camera solution including four Sony HDC 1500 broadcast cameras. The rigging and trussing supply featured Litec QD40 and QX30 truss as well as numerous Lodestar one-tonne motors.

Anderson’s remit extended to overseeing the creative use of special effects and lasers from

market to market. “It’s such a good laser show,” he said of the production, recalling long overnight programming sessions with ER Productions’ Andrew Turner during the European run.

“The moments in the show that the lasers come in are huge,” he added.

“While lasers are in all the big songs you’d expect, we also have them in a ballad. I’ve been wanting to use lasers in a slow song for a while, and I feel like it’s a nice moment in the show.

They’re doing slow sweeps and hits, and they envelop the audience and surround the boys.”

Anderson describes the show’s finale as “gratuitously large”. He commented: “We have some more subdued moments in the middle of the set, but we make sure to hit the audience with everything at the end, bringing it home with CO2, confetti, streamers – the works. Everyone leaves the show singing, happy and blown away.”

Supplying lasers and special effects for the Abu Dhabi, Bahrain and Jeddah shows was Stage FX. “It was a pleasure to supply the whole Middle East Tour,” said Arran Hopkins, Stage FX Managing Director. “It’s great to see international performing artists committing to the fantastic venues that the Middle East cities have to offer.

Our overall stock numbers have grown in recent years, so we are more than ready, and we are excited to see this scale of multiple back-to-back tour dates in the Middle East hopefully become a typical occurrence.”

For the Etihad Arena show, the company supplied 20 High Power Lasers, 20 CRYO CO2 Jets, plus Low Fog, Confetti Stadium Blasters and Streamer Stadium Shots according to the tour’s technical rider. “With the tour dates being back-to-back, we had to allow for a total of three sets of 40ft trucks full of kit on tour at all times,” Hopkins reflected.

“Thankfully, this is no problem for us. We are pleased that with our high-quality kit, skilled crew and safety standards, there is technically no difference to the quality of shows seen in the Middle East to any other region in the world.”

The tour represented a milestone for promoter Live Nation, with the Middle East

and Africa leg the company’s largest run in the territory to date, with 12 shows across the region.

“Over the past 12 months, all Live Nation shows have played multiple markets across the broader region, including Maroon 5, One Republic, Westlife, Sting, Imagine Dragons, Blackpink and comedian Kevin Hart,” commented Live Nation Middle East President, James Craven.

“Regionally routed runs have a positive impact for fans, artists, and promoters alike,” he added.

“Fans get to see more artists; artists get to play to more fans and the promoter sees an increase in artist confirmations – it’s good for everyone.”

Following the roaring success of the Backstreet Boys run, Craven sees a bright future for Live Nation in the Middle East. “This is just the beginning, as we see the potential for 15-plus dates on future regional tours,” he stated. “We are the only live event promoter to have offices and teams in almost all the primary regional markets

now, which has further helped us fast-track our success in this area. Our goal is to continue to nurture and grow the touring market across all segments and areas of the region.”

Looking back on the mammoth DNA World Tour, Mercer has nothing but respect and admiration for his team.

“Building the team and relationships with people everywhere we go makes me feel like we’ve been everywhere and done everything.

I feel confident that when we have challenges, there’s nothing this team can’t do,” he reflected.

“That’s exciting looking to the future and whatever tours might come next.”

Photos: Live Nation Middle East www.backstreetboys.com www.livenation.me www.clairglobal.com www.mediaproav.com www.stagefx.ae 51

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Dubai World Cup Fireworks, drones and pyro planes combine on a connected canvas to form an audio-visual spectacular fit for Dubai’s most prestigious annual event.

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The UAE’s live events calendar can be difficult to predict, with shows often springing up with very little notice. However, a few dates are set in stone every year and always bring with them the kind of large-scale production that the country has become synonymous with.

One such occasion is the Dubai World Cup, which has been running annually at Meydan Racecourse since 1996 and has played host to some of Dubai’s most spectacular closing ceremonies over the years.

With the event held at the same venue each year, the main challenge for those tasked with producing it has always been coming up with something original and creative.

Taking on that challenge for 2023 was Artists In Motion (AIM), whose Project Director, Natalie Grassick, described the “blank canvas” brief from Dubai Racing Club (DRC). “The brief was extremely open-ended,” she recalled. “We were asked to create something spectacular, energetic and – most importantly – something that had never been seen before.”

AIM was awarded the project after the company’s eye-catching work on Expo 2020’s iconic centrepiece, Al Wasl Plaza. “It was important for the client that we not only had representation here in the region but also had direct experience of high-profile ceremonystyle work,” explained AIM founder and Head of Creative, Richard Lindsay. “Expo 2020 gave us a Middle East

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great platform and DRC was one of a few clients who came to us off the back of it. Good work leads to good work.”

The bold Dubai World Cup concept featured a choreographed display of motor gliders performing aerial acrobatics and flying in formation around 2,000 drones, all amid an LED laser light show and fireworks, synchronised to a rousing original soundtrack. Once the creative was signed off, the AIM team immediately set about assembling a line-up of suppliers who could come together to meet the audacious brief.

“You’ve got to rely on your experience and your team,” Lindsay said. “If you’ve got the right people involved, it always builds its own momentum.”

Artists In Motion’s chosen suppliers included: AeroSPARX, Al Laith, ARLD, Byrne Equipment Rental, Creative Technology Middle East (CTME), Dronisos, EFM Global Logistics, Flash Art, Gulf Crewing Company, JAM Event Services, Unified Aviation, Unusual Rigging and Engineering, and Wicked Tents.

Reflecting on the creative concept, Lindsay explained how his top priority was to create a “connected canvas” where each element was an integrated part of a larger scene, rather than a series of disparate features.

“It’s about understanding the audience and orchestrating a show that works completely in sync, with it being obvious where to look from start to finish,” he commented. “Meydan is a

unique challenge because it’s got such a long audience span and it’s important to fill the space while keeping the budget under control,” he said.

Detailed previsualisations in Unreal Engine were vital not only in helping all the various suppliers get on the same page and push the concept forward, but also in reassuring and managing the expectations of the client.

“We go to a lot of trouble visualising all our shows to a point where they are almost an exact replica,” Lindsay revealed. “When you’ve got a project like this with a lot of elements and disciplines from all over the world trying to come together in a short amount of time, the most powerful thing we can do is put together a visualisation. Unreal Engine is a great tool for both the client and the team working on the project.”

‘We needed something bigger’ Measuring in at around 100m long, the giant in-house LED screen that illuminates the home straight at Meydan Racecourse has been central to many a Dubai World Cup over the years. However, it soon became apparent in the planning phase that it would be necessary to augment the existing setup, so it wasn’t swallowed up by the sheer size of the incoming production. “It’s a very large screen, but relative to the show we were planning, we needed something bigger,” Lindsay recalled. CTME provided a full turnkey solution, including

PRODUCTION PROFILE

bespoke LED screens, content management, fully featured lighting, as well as a largeformat PA, audio distribution and an extensive communications package.

The video delivery comprised 1,400 sq m of outdoor INFiLED LED, 10 disguise media servers for content playback displaying a massive 68 million pixels and in-camera augmented reality for the closing ceremony broadcast, with three Barco E2 systems linked and used for screen management and switching.

The company also provided a six-camera PPU system, with 30 video engineers coming together to deliver the event. “Complexity and scale when working on projects of this size is always a challenge as there are so many companies and broadcasters involved – it’s a massive jigsaw being put together,” said CTME’s Head of Video, Tom Stocks. “It’s incredible to work with some of the most talented people in the industry.”

The biggest challenge of creating a larger canvas was that it had to be done without impacting on the day’s racing. AIM Executive Producer, Liz Goodyer, explained the brief: “With the audience onsite during the day, it was important to our client to not have the visual of intrusive structures around the racecourse,” she

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said. “It was vital to maintain a clear line of sight for the race caller from the main stand to the far side of the track. This meant the screen had to be held in a low position during the day and only reveal its full height just prior to the ceremony.”

AIM called on Unusual Rigging and Engineering to provide structure and rigging to support the main screen and lighting fixtures.

Richard Hoare, Project Manager at Unusual, detailed how his team met the brief. “We had four engineers working full time to devise a solution that would support, lift and lower an 18-tonne LED screen, measuring 20m by 13m, for the show’s content,” he described.

“The primary header truss was Double TT Eurotruss, which sat upon the three 30m towers with 260 tonnes of ballast in total. We also used 18 two-tonne Kinesys hoists with Libra 4.7-tonne load cells controlled via Vector and worked with the screen supplier to ensure the screen could be installed quickly and safely.”

Hoare underlined the importance of safety not just in the design of the support system but also the methodology of how the system was built. “We knew from the start that we needed to incorporate load monitoring into the automation solution and have a design that allowed us to

build and test nearly all the major components at ground level before being craned into location,” he stated. “To restrain the screen horizontally for wind loading, we installed a 20m by 13m truss grid that was then attached back to the three towers with six custom-designed trolleys that allowed for vertical movement while maintaining our 25m/s operational wind speed.”

Unusual was also responsible for the lifting process for a further four side screens. “Due to the clean look required by the client, the option to use a header bar or normal hoist for lifting was ruled out and therefore all the four screens needed to be ground stacked,” Hoare explained.

“This is where we were brought in – to design, supply and oversee the craning solution and reduce the installation period as much as possible,” he added. “Working with CTME, we devised a system that would allow for 3m by 10m screen sections to be built on the ground quickly with a normal header bar and then craned onto the scaffold deck structure 13m in the air, where the screen was landed and transferred across to a ground stack system.”

This allowed for fast installation and all four side screens were built in only three days. “The coordination with our engineering team to deliver

this project was outstanding,” Hoare concluded.

“In total, we had four engineers working across three different time zones and still we had minimal changes on site despite the fact that we were still designing elements as the towers were being erected.”

Al Laith was entrusted to supply LED screen supports, truss, PA towers and lighting troughs.

The company deployed ring lock scaffolding for all LED structures and Space Truss for the construction of the PA towers.

Project Manager, Rudi Botha emphasised the smooth coordination between AIM and all other suppliers involved. “The well-organised process allowed for seamless integration of the various elements, making the entire experience a truly memorable one,” he commented.

Michael Clark, Operations Director for EPC Services, credited AIM’s “exceptional project management” for the absence of any significant challenges. “The meticulous planning and coordination ensured that all aspects of the project were executed safely,” Clark explained. “It is an honour for Al Laith to contribute to such a prestigious event, and we look forward to future opportunities to showcase our expertise in the world of entertainment and sports.”

‘I walked away with goosebumps’ The lighting element of the production was designed by ARLD’s Aaron Russ – an old hand when it comes to Dubai World Cup productions, having worked on several previous iterations of the show. “We employed a lot of new technology this time around, using a selection of fixtures from Elation Professional, Ayrton, Robe, SGM, Astera and GLP,” Russ said of the lighting setup.

While the design utilised much of CT’s extensive inventory of the latest fixtures in the market, there were two “powerhouse” fixtures that Russ was extremely keen to use – the Elation Proteus Excalibur and Proteus Maximus. “CTME kindly purchased these fixtures to facilitate my requirements,” Russ revealed. “They were the building blocks of the entire show. They can be absolutely brutal when you need them to be but also delicate down to the smallest bit of control you need from them.”

AIM’s ‘connected canvas’ concept was integral to ARLD’s lighting design. “They required a design that would tie together the drones, pyro, planes and video – the catalyst or glue to hold it all together,” Russ explained. “Every element was big – massive LED screens, thousands of drones hundreds of metres into the sky, all the pyro Flash

Art could fit and, of course, the planes. So, how do you possibly keep up with that lot?”

