TPiMEA #048 June/July 2024

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We go behind the scenes at the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix After Race Concerts

The world’s leading autonomous racing series makes its debut in Abu Dhabi

We explore MDLBEAST’s brand-new, multipurpose indoor venue in Jeddah

The Middle East and Asia leg of the + – = ÷ x Tour comes to a triumphant close in India

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INTRODUCTION

Welcome to TPiMEA

Peter Iantorno Editorial Director

The first MDLBEAST event I attended was Soundstorm in 2022. I’d covered the early iterations of the festival remotely prior to that, but it wasn’t until I walked through the gates of the massive 5.5km purpose-built site in Banban on the outskirts of Riyadh that I truly got a sense of the enormity of the operation. I discovered during that trip that as well as putting on the biggest live events Saudi Arabia has ever witnessed, MDLBEAST has a much broader remit – the creation of an entire industry.

It’s an ambitious target, but having witnessed what the organisation is capable of, one I was in no doubt they would achieve.

That’s why it was no surprise to me when I went to Jeddah to see what the company had produced for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix (SAGP) After Race Concerts that this overarching vision was gaining momentum at a rate of knots. As well as taking in the impressive show and learning about the history of the SAGP event (page 62), I also paid a visit to the Onyx Arena – MDLBEAST’s brand-new multipurpose indoor venue capable of hosting everything from a corporate dinner up to a 12,000-capacity standing concert. Enabling a wide variety of activities throughout the year, the landmark development represents another major step towards the company’s goal of developing the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia. Read our profile of the new venue on page 72.

MDLBEAST also played an important role in the cover story for this issue, David Guetta’s Monolith show from the desert of AlUla. We spoke to the creative and technical masterminds behind the production for our in-depth report on page 42.

Elsewhere in the issue, we have a production profile on the debut of the world’s leading autonomous car racing series, A2RL (page 50). We hear from Al Laith’s Director of Operations, Michael Clark, on more than a decade at the company (page 8), we catch up with Simple Minds’ Lighting Designer, Mark Wynn-Edwards, following the band’s Dubai show (page 78), and much, much more.

Finally, I’d like to thank all our sponsors, suppliers and everyone who attended this year’s TPiMEA Awards in Dubai.

Despite the heavy rain disrupting the lead-up to the event, we had a record turnout of over 600 people in attendance to celebrate the incredible achievements of the industry over the past year. Congratulations to all the winners (you can see a full list on page 16). We look forward to welcoming even more of you for 2025.

Enjoy the issue.

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Middle East

Contents Subscribe Online

Cover Story

42 62 50 www.tpimeamagazine.com

78

First Look 08 Michael Clark

Al Laith's Director of Operations looks back on more than a decade at the company, and discusses how the industry has changed since he started out.

Event Focus 18 Zayed International Airport

People creates a spectacular drone show to mark the launch of ZIA.

22 Sharjah Light Festival

Dazzling projection lights up popular cultural event.

26 Qatar-UAE Super Cup

A football double-header strengthens the bond between neighbouring nations.

30 Amr Diab, El Gouna

The Egyptian star celebrates the start of Eid in style.

32 Ed Sheeran, Mumbai

The Middle East and Asian leg of the +–=÷× Tour comes to a close with India's largest ever Meyer Sound deployment.

36 SLS Expo, Riyadh

TPiMEA visits KSA's top light and sound tradeshow.

Production Profile 42 David Guetta: Monolith

A spectacular production from the desert of AlUla.

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 Contributing Assistant Editor Jacob Waite Mobile: +44 (0)7592 679612 e-mail: j.waite@mondiale.co.uk Editorial Assistant Alicia Pollitt Mobile: +44 (0)7508 441986 e-mail: a.pollitt@mondiale.co.uk Commercial Director 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 Account Manager Sheelan Shah Mobile: +44 (0)7401 690960 e-mail: s.shah@mondiale.co.uk

50 A2RL 2024

Digital Content Manager James Robertson Mobile: +44 (0)7725 475819 e-mail: j.robertson@mondiale.co.uk

62 SAGP After Race Concerts

Marketing and Event Manager Alice Clarke Mobile: +44 (0)7752 392465 e-mail: a.clarke@mondiale.co.uk

In Profile 72 Onyx Arena

Chief Executive Justin Gawne Mobile: +44 (0)7768 850767 e-mail: j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk

The world's leading autonomous racing series rolls into Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit.

On-site coverage of the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

Exclusive: MDLBEAST launches a brand-new multipurpose indoor arena in Jeddah.

Interview 78 Mark Wynn-Edwards, Lighting Designer, Simple Minds Following the band's Dubai show, TPiMEA catches up with the brains behind Simple Minds' production.

80 Feedback

Mondiale Group Chairman Damian Walsh

Accounts Lynette Levi / Sarah Miller: ar@mondiale.co.uk Cover Photography Monolith by High Scream

86 Gear Heads

www.tpimeamagazine.com www.tpimeaawards.com www.tpimagazine.com www.tpiawards.com

Printed By Buxton Press www.buxpress.co.uk

@TPiMEA_Magazine

90 Regional Round-up

The latest news from the Middle East and Africa, including AVI-SPL, BeWunder, and DLC Events.

CLUSTER S1

Graphic Design & Production Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Jez Reid: j.reid@mondiale.co.uk

JAM's Nadine Hugo and James Mistry weigh up fighting for the freelancer versus championing the client; The Bulb's Selina Donald explores the Middle East's problem with plastic; and FLOW KSA's Stephen Lynch talks sustainable solutions.

The AUDIOFOCUS ARRoCC constant curvature system is put under the spotlight; and Robe Middle East's General Manager Elie Battah explains the benefits of the company's new IP-rated iFORTE.

THE CLUSTER SERIES

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FIRST LOOK

Michael Clark, Director of Operations, Al Laith Having risen up the ranks at Al Laith over more than a decade at the company, Michael Clark has become a stalwart of the Middle East’s event industry…

It’s often said that the events industry is one that chooses you, rather than you choosing it – and this is certainly something that rings true when it comes to Al Laith’s Director of Operations, Michael Clark. Born in Cairo, brought up in Dubai and educated in the UK and Australia, Clark was bitten by the events bug right from the start.

With Al Laith turning 30 next year and Clark having been with the company for more than 12 of those years, the Egyptian-Australian has become part of the furniture and a fixture of the Middle East’s events industry community.

The Al Laith Director of Operations sits down with TPiMEA and looks back on his route to his current position at the company, discussing how the industry has changed since he started out – not least with a greater push for better health, wellbeing and sustainability that is such a focus for Al Laith as a company and Clark as an individual.

How did you get into the industry?

After attending school in Dubai and the UK, I studied for a Bachelor of Arts and Tourism at the University of Western Sydney; one of the modules in that course was Event Management and, as part of that module, we had to create our own event. We put together a street basketball competition which we took very seriously, advertising it, securing sponsors, arranging a grandstand for spectators as well as providing local DJs for entertainment. It was a great learning curve, and I really felt the buzz; I’d been bitten by the bug and from then on, I knew that I needed to be involved in events in some way.

After university I moved back to Dubai and went straight into the events industry, working first for a company called FP7, which back then had the contract to manage the Middle East

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Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens. I later joined Byrne Equipment Rental, which was my first taste of being a supplier to the events industry.

During my five or so years at Byrne, I became acquainted with the then-owner of Al Laith, Tony Nobbs, and we went on to work together on several projects. Al Laith was a company that I had always admired and aspired to work for one day, so when Tony gave me the opportunity to join them as a Junior Project Manager in 2011, I jumped at the chance. I’ve since worked my way up the ranks, serving multiple leadership roles, before being appointed in 2021 into my current position, Director of Operations.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Every day is different, but my top priority is always to remain client-facing. I believe it’s important to be a well-rounded operator, so I still handle a lot of pricing, site visits, and sales, ensuring that every department has the resources to deliver projects to the high standard our clients expect.

These days, I find myself acting more as a generalist rather than having a specific focus during the season. In the off-season, we focus on maintaining our equipment – if you take care of your kit, it will take care of you. We also prioritise ongoing training and hold regular workshops to discuss new innovations and what we need to improve on in the next season.

How has the emergence of the Saudi market changed your seasonal approach?

The UAE remains a seasonal market, with a noticeable dropoff in activity during the summer months, however, our KSA team remains very busy on sites throughout the summer.

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FIRST LOOK

We’ve been present permanently in Saudi since 2019 and have grown our Saudi team considerably to cater to the demands of our clients.

We have invested heavily into Saudi Arabia with a 12,000 sq m facility in Riyadh, as well as an increased inventory of equipment and quantity of people, and we have plans to continue that growth. While some specialised and unique equipment will still travel between the Middle East and the UK, generally whatever enters Saudi tends to stay there and we replenish stock in the UAE to keep up with regional demands. If any equipment does need to travel over the border, we have a great logistics team that is wellexperienced now, so it’s not too much of a problem.

What’s your management ethos?

In this industry, agility and creativity is everything. Over the years, my management style has evolved from micromanagement to a more macro-level approach, aligning with the company’s growth. We used to be a much smaller operation, with around 150 people for the entire season.

Now, we peak at about 1,200 people across 45 sites in four countries. With such a large team, it’s impossible to oversee every single decision at a micro level. Therefore, it’s essential to trust the people we’ve brought in to manage their teams in their own way.

Letting go hasn’t been easy – I admit I’ve interfered when things weren’t done as I envisioned. However, I’ve learned that the more I share my vision and my knowledge with my team and the more I give them the freedom to do their work, the better the working environment becomes for everyone, including myself. My role is to support the team, providing the necessary inputs, problem-solving and directing equipment and resources to complete projects to Middle East

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a safe and high-quality standard. This must be done within the systems and parameters we’ve established to ensure responsible operations.

How much of a focus does Al Laith place on mental health and wellbeing?

Mental health is a significant focus for Al Laith, as it is for many in the industry. We currently have two major initiatives in place at the company. The first is an online mental health platform driven by our mother company, CG Tech, which connects Al Laith employees with a global network of mental health professionals. Any employee can log on and set up an anonymous appointment to discuss anything from work-related stress to personal issues. This service is accessible to all Al Laith employees and has been widely utilised by the team.

We have also partnered with Core Direction, an organisation that runs monthly health and wellbeing activities on behalf of the company. These activities take place during the week, during work time, ensuring that employees do not have to sacrifice their weekends or family time. They provide a fantastic opportunity for everyone in the office to come together and engage in activities that promote both physical and mental health. Monthly ice baths, padel tournaments, cycling and runs have become routine for the team.

We recognise that the events industry is demanding, placing immense stress on the teams who are expected to do whatever it takes to ensure that the show goes on. The timeframes to deliver, operate, and dismantle sites that the industry has become accustomed to can be overwhelming at times and this places unnecessary risk on people from a health and safety perspective. This will continue until

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FIRST LOOK

regulations are established to protect against such extreme expectations, however, we are pleased to be leading health and wellness across the industry, and we are committed to doing everything we can to alleviate pressure and stress for our team.

What is Al Laith’s approach to health and safety?

Safety is one of our core values, so we take it very seriously.

There are inherent dangers in our work, and as expected, we have stringent health and safety procedures that are always adhered to. Typically, across the board we follow BS & EN standards and our compliance levels and governance are based on the Temporary Demountable Structures code for design and use (AKA the UK Green Book), established by the Institute of Structural Engineers and regarded as the gold standard for building temporary event structures.

We have our own in-house safety team and use our own self-developed safety management software, which enables live safety reports and feedback from the project sites. We are ISO 18001 certified and are working towards ISO 45001 standards.

While the construction industry in the region follows the best standards globally, the temporary structures codes are a bit of a grey area at times and often lead to challenges around approvals and safety standards. We are working towards assisting governments in implementing general standards across the region to mitigate this risk, similar to the UK Green Book.

What is Al Laith doing to promote sustainability in the events industry?

Sustainability is a big focus for everyone in the region – especially after the success of large-scale global events Middle East

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such as Expo 2020 and COP 28 in Dubai. It is something that we at Al Laith, as a company, take extremely seriously and it is at the core of our operations. We are dedicated to reducing our environmental impact through a range of innovative initiatives.

All of our equipment is well maintained, and the majority is reused time and time again for many events before it reaches the end of its lifecycle. For example, 95% of material from all our concert stages at Expo 2020 was repurposed without making any significant changes to our normal way of operating.

Of course, there are always areas for improvement and some consumable materials such as plywood and netting have a more limited lifespan. However, rather than putting these into landfill, we look to find other uses for these materials at the end of their lifespan, such as donating netting to local animal shelters to provide shade for the animals and cutting lengths of plywood to form scaffolding sole boards.

We’re also working on several other initiatives to help reduce our carbon footprint, from providing water refilling stations at all the golf tournaments we work at to the installation of solar panels at all our offices and warehouses, which will lower our use of grid power significantly.

Al Laith is also leading the shift towards electric mobility and electric machinery and solar tower lights, reducing carbon emissions, integrating IoT telematics for efficient resource management and reducing unnecessary travel.

We are also reinvesting 2% of project revenues into green technologies, driving innovation and environmental sustainability. We are dedicated to leading by example and driving positive change in our industry and beyond.

Sustainability isn’t just a choice; it’s our responsibility.

FIRST LOOK

How have client expectations changed in recent years?

One trend we have noticed is that VIP offerings are continuously becoming grander and more luxurious. They used to be simple single-level VIP platforms, whereas now we’re producing multi-tiered VIP spaces that are fully fitted out and finished to an impeccable standard – to the extent that what we’re building nowadays often looks more luxurious than permanent installations. In many cases, we are even installing beautifully designed temporary elevators.

We have eight elevator systems that have been designed and built in-house that we use across events. Clients are always looking for something new and improved, bigger and better, and this top end of the market is where the largest strides forward are being taken.

What have been some of your most memorable projects over the years?

The event that stands out for me personally is the Red Bull X Fighters in 2012 on JBR Beach. It was the first major event I handled as a Project Manager on my own and marked a significant milestone in my career.

For Al Laith, we take immense pride in being involved with UAE Union Day. The creative agencies we collaborate with are always top-tier, and world-class, and for the past few years, the legendary Es Devlin has led the design. Her work is consistently incredible and it’s a privilege to work with the best visionaries in the industry, contributing to events that deliver a ‘wow’ factor. It’s an honour we don’t Middle East

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take lightly. We also cherish being part of the golf circuit in the Middle East. From the Race to Dubai and Desert Classic to the LIV Golf Championships in Saudi and all the Challenge Tournaments in Oman and Qatar, we are thrilled to be part of the golfing world. Many of us at Al Laith are passionate golfers, making these projects particularly meaningful.

Music is another area where we’ve had landmark projects, such as MDLBEAST Soundstorm, Ed Sheeran’s recent Dubai shows, and concerts by Martin Garrix and Andrea Bocelli. Each project has its unique aspects, and my greatest satisfaction comes from working with creative, professional, and talented individuals from who we can learn and grow.

Creative agencies dream up great concepts, but we at Al Laith get to engineer and construct those big ideas, which is often a fun challenge trying to use physics and science to meet the creativity of the designers.

What’s coming up for Al Laith?

Al Laith is a diverse group that not only supports the event industry but also construction and oil and gas. Our vision is to grow and expand in the region, delivering the Middle East’s best projects.

We have made significant investments in Qatar and Saudi Arabia and recently have even extended service offerings into Uzbekistan, where we are partnering with Prommac Oil & Gas to deliver temporary facilities and access solutions to our clients. We’ve also enhanced our in-

“We are expanding our product ranges with a big focus on sustainability, and we are exploring numerous new initiatives and products to enhance our client experience of dealing with Al Laith.”

Michael Clark, Director of Operations, Al Laith

house fabrication facilities, enabling us to offer customised steel fabrication solutions and produce our own scaffolding systems. We are also expanding our product ranges with a focus on sustainability, and we are exploring numerous new initiatives and products to enhance our client experience of dealing with Al Laith. As our CEO Jason English always says, “Our goal is to remove complexity and deliver simplicity”.

Clients already have enough to manage during a major event, so the more complexity we can remove from a project, the more time the client has to focus on other areas.

We are driving forward with using technology to enhance productivity and safety and have already rolled out numerous AI initiatives across many departments, which is helping analyse project and machinery performance, improving the speed of training and consistency and driving our quality standards higher and higher.

Our owners, chairman, and CEO are forward-thinking and open-minded leaders who understand that the rate of internal change must match its external counter. They lead from the front and are always open to new ideas, and products and ready to invest in innovative concepts.

Even if an idea seems unconventional, nothing is off the table. It’s an exciting organisation to be part of, and the opportunity to be open-minded and push boundaries is what inspires all of us. It’s an exciting time to be in our industry and I am privileged to be at the forefront of it all.

Photos: Al Laith www.allaith.com 15

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EVENT FOCUS

Zayed International Airport launch Independent creative agency, People creates a spectacular drone show to mark the renaming of Abu Dhabi International Airport to Zayed International Airport…

The UAE has never been a country to shy away from the grand and spectacular, so when Abu Dhabi International Airport was renamed Zayed International Airport, the occasion was always going to attract some fanfare. Tasked with creating an entertainment production to mark the launch on both a local and international scale, People produced a spectacular, technically challenging filmed showcase that featured a swarm of 1,750 drones, which formed a three-dimensional A380 aeroplane that landed on the airport’s north runway.

“Emphasising aviation excellence and engaging with a largely aviation-focused audience while launching the new airport name impactfully were our key goals,” commented Middle East

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People CEO and Project Director, Tim Elliott, explaining the brief. “Our production needed to excite a range of audiences and be a memorable, enjoyable experience, while still being an informative way to mark this new chapter in Abu Dhabi’s aviation story.”

People’s creative approach was to tell the authentic story of Abu Dhabi through flight, and by creating a “ground-breaking piece of aviation excellence”. Elliott added: “The film aimed to align with the airport’s new brand, showcasing modernity and advanced technology, while respecting Emirati traditions and hospitality.”

SKYMAGIC was commissioned to produce the spectacular drone show, working closely with People and Emmy award-winning director Mark

A. Ritchie and bringing together 17 world-leading pilots to fly 1,750 bespoke RTK swarm drones and six camera drones to create the one-of-a-kind experiential piece of film.

Katie Padda, Creative Associate at SKYMAGIC, explained how the team used innovative camerawork to achieve never-beforeseen perspectives – such as viewing the inside of the cockpit from the pilot’s seat.

“We were able to guide and explore the most exciting drone formations in connection with the developing narrative by People and Mark Ritchie, considering how we could innovatively use camera work to showcase drones in a new perspective,” she said. “Building the formations in three dimensions, we pre-visualised different

camera positions and approaches, carefully considering the location of the drones in line with the viewing angles of the beautiful airport we wanted to showcase.”

Elliott went into more detail on the creative process, explaining how the drone technology was used in a new, innovative way. “We used a filming technique with drones that had never been done before on such a large scale. Rather than filming the swarm drones as they morphed from a falcon formation to an A380 from the ground, we created an almost immersive film by effectively ‘gamifying’ the filming process, with piloted drone cameras flying through the formation,” he revealed. “Each pilot was individually coordinated for key positions,

working closely with air traffic control to ensure safe operation alongside airside activities.”

‘Art, culture, and innovation’ In typical Middle East style, People were given just four weeks to create the production before the scheduled launch date. “This was challenging in numerous ways, particularly in regard to obtaining the required permits for flying drones at an operational airport and gaining the access to the airport airside, including closing the north runway for extended periods during the filming process,” Elliott recalled. “However, we formed a constructive partnership with the team at Zayed International Airport to navigate the required permissions. All stakeholders quickly understood

the project’s benefits, which allowed the creative and technical teams the time and space – even within a four-week window – to focus on developing a production that has been a win for everyone involved.”

As well as the time frame, the logistics of filming at an airport also provided a challenge, as Pamela Pereira, who represents Abu Dhabi Government Affairs, summed up: “Making drones happen in any part of the world – you can do it – but in an airport… that’s not happening.”

However, with no shortage of persistence and strong communication throughout, permission was granted to close the north runway multiple times over several days for technical testing and filming. “To create a base for 19

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EVENT FOCUS

the testing and filming process, the production team took over a military compound next to the airport,” Elliott recalled. “This was used as a takeoff and landing site, broadcast village and drone preparation site.”

With so many drones in operation, the team had to plan for all eventualities. “It was imperative for everyone’s safety that the runway was closed and cleared before the drones took off.

We were helped every step of the way by the operations team at Zayed International Airport,” Elliott reported. “Once filming was completed, we ensured all drones and equipment were removed, so the runway could reopen to air traffic once we handed the site back in partnership with the airport’s operations team.”

According to SKYMAGIC’s Padda, navigating the limited number of short flight windows represented a core challenge of the project.

“We only had a couple of attempts to get all the footage required, with our schedule shortened further by challenging wind conditions,” she recalled. “It was made entirely possible by the kind cooperation of Air Traffic Control.”

There are also many complexities that come with having six camera drones taking off and flying within such proximity to the 1,750-strong fleet of drones – the largest swarm fleet SKYMAGIC had flown to date at the time.

“Effective planning and communication allowed us to operate safely and conduct very ambitious ‘missions’ – with aerial legend Jay ‘JayBryd’ Christensen even bringing an FPV through the centre of our A380 as it came in to land.”

Padda concluded by thanking People for the opportunity to be a part of such an ambitious feat. “We could not be prouder of the quality of execution,” she commented. “The ambition of the project is second to none – with the variety of shots within the film ranging from coasting the wing of the plane as it tilts in to land, to filming from within the ATC tower. An expert team was able to bring to life what was a mere dream.

We cannot thank all teams involved enough, including the brilliant Unified Aviation, Upper Cut Productions Ltd, FlybyChicago, F8 Production and Northern Visuals.”

Even once the drones had landed and the footage had been collected, the challenges kept on coming for People’s production team. “The Middle East

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film was originally eight minutes long, but we needed to cut this down to a short, shareable film for a global audience to just over two minutes – and 60 seconds for social media. Telling a story in this short time frame was complex, but we succeeded,” Elliott commented.

Visually, breath-taking desert and falconry footage quickly set the scene and identified the film as distinctively Emirati, with night footage of the drones forming the falcon and the aircraft.

Sound was also used to powerful effect, with the spectacular visual content combined with dramatic music and sound effects to create the feeling of being at an airport, featuring a pilotinspired voiceover.

“Finally, the film was skilfully edited so that the incredible visuals, orchestral soundscapes, and voiceovers combined to successfully tell a story in a two-minute format that has been shared across the world,” Elliott explained.

Aside from SKYMAGIC, People engaged a range of suppliers to help realise the project, including: Clair Global, comms, systems and radios; Al Laith, take-off and landing zone platform; Creative Technology, display equipment and signal distribution; Transguard, security; Axon, cleaning and waste; RPM, medical, Lagardere Capital LLC and Radisson Blu, catering; Techsquare, onsite network; Mint, furniture; GCC, crew; Byrne Equipment Rental, cabins, fencing and barriers; Al Fares, tents; and FLOW, power and distro.

Reflecting on the ground-breaking project, Elliott told TPiMEA how it “set a new standard for how technology can be used to create unforgettable experiences, melding the realms of art, culture, and innovation”.

He added: “As well as receiving a positive response on an international level, the success of the film as a technical achievement cannot be overstated. Six manned camera drones were flown through the formation of 1,750 swarm drones – a feat that had never been achieved before at this scale. Essentially, the pilots were flying manually through a video game – so absolute precision was required.”

Photos: People www.experiencesbypeople.com www.spectacularsbypeople.com www.skymagic.show

EVENT FOCUS

Sharjah Light Festival Artabesk deploys nearly 60 Digital Projection laser projectors on some of the most dazzling displays at the popular cultural event.

Returning for its 13th year, Sharjah Light Festival showcases the history, heritage and architecture of the eponymous emirate, inviting internationally renowned artists to celebrate the city’s built and natural environment. For the 2024 event, Dubai-based video-mapping specialist Artabesk once again enlisted its extensive Digital Projection inventory to create its signature visual experiences – including a 300m by 50m projection on the side of a mountain beside Al Rafisah Dam. Entitled The Jewel of Al Rafisah Dam, the 3D projection mapping show was inspired by the ‘Golden Age of Sharjah’, focusing on the ancient history of the city of Khorfakkan and the UAE’s native flora and fauna. At its climax, 12 swans emerged from the mountain behind the dam and danced on the waters of the Wadi Shie river.

With the project marking the first time that visual content had been mapped onto a mountain of that size, Artabesk Founder and Managing Director, Mounir Harbaoui, explained Middle East

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some of the challenges involved. “We had two main challenges for this projection – the brightness, as the mountain is a brownish, stone colour, and the multiple shadows the mountain creates, as it is not a flat surface,” he commented.

To overcome these obstacles, Artabesk turned to the Digital Projection TITAN Laser 37000 WU. “We decided to use our new TITAN Laser 37000, as it is capable of projecting up to 40m from each projector,” Harbaoui explained, outlining how his team addressed the brightness issue. “We also switched off the street lights so we could create a completely dark environment.”

The second challenge was resolved by concentrating all 16 projectors on one point on the mountain, which resulted in a “super clear” image, according to Harbaoui.

Also among the four festival sites entrusted to Artabesk was Sharjah Mosque, which used a mix of TITAN Laser 37000 WU and M-Vision 23000 WU projectors to create a 400 sq m linear projection, divided into eight areas across the

entire surface of the mammoth mosque, whose minarets alone are almost 40m high.

Unlike the Al Rafisah Dam mountain projection, which featured moving visuals and music, for Sharjah Mosque, Artabesk was limited to still images, given the sensitivities associated with projecting onto a religious site. Despite this, the powerful, ultra-bright imagery generated by the TITAN Laser projectors ensured that the strikingly illuminated mosque was widely regarded as one of the highlights of the festival.

In addition to delivering on the technological front, Digital Projection supported Artabesk throughout the festival. “We always have support on site when it is necessary,” Harbaoui stated.

“Artabesk and Digital Projection’s Dubai-based team, led by Alex Gnatyuk, always collaborate to make sure the projectors are in the best condition for each installation.”

Photo: Artabesk, Benjamin Perroux www.artabesk.com www.digitalprojection.com/emea

EVENT FOCUS

Qatar-UAE Super Cup & UAE-Qatar Super Shield Neighbouring nations compete in a football double-header marking a new chapter in regional sport.