Russ highlighted the infield as an area that is often overlooked and can turn into “a big black void” behind the screen. “I needed to fill this space,” he recalled. “I wanted to create a reflection pond kind of look to mimic the drones in the sky. This was achieved by completely random placement of 60 SGM P6 wash lights around the infield. There was no symmetry, no obvious shape to it – I think I told the LX team to throw lawn darts and place a fixture wherever one landed!” To broaden the stage further, 50 Elation Proteus Excalibur were placed in clusters running the back straight with a few more set midway into the infield. “Excalibur are incredibly powerful beam lights that punch through the pyro and drones, so they didn’t get lost in the background,” Russ explained.

Moving downstage, the screens were surrounded by a selection of CTME’s lighting arsenal including Robe Forte, Ayrton Karif LT, Perseo and Diablo, GLP JDC1 and impression X4 Bar 20, and Astera AX2-100. “The front straight was peppered with 80 Robe LED Beam 350 to add some low-level texture to the track,” Russ described. “I also used 24 Proteus Maximus on

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the eighth-floor rooftop. Their power and optics meant I could light the entire front straight evenly from above with colour and gobo using only 24 fixtures. I am not sure this could have been done to this level with any other fixture available in the Dubai market.”

CTME also provided the lighting control solution of two MA Lighting grandMA3 Full Size consoles and one light, all running in MA2 mode.

Six MA3 NPUs were utilised to control all the parameters needed to run the show, with a full range network of Luminex products and smart distribution systems from SES also in operation.

With around 800 cues in 12 minutes, the entire show was run on timecode. “A lot of the show was programmed offsite in ALRD’s WYSIWYG studio, leaving only a few updates to focus needed on site,” Russ revealed. “We moved the WYSIWYG suite to a studio on site during the build so I could be there to answer any questions and deal with any issues promptly – thanks to AIM’s immaculate planning, there were none.”

The LD was pleased with the relationships on all sides throughout the project, describing AIM as “a breath of fresh air” and noting that he was Middle East

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“over the moon” with the support he received from CTME’s lighting department, headed up by Sam Connolly. “Sam’s team were incredible to work with; they delivered ahead of time and with not a single system fault,” he commented. “There was a lot of mutual respect throughout the whole team, which made life enjoyable.”

Russ broke from tradition for this year’s show, moving from his usual position in a cabin at BOH to an improved rooftop FOH – a decision he is pleased he made. “I walked away with goosebumps, and that’s rare,” he reflected.

“There’s normally something I spot that I feel could have been improved, but not this time. I promise, the post event comedown was real on this one!”

‘Cut through the noise’ “Sound is absolutely vital for us, so we were never in doubt that a major system uplift would be required,” said AIM’s Richard Lindsay while discussing the show’s audio requirements. With this brief in mind, CTME’s audio team, led by Head of Audio, Wissam Shaheen, deployed a d&b audiotechnik GSL and SL-SUB PA system,

including four hangs of eight GSL8 in the infield, complemented by four ground stacks of three SL-SUB for low-end extension. “The results were impressive, delivering a true high-fidelity large cinematic sonic feel that matched the recordbreaking show perfectly,” Shaheen commented.

CTME’s large-format d&b PA combined with Meydan’s in-house nearfield PA, which took care of the venue’s day-to-day nearfield requirements.

Tim Cook, CTME Deputy Head of Audio, described how the two systems complemented each other. “We put our system on the far field around 140m away from FOH, which was roughly the middle of the grandstands. We took our time with the system optimisation process to ensure that the coverage was coherent, and all elements acted as one big cohesive system,” he explained.

“There was a lot of work on the R1 file to make that happen.”

Despite the long throw, the ArrayProcessed GSL system was more than capable of achieving the desired results. “It was the best-sounding Dubai World Cup I’ve ever heard,” Cook commented. “Our system delivered a lot of the low-end and it made a massive difference.”

Shaheen added: “The sound of the fireworks was huge, but the PA managed to cut through the noise. You could still hear even the spoken word very clearly and the low end gave that big cinematic feel. It was a perfect match for the show’s amazing visuals.”

Aside from the impressive sonic experience provided to the audience, the SL-Series broadband cardioid dispersion pattern also effectively controlled noise spill to the BOH, creating what Shaheen described as a “serene and pleasant” environment for the technical brain of the show. “BOH was a very sensitive operational area, so to be able to walk behind the PA and have a pleasant conversation was a big bonus for everyone,” he recalled. “It’s so cool to have such massive power in front of the PA and then behind it you could be fooled into thinking it’s nowhere near show-level.”

For control, CTME deployed a DiGiCo Quantum 338, utilising an OptoCore loop of six SD-Racks and SD-Mini Racks to cover the widespread I/O requirements. “We added approximately 4km of OpticalCon Duo Fibre to the venue’s existing fibre infrastructure to distribute audio feeds across the large venue, with Luminex switches handling all the nodes,” Shaheen stated. “The end result was a reliable and rock-steady dual-redundant Dante network.”

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“The sound of the fireworks was huge, but the PA managed to cut through. You could still hear even the spoken word very clearly and the low end gave that big cinematic feel. It was a perfect match for the show’s amazing visuals.”

Wissam Shaheen, Head of Audio, CTME

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The event’s communications system was carried by a structured network built by CTME, supported on the back of five Luminex GigaCore 26i switches and 10 14R units, which housed every component of data delivery, from the main two Riedel Artist Frames to 10 wired comms and 32 Bolero Wireless units. A total of 60 Motorola radios with four SLR5500 Repeaters were integrated from the start of the project, used before, during and after the build for backup and emergency communications.

CTME incorporated all external companies’ networks to ensure seamless delivery. “We had six DSP-2312 comms panels at BOH for lighting, drones, pyro and our video team responsible for everything relating to screen content and LED, and three RSP-1232 panels for the technical director, comms control and show caller, who were situated on top of the roof,” stated CTME Head of Integrated Networks, Darius Charlery.

“With the reach of our network system at the most important locations onsite, we ensured external companies’ broadcast units were also linked into our system to enable full show control by the show caller,” he added. “We also provided the show four-wire party line for communications between systems and other companies.”

Charlery reported that the RTS units used by CTME’s camera team “worked superbly as part of the massive multi-unit interface”. He furthered: “We covered positions easily through the seven Middle East

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Riedel Antennas posted around sites like FOH, MCR, Level Eight, and BOH for audio, video, pyro, and stage managers stationed there. On a gig like this, there are always surprises, but with the stakes so high, there was no room for error. Thankfully, the system was effective and produced satisfying results to a grand show.”

Andy Reardon, Managing Director of CTME, added his thoughts on the landmark deployment for the company. “Our teams pushed the boundaries and delivered a spectacular show,” he commented. “We had over 40 engineers and 50 crew working on the delivery and execution using the latest technology and supplying a world-class service. A huge thank you to AIM for engaging us on this ground-breaking event.”

‘The biggest pinch-me moment I’ve ever had’ With the event taking place in the middle of Ramadan, the presence of a live performer was never a consideration for AIM. Instead, the creative production company came up with a spectacle combining the ground-breaking trio of fireworks from Flash Art, a drone show from Dronisos, and pyro gliders from AeroSPARX, all into one cohesive production.

“When you do something outside the box and it’s integrated, it brings the suppliers together and creates a bond between everybody,” said AIM’s Grassick. “We’ve all been in boring production meetings where each department is taking

turns to talk about their own discipline, but with this show, everyone was committed to how we could combine to create a full picture. It suddenly becomes a lot more fun and the banter among the team takes on a life of its own.”

After working on several previous projects with Grassick, Flash Art’s Creative Director and Senior PM Piotr Szablowski was pleased to get the call to provide the main pyro element. “We have a great working relationship with Natalie, and we were with her from the initial pitching stage of the project,” he reported. “AIM’s concept was always evolving, so our job for some time was to advise on feasibility and the maximisation of the visual potential within our boundaries.”

Szablowski recalled the “long sequence of bouncing ideas back and forth under the guidance of AIM’s creative team” that formed the early design process. “The main goal for the pyro element was to provide an intense finale, but also to emphasise certain sections within the storyline, hopefully without overpowering the other media too much,” he revealed.

With so many stakeholders at play, this was always going to be a challenge – albeit one he relished. “So many people needed their input to be considered, needs met, safety regarded, ideas realised, space given, and time granted, that it becomes a glass object juggled between a large team,” he said of the project. “Thankfully everyone involved are seasoned veterans of their

respective professions, so this group of people were certainly the right ones to do it with.”

Looking back on the show, Szablowski was delighted with the reception it received. “From direct congrats to subsequent requests for a similar experience – the production went down brilliantly,” he reflected. “We often get caught up in the details and the day-to-day of our work and sometimes forget how much of an emotional ride it gives the audience. This was a special project to be involved in.”

Kris Vloemans of Dronisos was also proud of the achievement. “To fly about 2,000 drones – with the development, software and choreography all done in-house – is a major achievement that only a few companies around the world are capable of,” he reflected.

“There are various systems used by the different large-capacity drone show companies, but the Dronisos system relies a lot on Wi-Fi to be allowed to fly by the aviation authorities in any country. In a venue of this magnitude with this amount of visitors, Wi-Fi was probably our biggest challenge to overcome.”

AeroSPARX’s Guy Westgate viewed the project in similarly glowing terms. “A lot of large production companies are conservative and don’t want to do anything unless it has already been done before, but Piotr from Flash Art and

Kris from Dronisos were remarkable for being prepared to work with us to go way beyond their normal comfort zone,” he said. “I don’t think any of us would have considered a combined display had it not been for AIM pushing us to do something extraordinary. They had the vision of combining everything and it’s down to that vision that this project came to fruition.”

Westgate, who was one half of the AeroSPARX display pilot team for the event alongside Robert Barsby, described how the company navigated a minefield of potential safety concerns to help fulfil the creative vision. “We did a lot of work to understand all the potential hazards and identify all the areas where we could and could not fly,” he recalled.

“Anything that goes ‘bang’, could potentially explode at the wrong time, and even though the drones were computer controlled and fixed in space to centimetre accuracy, we have to operate under the assumption that something unexpected could happen with them and make sure that even if it does, it’s not catastrophic.”

While the rest of the show was synced using timecode, the addition of the human element brought a sense of jeopardy that wasn’t lost on the audience. “Unfortunately, Rob and I don’t work on timecode,” Westgate laughed. “We’re pretty good and I can almost guarantee that we’ll

be in the right place at the right time and roughly at the desired point in a manoeuvre, but we’re only human and there are a lot of variables to consider such as wind speed and air currents that can have an effect on our performance.”

The Pilot described “some very clever things” that were done by the drone team to help ensure that the two disciplines could operate safely alongside each other. “We had a practice run where all the drones were illuminated blue. We spent the whole 10-minute display orbiting above the drone formations, which allowed us to see in real terms where all the drones were going to be, including those that would be dark in the real display,” he recalled. “It gave us confidence and allowed us to pull in as tight as we dared around the mesmerising murmuration of drones.”

Westgate reserved special praise for Unified Aviation’s Mark Trotter who “did everything apart from fly the planes”. He commented: “We leant on Mark extensively. We’ve worked with him for many years and he understands aeroplanes and was a very important part of the production.”

Unified Aviation typically has a two-step role on a project, which starts with gaining all the necessary aviation permits and permissions from the relevant regulatory body, before moving on to a consultative phase. “Once the permissions are achieved, it’s all about working with the client

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“It’s all about knowing the process, and when we are brought in early as was the case here, we can help to achieve something very special.”

Mark Trotter, Unified Aviation

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and stakeholders to make the project a reality,” Trotter explained. “Part of that is about managing expectations. Each discipline has its own priorities, so it’s about finding the middle ground and finding solutions that work for everyone.”

The company has become something of an authority in this niche, working on several Dubai World Cup projects, along with Expo 2020 and various others over the past few years. “It’s all about knowing the process, and when we are brought in early as was the case here, we can help to achieve something very special,” he said, noting that this was the first time they had combined drones, fireworks, and aeroplanes in one coordinated performance. “It became a dynamic relationship management role. Each experience teaches you something new, and we certainly learned a few things on this one.”

The final formation saw the drones form a giant trophy shape, which the gliders circled while firing out pyro from their wings, creating a vortex effect. “That was probably the most dangerous part of the show,” said Trotter.

“The planes couldn’t go too far back because fireworks were there, and they couldn’t go too far forward because they would be over the crowd.

They were operating on a very strict boundary.”

Along with the trophy scene, Westgate was also particularly pleased with the final flypast,

which saw the gliders swoop down over the home straight while being chased by a line of pyro shots. “The whole display was on timecode apart from that final pyro chaser,” he recalled.

“AIM had the genius idea of making a hand-cued element, which meant that the final effect on the big screens and fireworks could be aligned precisely with our flypast. Every so often in my line of work, I get a moment where I think, ‘am I really doing this?’ This display was probably the biggest ‘pinch me’ moment I’ve ever had.”

Trotter was also impressed with AIM. “They did a great job,” he commented. “This is my third year working on the Dubai World Cup and it’s certainly the year that I’ve enjoyed the most. Hats off to them for an incredible achievement.”

EFM Global also played its part in the project, ensuring that the gliders made the 4,000-mile trip from Europe and landed on site to schedule. “The gliders were a pivotal element in the spectacular and it’s very gratifying to be associated with their safe delivery,” commented EFM Global Group COO, Gary Morter. “They have since made the return journey, again under EFM’s care.”

‘A complex, world-first delivery’ AIM approached Byrne Equipment Rental to provide essential site infrastructure. The company supplied full show power with

secondary distro with a capacity of 2.65MW; BOH cabins and toilets, including one cabin that was cleverly camouflaged with AstroTurf; as well as lighting towers, plant equipment and powered access solutions.

Byrne’s delivery didn’t stop at the equipment, with standby technicians on-site around the clock in the days leading up to the event ensuring that any potential technical issues were addressed swiftly. The company also handled various additional services including fuel, water, waste management, and cleaning.

“The execution of the event was highly satisfactory in a variety of ways,” stated Byrne’s Katy Grice. “Each aspect of the products supplied from our side performed flawlessly throughout the entire show, ensuring an uninterrupted performance. Moreover, the collaboration with the highly professional AIM team and their dedication brought significant value to the event.”

Also joining the supplier roster was Wicked, which provided its high-quality event structures.

“We would like to thank AIM for the opportunity to work together,” stated James Kearney – Senior Commercial Manager (Major Projects).

“From the beginning, we were impressed with their professionalism and clear communication.

They provided us with a detailed brief and a precise timeline, which allowed us to deliver the

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structures at the perfect time for the event,” he continued. “I was lucky enough to be present to watch the spectacle, and it was an incredibly impressive end to a fun day. Congratulations to AIM and everyone who was involved. We were proud to be a part of it and to work with such professional and detail-oriented event organisers.

We look forward to the possibility of working with them again in the future.”

JAM Event Services provided a Senior Health & Safety Advisor to create the Event Safety Management Plan and safety consultancy during the pre-production phase of the event.

“Our Senior Health & Safety Advisor was on site throughout the build and also the live phase to ensure that all safe systems of work were implemented and that all safety elements around the entire show were in place,” stated JAM’s Conor Rainey.

With so many potentially dangerous elements combining during the show, there was zero margin for error. However, according to Rainey, the fact that AIM and each of the suppliers were on top of their game made their job much easier.

“Their understanding of their own safety responsibilities meant that we never had to battle to get the required information from them,” he recalled. “Everyone understood the safety requirements, which is the way it should be and means we can focus on other areas that require our attention.”

He added: “Everything was safe in a complex, world-first delivery. It is always exciting to work on world-class projects that are on the world stage. When these types of shows push the boundaries, it pushes us, and we like that.”

Reflecting on the project, AIM’s Lindsay was full of admiration for the entire team who “rolled up their sleeves to make it happen”. He said: “There was a huge amount of trust between all the parties. Even though we tried to be as organised as possible, on an organic project like this, there are sometimes occasions where you need to buckle up and enjoy the ride, and that fact that our suppliers were flexible and accommodating meant that we could push the envelope of creativity until the end.

“Dubai World Cup is one of the most prestigious events in the country and it was a privilege to be entrusted with delivering it,” he added. “The sound of the audience whooping and cheering when the aeroplanes did their final flypast was truly special. It was amazing to be among the crowd and feel the energy.”

Photos: AIM, Flash Art, AeroSPARX www.dubairacingclub.com www.artistsinmotion.co www.aerosparx.com www.arld.ae www.byrnerental.com www.ctme.co www.dronisos.com www.efm.global www.flashart.com www.jameventservices.com www.unifiedaviation.net www.unusualrigging.com www.bewicked.me Middle East

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

TERHAL by Dragone A purpose-built venue in Diriyah hosts a dazzling theatrical performance that celebrates the rich history and culture of Saudi Arabia.

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Known globally for its innovative reinvention of theatrical live entertainment, Dragone’s imaginative creations play to sold-out venues the world over, receiving standing ovations night after night. For its latest ground-breaking project, the international cultural creation and experience design company debuted a world first in collaboration with the Saudi Ministry of Culture, TERHAL. The first production of its kind in the Kingdom, TERHAL is an original, live theatrical spectacular that celebrates the rich culture of Saudi Arabia, featuring acrobatics, stunts, aerial performance and dazzling special effects, and starring a combined cast of local Saudi artists and international collaborators from over 20 different countries.

The first Dragone creation to open since the passing of the company’s Founder and Artistic Director, Franco Dragone, TERHAL is a particularly special show for the organisation, with every team member striving to honour the Founder’s legacy in every aspect of the production. “Dragone’s work is rooted in the foundation of creating shows with social impact,” said Anna Robb, Dragone’s Chief Operating Officer. “It was Franco’s direction and wish for us to collaborate with Saudi artists. Seeing international artists perform side by side with Middle East

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local artists and watching them learn from and inspire each other demonstrates to me that this is more than just a show; it’s an evolution.”

The production ran from 2-19 March in a purpose-built venue in Diriyah. Speaking to TPiMEA after doors closed, Robb reflected on the importance of the project, which faced rigorous scrutiny from both an internal and external standpoint. “It was only natural for everybody to ask; ‘Do we have the right people around the table to deliver a Dragone show without Franco Dragone?’ There was also pressure from the Ministry of Culture perspective,” she added.

“We had a direct brief to represent Saudi culture authentically. If there’s one thing you don’t want to do when you come into a country, it’s appropriate the culture and be too cliché.

Every country has its nuances and it’s vital to understand them if you’re going to build an effective cultural show. Luckily for us, the Ministry of Culture was extremely supportive in guiding us towards what was appropriate and what would resonate with a Saudi audience.”

Despite the massive pressure, Robb was delighted with what her team produced. “Having seen and been involved in many Dragone shows over the years, I can say confidently that this measures up. The essence of a Dragone show

was there,” she beamed. “What a wonderful thing to do after Franco’s passing, to prove that we could continue his legacy.”

Dragone engaged with a Saudi event company, Hwadi, to help bring the project to fruition. “We gave the specifications to Hwadi for the type of venue we needed in terms of dimensions and weight-loading capacity, and, after an extensive search, together we realised that no venue in the country met the brief,” Robb recalled, adding that the client eventually offered a solution that they would never have imagined possible. “We explored various temporary structures that we could import, but in the end the best solution turned out to be building a brand-new semi-permanent venue!”

While this audacious solution promised to have the venue completed in time for the start of the run on 2 March, it meant that there would be little to no time to rehearse in situ, which is at odds with the Dragone ethos. “There’s a unique process that goes into any Dragone show,” Robb explained. “We like to spend a lot of time in the venue creating, and we need to preserve that time because we believe the show benefits from being given that time and space for creativity.”

Since the new venue wouldn’t be ready in time to offer this essential creative rehearsal

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

period, the production instead set up shop in a rehearsal space in Dubai Studio City, building the main production elements and operating from there for a few weeks, before eventually packing up and moving into their home in Saudi Arabia.

“There’s a delicate balance of how much you deviate from the ideal schedule and still deliver the ideal show,” Robb said of the unusual lead up to the production. “We had good Technical Directors, a good Creative Director and a good Production Director, and with this team we could navigate the challenges while ensuring the desired result.”

‘Up there with the best’ Describing the production process as “hard and fast”, Robb stressed the need for speed when it came to their chosen suppliers. “Creative approvals always take a lot of time, so by the time everything was approved, it was crucial that all our vendors were lined up and ready to spring into action,” she said.

Dragone appointed A Loud Minority (ALM) to oversee technical consultancy on the project.

Headed-up by Karl Jenkins, Ben Rodgers, Gent Wahlström, and Bengan Hovgard, the Dubai-based technical and creative company already has several large-scale projects under its belt after just a year in operation. “We were all working independently across projects in the region but saw that combining our specialist skills under one company could offer an exceptional resource to our clients,” explained Jenkins.

“We take a holistic approach to every project based on client requirements, but typically we offer an end-to-end consultancy, technical direction, and project management across all technical fields. We seek equilibrium and balance between all contributors to a project and work to find a solution to every question or impossible challenge posed. In a way, we see ourselves as the glue or the connective current in a circuit.”

Jenkins described TERHAL as “an incredibly ambitious project, which posed complex construction parameters combined with difficult timelines”. He added: “We provided overall technical consultancy and scoping services that turned the technical designs into reality for the client. Using our extensive knowledge of both mega shows and the key players in the region, we were able to service the project from a holistic procurement standpoint and choose the best technical delivery vendors for the job.”

The vendors in question included: BeWunder, Clair Global, Loud and Clear, Luminous, Pitchblack, ShowTex Middle East, Stage One Creative Services, and Wahlberg. ALM also supplied key production staff to the project, including a Technical Director, Associate Technical Director, and Operations Director.

“These key positions worked closely to lead key specialists to define the scope of the project and deliver with the vendors,” Jenkins stated.

ALM established clear parameters from the outset when it came to selecting suppliers. “We recognise that service, support, and inventory are what equips a supplier to be able to resource a project, so we reviewed all submissions on this basis to judge the value that a supplier can bring,” Jenkins commented. “With our understanding of the inherent challenges of the project, we were able to make carefully considered selections on partnerships that would service it best, with all its quirks and complexities understood completely.”

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Unsurprisingly, the short turnaround was ALM’s biggest challenge of the project. “Most of us are getting very agile in working with tight timelines, but this one was certainly up there with the best,” Jenkins reminisced. “We owe it to the professionalism of the vendors and specialists that we worked with to be able to deliver this show to such a high level.”

He added: “We’re proud to have supported the development of a show of this scale, in a new venue and for a sustained season working directly with local partners at all levels. We all come from a theatrical show production background, so the sense of achievement and joy that an enthused audience’s appreciation of a production brings is never underestimated.

To have delivered a show with this level of artistic and technical ambition within the given timeframe and parameters is something we’ll take pride in for a long time to come.”

Pitchblack’s Mark Hammond was bought on as the Rigging Consultant for the show. He spoke of the challenge in designing a rigging plot with the show’s creative content, and venue under development. “The plot was constantly evolving, with new versions issued to meet the needs of both the show and venue engineers,” he recalled.