This April saw a spectacle of unity and sport and the strengthening of relationships between Qatar and the UAE with not one but two football matches, played out between four of the leading clubs from both nations. On 12 April, Qatar’s Amir Cup champions, Al Arabi, faced off against the UAE’s President’s Cup winners, Sharjah, for the Qatar-UAE Super Cup in Doha. The excitement didn’t end there, as the following day the UAE-Qatar Super Shield saw 2023 ADNOC Pro League champions, Shabab Al Ahli, go head-to-head with 2023 Qatar Stars League winners, Al Duhail, in Dubai.

As the official organising committee geared up for the first match at Doha’s Al Thumama Stadium, they turned to Qvision to bring their Middle East

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vision to life, tasking the event production and management company with a scope that encompassed the opening ceremony show, the pre-match ceremony concept, the match infotainment, and the coronation ceremony.

For the opening ceremony show, Qvision Artistic Director and Executive Producer, Sharif Hashisho, devised a spectacular laser display, highlighting the development of football in the GCC and the significance of the newly established championship, narrated by celebrity BeIN Sports network commentator Yousef Saif and featuring a carefully curated soundtrack.

To provide the organisers with a comprehensive understanding of the proposed designs, Qvision shared laser and lighting

animated design WYSIWYG files and conducted a full 3D simulation of the entire show design.

The design featured a massive array of lasers and lighting fixtures including 10 Kvant Atom 42W RGB, 10 ClubMax 41W RGB FB4, and six ClubMax 40W lasers, which were used only for the animated content, two Spectrum RGBY 33W, two Epic 100W RGB FB4 and Architect 400W RGB lasers were also used for the first time ever in the Middle East region. All these lasers were controlled by Laser Show Control Pangolin Systems, which was delivered by Kvant.

The technical lighting installation featured a range of Claypaky fixtures including 30 Skylos, 100 Xtylos, 100 Scenius Unico, 60 Sharpy Plus, and 120 K-EYE K20, all controlled by two MA

Lighting grandMA3 Full Size consoles with two grandMA3 processing unit Ms with MA Network switches and several port nodes.

Special effects including Showven Sparkular Jet, Cyclone, and Spin added an extra layer of excitement, ensuring that the audience was captivated from start to finish. All equipment was synchronised to timecode and pre-programmed for a smooth operation.

In addition to the opening ceremony, Qvision also played a pivotal role in the prematch ceremony and infotainment segments.

The company deployed additional technical equipment, including a DiGiCo Quantum 338 console, a Blackmagic Design vision mixer, a Kommander T3 video replay server, a Simplylive

VI-Box 16 EVS replay units, 360 Systems Instant Replay 2 audio playback units, Shure ULX-D wireless microphones and Shure PSM 1000 IEMs, a Daktronics DMP-8000 stadium screen video server, and full fibre optic patching between the OB behicle and the infotainment control room.

To ensure seamless communication between the showcaller, technical team, and stage management, Qvision implemented a Riedel Bolero system installation. The company also took charge of creating all the necessary motion graphics, animation, and housekeeping graphics for the large stadium screens.

As Al Arabi defeated Sharjah 1-0 to be crowned Qatar-UAE Super Cup champions, the tournament culminated in the coronation

ceremony – with Qvision responsible for the design, construction, and branding of the coronation stage, drawing inspiration from the championship’s brand elements to create a stunning centrepiece.

“The triumph of our team in delivering an unparalleled Qatar-UAE Super Cup experience is a source of immense pride,” commented Hashisho. “It underscores our unwavering dedication to precision and excellence in all our endeavours, further cementing our position as industry leaders in event management.

“This achievement is yet another testament to our relentless pursuit of innovation and quality, building upon our proven track record of successfully organising major international 27

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events such as the AFC Asian Cup and World Cup. At Qvision, our goal is always to exceed expectations and leave behind a legacy of exceptional event management.”

‘The enduring power of sport’ The following day, the UAE’s Shabab Al Ahli took on Qatari club Al Duhail in the UAE-Qatar Super Shield at Dubai’s Rashid Stadium, with the Dubaibased side running out 2-1 winners. No1 Events appointed MediaPro International to provide a complete solution for the opening ceremony, including rigging, lighting, video, LED screens, SFX, lasers, show communication, power distribution and technical direction.

“We have been working with No1 Events for a long time and we’ve always given them the very best technical solutions,” stated MediaPro Technical Sales Manager, Mirco Resta, explaining the long-term relationship between the two companies. “We provided a full 360° support.

The brief was more of a group brainstorm where we connected all the elements and evaluated all possibilities to make the show happen.” The main element of the delivery was the video projection Middle East

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solution, with full pitch mapping achieved using 22 Panasonic PT RZ34K projectors. Tasked with covering a surface of 105m by 65m, the MediaPro team implemented a projection study partially using the existing structure and integrating it with several scaffolding structures to cover the full surface.

Projectors were placed on both sides of the pitch, using the audience stand roof as a rigging point on one side and a 14m-high by 40m-long fully accessible and covered scaffolding structure on the other.

“The main stand in Rashid Stadium isn’t that high and it’s also surrounded by many buildings and boards bringing light pollution, making projection complicated. However, we worked on a custom solution to deliver the best and brightest projection,” Resta commented, praising the work of Senior Video Engineer Aleksei Vlasov and his team.

Describing the Panasonic PT RZ34K as “an added value” on the project, Resta recalled how the projector’s “very easy to handle size” and “big potentiality in brightness and geometry control” made it the ideal choice. He elaborated: “It also

has a range of lenses and accessories that makes our life much easier.”

Lighting Designer, Desmond Quadros, and Lighting Operator, Gitesh Thakur, oversaw an extensive lighting rig featuring a range of Krypton fixtures including 126 Good Boy Beams, 24 P1400 IP Profiles, 68 Mean Strike Hybrid Strobe/ Washes, and 54 IP-rated Blaze 1000s.

Resta concluded by congratulating the wider MediaPro team. “The lighting design was excellent; the team managed the setup very well and we found the ideal solutions to the challenges we were faced with,” he said. “Our in-house laser and SFX team, which has grown rapidly in recent years, was priceless, adding value to the production. The result was amazing.”

The inaugural Qatar-UAE Super Cup and UAE-Qatar Super Cup Shield proved to be more than just football matches; they were celebrations of unity, sportsmanship, and the enduring power of sport to bring nations together.

Photos: Qvision, MediaPro International www.qatarvision.com www.no1events.net www.mediaproav.com

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Amr Diab: Live at Cubix, El Gouna Amr Diab marks the first day of Eid with a celebratory performance on Egypt’s Red Sea coast.

On 10 April, multi award-winning Egyptian singer, composer and actor Amr Diab took to the stage at El Gouna’s Cubix venue to kick off Eid celebrations in style. Tasked by event organiser Venture Lifestyle with creating an ambitious production that lived up to the star’s energetic performance, Hilights Group pulled out all the stops.

“The primary objective of the stage setup was to create an immersive and visually captivating environment that seamlessly complemented Amr Diab’s performance,” commented Hamed Arafa, Founder and Chairman of Hilights Group, giving his insight into the spectacle. “Our role encompassed the meticulous implementation of the provided Middle East

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design, ensuring adherence to the outlined vision and meticulous attention to detail to impeccably showcase Amr Diab’s performance.”

The design featured a range of Vari-Lite fixtures, including ShowLine SL BAR 720ZTs, VL 2600 Profiles, VL4000 Beam Washes and the VLZ Automated LED WASH, as well as Claypaky HY B-Eye K15s and Cyclops Lighting Sparkly 480Bs. “These fixtures were chosen for their ability to create dynamic lighting effects, ranging from vibrant colours to powerful beams, enhancing the visual impact of the concert,” Arafa commented.

The LED supply comprised a combination of Absen Polaris PL3.9 Pro V2 and Procom Middle East VT-P390, which was powered by a Dataton

WATCHPAX 60 media server. The company also deployed a robust trussing system from EuroTruss for the event.

Conducting the landmark gig didn’t come without its challenges – one of which was the installation of the complex lighting and video fixtures within a limited timeframe.

“To overcome this challenge, we conducted thorough pre-planning and coordination meetings, allocated dedicated teams to each aspect of the setup, and employed efficient installation techniques,” Arafa explained.

“Additionally, our experienced technicians remained flexible and adaptable, troubleshooting any issues that arose promptly to ensure everything was ready for the concert.” Arafa was

particularly pleased with what he described as “the seamless integration” of lighting and video systems. “This created a truly immersive and captivating experience for the audience,” he reflected. “We received positive feedback on the stage setup, which showcased Amr Diab’s performance while providing visually stunning backdrops and effects. Overall, we were proud to deliver a memorable and successful event that exceeded our client’s expectations.”

Photos: Hilights Group www.amrdiab.net www.hilightsgroup.me

“We were proud to deliver a memorable and successful event that exceeded our client’s expectations.”

Hamed Arafa, Founder and Chairman, Hilights Group

ELEVATE YOUR EVENT

WWW.INFRAMES.AE

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Ed Sheeran Mumbai The +-=÷x (Mathematics) Tour rolls into India with a spectacular sold-out 50,000-capacity show at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse, bringing with it the largest Meyer Sound deployment the country has ever witnessed.

Since kicking off his tour in Dublin in April 2022, Ed Sheeran has taken his + – = ÷ x (Mathematics) Tour to more than 100 cities around the world, wowing millions of fans along the way with his now-iconic one-man, in-the-round production.

The English singer-songwriter wrapped up the Middle East and Asia leg of the tour in March at Mumbai’s Mahalaxmi Racecourse, with his production team linking up with Major Tom and Meyer Sound, along with India-based distributor Sun Infonet, and sound equipment suppliers, Total Multimedia, Phoenix Networks, Friends of Shiva, and PP Sound, to deliver an unforgettable sonic experience.

Despite Mumbai being the only Indian show on the Middle East and Asia leg, the Sheeran camp opted to bring the scaled in-the-round show, with the main sound system centred around a box truss with two 16-box Meyer Sound PANTHER arrays flanking 10 1100-LFC low-frequency control elements flown from each Middle East

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corner, with the stage system of 22 LEOPARD loudspeakers and 18 1100-LFC control elements on the ground.

While freighting restrictions meant that the PA had to be sourced locally, Ed Sheeran’s Production Director, Chris Marsh, explained how the availability of PANTHER in India meant that the tour’s signature sound could be maintained in Mumbai. “Having PANTHER available in India ticked so many boxes. It is our system of choice; we know it so well and are confident of its abilities,” he commented.

“Knowing that we could deploy this system meant that audio was not a concern at all,” he added. “It also meant that we did not need to use delays, which had formed part of other vendors’ designs. This was a financial saving, as well as one less logistical element to deal with.”

Collaborating closely with Sun Infonet, Marsh, and Systems Engineer Adam Wells, the team seamlessly integrated the PANTHER system into

the show’s setup, working out mapping and routing well in advance using MAPP 3D – which Marsh described as “an essential tool” in getting the message across when agreeing on box counts and quantity of hangs.

“The visual aid and the universal language used in this software bridges any barrier, and it was easy for the local team to understand our design,” Marsh noted. “Our task was made even simpler by Meyer Sound allowing us to borrow back our old systems engineer, Charlie Albin [now Meyer Sound’s Technical Support Specialist, UK], who came and oversaw the installation with the local team,” he added.

Sun Infonet’s tech team was led by Jeremy Rana, Kallol Nath, and Jayakaran B; Animesh Mishra of Phoenix Networks, Anuragg Jai of Total Multimedia, and Kyle Mukerjee of Friends of Shiva were also key collaborators. For Phoenix Networks Founder and Director, Animesh Mishra, the project had his team “exploring the various

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EVENT FOCUS

complexities of mathematics and physics like never before,” he laughed. “It was both a challenge and a thrill. From the start, we knew that crafting an immersive audio experience would take a mix of creativity and technical know-how. We encountered numerous challenges along the way, but each obstacle we faced only made us more determined to exceed expectations and give the audience something truly unforgettable.”

Phoenix Networks took the reins of planning, designing, and deploying the extensive Meyer Sound system. The primary rig comprised a total of 128 PANTHER line array modules, with two additional hangs of 16 boxes suspended on each of the stage pillars at a height of 17m and inclined at a precise angle of 6° downwards.

An additional configuration of 12 80° longthrow PANTHER line array modules at the top of the array and four 110° wide-throw PANTHER line array modules at the bottom was also deployed to cover both long and wide spans of the venue.

In addition to the main rig, 22 LEOPARD line array modules were positioned strategically around the circular stage for front fill reinforcement, with a further 16 LEOPARD boxes deployed in stacks of two per pillar as in-fill.

Low end meanwhile was covered by four suspended arrays of 10 1100-LFC subwoofers at a height of 16.5m, with an additional six clusters of three 1100-LFCs ground-stacked.

Processing was handled by 12 Galileo GALAXY 816 units, with two allocated to each audio tower and three at FOH. The signal routing was primarily managed through Luminex GigaCore 26i switchers.

Mishra discussed the rigging challenges brought Middle East

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about by the size of the production: “Rigging the system on a cantilever at significant heights and steep angles presented a unique set of hurdles,” he recalled, adding that an analysis using MAP3D software revealed an intricate set of requirements and precise measurements and angles. “It’s important to bear in mind that these precise measurements were pivotal to achieving optimal coverage and dispersion,” he noted.

“This concert exemplifies the transformative power of dedication and hard work,” Mishra continued. “It’s a testament to what can be achieved when creativity and technical expertise come together. We’re immensely proud to have been a part of this project and to have played such a crucial role in creating such a magical experience for the audience.”

For Meyer Sound’s Director of International Sales, Scott Gledhill, the Mumbai show was “a testament to seamless sound delivery, thanks to the collaborative efforts of the crew, Meyer Sound, and Sun Infonet”. He concluded: “Continuing to set the standard for innovative live sound production, and making it happen around the world is at the core of what we do, and our international partners are integral to that success.”

The Mathematics Tour will continue into the summer, returning to a full production of 14 PANTHER arrays. “PANTHER has performed perfectly for us for two years now,” Marsh stated.

“We have no intention of changing anything.”

Photos: Meyer Sound www.edsheeran.com www.meyersound.com www.phoenixnetworks.co.in

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Saudi Light & Sound Expo 2024 SLS Expo returns to Riyadh for a third year running, boasting an expanded footprint as well as record exhibitor and visitor numbers.

Taking place over three days from 7 to 9 May, Saudi Light & Sound (SLS) Expo returned to Riyadh for the third year in a row, hosted for the first time at the Riyadh Front Exhibition & Conference Center (RFECC).

The change in venue from the previous site at Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre (RICEC) has seen the tradeshow grow considerably for 2024, not just in terms of footprint, but also in terms of exhibitor and visitor numbers. Between SLS Expo, which filled Hall 4 of the RFECC, and the larger Saudi Entertainment & Amusement (SEA) Expo that occupied Halls 2 and 3, the event welcomed more than 350 exhibitors and 10,000 visitors over the three days.

Despite being a relative newcomer at only three years old, SLS Expo has quickly gained a foothold as one of the industry’s most important tradeshows in the region, with the event Middle East

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providing a valuable opportunity for local and international exhibitors and visitors to connect and explore the emerging trends and technology solutions that are powering some of the biggest projects in the Kingdom.

Also returning for 2024 was the SLS Summit, which saw a broad range of speakers including the likes of Coca-Cola Arena General Manager, Mark Jan Kar, MDLBEAST Executive Director of Events, Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson, TAIT VP of Global Projects, Matt Richman, Event Lab Co-Founder, Nadim Jamal, and many others take to the stage to discuss a variety of topics, from ‘Unveiling the Next Wave of Festival Wonders’ to ‘Pro Lighting’s Impact on Theatres and Special Events’.

SLS Expo will return to RFECC in 2025, taking place in the slightly later slot of 20 to 22 May. Photos: TPiMEA, SLS Expo www.saudilightandsoundexpo.com

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Left to right, top to bottom: The 7Hertz team; Aram’s Rafal Mrzyglocki; Emerson Wellens and Hanré Rossouw of AVM-SFX; the d&b audiotechnik Middle East team; DiGiCo’s Austin Freshwater, Maria Fiorellino and Ian Staddon; the Dreamlaser team; the ER Productions team; the ES:ME team; Hilights Event Solutions; Martin was located in the SEA Expo this year; The L-Acoustics team, part of NMK Electronics’ stand; Laser Saga’s Serge Lomadze; Kvant’s Peter Prokopčák; the MediaPro International team; Novelty Middle East’s Louis de La Guillonnière Middle East

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Left to right, top to bottom: Oasis Enterprises; Sennheiser’s Safwan Kammoun; the PixMob team; Prince AV; the Procom Middle East team; the PRO LAB team; Robe’s Elie Battah and Pavel Němec; ROE Visual’s Khalid Sweidan; the SLS Production team; SES Global’s Mark and Gordon Cooper; ShowTech Productions; the ShowTex Middle East team; the Starway team; TAIT, located in the SEA Expo this year 39

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David Guetta: Monolith The superstar DJ performs a special set from the desert of AlUla, backed by a mysterious 18m by 6m structure that takes its inspiration from Stanley Kubrick’s seminal sci-fi masterpiece…

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While it became clear during the COVID-19 pandemic that nothing can truly replicate the buzz of live, in-person experiences, the success and subsequent proliferation of livestream music events that occurred during the period proved that there remains a place for these types of productions even now the live events industry is thankfully back up to full strength. One artist who fully embraced the format is David Guetta, with the DJ producing several special sets that were premiered on YouTube, performing from spectacular settings such as the Louvre Abu Dhabi and the helipad on Dubai’s Burj Al Arab. “Of course, we always prefer shows with a crowd,” began Guetta’s long-time creative collaborator, Show Director, Romain Pissenem of High Scream. “However, if COVID showed us anything it was just how good these productions can be.”

For his latest project, Guetta and his teams at What A DJ, Home Studio, TM&S and Warner Music joined forces with RCU, Film AlUla and MDLBEAST to bring his iconic Monolith to the stunning surroundings of AlUla, Saudi Arabia.

Described by the DJ as “one of the most extraordinary heritage sites in the world”, AlUla is an ancient desert oasis and home to a wealth of natural and man-made wonders, including the UNESCO World Heritage site of Hegra and the one-of-a-kind mirrored multipurpose venue and architectural icon, Maraya.

“I didn’t know much about the area before this project, but it is amazing; it was the perfect location for this concept,” Pissenem commented.

“The production was more of a movie than a livestreamed DJ set. It was so cinematic and not only a great way to show off this part of the world, but also an incredible way to present and launch David Guetta’s upcoming Monolith stadium shows.”

Tracing back to the roots of the Monolith concept, Pissenem explained that the prospect of transporting the structure to a far-flung location such as AlUla was always a possibility. “We always had in mind that we could take the object and put it somewhere in an amazing location in the middle of nowhere,” he said. “It plays into this narrative of the mystery of the Monolith. Where did this thing come from? You don’t know if it came from space or emerged from the ground.”

While he’s far from a sci-fi fan, Pissenem cited Stanley Kubrick’s 1968 classic, 2021: A Space Odyssey as a major source of inspiration for the concept. “I love the feeling of mystery from that film and take a lot of inspiration from it,” Pissenem told TPiMEA. “It’s funny to look back at our early mood boards now because we had this kind of remote desert scene in mind way before we had any idea that it would be possible to take the show to AlUla. When this opportunity came through management to do a show in this incredible location, it was 100% yes. It’s exactly what we pictured.”

A major consideration during the initial concept phase was exactly where the Monolith should be positioned on site to elicit the desired effect. One option was to have the Maraya in the background, utilising the building’s unique reflective façade, while the other option was to use the mountain as a backdrop. “The Maraya is an amazing building, but I really wanted to evoke this feeling of the Monolith being in the middle of nowhere,” Pissenem commented, explaining the decision. “We do a lot of stadium shows so 43

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we’re used to working on a large scale, but these mountains are on a different level completely. We had to create a massive structure for the Monolith otherwise it would have been swallowed up completely by the mountain backdrop.”

‘Wonderful groups of people’ With all manner of technical and logistical challenges associated with bringing a purposebuilt, 18m by 6m, four-sided LED Monolith to the desert of AlUla, MDLBEAST was the natural choice to take on the production, with the company’s Executive Director of Events, Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson taking on the role of Producer.

“Curly is an old friend who I have known since his days working with Avicii, and as soon as I knew that he would be there on site overseeing the project, I knew that everything would run smoothly,” Pissenem commented.

The MDLBEAST team on the project also included: Project Director, George Haddad; Project Manager, Tommy Gunningham; Middle East

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Production Director, Jonny Gaskell; Production Manager, Derek Fudge; Site Manager, Erik Meredith; Legal, Faisal Alamy; and Social Media Manager, Fouz Algain.

“Everyone worked very hard to make this happen,” Pissenem said, praising the efforts of the on-site team. “We came up with the crazy idea, but the team on site were the ones who put in all the hard work to make it a reality.”

Curly recalled how the project started for the MDLBEAST team with a conversation with David Guetta’s Manager, Jean-Guillaume Charvet.

“He’d been keen to do this project for a while, and when the opportunity arose to do it in AlUla, we all knew it was going to be a special one,” Curly recalled.

The MDLBEAST team are no strangers to operating in the region, with the Azimuth Festival taking place in AlUla every September. “It’s a truly stunning part of the world and it served as an incredible and spectacular backdrop for the production,” Curly commented. “The challenge

as always was operating sensitively inside the UNESCO site, but the RCU, Film AlUla and Maraya teams were a pleasure to work with – they were central to the planning of the project and made the whole process very smooth. This project was all about wonderful groups of people working well together.”

Despite the appearance of isolation and remoteness evoked by the film, according to Curly, the production team benefitted from all the creature comforts one might expect from putting on a show in a major city. “It might look like the middle of nowhere, but we were set up extremely well,” he revealed. “Logistically, it was perfect; the Maraya served as our production office, with catering, dressing rooms – everything we needed – and our hotel was right next door. It was a top-notch setup.”

‘A seamless transition’ Show power for the production was provided

by Aggreko, which supplied a solution of four

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

320kVA generators running in sync. “We powered every aspect Including lights, pyro, video, audio, and projectors, as well as powering all BOH aspects,” explained Aggreko’s Events Project Manager, Jake-Murdoc Morrison. “This job ran smoothly without any problems. The Monolith was truly spectacular and it’s great to be part of the team providing power to such a successful event for a great client in MDLBEAST.” MDLBEAST called upon MediaPro International to provide a comprehensive technical package for the production, including audio, lighting, video, and cameras.

“As soon as Curly told me about the concept, I knew that it was going to be something special,” commented MediaPro COO, Shaam Pudaruth.

“It was no surprise that MDLBEAST was involved in something like this – ‘ordinary’ is definitely not what they do…”

The MediaPro team immediately began technical discussions with Production Director, Jonny Gaskel, conducting a site visit before beginning to translate the concept with all its elements into Vectorworks technical drawings.

“The vision from David Guetta’s creative team Middle East

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was extremely clear and accurate,” Pudaruth said, reciting the unique approach. “The fact that it was a video shoot also required a much higher level of neatness compared to typical rock ’n’ roll concert setups. It was extremely important to get down to the minute details to ensure it all fit together seamlessly.”

The headline-grabbing technical element was undoubtedly the 18m by 6m, four-sided Monolith LED, which required extensive technical drawings and renders to establish everything from the methodology of connecting the support structure, to the overall analysis, including wind load calculations.

“The most important thing was to get an LED product that could be rigged with no gap in between panels – as soon as you have a gap, you lose the effect completely,” Pissenem stated, explaining how the content displayed on the Monolith could create optical illusions. “Once you have the right elements, the possibilities are infinite,” he added, praising the work of Video Content Director, Pol Fernandez Losada. “There were so many different looks to the video content and we’re creating new content for the Monolith

all the time. I love the textural, volumetric content where the Monolith shape is temporarily lost, transforming from solid to liquid and back again and merging into the mountain backdrop.”

To achieve the required aesthetic, MediaPro deployed 432 sq m of its Gloshine ZS Series 6.9mm Outdoor LED. “This product can be joined seamlessly at every corner, allowing us to create the perfect Monolith without any gaps or spacing,” Pudaruth confirmed. The control solution meanwhile comprised three Disguise GX 3 media servers along with a Barco E2 Event Master processor.

“More than the equipment, the content from David Guetta’s creative team brought the whole thing to life,” Pudaruth recalled, looking back fondly at the working relationship with the Guetta camp. “Working with Avo [Richard ‘Avo’ Atherton, David Guetta’s Production Manager] along with the team at High Scream is always a pleasure; they are extremely professional and speak the same language technically.”

The project required careful consideration when it came to logistics, crewing and management of resources – a task that was

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made even more challenging by the fact the DJ was also due to play a set at Jeddah’s Tahlia Desalination Plant the next night, with the production requiring some of the same equipment used on the AlUla show.

“As this type of LED screen is not easily available in region in large quantities of a single batch, we had to move half of the screen used in AlUla to Jeddah overnight, where we had another team waiting to set it up,” Pudaruth revealed, noting that the project also coincided with MediaPro’s deployment at MDLBEAST Soundstorm in Riyadh. Curly added: “The real test was getting the show struck, into trucks and over to Jeddah in time. We needed the gear in Jeddah the following day, so we even sent an empty truck and had a few crew following in a car just in case there were any issues. Thankfully it was a seamless transition.”

As well as providing stunning visuals, the Monolith also served as a floating stage, with Guetta’s DJ booth appearing to hover above the rocks at the base of the massive structure. “It was important that David was a part of the structure – almost like the pilot of the Monolith,” Pissenem shared. “The floating DJ booth gave the feeling that it was suspended in space.” The giant rocks Middle East

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at the base of the Monolith were fabricated by Simple Solutions, whose team did “a tremendous job”, according to Curly.

The rough terrain and exposure to the elements also provided a challenge, albeit one that all the teams involved were more than capable of handling. “It’s not easy to work in an open desert area, where there is sunlight, wind, sand, and cold nights. Simple tasks such as rolling flight cases from A to B can become difficult,” Pudaruth shared. “However, we are used to working in such environments and thanks to a combination of detailed crewing and logistical planning, we delivered and handed over the complete rig for the team to start programming as per schedule.”