With the majority of the load concentrated in the central stage area, Hammond had to find

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ways to spread this, working within the venue engineers’ strict parameters surrounding loading the roof structure. “The combination of the complexity of the task, unknown elements, and compressed timeframe meant that we brought onboard Rasti Bartek from Cundall to review and oversee the production’s structural engineering requirements,” Hammond described.

“It was essential that both ourselves and the construction company felt comfortable going into this, especially as it was the first show to be hung in that venue.”

‘Finger on the pulse’ TERHAL follows the journey of Saad, a young Saudi studying in Riyadh, as he travels across time and place to encounter friends, danger, and the intensity of nature, all to discover that the key to the future lies in the country’s heritage. Lighting Designer Josh Selander, along with his Associate LD Tim Reed, came up with a creative concept that helped lead the audience on the weird and wonderful journey, utilising colour palettes Middle East

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ranging from serene amber and light blues to vivid magenta, cyan, and green.

Lighting and video were provided by BeWunder. The company’s Head of Lighting, Paul Coopes reflected on the process. “Josh was very clear on the types of fixtures he wanted,” Coopes recalled, discussing the brief. “He was also flexible and listed suitable substitutions alongside his desired fixtures, which was very helpful.”

The main workhorse on the rig was the Martin Professional MAC Ultra Performance, with 149 of the fixtures deployed. Robe also featured heavily, with 56 MegaPointes providing aerial beam work and 84 Spiiders offering wash light. Ten Martin Atomic 3000 LED and 37 GLP JDC1 fixtures added floor effects and audience blinders, while 38 GLP impression X4 Bar 20s were used for cyc and stage lighting. The floor package was rounded-up with 31 Ayrton Perseo and 28 Robe BMFL Blades.

With Selander a devoted ETC user, Coopes recalled the challenge of sourcing the primary and backup Eos Ti consoles that the Lighting

Designer used for programming the show. “We ended up sourcing the consoles from ETC in the US,” he revealed.

Follow-Me was an integral part of the system, with four operators controlling multiple targets.

“Because of the venue’s size, the camera positions, and the fact that we had a Z axis, the use of Follow-Me came with its own set of complexities,” Coopes recalled. “However, the service and support from Follow-Me was great.

Gary Yates helped us design a slightly more complicated system to satisfy the requirements and one of the Follow-Me team spent five days with us to help with the calibration.”

With the company awarded the project just a week ahead of installation into the Dubai rehearsal space, Coopes was pleased with the speed at which the team operated. “We have some great technical planners, and the benefit is we can turn around some good technical drawings that we’re really proud of in a short space of time,” he commented. He was also delighted with the relationship with A Loud

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

Minority. “Karl had his finger on the pulse and was in constant contact to ensure that all the suppliers came together,” Coopes praised.

“The communication between us and Karl was flawless. He kept us in the loop, which allowed us to think outside the box and see where we could save time and create efficiencies not just for us but also for other departments.”

BeWunder’s Head of Video, Matt Holmes, talked TPiMEA through the impressive video setup, which included 19 Panasonic PT-RQ35K, two PT-RQ50K projectors and three AW-UE100 PTZ cameras, which captured the on-stage action from multiple angles.

“We proposed the PT-RQ35K due to it possessing the optimal brightness for the project,” he began. “There was some unique positioning required for these projectors to hit their targets. We had to avoid a lot of rigging not only for lighting but also the aerial artists. Using a laser-based projector gives more freedom on your angles and how they are tilted. There is a significant amount of weight in the 50K projectors, which were used to cover the rear scrim, but the crew managed fantastically.”

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VYV supplied four Photon media servers, a Vmix server and two Albion controllers, as well as 15 OptiTrack Slim cameras, which fed back to the servers and mapped the space, allowing the projectors to be aligned correctly.

Despite the quick turnaround, Holmes was delighted with the application of his team. “It was a jigsaw puzzle that came together quickly and neatly in the end,” he described. “The guys were unbelievable. I was so proud of them for what they achieved. It wasn’t just speed – they went through everything with a fine-toothed comb.”

Audio and comms were provided by Clair Global Middle East, with Dragone’s Sebastian Hammond creating the sound design, and Andy Tsang operating a DiGiCo SD7 with dual Waves Extreme SoundGrid servers from FOH. Clair’s George Forsyth, who filled the double duty of PM and Monitor Engineer, described the system. “This was our first show as Clair Global Middle East using the L-Acoustics L-ISA system,” he revealed.

The system comprised mains of K2 with KS28 flown subs; 10 arrays of six Kiva II above the stage in-the-round, with 20 Syvas in a surround

system at the back of the bleachers and 20 KS28s positioned underneath the bleachers for a surround low-end effect. A further four hangs of six Kara were deployed as high image arrays and used to create the effect of something rising high into the ceiling and leaving the building.

Clair provided 24 channels of Shure Axient Digital Wireless for performers including local and international vocalists and musicians, as well as Shure PSM 1000 IEMs. L-Acoustics X12s run off an LA4 amplified controller served as monitors for the B-Stage, while Forsyth operated a DiGiCo SD7 with redundant Waves Extreme SoundGrid servers in ‘monitor world’.

The comms system was made up of two Riedel Artist-1024 nodes accompanied by 14 Bolero antennas, 50 Bolero Wireless beltpacks, and 17 RSP-2318 SmartPanels. A FerroFish A32 Dante converter was used for audio transport and conversion, all run off Clair’s newly acquired Luminex GigaCore 30i switches.

“Radio communications came via 75 of our new Motorola R7 premiums,” explained Forsyth.

“We have recently acquired a further 500 R7s and 500 XPR 3500E. This increases our radio

Inventory up to 3,000 of the latest generation of Motorola units.”

The rest of the Clair team on the project comprised: L-ISA System Tech, Adriaan Van Der Walt; Playback Operator, Martyn Ward; Communications and Back End Systems Tech, James Landen; RF Tech, Beth O’Leary; PA Build Techs, Saleem Shinda and Saqib Ramzan; Deputy System Tech, Nawazish Ali; and Communications Operator, Harry Langner.

Reflecting on the project, Forsyth was pleased with how his team acquitted themselves. “I was really happy with the crew – we all knew what we needed to do, and we got it done with no issues,” he recalled. “Sebastian was a great person to work with – he trusts that you’re doing it right and doesn’t try to micromanage.”

‘Benchmark for rapid-activation theatre’ Stage One Creative Services provided both the production rigging and aerial package, as well as an automation crew for the entire four-month duration of the project.

The supply included a hexagonal mother grid, which was carried on 45 chain hoists and provided a mounting point for the winch diverts that formed part of the flying system for aerialists and scenery. The company also supplied seven

winches and associated drives, which were used to fly carefully choreographed aerialists and also to move large scenic components including a giant sun that rose above the horizon to create a dazzling piece of the performance.

Describing the show as “a benchmark for rapid activation theatre” Stage One’s Managing Director, Tim Leigh, reflected on the unique challenges of operating in a custom-built theatre in the desert. “The venue was absolutely boxfresh and there were a lot of other trades in the mix while we were installing,” he commented.

“The transformation that was achieved in the space of just a few weeks was remarkable. It was an ambitious gig, a just-in-time delivery and it was great to be working in a bespoke venue built purely for this performance.”

With multiple acts being performed on the same wire, Stage One’s Qmotion software proved to be a valuable tool for show control.

“What was interesting for us was the pace of the show,” said Leigh. “It was quick to transition from aerialists to lifting pieces of scenery, and for performers to get on and off our system and into the grid. The show caller had quite a job on their hands to keep up with the pace of the show.”

Following the production, the derigged equipment was returned to Stage One’s

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warehouse located between Abu Dhabi and Dubai for future rental, and Leigh is certainly not ruling out a return to the Kingdom sometime soon. “What I like about Saudi is the ambition,” he offered. “We’re being discerning about the projects we take on, but to do something for Dragone is very prestigious and we were honoured to be involved.”

ShowTex Middle East provided a range of scenic elements, including: 1,200 sq m of DekoTaft floor fabric used for centre-stage projection; 140 sq m of lightweight DekoSilk, which was controlled by just four performers using ropes on pulleys; Satinac Crunch projection fabric selected to match the stage design; 60 2m by 19m BannerDrapes, used on the ceiling elements and rolled up and down during the show; a super-wide Cyclo 200 CS print measuring 17m by 48m, which was used as the backdrop; 20 23m by 3m pieces of Voile CS used for kabuki fabric dropped on the first part of the show; and the biggest SpiderNet the company has ever produced at a total of 1,000 sq m.

ShowTex Middle East’s Regional Sales Manager of KSA and Qatar, Romeo Sale, singled Middle East

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out the ‘Flying Page’ element of the performance for its use of the company’s DekoSilk. “That was one of the most creative ways of using the material at its simplest setup with only four performers, ropes, and pulleys,” Sale recalled.

“It provided a truly mesmerising part of the performance with the simplest of methods we have ever seen in our industry.”

He added: “Project builds for a show this big will always have their fair share of challenges, from deliveries to technical issues and build schedules. However, the Dragone and Hwadi teams were very professional, and in the standard ShowTex fashion, we worked with them to find a fluid solution that works for everyone.”

For Dragone’s Robb, the greatest challenge was “keeping an overview on all the elements that were coming together so quickly” and ensuring that safety and standards were maintained throughout. However, she was delighted with the support from all the suppliers.

“All the vendors had to jump into a Dragone process and get onboard with the mission,” she commented. “They went with us, worked hard, committed to the project, and went above and

beyond on all facets of their delivery. That’s the beauty of a Dragone process – it brings everybody together behind a common goal, and the result speaks for itself.”

While Robb wouldn’t be drawn either way on the possibility of a future La Perle-style Dragone residency in Saudi Arabia, the COO offered her take on the possible next step following the success of TERHAL. “What we created in such a beautiful way was a show with a distinct Saudi flavour that I believe could be toured outside of the Kingdom and enjoyed globally,” she stated. “For Saudi to export entertainment just a few years into its journey into the field would be a wonderful opportunity to showcase the dynamic spirit of contemporary Saudi Arabia.”

Photos: Dragone www.dragone.com www.aloudminority.com www.bewunder.com www.clairglobal.com www.pitchblack.ae www.showtex.com www.stageone.co.uk

IN PROFILE

Pop Up Global Pop Up Global Managing Director, Amy Morris shares her lofty ambitions for the company as it sets up shop in the Middle East.

If you’re living and working in the Middle East, you might not have heard of Pop Up Global yet. However, according to the company’s Managing Director, Amy Morris, that won’t be the case for much longer. “We want to be the company that creates bespoke entertainment for a variety of sectors throughout the Middle East, from retail to awards, to cruise ships, hotels, and theatres,” she stated confidently.

“There’s a huge gap in the market for what we do. We are aiming to develop an incredibly diverse portfolio and judging by what we’ve seen in our short time in Dubai so far, there’s no reason why we won’t be able to achieve that.”

Pop Up launched in the UK in 2014 and it has since earned a reputation for its fresh, imaginative approach to entertainment, creating full-scale production shows to a West End and Broadway standard from scratch. “We don’t have a roster of acts – our creations are always on a bespoke basis, including choreography, vocal arrangements, musical direction, costume and set design, as well as sound and lighting design,” Morris explained.

After runaway success in the UK, the company recently made the move to expand into the Middle East, opening a branch in Dubai – a place where Morris has long had ambitions to call home. “Dubai is where I always wanted to be,” she told TPiMEA. “There are lots of fantastic opportunities in the UAE and the wider GCC, and nobody in the region is doing what we do to the standard that we do it.”