‘Otherworldly effect’ “There are two main parts of the design – the Monolith and the surrounding areas,” explained Pissenem, digging into the details of the creative.

“The question we had to consider was, how do we teleport this incredible object into this beautiful location and give it some meaning? We wanted to create the feeling that it was coming either from space or from underground – you can decide which. We also wanted to use the

beauty of the surroundings and find the right balance between focus on the Monolith and its surrounding environment.”

Lighting played a key role in creating the aesthetic, with Pissenem describing another reference – a scene from 2016 sci-fi film Arrival, where a mysterious object lands in a remote location and is surrounded by the authorities.

“We replicated the big work lights you would see in such a movie, adding strobes, lasers and smoke to create this otherworldly effect,” Pissenem explained.

Lighting Directors, James Betts-Gray and Nicolas Galloux worked with Lighting Designer, Ian Tomlinson, who in turn worked alongside the MediaPro Lighting Technical Manager, Sanzhar Ashimbekov and Lighting Crew Chief, Ben Mathew team to come up with a lighting rig that would meet the needs of the production. The inner circle comprised 10 Ayrton Domino LT, 96 GLP JDC1, 70 CHAUVET Professional COLORado PXL Bar 16, and four CKC Z180 Zoom LED Par fixtures, with eight custom-designed lighting stands also produced especially for the project.

Placed on top of the Monolith were 16 Krypton Good Boy 260W laser lighting fixtures, while 80 SGM P10s were positioned around the

site strategically to bring the rocky mountain backdrop to life. Atmospheric effects were provided by four Showven Creeper Low Fog machines, four MDF ATMe haze generators and four Smoke Factory Captain D fog machines.

Two MA Lighting grandMA3 Full Size consoles were used for main and backup control, with a complete Luminex network system. “Our camera team also took care of the whole showkontrol with its cameras and networking,” revealed MediaPro’s Pudaruth. “Two Sony BRC-X1000 4K PTZ cameras were supplied along with three Marshall CV503 POV cameras, which were integrated in the main broadcast system.” Media production was directed and produced by Creative League Productions, with the project led

by Executive Director and Producer, Wisa Chhay.

MediaPro also supplied the audio package, with Audio Engineer Hari Krishna and Senior Audio Technician Subash Babu overseeing the installation of a main PA made up of 16 L-Acoustics Kara II and four KS28 subs.

David Guetta’s microphone of choice was a Sennheiser EM600, while the DJ’s equipment included six Pioneer CDJ-3000 professional DJ multiplayers, two DJM-900NSX2 professional DJ mixers, a DJM-V10 mixer, and an Allen & Heath Xone:92 analogue mixer, with two d&b audiotechnik M4 stage monitors and a Yamaha QL5 desk at FOH. “We also provided a sitewide comms system featuring 50 Clear-Com Freespeak IIs,” Pudaruth added.

Looking back on the project, Pudaruth was particularly pleased with the way the MediaPro team handled and delivered the pre-production process, working alongside the David Guetta production team. “It was very impressive,” he reflected. “Pre-production is a very important aspect of any show, and when it is done properly, it can have a huge impact on the overall success of any production. The rest is just about execution. My technical and production team did an outstanding job – especially the video team who worked on the colossal LED screen,” he said, extending praise to the team of Media Server Operator and Programmer, Demko ter Bals; Video Engineer, Anoop Vazhoth; and LED Crew Chief, Joby Johnny.

The COO also thanked the MDLBEAST team after another successful collaboration. “I would like to thank Curly, George and the whole team for trusting us with such a high-scale project,” he commented. “Working with the MDLBEAST team has always been pure pleasure with the way they operate and of course the kind of projects they produce. The result was stunning, and we’re looking forward to delivering some more magic together in 2024.”

While this will undoubtedly be a tough act to follow, High Scream’s Pissenem believes that this is just the start for the Monolith. “The more we do things like this, the more crazy ideas we have for stories to tell around this Monolith,” he concluded.

“It’s not going to be easy to match this one, but we have a lot of ideas and I hope the Monolith will pop up in many other beautiful parts of the world in the future.”

Photos: High Scream www.davidguetta.com www.high-scream.com www.mdlbeast.com www.aggreko.com www.mediaproav.com 49

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A2RL 2024 An eclectic collection of creatives and technical suppliers come together to deliver the debut event of the world’s leading extreme autonomous racing series at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit.

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The UAE has made no secret of its desire to push the envelope with its approach to emerging technology, and the country further bolstered its credentials in the field recently with an all-new extreme racing series that saw eight AI-powered cars race around Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit, roared on by a crowd of more than 10,000 in person and 600,000 online. Conceived by ASPIRE – part of the UAE’s Advanced Technology Research Council (ATRC) – and brought together by the tireless efforts of engineers, scientists, and programmers, the inaugural Abu Dhabi Autonomous Racing League (A2RL) saw teams from educational and technological institutions from around the world compete to develop the fastest, most capable racing AI for a share of a massive $2.25m prize pot.

Heading up the event on behalf of ASPIRE was Unique 42’s Stefan Cebula, who had a broad remit for the project. “I had an oversight on event technical design, production direction, ITC overlay, broadcast, and VR,” Cebula told TPiMEA during our chat a few weeks after the event.

“I’ve worked on Olympic Games and World Cups, and I don’t think I’ve ever worked as hard as I worked on this. A2RL has been truly all-consuming, yet extremely rewarding.” With Middle East

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some experience in robotics competitions during his time at Protec and having worked with ASPIRE since October 2021, most notably on the Mohammed bin Zayed International Robotics Challenge, Cebula played an active role in A2RL right from its inception at the end of 2022.

“The team started extremely small and, as we got closer to the event, it gathered pace and grew quickly, bringing in specialists in several disciplines including motorsports.”

During the planning and procurement phase, the decision was made to split the project into two main sections and put each out to tender.

“It’s a large event and we wanted to allow two companies to have their very best people working on it,” Cebula commented, explaining the rationale behind the decision, which ultimately saw Alsayegh take on the fan zone and sports presentation production side of the project and Ethara handle the venue, hospitality suites, and STEM competition. “Both companies did an excellent job,” Cebula confirmed.

Another supplier that Cebula highlighted as “incredibly impressive” was Live in Five, which provided an extensive network overlay, data servers, TSMUs, communications, radios, RTK, signal distribution and conversion. “They installed around 90km of fibre at Yas Marina Circuit, which

is a massive undertaking,” he recalled. “Their delivery was fantastic – I cannot fault them.”

Elsewhere, ARLD produced the lighting design, combining with SKYMAGIC and FLASH ART for a spectacular lighting, drone and firework show; SLS Production provided event production services for the fan zone and grandstand’s lighting, audio, and pit lane lighting; Cold Fusion Visuals handled sports presentation visuals, including 3D mapping; Hayfisher oversaw broadcast production; Timeline TV supplied broadcast and sports presentation equipment; Focal Point VR partnered with Vislink to produce the immersive VR experience at the venue and online; Eventagrate produced the interactive mobile application and live car gaming experience for the event; FLOW supplied power to the broadcast compound; Al Laith provided scaffolding structures; and Byrne Equipment Rental delivered back of house cabin facilities.

‘It’s not often you get to play with 5km of lights’ A2RL represented a first for the Yas Marina Circuit, with ARLD’s Aaron Russ being given the honour of being the first the be trusted to take control of the venue’s brand-new Musco Lighting system. “It wasn’t an easy process, but once we had the go-ahead to use the Musco system,

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

Stefan really wanted to show it off and get people’s attention by integrating it with an overlay system of entertainment lighting,” Russ explained, looking back on the landmark project.

The overlay system in question comprised 80 Ayrton Cobra fixtures, located along the start/ finish straight as well as at the bottom of the Shams Tower – another first for the circuit, which required close collaboration with the venue.

When it came to the closing ceremony, the required look fell squarely into the ARLD design ethos. “We don’t do subtle things well – and subtle it was not,” Russ laughed. “There were around 4,000 lighting fixtures in all including the broadcast level track lighting, the RGBW fixtures in the grandstand and Shams Tower canopies and the RGB fixtures that uplight every lighting post around the track.”

There were two shows – a lighting show timecoded to a three-minute musical piece, which Russ described as “a pure flex of what could be done”, as well as a second 10-minute show that was “a little more elegant” to complement the drone and pyro display.

“The first show was bold, snappy and had tonnes of intensity and colour effects, with Middle East

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around 300 cues in just three minutes of music,” he recalled. “The aim of the second show was to tie what was happening in the air to the track level, filling the space between the audience and the sky and pulling everyone’s attention towards the tower end of the circuit where the flight and firing box was located.”

With live programming and rehearsal time at a premium, the show relied heavily on WYSIWYG previsualisation. “We had around two hours on track, off the back of three days of previz,” Russ revealed. “Huge credit must go to Keith Duncan who came as a liaison for Musco Lighting. He generated a very helpful MVR of the circuit that could be loaded onto WYSIWYG for programming and saved around a week of programming time.”

As ever, safety was paramount, and no chances were taken when it came to the operation of the Musco system during the race. “We could not risk an accidental blackout while cars or support staff were on track, so we implemented an essential firewall by means of a Luminex LumiCore, which allowed Musco to lock me out of specific fixtures during certain times,” Russ explained. “During the times when the track

was live, I had access only to the canopy and tower uplights, then once we got the OK from race control, the entire system was handed over to me.”

Clearly pleased with the project, The LD offered his final thoughts before aiming a cheeky hint to another major motorsport event that takes place at Yas Marina Circuit in December. “I think it was a great display of what can be done with the track system when it is merged with entertainment and a choreographed live show,” he commented. “I hope everyone appreciated the time and effort that went into putting it all together, and I would love the chance to do it again soon.”

‘An incredible closing spectacle’ As Russ alluded to, the lighting served as part of a larger visual spectacle, with Alsayegh commissioning SKYMAGIC to create an epic drone show as part of the closing celebrations above the racetrack. “We flew 500 of our bespoke RTK drones high above Shams Tower,” commented Creative Lead, Katie Padda, explaining the brief. “Our challenge was to deliver a performance that could suitably commemorate

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

an event as ground-breaking as the world’s first autonomous racing league.”

SKYMAGIC’s design process began with sketches and storyboards, crafting the story before shaping and developing the drone formations in the three-dimensional space.

“For A2RL, we were drawn to themes of a future reality, considering the potential of AI to truly reshape our world in a number of areas – autonomous racing technology being a key one,” Padda continued. “Once the narrative was right, we worked with the fantastic Alsayegh team to ultimately create a series of animations to previsualise the drone performance in scaled relation to the site.”

Running alongside the creative development, the SKYMAGIC production team, led by Head of Operations and Production, Dyfan Llyr Rhys, conducted site checks and ensured the site had the required infrastructure to deliver the performance safely and effectively on show day.

The location of Yas Marina Circuit, near Zayed International Airport, provided an additional challenge to the drone team. “It was vital to ensure that we didn’t interfere with any flights landing or taking off,” Padda stated. “We’re extremely grateful to Air Traffic Control for their Middle East

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support in coordinating our rehearsal flights and live show, working together in a similar manner to when we landed an A380 drone plane on the North Runway for the airport’s recent renaming.

We were equally very fortunate to work with the brilliant team at Unified Aviation, who are experts at navigating such complexities.”

Another challenge was ensuring that the drones were flying safely alongside the pyrotechnics – lifting some scenes up to 300m high. “Towards the end of our show, we had the privilege of collaborating with FLASH ART to integrate drone formations alongside a beautiful firework display,” Padda stated, adding that one of her favourite moments of the show was the AI face drone formation that gazed down ominously at spectators below. “Figurative scenes are creatively more challenging to execute, and the impact we were able to achieve with 500 drones makes me excited about the possibilities with even larger fleet sizes.”

Padda was pleased with the team’s ability to deliver the show perfectly on time, navigating the challenges of a live race, where unforeseen delays can occur at any moment. “SKYMAGIC is so proud to have pushed forward the abilities of drone light technology, capturing the imagination

of in-person audiences and those who watched the show online,” she concluded. “It was a pleasure to be a part of such an incredible closing spectacle by Alsayegh, and we are grateful to Unified Aviation, FLASH ART and all the other fantastic teams that made the vision a reality.”

Meanwhile for FLASH ART Creative Director and Senior PM Piotr Szablowski, it was a thrill to be back working at Yas Marina Circuit – a venue he’s extremely familiar with – on a brand-new sporting concept. “It’s not every day that you can be involved in an event where a whole new sport discipline is being invented then and there,” he commented. “Delivering the show went smoothly, as expected. We knew the drones were going to be good, and Aaron never disappoints with lights.

The adjacent firing location provided some usual challenges due to no shortage of dry shrubs, but our preparedness along with the dedicated assistance of Abu Dhabi Civil Defense Authority left us far from worried in the end.”

‘Establishing a new standard’ Managing AVL equipment for the fan zone, pit lane, grandstand, and Shams Tower was SLS Production. Senior Project Managers Paurasp Waghchhipawalla and Shubham Yesale led

the project for SLS. “Collaborating with ASPIRE and Alsayegh on A2RL was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, both challenging and rewarding,” stated Yesale and Waghchhipawalla. “As project managers, we ensured seamless coordination among teams. The success of this project is a testament to the incredible teamwork and dedication of everyone involved.”