The Dubai adventure has already started with a bang, as Pop Up signed one of the UAE’s largest holding companies, Majid Al Futtaim, as its first client in the region. “We are going to be providing entertainment across Majid Al Futtaim facilities throughout the GCC,” Morris revealed. “It’s a fullscale delivery, 365 days a year, and that has given us a fantastic platform to set up in the region.”

So far, the Managing Director has enjoyed the business landscape in Dubai. “It’s not like Dubai has unlimited budgets, but there’s certainly a willingness to invest to have the best,” she reported. “Everyone has been very open to meeting with us. People generally are happy to help, whether that’s through making connections or giving recommendations.”

While Morris has no doubt about the hunger for high-quality theatrical experiences in the region, one challenge she believes Pop Up will have to overcome is the development of a large local talent pool.

“The entertainment here isn’t yet at the required level to attract the world’s best performers, but as the scene develops and more and more top-quality theatrical productions take place in the region, the talent pool will begin to grow,” she hypothesised. “Our aim is to create Middle East

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the kind of great shows that draw the world’s top talent to Dubai. The goal in 10 years is for the region to be a hub of the best people in the industry, but we first need to put on great entertainment to attract them.”

As well as being in the process of opening a new Dubai studio, the company is currently on a recruitment drive, and recently held a casting day in Dubai with more than 160 participants.

“The energy was great, and we had some exceptional performers,” Morris said of the day.

“It was a good starting point to get a snapshot of what’s out there.”

One factor that is crucial to Pop Up’s success is the culture it cultivates within its employees

– something driven by the fact that the people running the company are all former performers.

“Our company culture attracts the best talent,” Morris stated. “Performers aren’t just a number – we couldn’t do what we do without them, and that is the ethos that we want to continue in Dubai.”

While it’s still early days in Pop Up Global’s Middle East expansion, with a rapid start including a planned summer of entertainment at Ski Dubai and another series of casting days, there’s every chance that Pop Up will be a name we’re all seeing a lot more of soon.

Photos: Pop Up Global www.popup-global.com

Above: The Pop Up Global team, set to make their mark on the Middle East’s events and entertainment market.

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Eventify Entertainment The Eventify Entertainment team reflect on two successful years in business for a company built on personal relationships, trust and respect…

It’s often said that people work with people, not companies – and nowhere is this illustrated more clearly than in the case of Eventify Entertainment. While the company is just two years old, it is owned and operated by seasoned and well-respected event professionals who have learned, grown and made their mark in the region, having designed, developed and delivered some of the UAE’s most iconic events during their time in the industry.

After a barnstorming Q4 2022, which saw Eventify deliver a raft of high-profile events including Arab Media Forum, Sole DXB, Sharjah Events Festival, DSF Drones Show and the Atlantis The Royal Grand Reveal, TPiMEA was keen to check in with the team to find out more about what seems to be one of the fastestgrowing and most exciting organisations in the region’s live events sector.

The core of the company is made up of: CEO, Girish Bhat; COO, Vivek Velani; Director Finance, Mohit Bhandawat; Directors Events, Sonu AB and Suhail Maitreya; Director Production, Burgess Elavia; Event Producer, Jattin Gulati; and Senior Creative Strategist, Anu Thomas.

“We’ve all been in the industry for decades and people work with us for who we are as people rather than which company we are a part of,” said Suhail Maitreya, while sitting down with TPiMEA, along with Vivek Velani and Anu Thomas, over a cup of coffee in Eventify’s plush Al Barsha office.

Eventify came to be after Dubai-based agency Done Events ceased operations, with many of the key faces behind the company facing the decision of whether to go it alone as freelancers, join other agencies in the region, or get together to form a company of their own.

“When we started Eventify, each of us had great individual opportunities of being part of other businesses in the UAE, but somewhere along the line, our conversations with our clients gave us the confidence that we could come together and create something special,” Maitreya recalled. “We all have our individual strengths, but when we combine them, that’s when we’re truly strong. We always believed that we were disruptive event managers in the UAE, and this was our chance to prove that.”

So, the company was formed in September 2021, with priority number one being securing as many former clients as possible. “A lot of our clients reached out to us, giving us the confidence to start Eventify,” Velani recalled.

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“Most have now continued to work with us, which gave us a huge amount of confidence to push forward.”

Corporate work has proved to be a key pillar of Eventify’s offering so far, with the company delivering several large-scale conferences including Arab Media Forum (AMF) and brand activations for the likes of Porsche, McLaren and Etisalat among many others. “AMF is the region’s largest media conference by far, and we delivered it in a style that is very unconferencelike,” Thomas commented. “There were so many activities going on there and such a buzz around the place that it felt like walking into the hustle and bustle of a busy shopping mall, with stores, cafes and lots of people all keen to interact. That ambience was a key factor in the success of the event, and it went down very well with the client.”

The company isn’t limited to just corporate and conference work though, as it also ventured into the world of large-format outdoor events, including the hugely popular Sole DXB. “We were unsure about how the market would react to this large festival coming back, but the response we got was mind-boggling – it was the largest and most successful year in the history of the festival,” Maitreya revealed.

“To deliver Sole DXB while we were working simultaneously on the launch event for the

Atlantis The Royal as well as Sharjah Events Festival was a truly massive achievement.”

Maitreya outlined what he described as the company’s ‘Westernised’ approach to event planning, which is combined with a frugal approach to cost management. “We’re certainly not the cheapest, but we believe that we give the client the biggest bang for their buck,” he stated.

“The creativity and thought process we bring onboard are very important for our clients and result in a higher standard of event.”

‘It all starts with the client’s trust in us’ While the core team remains small, according to Velani, that brings with it an agility that allows the company to scale up and down when required.

“Our core team works throughout the year, and we bring in freelancers on a semi-permanent basis for the busy season,” he confirmed. “We can already see a lot of demand on the horizon, so we’re already reaching out to several key people to get them booked in from August.”

With a strong foothold in the UAE already established, the last part of the puzzle for Eventify seems to be expanding into the wider GCC market. However, Velani was keen to stress the importance of restraint. “We’ve all seen the growth in the likes of Qatar and especially Saudi Arabia, but we’re not in a hurry,” he revealed.

“We would rather spend time understanding the market to make sure that when we expand, we get it right first time. There are so many companies rushing to get set up in Saudi, but we don’t want to rush into it and make mistakes.”

The long-term vision for the company includes a greater focus on content creation.

“The natural progression is to diversify into other areas of the events business,” Maitreya explained. “There’s a strong video content and design component to a lot of what we do, which we currently outsource. In the long run, we would want to do a lot of that in-house. We will also look to focus on IP creation, as we have identified a massive potential for growth in this area and we endeavour to achieve this with a variety of partnerships with international and regional players within the entertainment industry.”

Looking back on the first two years of the company, Thomas pinpointed the trust between client, agency and supplier as key to Eventify’s success. “It all starts with the client’s trust in us, which allows us to deliver world-class events for them,” she explained. “This then trickles down to our suppliers, who we place our trust in, and also ask for their trust in return.”

Velani added: “We’ve always kept our suppliers happy. If we make a time commitment, we always stick to it regardless of whatever 81

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else is happening on the project. It can get complicated when there are different parties involved on different levels, but having those strong relationships across the board is a major factor in our success.”

With the traditionally quieter summer months now upon us, the Eventify team is using the time wisely. “Summer is a time for the team to rest, recuperate and rehabilitate, and spend some quality time with their families,” Maitreya smiled.

“It’s so important to find time to take a break every once in a while; it’s been a hectic year, and we know it’s going to be extremely busy once the season picks up again, so rest and recuperation is vital. Before you know it, things will be starting to get crazy again.”

CEO, Girish Bhat believes firmly that the foundation of the company’s success lies in its team spirit. “We are not merely a group of individuals working towards a common goal; we are a family united by a shared passion Middle East

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for creating exceptional experiences. It is this spirit that fuels our innovation, resilience, and unwavering commitment to delivering unforgettable events,” he commented.

“Together, we build upon a solid foundation of trust, collaboration, and mutual support, which empowers us to overcome challenges and achieve greatness.

“Our team spirit is the heartbeat of our company, driving us forward, inspiring us to dream bigger, and ensuring that every event we create is infused with magic and a sense of togetherness,” he added. “We celebrate each other’s strengths, uplift one another during tough times, and embrace diversity, knowing that it is the collective strength of our team that propels us towards excellence. With this foundation and unbreakable team spirit, we are unstoppable, and there is no limit to what we can achieve.”

Photos: Eventify Entertainment www.eventifyentertainment.com

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Pitchblack Mark and Sarah Hammond discuss Pitchblack’s brand-new facility, the launch of the company’s rigging department, and the challenge of being partners in life and in business...

Founded in Dubai in 2018, Pitchblack started life as a specialist draping rental company aiming to fill a gap in the market. “There were plenty of companies selling fabric, but when clients wanted to drape a ballroom, they would often have to buy the drape. It became so expensive, it was cost prohibitive for many clients,” said Founder and Technical Director, Mark Hammond. “I also found that while some companies owned drape, it tended to be an afterthought and stock was poorly maintained.”

In response to this, Hammond, who was working as a freelance rigger at the time, launched Pitchblack, to provide cost-effective rental drapery solutions to the market. “We originally thought it was going to be a little side project that would create some extra revenue, but it soon took on a life of its own,” he recalled.

Sarah Hammond joined the business as Managing Director in 2021, and the husbandand-wife team took the bold step of throwing everything into Pitchblack, recently launching a Middle East

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rigging division to go alongside the drapes. “The business had reached a point where it needed more attention, so Mark decided that he wasn’t going to take on any more freelance work and instead would focus on working on Pitchblack full-time,” recalled Sarah, who also worked in the industry as a PM on several high-profile projects including the 2012 London Olympic Games and 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics prior to getting involved with Pitchblack.

It was a big leap of faith and one that looked to be paying off until the pandemic hit, wiping out the live events industry almost overnight. “It certainly took the wind out of our sails,” Sarah reflected. “However, we knew from what we’d seen in that short period that there was potential, but we needed to go all-in to make it work.”

That confidence proved to be well-placed, as Pitchblack picked up a large-scale delivery in Al Wasl Plasa during Expo 2020. “With travel restrictions to and from the UK still in place, Stage One Creative Services used Pitchblack as

its local partner, subcontracting the installation of some high-level lighting brackets in Al Wasl Plasa to us,” Sarah recalled. “We took it, and that demonstrated our capability,” Mark added. “Both Sarah and I had prior relationships with Stage One, but it was still a big show of faith from them, and a big show of confidence from us to take on such a high-profile project. Thankfully, it worked out very well for both parties.”

The company is now operating at higher than pre-pandemic levels, with both the draping and rigging sides of the business growing exponentially. To handle this growth, Pitchblack has invested in a significant amount of equipment, significantly increased its workforce, and moved from its 5,000 sq ft space in DIP to a brand-new 20,000 sq ft facility in Jebel Ali. “We had visited Fruition Events and Clair Global in their facilities in Jebel Ali a few times and a place in the same block came up,” Mark revealed. “We thought, if we’re going to invest as much as we have in kit and people, why not back

Sarah and Mark Hammond are delighted with Pitchblack’s new 20,000 sq ft Jebel Ali HQ.

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it up with a proper HQ that we can be proud of?”

Sarah added: “We wanted a setup that would show our employees how much we care about them and want to invest in them and provide a nice place to work. Although it’s a massive move, it futureproofs us and means we don’t need to move again any time soon.”

With rapid growth comes added challenges – the biggest of which is the increasing burden on the company’s Technical Director. “The challenge is how we continue to grow, knowing that Mark is only one person, and a lot of the rigging bookings we get are on the strength of him as a rigger,” said Sarah.