HoD Video, Edgar Pulido oversaw the video deployment, which included 150 sq m of INFiLED GXII 4.63mm outdoor LED panels on the main stage, driven by NovaStar H-Series LED processors and CVT4k fibre converters, with screen management handled by an Analog Way Alta 4K using Zenith 200 with Dante Audio and Resolume Arena 7 used for playback. A further 90 sq m of INFiLED GX II 1.9mm indoor LED panels were used to display the real-time generative video content.

“Being part of this event is an honour,” Pulido said. “With our team’s track record of delivering top-notch video screen solutions for F1 Grand Prix races, this project feels second nature to us.”

An extensive array of lighting was utilised in the fan zone, including 102 Robe MegaPointes, 24 BMFL Wash Beams, 24 Spiider Washes, 30 Nitros, 16 two-way Molefays, 24 Ayrton Cobras,

60 SGM P5s, and 180 LED Pars RGBAUV, all controlled by two MA Lighting grandMA2 Full Size consoles with eight MA NPUs. The track lighting setup featured 100 Ayrton Cobra and 16 Robe BMFL Wash Beam fixtures.

“The best part of working on this project was the incredible experience of collaborating with a diverse team, from the broadcast crew to the lighting engineers, seamlessly integrating the venue lights with our own,” reflected Head of Lighting, Praveen Jayakumar. “The most challenging aspect was the intricate task of placing lights on the track and Shams Tower, which tested our precision and creativity.”

The event spanned 10 zones within the Yas Marina Circuit, each equipped with state-of-theart audio systems, utilising JBL Vertec, JBL VTX, and 80 powered speakers strategically placed throughout the venue as well as a combination of Shure ULX D and Axient series systems for seamless RF performance.

The audio infrastructure was interconnected through an extensive 4,820m of fibre optic cabling, with management facilitated by Dante protocol, and audio control was handled by DiGiCo SD10, SD12, SD9, and S21 consoles.

Head of Audio Suresh Jayakumar shared his

thoughts: “The historic debut of A2RL presented numerous challenges, but our audio team rose to the occasion, delivering flawless execution and marking it as one of our most successful achievements to date,” he stated.

Head of Rigging, Kevin Shyamprasad oversaw the installation of a 32m by 12m by 8m scaffolding structure for the main stage, complete with video screens, audio, and lighting and a durable Total Solutions Super Beam roof.

Eurotruss HD/FD44 served as the sub-truss, while a ChainMaster Ultra D8+ controlled by Kinesys DigiHoist handled lifting duties. “With two days of focused effort, our rigging team ensured every detail was perfect, setting the stage for an unforgettable event,” Shyamprasad said.

“The inaugural race of A2RL was an incredible display of innovation and technology,” commented Managing Director, Edwin Cheeran.

“SLS Production Middle East is very proud to have supplied top-notch audio, video, lighting, trussing, rigging, and scaffolding structures for the event,” he added. “Through meticulous planning and execution, the production team seamlessly delivered captivating entertainment, establishing a new standard at the dynamic intersection of science and sport.”

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‘The excitement of the cockpit’ Unsurprisingly for an event that pushed the boundaries of technology on the track, the production also utilised the latest technology to enhance the experience of its viewers both in person and online. A key offering in this regard was the virtual reality experience, where VR viewers could ride along with the cars in real time. “This is something that to my knowledge has never been done before,” Cebula commented. “There has been in-car filming in other race series but up to now it’s always been pre-recorded and broadcast with a delay.”

The brains behind this aspect of the operation was Focal Point VR, led by CEO Jonathan Newth, which produced both an immersive VR experience at the venue as well as a VR livestream broadcast on YouTube 360. The most recent generation of Virtual Reality headsets, which incorporate mixed reality capabilities, provide new and exciting ways of bringing live events directly into viewers’ living rooms.

“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to pioneer a new method for the audiences of the future to experience live racing at speeds approaching 300kph using immersive technology,” said Newth. “By combining our ultra-high resolution, low-latency VR video technology with real-time telemetry, we crafted a revolutionary volumetric spatial broadcast Middle East

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experience for racing fans to experience in Virtual and Mixed reality.”

Focal Point VR built a VIP VR experience, which was experienced by viewers at the Yas Marina circuit, putting them in the virtual driving seat of the A2RL cars in real time. In addition, a remote-viewer experience was built for owners of Meta Quest VR headsets, allowing fans to visit race control, walk around the virtual pit lane as well as experience live racing from onboard the A2RL cars.

One of the challenges of live VR is the sheer amount of data required to deliver highresolution footage in real time. However, with the use of a state-of-the-art wireless video and data transmission solution from Vislink, the unique live VR experience was achieved. “Vislink played a pivotal role in this unique VR experience,” shared Robert King, Sales Director EMEA of Vislink. “Our Onboard Vislink transmitters ingest streams from the Focal Point VR processing engine and seamlessly deliver live footage and onboard data, even at the highest speed conditions, from the heart of the races to fans across the globe.

“We are thrilled to join with two phenomenal innovators in the Abu Dhabi racing circuit – ASPIRE and A2RL – to advance the future of autonomous car racing and deliver unparalleled entertainment experiences,” he added. “Our partnership with virtual reality leader Focal Point

VR leverages Vislink’s ultra-reliable, low-latency video to connect the excitement of the cockpit with fans everywhere.”

Cebula sees VR as an important part of the A2RL offering that is only going to grow. “We had around 20,000 people watching online in VR and we anticipate that figure will grow year on year,” he stated. “As well as adding to the viewer experience and providing extra marketing opportunities, it’s also a fantastic development tool for the cars, offering teams an insight into what’s happening in the cockpit as it happens.”

Another string to the A2RL bow was an innovative mobile app that featured an immersive racing game, created by Eventagrate Group, alongside Branch, and Stream Works.

With a core focus on incorporating real-time telemetry data, the project aimed to merge live racing data with the virtual game and stream it live globally.

Designed as a central repository for event information as well as a tool to foster a vibrant player community, enable seamless audience interaction, and encourage race exploration and engagement, the app was available for both iOS and Android and featured a blend of hybrid data integration, gamification, mobile app development and live streaming.

After conducting detailed discussions to understand the client’s vision and requirements,

the app development team moved into the design phase, creating initial concepts and prototypes to visualise the user interface and game mechanics. “During development, we focused on creating a seamless and immersive racing experience,” explained Eventagrate Group CEO, Miguel Galvao. “We integrated real-time telemetry data to enhance gameplay accuracy, ensuring the virtual races reflected the actual racing conditions.”

Testing was an iterative process involving extensive beta testing and feedback loops from the physical cars into the digital application. “This allowed us to identify and resolve any issues, ensuring the app’s reliability and performance was seamless when relaying telemetry data from the physical race into the digital application,” Galvao said.

One of Eventagrate’s biggest challenges was aligning the vision and expectations of multiple key stakeholders, given the project’s complexity and innovative nature. “To overcome this, we emphasised the importance of solid communication and collaboration, holding regular meetings to ensure everyone was on the same page and fully understood the project’s goals,” he added.

The seamless integration between the physical AI-controlled cars and the A2RL game and application was a particular source of pride

for Galvao. “The ability for users to track and read live car stats in real-time as the races unfolded added a new level of immersion and interactivity,” he commented. “This feature truly enhanced the user experience, making them feel like an integral part of the race and providing a unique and engaging perspective.”

The A2RL mobile application ranked number one in the racing category on Apple’s App Store, with 6,175 downloads, and 3,944 downloads on the Play Store. In total, 10,271 users registered for the event through the app’s registration portal.

“I’m incredibly proud of my team for bringing this ground-breaking project to fruition. This is the first time such an integration has been implemented, and despite the tight timeline, we successfully delivered an innovative solution,” Galvao stated.

“At Eventagrate Group, our strength lies in developing and executing solutions that bridges the physical and digital worlds. The A2RL project exemplifies our commitment to pushing technological boundaries and delivering exceptional results. This achievement not only sets a new standard in the industry but also highlights our ability to tackle unprecedented challenges with creativity and precision.”

Anas Bitar, Division Lead at Branch, echoed Galvao’s sentiments. “The A2RL project was a ground-breaking endeavour that set new

standards in integrating real-time telemetry data with immersive mobile gaming,” he commented.

“It was a unique and innovative project that pushed the boundaries of technology, achieving remarkable results and opening new avenues for future developments. I am incredibly proud to have been part of the team that led the mobile application and telemetry data sections.”

‘More than just TV’ With a massive online audience of more than 600,000, broadcast was a major consideration for the A2RL team. Richard Hay of leading UKbased independent TV production company Hayfisher was appointed to oversee all aspects of the production apart from the distribution, which was handled by Timeline TV. “Because we were starting from a blank piece of paper, we had to source everything,” Hay recalled.

“Stefan and the client were great and very supportive of the suggestions we came back with. Without that trust and rapport, it would have been impossible in the timescale.”

While the fact that it was the first-ever A2RL meant that everything from title sequences and graphics packages to facilities and crew had to be sourced from scratch, Hay recalled how between him and Cebula, there was enough experience and contacts to ensure that they could call upon not only the best people but, 59

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where necessary, that a fair process was put in place with companies or individuals. “We ensured that the client got the right people and the right price,” he commented.

“For example, we went to a lot of trouble to ensure as many details as possible were covered for anyone quoting for facilities. Covering an international circuit with two pit lanes is a big job that can bring plenty of delays and logistical issues, and any quote should allow for that.”

Describing the production as “more than just TV”, Hay recalled how a major part of the remit was the ‘infotainment’ or ‘sports presentation’ element to entertain the crowd on site. “ASPIRE did an amazing job putting the event on – perhaps too good judging by the size of the crowd that turned up. They needed to be entertained and Stefan brought in Rodd McCormick to look after that element.”

Hay described the challenge of collaborating with all the various departments and the importance of gaining the buy-in of all the stakeholders involved.

“We needed to build a rapport with the team responsible for the track activities,” he recalled.

“In a traditional motorsport event that’s easy and happens every week, all over the world. In this case, because everything is new, it takes a little while for everyone to understand each other’s needs and find the best way to work together.”

However, despite the challenges, Hay reported a “chemistry” between the crew who were selected for the gig.

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work together in a high-pressure environment will work, but I have known most of the crew for many years – decades in some cases – and I had total confidence in their abilities and understanding of this type of event.”

Much more than the one-day event that crowned the project, A2RL is seen as a catalyst to accelerate the development of advanced autonomous systems while inspiring the next generation of STEM leaders and helping Abu Dhabi become a world-leader for autonomous technology development and deployment – and the importance of the project was not lost on Cebula. “This is part of a long-term strategy that will in time solve some real-world problems.

The overall vision is not the kind of thing that is achieved overnight; it takes years of planning and hard work to achieve what is being targeted.”

As for the future of the race, with cars already hitting speeds of 250km per hour and fastest lap times just a few seconds behind those achieved by human drivers, it seems inevitable that A2RL will soon be the fastest motorsport in town.

Photos: A2RL www.a2rl.io www.aspireuae.ae www.unique42.com www.arld.ae www.eventagrate.com www.flashart.com www.focalpointvr.com www.hayfisher.com www.skymagic.show www.slspro.net www.vislink.com

A2RL was capped by a spectacular closing ceremony, with a drone show from SKYMAGIC and pyro from FLASH ART

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Saudi Arabian Grand Prix After Race Concerts As Alicia Keys and Martin Garrix headline a star-studded weekend of concerts, TPiMEA makes the trip to Jeddah to see the inner workings behind the show that has quickly become the hottest ticket in town.

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Taking place on 9 March, just before Ramadan got underway, the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix saw hordes of excited racing fans descend on Jeddah Corniche Circuit to witness Champion Max Verstappen continue his title defence with another dominant victory, before filtering down the road to the nearby purposebuilt concert site and partying the night away.

Earlier in the day before the race got underway, TPiMEA was on site at the concert venue to catch up with some of the key players behind the production, with MDLBEAST’s Production Director, Andy Head generously sparing a few minutes from his busy schedule to show us around the site. “This is my fourth year on this gig,” he shared as we made the journey from the MDLBEAST production office past the side of the stage and into the expansive festival arena. “The first one we did here was a challenge, but once we had the infrastructure in place, it became easier and easier; now it’s a very smooth operation year after year.”

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back the clocks, charting the history of the stage design. “The goal of the inaugural SAGP After Race Concerts in 2021 was to make a big statement that would gain global exposure.

Hence, the design approach needed to be larger than life with a multifaceted stage façade incorporating projection mapping across the full width of a 100m stage,” he recalled.

“The iconic ‘gem’ stage was embraced by the star-studded line-up that year, with most of the acts providing bespoke content that utilised the impressive canvas.”

Given the positive feedback from both attendees and performers alike, the MDLBEAST team doubled down on the stage for 2022 and produced new and exciting projection content on a stage that mirrored the year before. The stage design then evolved in 2023, retaining its successful projection-mapping-based approach, but taking on a new shape that drew inspiration from the coral of the Red Sea – “particularly a sculptural piece depicting the majestic natural formation in the scenic, which made up the façade of the stage,” Greyling described.

Moving onto this year, the Creative Director explained how there was a desire to move away from the projection mapping approach, opting instead for massive LED screens with defined angles to accommodate both content and live feed on an unprecedented scale. “This not only breathed new life into the stage design, but the removal of the two large projection towers also facilitated a much larger general admission footprint,” he reflected. “The large-format LED also allows for a seamless progression of shapes using the same technology in years to come.”

Vision Factory’s Sam Tozer, who has worked with MDLBEAST for the past four years including most notably on the Underground Area at Soundstorm, was entrusted with coming up with the new aesthetic, and he talked TPiMEA through his design process. “The brief from MDLBEAST was to take a shape that was given and create a stage design into a tangible reality while incorporating production elements that would make the stage stand out,” he explained.

With previous stage designs utilising projection as the main storytelling medium, Tozer

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

explained that this year, he aimed to “introduce a bold new visual direction” with the introduction of a much more LED-based design.

“The main goal was to maintain the scale of previous stages but shift from the projectionoriented stage of previous years to a design that was more video screen-centric to give the stage a fresh, impactful look,” he described. “The foundation of the design was an asymmetric shape, which allowed us to create a dynamic and engaging visual experience.”

After receiving the initial stage shape from MDLBEAST, Tozer and his Vision Factory team adapted it slightly to fit the specific dimensions and scale requirements. “We incorporated video and lighting technologies tailored to this size, emphasising a 3D and clean appearance,” he recalled. “The addition of high gloss black borders around the screens enhanced the depth of the stage, creating a reflective surface that augmented the visual impact.”

Reflecting on the project, Tozer was pleased with the overall aesthetic of the stage. “We achieved a clean look that not only made a visual impact but also supported the various needs of touring shows that passed through,” he commented. “Working in KSA with MDLBEAST Middle East

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for the past three years has been a rewarding experience. The scale of the events in Saudi Arabia allows us to push the boundaries of design, and over the years, our relationship with MDLBEAST has grown stronger, enabling more ambitious and innovative stage designs.”

‘A mind-blowing surface area’ PRG supplied a turnkey technical solution for the concerts, including video, lighting, audio, and rigging. With video playing a central role in the stage design, PRG’s Yves Winand had his hands full in the lead up to the show and throughout the weekend. “This year’s design was always going to be a challenge given that in 2023 we already had an incredible stage on which projection surfaces were mixed harmoniously with LED screens,” he began. “However, the 2024 design lived up to all the expectations and delivered an even bigger look courtesy of a massive fully LEDcovered stage with a mind-blowing surface area of 1,165 sq m.”

The screen in question was made up of INFiLED AR 5.9mm panels, formed in a clever combination of asymmetric surfaces – the challenge for Winand and the PRG team, of course, was to build them. “This was achieved

by stacking and attaching the panels to a giga scaffolding structure,” he revealed.

The huge LED canvas took 10 UHD 4K feeds and was powered by 20 NovaStar MX40 Pro controllers (mains and backup), with six Disguise VX 4 media servers and two GX 3 servers dedicated to Notch playback. Two PRG V467 consoles were also deployed, along with nine Barco E2 Gen 2 Presentation switchers and two EC-210 controllers. The system also included Lightware Visual Engineering MX2 16x16-HDMI 4K Matrix switchers, HDMI20-OPTC-220 4K optical extenders and Matrox Extio N3408 quad-monitor IP KVM extenders.

The camera package meanwhile included seven Sony HDC-4300 and five Panasonic PTZ AW-UE150KEJ cameras, along with a Grass Valley Karrera mixer, all run over 6km of Neutrik opticalCON MTP 12 fibre and 3km of Neutrik opticalCON QUAD fibre. “The equipment was dealt with by a great team of technicians from all over the world whose talent, experience, passion and dedication made the project flow seamlessly,” Winand reflected.

Describing the result as “stunning and breathtaking”, Winand was clearly proud to have played a part in the production. “The stage size alone

PRODUCTION PROFILE

“This year’s design was simply jawdropping, and I cannot wait to see what we can imagine for next year.”

Yves Winand, PRG

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was on another level and delivered mesmerising and vibrant content throughout the whole event.

It was as exciting to operate the system as it was to watch the A-list line-up on stage,” he commented. “This year’s design was simply jawdropping, and I cannot wait to see what we can imagine for next year.”

When it came to the lighting design, Tozer and the Vision Factory team focused on three main elements – sub-stage lighting, scenic extension, and top rig. “For the sub-stage lighting, we used GLP impression X5 Bars and Ayrton Dominos,” he revealed. “This setup was integrated flush with the stage floor to provide impactful lighting without obstructing views.”

Scenic extension was achieved using SGM Q-7 strobes, which outlined the stage, “creating walls of light that visually connected all the video elements” and added emphasis to the stage’s unique shape.

For the top rig meanwhile, Tozer deployed more Ayrton Dominos, along with PRG Best Boys, GLP impression X4 Bars and JDC1s. “This was designed to complement the rest of the stage while providing flexibility for the international touring productions,” he explained. Leading the lighting deployment for PRG was Rich Gorrod.

Artists were heard loud and clear thanks to a booming L-Acoustics sound system, designed

by Marc Greiss of Ears Up, with installation and operation overseen by PRG’s Martin Heinemann.

The PA comprised main hangs, side hangs and delay hangs of 12 K1s and eight K2s each, with 20 sets of three SB28 subs ground stacked in a 2-1 cardoid formation, along with K2s and ARCs stacked as frontfills and the whole system amplified using LA12Xs. FOH control came in the form of two DiGiCo SD5s equipped with Waves Extreme SoundGrid Servers and Avalon VT-737 plug-in, with Lake LM44 processing.

Monitors meanwhile were made up of a DJ fill of three L-Acoustics KARAs and two SB18s per side, stage wedges of 14 115XTs and two DV-SUBs, and side fills of three SB218s and three ARCs per side, with a Shure PSM 1000 in-ear option and Axient Digital Wireless Microphone package. Control comprised two DiGiCo SD7 Quantum consoles with Waves Extreme SoundGrid Servers and four SD-Racks with 56 inputs and outputs available.

ER Productions – another long-term MDLBEAST partner – provided an extensive laser and SFX solution, with lasers, confetti, CO2, and pyro playing a prominent role in the show

throughout the weekend. The supply included 18 of ER’s own AT-30 30W Lasers, which were deployed across the downstage edge, stage left and stage right and combined with 10 Look Solutions Viper fog generators to produce stunning clear beams.

On the SFX rig, 10 MagicFX Stadium Blasters and 12 MagicFX Stadium Shots stationed between the stage pit and FOH in the middle of the general admission area fired more than 500kg of confetti throughout the weekend. The downstage edge was also lined with 10 MagicFX PSYCO2JET CO2 machines and 20 Showven Sonic Boom jet fog machines.

The flame offering comprised eight Galaxis G-Flames, six Galaxis L-Flames, eight X2 Wave Flames, and eight Luminous Stadium Flames, deployed stage left and right, with 1,500 shots of high-altitude pyro fired from four elevated positions behind the stage and 1,000 stage shots from 10 positions on the downstage edge.

ER Productions Saudi Project Manager, Jonni Prasad, commented: “The team is proud that we honoured all artists requests and contributed to an amazing two nights at the SAGP After Race Concerts. MDLBEAST has an amazing production team that made the job a pleasure.”

‘Laying the foundations’ For MDLBEAST’s Director of Events and Project Director, George Haddad, who has been involved in the SAGP After Race Concerts from its inception in 2021, along with Creative Director Greyling and Executive Director of Events, Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson, the project represents the trio’s “first baby” with the client. “It hasn’t been an easy journey, and it took time for us to get it right,” he recalled. “However, after listening to what the fans want, we feel that we have achieved something truly special for the people of Jeddah.”

Haddad explained how while there’s still an element of education involved in establishing fans’ expectations for how an event like this should run, it’s equally important to listen to the fans and acknowledge that Jeddah is unique and has its own idiosyncrasies that can’t necessarily be compared with other global cities that host F1 races. For example, in the first year, the event struggled to draw in fans for the opening performers, with most people waiting until the last minute to enter the venue just before the headliner came on stage.

“One of the goals at any large-scale multi-act event such as this is to bring people in as early as possible – ideally you want half of the total 69

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PRODUCTION PROFILE

Top to bottom: The SAGP After Race Concerts stage design has evolved over the years, going from a projection-mapping-based aesthetic in 2022 and 2023 to an LED-based look in 2024 Middle East

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attendance to already be in the venue for the first act,” he shared. “To achieve that, we decided to get a big Arabic act early in the evening; it’s music to the soul for the local audience in Jeddah, and it worked perfectly.”

This focus on local talent isn’t just reserved for the big stars, with up-and-coming artists also given the opportunity to make a name for themselves through MDLBEAST’s XPERFORM competition, with the winners gaining the chance to perform as the first act on the bill. “There is so much incredible talent here in Saudi Arabia and incentives like this give these talented artists a platform to shine on the international stage,” Haddad stated. “Laying the foundations for the rise of this new culture in Saudi Arabia is ultimately at the heart of everything we do. We want to build up the industry at every opportunity, allow local talent the room to grow and leave a legacy for future generations.”

From an operational perspective, MDLBEAST has invested heavily into site infrastructure, creating and maintaining a semi-permanent 50,000-capacity venue that adds a new dimension to the year-round facilities available on Jeddah Corniche. “We’ve been focused on extending the life of infrastructure on site, building a legacy site that can ultimately be used for other concerts and events throughout the year,” Haddad explained. “It’s all about making decisions that are economically and sustainably sound, which are beneficial for both us and our client.”

As well as the stage remaining in place, the enormous four-storey VIP platform, which has a capacity for 7,700 people, is also a permanent fixture on site. “We add new legacy elements to the site each time,” said Haddad.

“From the VIP platform to the perimeter and trenching, it means the build takes less time, waste is reduced, and we have more scope to focus on the experience and audience journey, fine-tuning the details instead of having to rebuild the same things every year.”

With these key decisions proving their worth and the event improving year on year, Haddad remains hungry to continue the journey. “It’s one of those projects that never feels fatigued and there are always new challenges,” he said, praising the MDLBEAST team, including Senior Events Manager and Project Lead, Nigar Narimanova, and Site Director, Matt Gillespie.

“It’s been a beautiful journey so far, and every single person involved, from the client to the directors, all the crew and suppliers, have been vital to its success. We will continue to find ways to get bigger and better by doing it smarter year after year.”

For Curly, the relationship with Saudi Motorsport Company (SMC) that has developed over the years is one of the most pleasing aspects of the project. “We have a long history and a great working relationship with the SMC. There’s a trust between us; they give us space to do what we do, and we cherish that,” he commented. “The whole project is led by Mai Alhelabi – a phenomenal individual who we have massive respect for. We are very grateful for the faith she puts in us to get this done.”

Photos: MDLBEAST www.saudiarabiangp.com www.mdlbeast.com www.er-productions.com www.prg.com www.vision-factory.co.uk

IN PROFILE

Onyx Arena As Jeddah gets a brand-new indoor multipurpose venue capable of hosting everything from a corporate gala dinner to a 12,000-capacity standing concert, TPiMEA drops in for a sneak peek.

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IN PROFILE

What do you do when you want to host a concert, but you can’t quite find the perfect space with the right facilities for it? For most companies, the solution would be to compromise somewhere – perhaps with a lower capacity or smaller production values.

However, for MDLBEAST – an organisation that has always danced to the beat of its own drum – the word ‘compromise’ is simply not part of the vocabulary.

“We looked around some beautiful venues but nothing in Jeddah was equipped for the calibre of show we wanted, so we thought why not create our own arena that has everything we need?” recalled Director of Events and Project Director, George Haddad, explaining the origins of the brand-new Onyx Arena.

Located inside King Abdullah Sport City, just a stone’s throw away from the stadium of the same name and a 20-minute drive from Jeddah’s King Abdulaziz International Airport, Onyx Arena is a state-of-the-art multipurpose venue capable of hosting a wide range of events, from conferences and exhibitions to corporate launches, sporting Middle East

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events, concerts, and everything in between.

“It’s multipurpose in every sense of the word,” Haddad shared. “The facility has been designed to be as malleable as possible, so it can comfortably be used for pretty much any kind of event you could possibly think of.”

TPiMEA got an exclusive peek inside the venue prior to its opening, with Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson, Executive Director of Events at MDLBEAST, leading a private guided tour.

“Welcome to the Onyx Arena!” Curly said proudly, as the doors swung open, and we got our first look inside the cavernous space.

With an inside space of 7,000 sq m (including a column-free floor space of 100m long by 65m wide) and a ceiling height of 25m up to the apex, there’s no shortage of room inside Onyx Arena. However, as handy as the space is, one characteristic of the venue that really sets it apart is its impressive rigging capacity, with ceiling rigging points rated for a total load of up to 160 tonnes, meaning large-scale production values are more than achievable. Power is also taken care of, with 6,500KVA readily available

for productions to plug and play, negating the need to bring in any external generators. In fact, as Curly explained, every facet of Onyx Arena has been thought through from the perspective of an incoming production, making it as easy as possible for PMs so they can focus on the show.

“There is a lot of experience within the team, and we know what clients require from a venue,” he commented. “There are no other venues in Jeddah that have this level of readily available assets on site, all incorporated neatly into the building’s design. There should be very little additional build required on site for any incoming production teams.”