And as if to prove the point, just days after our interview, Mark walked away with the coveted Rigger of the Year title at the TPMEA Awards 2023. “It’s a work in progress, but we’re moving towards the point where Mark can loosen the reins a bit and have more of an overarching remit. We’re focusing on bringing together the right people to ensure that we maintain delivery standards onsite,” said Sarah.

Another challenge is the seasonal and often last-minute nature of the industry in the UAE, making it something of a guessing game to know exactly how much resources will be required at any time. “We know that jobs will come in at the last minute, so we must balance the cash flow, resources and equipment, making sure we have enough capacity when the work comes along but not over committing,” Sarah explained.

“It’s an estimate; you have to take the punts, and we are getting braver at taking those risks,” she said, adding that the company has already begun to block-book several freelancers for the upcoming busy season in anticipation of an uptick in demand.

It’s easy to forget in among all the talk of turnover, recruitment and procurement that the Hammonds also have the unusual situation of being business partners, husband and wife, and Mum and Dad, all rolled into one.

“We wear so many different hats, it’s sometimes hard to separate work life from home life,” Sarah acknowledged. “The most difficult part is we sometimes forget how to communicate with each other; we get to the end of the day and we’re still talking business when we get home.

The to-do list is never ending, and the prospect of a laptop-free family holiday any time soon is almost unthinkable!”

Looking to the future, the duo are keen to continue investing for the long term. “We will encourage people to step up into new roles and support their growth,” said Sarah. “We started with a young, inexperienced team and invested time and money in training them up,” Mark added. “I’d rather have someone with the right attitude than a long CV. Someone took a chance on me in the early stages of my career and I’m a big believer that anyone with the right attitude deserves that chance.”

The pair have a ‘quality over quantity’ ethos that runs throughout the company. “I’d rather grow gradually than try to push too hard and let our standards slip. We want organic growth and that bears out with the amount of repeat customers we get,” Mark commented. “I can’t see us being a huge dry hire company or competing with AV rental houses in the future – it’s not of interest to us. I’d rather be a boutique than big.”

Photos: Pitchblack www.pitchblack.ae Middle East

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Staffing in Saudi Arabia THA Staffing Head of Event Experts, Emma Clark discusses the booming event staffing requirements in the Kingdom.

“With the aim of Saudi Vision 2030 set to diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy, and reduce its reliance on the oil industry, the state’s Public Investment Fund (PIF) was tasked with investing in companies and developing a series of giga projects. These have been positioned to stimulate growth within non-oil sectors and expand entertainment and tourism offerings for both Saudi nationals and foreign visitors. With this, the Kingdom has set out to invest $64 billion in entertainment and amusement by 2030.

“The nation has since seen a boom in the launch of annual calendar events as well as a huge surge in the scheduling of internationally appealing concerts, exhibitions and conferences. As a result, the staffing industry has grown to accommodate the rising demand for skilled event organisers and experts to support the burgeoning scene. Over the next 10 years, Saudi Arabia will be home to some of the world’s best event talent experts, given the entertainment sector’s rapid rate of expansion.

“In addition to the growing number of events, the Kingdom is seeing more immersive and memorable event experiences integrating the use of innovative technologies.

Organisers are increasingly thinking outside the box in order to ensure events stand out among competitor brands.

Examples of specific technologies to enhance the event visitor experience include interactive displays, augmented reality and VR, creating next-level experiences for visitors.

“As a result of the significant investment in the entertainment and events segment, Saudi youth, which make up 50% of the country’s population, are being encouraged to enter the industry. The 2019 Jeddah Season alone created 5,000 jobs for young men and women.

Many nationals who had previously left the nation to pursue Middle East

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careers abroad in markets such as the UK, UAE, and US are returning to the Kingdom to enjoy some of the many opportunities now available in entertainment.

“We understand that delivering an exceptionally authentic event requires expert planning, skilled event personnel, and dedicated and efficient on-ground support to ensure the event runs smoothly. With THA Staffing’s dedicated recruitment drives scheduled across Riyadh and Jeddah, we ensure bespoke screening processes to find the right talent in alignment with client requirements.

“We continue to expand our operations in KSA in line with the growing demand for staffing solutions for the entertainment and leisure sectors. Since we established our offices in Saudi Arabia, we have deployed over 1,000 personnel across our staffing and Event Expert verticals for many large-scale events in the Kingdom during a period of less than four months. Some of the events we have staffed include Noor Riyadh 2022, Neom Games 2022, MDLBEAST Soundstorm, Red Sea Film Festival, Coca-Cola FIFA World Cup Activation among others, and we aim to double this number over the next six months as we build our presence in the Kingdom.

“The outlook for Saudi Arabia’s events sector for 2023 and 2024 demonstrates the upward curve we are seeing come to fruition. We offer an innovative approach to talent sourcing for clients, and we are augmenting the entertainment segment with a freelancer-centric business model. This allows for seamless access to a base of more than 5,000 staff, in order to ensure the right talent is found to support any event the Kingdom has in store over the coming years.”

Photo: THA Staffing www.tha-staffing.ae

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PRG announces significant investment in Riyadh, KSA As Production Resource Group, L.L.C (PRG) announces a multimillion-dollar investment into its Saudi Arabian operation, TPiMEA catches up with Managing Director for the KSA branch, Bruce Mac Lean, as well as Director of Sales, Harriet Stewart.

Following PRG’s strongest performing year in the region, Peter McCann, CEO for PRG in the Middle East, recently announced a multimillion-dollar investment into people and assets at the company’s Saudi Arabian operation.

Although the news will have come as no surprise to those who work in the region and regularly come across the company’s flight cases on some of the Kingdom’s largest and most prestigious projects, according to Managing Director for the KSA branch, Bruce Mac Lean, the timing of the announcement was significant. “Working diligently over the past two years, we felt it important to build the operation that had the scale and operating capacity that our clients would expect from PRG,” he commented. “The benefit is that we can now respond rapidly as projects come in and be far more cost effective for our client.”

The company now boasts an impressive 40,000 sq ft facility in Riyadh industrial Zone, which is fully equipped with high-end assets in video, audio, lighting, rigging and staging technologies that are capable of supporting everything from dry hire to the largest and most demanding projects the country has to offer. However, Mac Lean was keen to highlight the fact that large-scale special events are only part of PRG’s strategy.

“The rise of large-scale special event, sports and concert touring are equally matched by the level of government, corporate and MICE business across the Kingdom – sectors that our team has been focussed on for some years,” he highlighted. “There are MICE events of all scales happening in venues all over Riyadh, Jeddah, the Eastern Province and beyond, day-in-day-out. This investment allows us to Middle East

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serve this market as well as the larger projects. Our clients in this sector expect a high standard of delivery, and we have established an operation that can match this within our service offering.”

The year-round nature of the Saudi Arabian market is a major factor in the company’s investment in the region.

“We’re seeing business opportunities that continue throughout the summer, too, so it makes sense for more of our assets to reside in this region permanently,” explained Sales Director, Harriet Stewart.

“The gaming and eSports markets are also an interesting space for us. Last year, Saudi Arabia launched a new gaming and eSports strategy to place the Kingdom as a ‘global hub’ by 2030,” she added. “This, coupled with our group-wide relationships within the eSports market, is extremely exciting for us in the region and an area of significant development.”

The recent investment includes a raft of state-of-the art technology including a range of lighting fixtures from the likes of GLP and Ayrton, including Domino Profiles and Washes, Cobras, and the soon-to-be-delivered Argo 6. Also included are a fleet of Barco 40K laser projectors along with Gen2 switchers and disguise vx 4+ servers to service the demand for projection-mapping – a particularly popular request among Saudi producers. “We’ve seen a particularly strong demand for large-scale projection in Saudi Arabia,” Mac Lean highlighted.

On the personnel side, PRG’s Saudi branch is on a major recruitment drive, with a particular focus on developing the local talent pool in the Kingdom. “It’s a huge, shared responsibility between us and the rest of our industry to make sure we develop that Saudi talent pool,” Stewart

commented. “With over 60% of the population under 30 and an explosion of opportunities, Saudi youth are embracing new opportunities, so there is a huge prospect to develop new industry personnel who are language enabled and culturally aware,” she added. “Production Resource Group has great experience in apprenticeships and globally we have a strong track record in developing young people within the industry. In Saudi Arabia, with the support of both the private and public sector, we see a great opportunity.”

Alongside the long-term vision of developing the local industry, Mac Lean is also keen to ensure that the PRG team continues to deliver for its client base. “We aim to continue with the track record we’ve developed over the past 28 years here in the Middle East,” he stated. “We focus on building relationships with our clients, and we care about the delivery just as much as they do.”

While most of PRG’s expansion to this point has been made through acquisition, for the Saudi operation, organic growth was deemed the best way forward. “We’ve been operating in the Kingdom since the mid-90s and as the event sector expanded, we have worked to establish an independent entity to look after the long-term relationships developed over this time and to explore those new ones that want the service levels we are known for,” Mac Lean stated. “Our clients are already feeling the benefit.”

With significant potential throughout the Saudi Arabian market, further investment in the future is inevitable. “Our expansion plans have the support of the group’s Board, and we are able to continue to grow at pace and are excited about what the future holds.”

Photos: PRG www.prg.com 91

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Pushing LED to the next level INFiLED Middle East’s VP of Sales, Samer Otaibi talks to MONDO-DR’s Todd Staszko about the manufacturer’s expansion in the region.

“INFiLED has been in the LED market for the past 14 years, and during the past eight years, the company has been growing massively around the world, opening offices in Europe, the USA and other continents, with the Middle East becoming a focus in 2020.

“We started with one member of staff working remotely, just before the pandemic, and since then, the market here has grown at a great pace. We began being involved in more projects through our systems integrators and our clients. During this time, the team started to grow, and we are now a team of around 15, with members of staff involved Middle East

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in sales, pre-sales, admin, technical sales and maintenance.

So, the Dubai office has become a hub to serve our partners and customers in the region.

“In 2018, INFiLED began to place more focus on the virtual production market and began collaborating with partners such as Netflix, disguise and Brompton. We pushed forward during the COVID-19 lockdown, with productions delivered in a virtual environment. After 2020, business began to boom, because we already had the infrastructure in place and the experience of working in this area during lockdown. I’m proud to say that we’ve installed screens in the two largest virtual production studios in the Middle East, Fractal Studio and PIXOJAM Virtual Production.

“We are now looking to take it to the next level, and we are in communication with big production houses in the region. In addition, we are paying close attention to the broadcast market, and will be attending IBC in the Netherlands, which gives us an opportunity to touch base with the end user.

“Attending Integrate MIddle East in Dubai was also important for us as it was an amazing opportunity for us to reach customers. On the stand, we showcased our 2.6-pixel pitch screen, which is virtual production enabled with high refresh rate, high scan rate and running on Brompton processors. The media server is provided by disguise, and we ran a collaboration with Canon for the camera and ARRI for the lighting, to come up with an XR solution. We also showed our flagship 1.5-pixel pitch screen – this is for the backdrop screen within a studio, and it’s one of the thinnest screens in the industry at 3mm, with very low heat dissipation, which is important in a studio environment.

“In line with the investments the company is making in the region, we are moving from Media City to Dubai Studio City. We are growing the technical team, sales, pre-sales and admin teams, so we need a larger space to accommodate this. Also, our customer base is increasing, so we are building a fully functioning showroom where we can demonstrate our flagship products along with our partners. We will also open a service centre in the same area to serve our customers in the region from one location, so there is no need for them to send any products to Rotterdam or China for repair or maintenance.

“We believe that INFiLED has one of the strongest R&D departments in the industry, and we are utilising them to push the industry to the next level. For the Middle East, our local presence is important, so we have a sales team located in Riyadh and Qatar, so that we can serve our customers quickly and effectively. In terms of innovation, we believe that the sky is the limit. We are technology driven, but we want to add a lot of innovation to our products, and we do this with passion. Every project is taken as a reference, so we put 100% of our efforts into ensuring the client is happy with what is delivered.”

Photo: Todd Staszko www.infiled.com

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Enablers of creativity Safe Events Director, Mark Breen talks about the company’s extensive work in Saudi Arabia and explains how health and safety helps facilitate the incredible creativity on show in the Kingdom.

There’s a common misconception of a typical health and safety advisor as a stickler for the rules who stymies creativity at every turn in favour of taking the zerorisk option. However, according to Safe Events’ Mark Breen, this could not be further from the truth. “We think of ourselves as enablers of creativity,” he outlined to TPiMEA. “There are very few ideas that can’t be figured out if we have enough time. The more ambitious and the larger scale they are, the better. That’s what gets us excited – the challenge of making innovative and creative things happen.”

With a penchant for ambitious projects, the Middle East is a natural fit for the Dublin-based company, which took on its first job in Saudi Arabia in early 2017. “The size and scale of the projects happening in KSA grew rapidly, and when we got the first enquiry to work with MDLBEAST in early 2021, things moved up a few more gears,” Breen commented, recalling that first conference call with the MDLBEAST team.

“As I was listening and seeing more and more fantastic people join the chat, that was when I knew the project would have legs. As we know now, it’s very, very real!”

With the Safe Events team preferring to be brought into projects at the earliest possible stage, Breen has found Middle East

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Saudi Arabia to be particularly ahead of the curve in this regard. “One of the things we really like about working in the Kingdom with forward-thinking companies like MDLBEAST is that they understand completely that safety is a key department that needs to be at the top table,” he commented. “For clients who are trying to lead the way and do ambitious things, we become another valuable partner that is involved from day one.”

The fact that large-scale live events are still a relatively new phenomenon in the Kingdom brings its own set of unique challenges. “There’s a big difference between crowds in KSA and elsewhere,” Breen reflected. “The culture of attending live events is still being developed, and it’s not something that happens overnight. There’s a huge element of social engineering taking place in Saudi Arabia, which we’re a tiny part of.”

The flipside of this challenge for Breen is that it provides an opportunity to make a genuine difference. “If you enjoy being at the birth of an industry and helping shape things, there’s a lot to be gained from working in KSA,” he commented. “It has its challenges, but if you enjoy giving back to the industry and helping something develop, it’s an amazing place to be doing business right now.

“There’s a raw appreciation for going to events in Saudi because it’s still such a new industry. Of course, audiences enjoy going to festivals all over the world, but they’re used to them, they have lots of options and they happen all the time,” he added. “If I ever look around on a show where there are hundreds of thousands of happy smiling faces and I don’t get a massive thrill out of it, that will be the time to finish up and do something else.”

A large part of Safe Events’ goal in Saudi Arabia is to develop the local industry in the country through training and educational programmes. “We do the job, and we think we do it well, but it goes a bit beyond that,” Breen explained.

“A big part of what excited me during that first call I went on with the MDLBEAST master planning team back in 2021 was that there was talk of developing the industry, introducing training and bringing best practice to the country.”

As well as contributing to a major educational programme that was mandatory for anyone working on Soundstorm, Safe Events has also run its first NEBOSH International General Certificate Course in the Kingdom, led by the company’s Technical Director, Paul Budden.

“We’re a very operational safety company, but one of our key goals is to impact safety on events well beyond ones that we are contracted to be involved in,” Breen concluded.

“Whether that is creating free infographics, running #EventInsights webinars, doing training, or funding the NEBOSH course as part of our investment in the region, we get a kick out of doing things that make the whole industry safer for everyone.”

Photos: Safe Events www.safeevents.ie

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Middle East

GEAR HEADS

Super Structure Equipment – Ultra Tri-Fold Fresh from exhibiting at Saudi Light and Sound Expo, Dave Nazir of Super Structure Equipment (SSE) explains the benefits of the company’s new in-house trussing solution, Ultra Tri-Fold.

top connection and lower spreader arm design.

Main chords are oversized to allow for better compression resistance.

The hinges, spreader and truss-to-truss connections are all achieved using various size pins. The main truss is based on two sizes – this means the base and tower can be easily plotted and the roof system is completely customisable to suit the needs of a particular client or event.

What needs in the market does the Ultra TriFold address?

There is an abundance of material available in various markets around the globe. The Ultra Tri-Fold allows for easy width changes using the basics of simply adding or removing a main truss for width alterations without having to bring in major component changes.

The Ultra Tri-Fold roof is designed around the ringlock scaffold dimensions that have been most commonly found in the entertainment industry for the past three decades (207mm by 207mm), and the system has been designed so it can be easily deployed in multiple widths and goal post configurations.

How is the system constructed?

The main component of the roof system is constructed of steel because it is aimed at the higher load capacity segment. The design is based around two ladder trusses with a hinge Middle East

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What are the other benefits of the system?

With its customisable traits, the Ultra Tri-Fold is totally adaptable and designed for markets with higher load capacities. The ability to customise the width and depth is what makes the Ultra Tri-Fold roof unique. The new system will offer the market a new, unique way to progress what can be achieved in the superstructure industry.

Why did you decide to enter into the largescale structure market?

The massive increase in demand from the Saudi Arabian market, combined with our deep industry knowledge, meant it made sense for SLS Production to open this new division, Super Structure Equipment, to focus on large-scale structures such as truss roof systems, scaffolding installation, super structures, domes and large tents for a variety of events.

SSE guarantees the highest quality and stage safety standards of products. We take pride in assuring 100% safety and security with the structures we erect. With our experienced, professional team on site, we ensure that every project receives the care and attention required for it to succeed.

Photo: SSE www.superstructureme.com

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

Expo City steps up to grandMA3 Agora completes an upgrade of Al Wasl Plasa’s lighting system, updating its show files to make the most of its existing MA Lighting grandMA3 setup.

Al Wasl Plasa has been front and centre of Dubai’s entertainment offering since it was unveiled at Expo 2020. Now the shining light of legacy project Expo City, the iconic dome recently received an upgrade to its lighting system, enabling shows to be programmed in MA Lighting grandMA3 software.

Agora is responsible for the supply, installation, maintenance and operation of the system, and the company’s HOD Lighting, Fabrizio Ganzerli, explained the rationale behind the decision to move over to MA’s latest platform.

“The lighting, console and computing unit control system at Al Wasl Plasa has always been grandMA3, but until recently all the programming was done using the grandMA2 system because the new software was not yet ready and reliable to be used at the time of installation,” he said.

“The MA2 system is amazing, but sooner or later this system will become redundant and MA3 will take over completely. Therefore, switching to MA3 was always going to need to happen at some point.”

With the quieter summer season incoming and the MA3 software now at a point where they were comfortable implementing it, Ganzerli and his team opted to make the change.

“It took us around three months to migrate all the show files,” he recalled. “MA’s migration tool was great to copy over all the cues and fixtures.

However, I had to manually input all macros, effects, presets and timecode.” According to Middle East

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Ganzerli, the most time-consuming part of the project was transferring the effects from the MA2 to the MA3 show file. “The show was created

by Woodroffe Bassett Design, and it is stunning but extremely complex, with over 10,000 effects running. It was a huge job, but it provided a chance to dig deeper into the system and learn more about its intricacies,” he recalled.

Now the system is operating on MA3 mode, Ganzerli reported a significant uptick in performance. “Once we switched to the MA3 system, the hardware immediately worked much faster,” he stated.

“We run a 175MB show file with more than 7,000 presets, so it’s not small. Before, to upload the show file or work on the patch, the network was quite heavy, and you could feel how much work it was going through. Now the system feels light and fast, because the MA3 is optimised for the software it’s running.”

The system has already been put through its paces, being operated on the Road to COP28 event as well as a special production that ran throughout Ramadan. “It’s done a great job so far, and we know that we are now future-proofed,” Ganzerli concluded. “The season has come to an end now, but once we start back up again in September, we’ll be ready and waiting with this state-of-the-art system.”

Photos: Agora www.agora.ae www.malighting.com

EAW names GSL Professional as GCC distributor The deal will see the loudspeaker manufacturer further expand its reach into the Middle East and broaden GSL’s audio offering in the process.

EAW International Audio and Acoustics Technical Sales Specialist, Steve Badham; GSL Professional CEO, Fouad Fowzi; EAW Regional Representative, MEA, John Dodson.

GSL Professional has become the newest distributor of Eastern Acoustic Works (EAW) in the GCC region and Egypt.

“We are thrilled about our partnership with EAW,” commented GSL Professional CEO, Fouad Fowzi. “EAW’s combination of innovative design, strong customer relationships, ongoing product development and commitment to quality and performance will be key to its success in this highly competitive market. Together, we will continue to deliver exceptional sound solutions to our clients in the GCC region and Egypt.”

Further investing in EAW’s regional customers, GSL offers a dedicated service centre located in Dubai to support clients and ensure a satisfactory after-sales experience. Featuring highly skilled and experienced technicians, the service centre handles a variety of maintenance,

repair and support services. Additional support can be found through GSL’s product specialists, who offer on-site assistance that stems from a thorough knowledge of EAW and extensive industry experience.

“Welcoming GSL Professional as our newest distributor is an exciting venture for EAW,” stated EAW President, T.J. Smith. “GSL provides only the highest level of technical, marketing, service and sales support, for both consultants and integrators, as well as venue operators, engineers, end-users and more.

“We look forward to creating a strong and enduring partnership that will bring more opportunity to our GCC-region customers.”

Photo: GSL Professional www.gslprofessional.com www.eaw.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

Privilege Club upgrades lighting system Em-Tec and Lighting Designer, Alex Douglas select PROLIGHTS-based lighting setup for spectacular Dubai nightclub installation.

Privilege Club in Dubai recently decided to enhance its lighting setup, engaging Em-Tec and Lighting Designer, Alex Douglas to come up with a solution to provide visitors with a visually captivating experience befitting the venue.

The lighting fixtures were supplied by PROLIGHTS’ UAE distributor, PRO LAB, and included the PROLIGHTS ArenaCob 4FC and Air 5Fan. By strategically positioning the ArenaCob 4FC fixtures around the videowall to mimic the colours displayed on the screens, Douglas achieved dynamic and immersive visual effects.

“The ArenaCob 4FC fixtures have undoubtedly enhanced the visual impact of my lighting design,” he stated.

Douglas further explained his choice of fixtures. “Firstly, the Air 5 Fans caught my attention with their sleek and clean build and visually appealing lenses that provide eye candy and offer a wide spread of light thanks to their five independently moving heads, which can Middle East

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be adjusted from 0° to 28°, allowing for versatile lighting effects,” he commented. “Both the Air 5Fan and ArenaCob 4FC fixtures also come with helpful macros that enable quick programming of pixel looks, saving valuable time during setup.”

Rami Harber, CEO of PRO LAB, expressed his satisfaction with the outcome of the project and the collaboration with Em-Tec and Douglas. “Our commitment to delivering excellence is reflected in our supply of top-of-the-line equipment,” he stated. “Through this collaboration, we have showcased the power of advanced technology and expertise in creating unforgettable experiences. We are dedicated to providing our clients with the tools they need to achieve their vision, and I am confident that our partnership with Em-Tec and PROLIGHTS will continue to set new benchmarks in the industry.”

Photo: PROLIGHTS www.prolights.it www.emtec.xyz

ROE Visual opens Dubai office and demonstration centre The launch of the subsidiary marks another milestone in the company’s ongoing international expansion.

ROE Visual has launched its subsidiary office in Dubai, with a grand opening ceremony taking place on 19 May following the Integrate Middle East and CABSAT shows.

The spacious office in DMCC Free Zone features a comprehensive demo space, utilising LED products for various applications, from AV integration and broadcast to live events, offering visitors the opportunity to experience ROE Visual’s range of products first-hand.

“The establishment of the ROE Visual Middle East office marks yet another key step in our illustrious history,” commented Sales Director, Grace Kuo. “We are delighted to be celebrating our expansion in the Middle East and are grateful for the trust and support our customers and partners have extended. This expansion into the Middle East region is set to further solidify our global presence and continued growth for many years to come.”

The launch of ROE Visual ME exemplifies the company’s commitment to leveraging the region’s growth potential and heightening its market presence. “Being close to our consumers has always been a part of our corporate ethos,” stated Senior Sales Manager, Daisy Zhong. “We

prioritise long-term relationships and strive to build partnerships in the region.”

ROE Visual Middle East has close ties to the Shenzhen-headquartered facility, enabling the subsidiary easy access to the company’s global product range, as well as consulting and technical engineering support.

The team is focused on the verticals of live events, film and broadcast, and AV integration, drawing on local demand.

The showroom will showcase ROE Visual’s various LED products, including the Black Pearl BP2V2, Black Marble BM4/BM2, Opal 1.2, Vanish V8T and Ruby RB1.5 – all powered by high-end Brompton Processing, Megapixel processors and disguise media servers.

With the demonstration centre now open, the ROE Visual ME team is looking forward to welcoming customers to experience its products.

“It’s an exciting time to be advancing in the MEA market,” said Vice President of Sales for MEA, Khalid Sweidan. “My objective is to provide our local clients with assistance and support to the highest possible degree.”

Photos: ROE Visual www.roevisual.com

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Middle East

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

MediaPro International invests in Ayrton solutions The company boosts its lighting inventory with a major purchase of Cobra laser-sourced fixtures.

MediaPro International recently added to its repertoire of state-of-the-art equipment, investing in Ayrton Cobra laser-sourced fixtures. The company ordered a total of 226 compact Cobra laser-sourced fixtures, which were used at sporting events, music festivals, award ceremonies and other events.

“We needed a fixture that had an IP rating and was weatherproof, that can be used during sandstorms, rainfall and diverse weather conditions. It also needed to be capable of long throw distances, with lots of gobo effects and everything else we would expect from a luminaire. We are familiar with Ayrton products and decided to trial Cobra to see if it met our expectations,” said MediaPro Head of Lighting, Christopher Dawson, explaining the investment.

“Cobra is all the above and more,” he added.

“It combines the power of a sky tracking unit with all the extra features such as gobos, colours and prisms. The fact that it is a laser source is very helpful because the power consumption is much lower than other sources. The fixture weight makes Cobra easy to use at events, which is a definite advantage. We took time to familiarise ourselves with the new safety regulations concerning the laser source, trained the team on the new features and capabilities of Cobra, and once we were up to speed, we found it easy to install and maintain.”

Designed for rendering a D65 white point that allows perfect colour reproduction, with an output of 386,000 lux at 20m, Cobra is Ayrton’s first laser-sourced, IP65-rated fixture. With a 38x zoom ratio and a zoom range of 0.6° to 23°, the fixture carries Ayrton’s continuous pan and tilt and is capable of illuminating an object several kilometres away.

MediaPro Technical Director for Lighting, Semynov ‘Sam’ Dsouza was also “extremely happy” with the performance of the Cobras. “For all the days that it was flown on the structures, we never once had to replace any fixtures, and that makes us extremely satisfied,” he reported. “We were very impressed with the beam production and quality – the Cobras added a perfect look to all the scenes they were used in. The IP65 rating is a bonus; we look forward to using it in our future productions.”

Dawson concluded: “When purchasing a new product, part of our stipulation is that technical and service support should always be available to us. In the events world, we can run Middle East

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into problems at any time of the day or night. I am pleased to say, we always enjoy good service from Ayrton whether it is in the quick provision of spare parts or technical assistance over the phone. Ayrton has given us great support and continues to do so.”

Photos: MediaPro International www.ayrton.eu www.mediaproav.com

Bad Weather Productions relies on Blackmagic Design The creative technical studio deploys a custom broadcast solution focused around Blackmagic Design equipment at several high-profile projects in South Africa and internationally.

Bad Weather Productions has enjoyed a busy season utilising a custom broadcast solution focused around Blackmagic Design (BMD) equipment on projects including Comic Con Africa, the Imagine Dragons and Lumineers South Africa tours, Rocking the Daisies and several Boiler Room events.

While Bad Weather’s briefs are diverse, the need to deliver a complete broadcast solution that is quick to deploy, scalable, and logistically viable, as well as the ability to integrate with other systems and adapt to the challenges that the live environment demands is always key.

Bad Weather specialises in creating unforgettable visual experiences through complete broadcast solutions for live performances, recordings, and streaming platforms. “It’s all well and good to have highresolution cameras, but if you’re not connecting with your audience both in the venue and online, then essentially we’re not doing our jobs,” explained Jonathan Bandli, Creative Director at Bad Weather.

After focusing on livestreaming and online events during the pandemic, Bad Weather has since shifted its attention to live performances with additional streaming capabilities in order to provide the best of both worlds to a hybrid audience. Blackmagic Design products have created the central pillar for the company’s solution, allowing scalability and integration with many other systems and applications.

“Blackmagic Design’s products have given us the flexibility to try new things and build unique solutions at a good price point,” commented Bandli. “With enough understanding of the equipment, we can squeeze maximum usability out of everything we own.”

Bad Weather specified compact fly kits using ATEM SDI Extreme ISO combined with studio cameras and Blackmagic Design’s flagship 12G Constellation racks, which feature BMD URSA Broadcast G2 cameras, a 1ME Advanced Panel, an ATEM Camera Control Panel, scopes and everything in between.

“We’re very pleased with our investments in BMD and consistently hear positive feedback from various clients regarding the performance of the systems, which only further cements our belief in their technology,” confirmed Bandli. “The kit has handled any challenge we have thrown at it, and we have found BMD systems to be reliable and stable.”

Photos: Bad Weather Productions www.badweather.co.za www.blackmagicdesign.com/sa 103

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

The Production Warehouse Roadshow 2023 showcases new technology Elation Professional’s exclusive sales partner in South Africa takes to the road to display the manufacturer’s latest products.

The Production Warehouse Roadshow 2023 took place in mid-May, providing an opportunity for the AV distribution company’s theatre, rental house and broadcast clients to get up close and personal with its latest lighting products, including luminaires from Elation Professional’s Proteus, Fuze, and KL series.

As well as showing off the latest kit, the tour, which visited Johannesburg and Cape Town, was a chance for the company to renew relationships post-pandemic. “Being our first major roadshow since COVID, it wasn’t only about showcasing the latest technology Elation has to offer,” said Marnus Nieuwoudt, owner of The Production Warehouse.

“It was more about reconnecting and networking with old friends and colleagues, while meeting some new customers along the way.”

Nieuwoudt reported particular interest in the Proteus line of IP65 lights – especially the Proteus Maximus, Proteus Lucius, Proteus Rayzor Blades and Proteus Rayzor series. “I believe this stems Africa

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from how Elation has managed to evolve past the basic IP65 water resistance for temporary outdoor use to the point of marine-grade specification, making it suitable for permanent outdoor installation,” he commented. “This is something that is especially useful in the harsh, unpredictable climates of the coastal South African towns.”

The KL series, including the range of KL Fresnels and softlights, was also a definite hit, Nieuwoudt noted, not only among rental and theatrical clientele but also with key players within the film industry.

International Sales Manager at Elation, Jonas Stenvinkel was on hand to lend support at each stop, providing valuable product and market insight. “The roadshow was busy the entire week and our products were very well received,” he stated. “That is a real affirmation of Elation’s increased market presence in South Africa and the excellent work that The Production

Warehouse is doing.” The Production Warehouse has been Elation Professional’s exclusive sales partner in South Africa since 2015 and has grown the brand significantly.

“It has been great to watch the Elation brand mature in South Africa, from being the new brand in the market to a strong respected industry player,” Nieuwoudt remarked. “Elation as a brand caters to the creative lighting designer with innovative ideas like SpectraColor and SparkLED, while still being an affordable choice for the rental house owners who must consider return on investment,” he added.

“This is why Elation is becoming a ‘no brainer’ and gaining popularity within the South African market. The roadshow was a success, and we look forward to welcoming Elation back soon for the next one.”

Photo: The Production Warehouse www.elationlighting.com www.productionwarehouse.co.za

Stage Audio Works Namibia moves into new HQ The state-of-the-art facility improves long-term operations and provides a demo space for clients to experience SAW’s application-ready solutions.

Stage Audio Works (SAW) Namibia recently moved into new offices in Faraday Street, Windhoek. Leaving behind its old headquarters in Diesel Street, the new facility will help focus and improve operations in the long term and provide a state-of-the-art demo space.

The office changeover was carried out in multiple phases to ensure that SAW Namibia’s service to active clients remained unaffected.

The new office offers a streamlined, professional design, while retaining the functionality required for SAW Namibia to serve its core markets.

“We couldn’t be more thrilled with our new headquarters,” commented Joppie Maritz, Managing Director of SAW’s Namibian branch.

“Our decision to move was motivated by the desire to separate our traditional musical instrument (MI) vertical from our physical showroom. While the showroom played a crucial role in our business’s foundation and growth, we recognise that times have changed.”

He added: “We continue to provide excellent service to the MI industry, but we have shifted to an online retail model, which has proven to be a win-win solution for everyone. This has enabled us to streamline our showroom experience and showcase our corporate installation and communication solutions more effectively.”

While the new building is smaller than the company’s previous HQ, according to Maritz, it more than meets SAW Namibia’s needs and vision for the future. “Originally, the space was a large, open-plan room – a blank canvas. We worked closely with an architect to plan the layout, tailoring it to our specific needs and constructing partitions and zones.”

The premises consist of four key areas – the showroom, a large meeting room and a smaller meeting room, alongside a general office space. Each area is equipped with cutting-edge technology from SAW Namibia’s portfolio, such as the Audac sound solution in the showroom and main boardroom. SAW’s visual solutions are also represented in the showroom, in the form of four Samsung 55in OMN Smart Signage screens, while MagicINFO server integration allows for easy content control and playback. This improves workflow and enables SAW Namibia to showcase its solutions to customers.

The larger of the two meeting rooms is designed around a Microsoft Teams Room on Windows (MRToW). Two 55-inch display screens provide high-quality video, while the Sennheiser TCC 2 ceiling microphone ensures excellent audio fidelity for all meeting participants. The smaller meeting room is designed around a

Microsoft Teams Room on Android (MTRoA) system, which natively offers ‘bring your own device’ (BYOD) capabilities. Participants can share directly to the 65-inch LED screen from their own laptop and utilise other installed technologies in the room. Both meeting rooms include room scheduling touch panels, integrated seamlessly with the rest of the unified communications.

“Recently, we’ve been serving a lot of corporate clients, who are attracted by the prospect of a better content management system,” explained Maritz. “For our own benefit, as well as theirs, we have integrated a comprehensive solution that simplifies content, device, and data management for users, allowing them to create, publish, and monitor content on a single platform, and interact with it on any of the screens we have in the showroom. We can familiarise them with the technology and show them the benefits of these systems in real-time.”

He concluded: “We cover all bases across these three rooms, as each is built on a different, innovative content-sharing system. With our new facility, we are better equipped to demonstrate the advantages of each option and help our clients select a solution to fit their unique needs.”

Photos: Stage Audio Works www.stageaudioworks.com/namibia 105

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