As we step outside the main auditorium, it is clear that this ethos of providing a complete solution runs throughout the building, from the fully equipped production offices, hotel room-style VIP artist green rooms, and catering through to warehousing storage areas for clients’ equipment in the back of house area, along with washrooms, medical centre, food and beverage and merch kiosks conveniently located for audience members.

2nd Floor, Cathedral Court, New Street, Dublin 8, D08 C525, Ireland 2nd Floor, Boudl Al Sahafa Hotel, King Abdulaziz Rd., As Sahafah, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia hello@safeevents.ie | safeevents.ie

IN PROFILE

While the Onyx Arena will welcome all manner of events from various promoters and productions, the fact that the venue is part of the MDLBEAST family brings with it some serious benefits – not least access to the company’s coveted in-house expertise and extensive supply chain.

The location of the Onyx Arena was selected with external operations in mind, as Haddad explained. “You can have the best venue in the world, but if it’s in an area that’s too busy or doesn’t have any parking, it’s pointless,” he said, noting the arena’s dedicated access route and 12,000 self-contained parking spaces distributed evenly within the wider King Abdullah Sport City perimeter. “The audience journey starts from the moment they buy their ticket and carries right through to the journey home, and lots of care and attention has been put into every step to ensure it’s as smooth and enjoyable as possible.”

With a fully controllable HVAC air-conditioning system, the new venue expands Jeddah’s capability to host events throughout the typically quiet summer months. “That’s something that has been lacking up to now, but we are fully capable of operating throughout the year,” Haddad Middle East

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commented. “It means that Q2 and Q3 will now be much more utilised periods and there’s a potential to host mid-sized concerts and events much more regularly throughout the year.”

Of course, as with all the various MDLBEAST ventures, Onyx Arena is very much part of a bigger plan, contributing to the development of the live events industry in Saudi Arabia. “A lot of the shows that have taken place in Saudi Arabia so far are these huge megaprojects such as Soundstorm and the Formula One After-Race Concerts, which are fantastic but can only happen a few times a year,” Haddad explained.

“What a venue like Onyx Arena offers is the ability to host smaller shows much more frequently. It normalises going to a gig rather than it being something that only happens once or twice a year.”

Describing the venue as “part of a larger ecosystem”, Haddad explained how smaller, more regular events hold the key to long-term development of the industry. “It starts at club level, with 300 to 400-capacity shows giving the opportunity for more emerging artists to get experience performing on stage to a crowd. As

these artists gain a bigger following, the Onyx Arena is the perfect next step before they’re ready to play in these massive outdoor shows,” he stated.

“It’s an ambition for us to not just focus on the big events, but also put just as much effort into the smaller shows; that’s where the grassroots talent develops,” he concluded. “We’re at the forefront of helping to build the foundation of the music industry here, and it’s an honour and a pleasure to be a part of it.”

Ramadan Alharatani, CEO of MDLBEAST, had the final word: “We are proud to launch Onyx Arena,” he stated.

“A multipurpose venue offering unmatched experiences for all types of event organisers from concerts to exhibitions and conferences, Onyx Arena creates lasting memories.

“With top-notch facilities and seamless event management, we enable year-round activations that contribute to the development of the entertainment industry.”

Photos: Onyx Arena www.onyxarena.com www.mdlbeast.com

INTERVIEW

Mark WynnEdwards, Lighting Designer and Lead Creative, Simple Minds The creative mind behind the aesthetic of the Scottish rock band’s shows shares his design process…

At the start of the creative process for any tour, the early conversations between show designer and band are critical. So, when Simple Minds frontman Jim Kerr briefed Lighting Designer and Lead Creative Mark WynnEdwards ahead of the band’s Global Tour 2024, it’s safe to say that the LD was pleased with the room for creativity that he was afforded. “Jim’s main criteria was that the show needed to look massive – the show was going into some big spaces, and we needed to fill every inch,” he smiled. “That was handy because it happens to match my ethos perfectly. If I’m given 40 or 50 sq ft to play with, I want to fill it and go as high and wide as I can. People are paying a lot of money to come and see a show and they deserve to see something different and special.”

Catching up with TPiMEA following the band’s one-off show in Dubai on the way back to the UK from the New Zealand and Australia dates, Wynn-Edwards, who grew up in Oman and has worked extensively in the Middle East, delved into the design of the Global Tour 2024. “Video is an important part of the show, but one thing we were sure of was that we didn’t want to have a huge screen at the back of the stage that dominates the design. I’ve never been a fan of having a huge telly in a show; it’s like having a TV in a pub – people will end up just staring up at it slack-jawed,” he commented, explaining the decision to go with split LED screens rather than a large central LED wall.

Content is run across the central and side screens, with IMAG content blended with the creative imagery on the side screens. “It’s important to stick to some of the known design codes of an arena gig, but always on our terms,” WynnEdwards stated. “It’s a functioning piece of artwork. It works well, because as content goes over people’s faces and clothes, you get those different colours and textures.”

Starting on the tour as Catalyst Operator, Wynn-Edwards has now handed over the video reins, which has seen Middle East

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the tour switch over to Video Designer, John Minton’s preference of Resolume media servers. “We’ve invested a lot in the video side of the show. John is free to do his thing, which takes a lot of the workload off me,” he explained.

Having come through as a tech, the LD understands the stresses and strains of touring on the crew and as such has designed the lighting rig to be as crew friendly as possible.

“It is all on pre-rig; we can roll in, hook up, get it in the air and it’s done. Of course, there’s a lot of it and it still takes a fair bit of work, but we have made it as easy as possible. I’ve been that soldier, so I know how hard load-ins can be.”

With the front mid truss sitting at 60ft in the largest UK arenas, the design can scale up and down as required. “We want to give fans a similar experience wherever in the world they are,” Wynn-Edward stated. “It should look the same in Wembley as it does in Bournemouth.”

‘Simple yet impressive’ The design retains the multi-tiered look from the previous tour, giving the impression of a ‘wall of lights’. “We came up with the initial concept, toured it, then thought about how we could improve it for this time,” the LD explained. “I wrote everything down so when it came to designing this tour, I had a good idea about what I wanted to change. It’s evolution, keeping it simple yet impressive.”

Robe fixtures are used extensively – “there’s a lot of Robe up there!” – with BMFL WashBeams doing the heavy lifting and Robin iFORTEs selected for their IP rating. “The tour moves on to festivals after the arena run and the world seems to do a lot of raining these days, so having IP-rated fixtures in the floor package was a very conscious choice,” Wynn-Edwards explained.

Ayrton MagicPanel FX fixtures provide wash light, with the distinctive square beam adding a point of interest over the more common rounded shaft of light. “There are a

couple of gags where I’ve moved to digital gobos and done asymmetric looks with the beams,” Wynn-Edwards recalled.

GLP is also well represented in the design with impression X4 and X4 Bar 20s joining JDC1 Strobes on the rig. “We’ve fully embraced LED for this run, and the JDC1s do a great job. The lack of molefays has made the racks easier with no dimmers required. I think molefays would look out of place on this show – the type of light they produce doesn’t really work with a modern setup.”

A long-term ETC Hog user, having been on the platform since version two, Wynn-Edwards operates the show live from his Hog 4 console, with not a hint of timecode in sight. “I love working with Hog; I can do everything with a matter of a few clicks, and the way it handles light is very satisfying,” he commented, going on to explain the aversion to timecode.

“This show doesn’t require a timecode. It has its purpose, but I’m of the era that you learn the songs, learn where things go, and then you need to have the timing to pull it off. The flourishes and extra bits of drama are what I really enjoy,” he added, expanding on his love for riding the console live. “The way I programme my shows is we have a main list, that is the show, then I have a load of things I’m running as I feel on the night. No gig is ever the same, which is great, because shows are all about being in the moment and experiencing something that will never happen the same again.”

While the Dubai show was a departure from the tour’s usual design, with the venue’s giant in-house LED screen utilised, the LD was pleased with the effect they were able to achieve for a one-off performance.

“Coca-Cola Arena is a hell of a venue,” he reflected.

“MediaPro International supplied the lighting for us in Dubai; I’ve worked with them a lot in the past so I knew all their crew, and they were every bit as professional as I would expect. Everyone went away happy.”

The UK run meanwhile saw a full turnkey supply from Solotech, including lighting, video, and audio. “I’ve been massively impressed with them,” Wynn-Edwards reported.

“Everything is just so. All the kit is presented right, has been thought through, and is cabled to perfection. I’m hands-on with everything and the Solotech team have taken a lot off my plate. It gives us more time to focus on the creative and think about the trickier venues.”

With summer season fast approaching, Simple Minds are set for a string of festival performances throughout the UK and Europe – much to the delight of Wynn-Edwards.

“They have been going for more than 40 years, and to still be touring properly after all that time is a huge achievement.

It’s a wonderful tour to be involved with.”

Photos: Thorsten Samesch | ToddeVision.de, courtesy of Mark Wynn-Edwards www.simpleminds.com www.markwynnedwards.com

Mark Wynn-Edwards at the controls of his Hog 4 console 79

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FEEDBACK

Fighting for the freelancer and championing the client JAM Event Services Managing Director, James Mistry, and JAM People’s Staffing Operations Director, Nadine Hugo, explain how the company looks out for the best interests of both freelancers and clients.

What do event staffing and recruitment agencies do?

Well, aside from the obvious in finding freelancers for projects, the role of a staffing agency is to add value to the entire recruitment process. According to JAM Event Services Managing Director, James Mistry, this is something the staffing arm of his company, JAM People, does in a variety of ways.

“The process is based around collaboration between a staffing agency, event freelancer and the end client. It’s about all three parties working together towards the end goal of a solid project delivery,” he began. “As far as we’re concerned, it’s a delicate balance between fighting for the freelancer and standing up for the client, and we must make sure that we walk the tightrope and are fair on both sides.”

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One of the first tasks for any agency should be to examine the company culture of its client to better match them with freelancers that will thrive in the organisation.

“There are hundreds of things we look at to understand a company culture – how do they work? What type of people thrive at their company? What kind of jobs do they do? What is their management team like? How often do they use freelancers?” Mistry posed, adding that while JAM People has the pleasure of working with some of the top event agencies and clients across the GCC, that doesn’t necessarily mean that every freelancer the company represents will be a fit for every client.

“If you don’t understand and analyse that company culture and ensure that it is a good match for the freelancer, it can lead to problems such as clashes in personality and disagreements about how to approach projects,” he stated.

“We want to give freelancers a platform to show off their skillset and flourish within their job role, and a big part of that is ensuring that they’re a good match with the company they’re walking into.”

As part of that due diligence, if the JAM People team identifies issues with a potential client that would lead to a difficult working situation for the freelancers they represent, Mistry is unequivocal in his response.

“Part of our duty towards the freelancers we represent is that if a company culture isn’t on a par with our expectations, we would rather not put anyone forward for a role,” he commented. “We’re duty-bound to ensure a safe working environment, and that due diligence needs to happen on both sides. Freelancers put their faith in JAM that we’re checking out the clients as much as the clients are putting their faith in the fact that we are verifying our freelancers. It goes both ways.”

According to JAM People’s Staffing Operations Director, Nadine Hugo, finding the right work-life balance for freelancers is a crucial part of the company’s role. “If we encounter any issues during a job such as the freelancer being overworked, it is up to us to raise that with the client,” she explained. “It’s very important to ensure that what was

discussed beforehand is being adhered to and that the freelancer is being treated appropriately on site.”

Again, this cuts both ways, and if a client isn’t happy with the freelancer, it also falls on the JAM People team to step in and help resolve the issue quickly. “We will be the mediator and try to support the two parties to come to an agreement where possible. However, if the issue is impossible to resolve, we must also be ready to find a backup to ensure that the project is not disrupted in any way,” he stated, adding that in this case, there would be a thorough debrief with the freelancer to reflect on what happened and measures would be put in place to find a position that works better for them in the future. “This process is aided by clear communication and transparent expectations, and it requires the buy-in of all parties.”

Describing the company as “the business development arm for the freelancer”, Hugo explained how it is JAM People’s duty to seek out new opportunities for the talent it represents. “Freelancers place trust in us that we can give them access to new opportunities, so it’s imperative that our team are constantly meeting new clients and sourcing new and exciting opportunities for the freelancers we represent,” she said. “At the same time, clients such as government entities, production houses and event organisers are investing large amounts of time and money in their projects, and they need to be able to trust staffing agencies to connect them with the best talent who can help make their project a success.” Of course, the best talent comes at a cost and is another part of a staffing agency’s

role in establishing the correct remuneration for both parties. “Once we’re briefed by an end client, we evaluate on behalf of the freelancers whether the budget matches the expectations and deliverables,” Mistry explained. “If not, it’s up to us to go back to the client and try to negotiate on behalf of the freelancer.”

At the same time, if the JAM People team perceive that a freelancer is demanding too much for their level of experience, it’s also their duty to advise them on a more realistic rate. “When Expo 2020 came to Dubai, we suddenly had numerous people here in elevated roles that in some cases they were operating in for the first time. It’s natural for people to play up their CVs, but part of our responsibility is to ensure that freelancers aren’t over-promising or exaggerating their experience too much,” Mistry explained.

“Similarly, some freelancers undervalue their experience and are asking for what we believe to be too low a rate. In this case we will advise them to increase to a rate that better matches their experience and skill set.”

Mistry concluded by offering advice to both freelancers and clients looking to thrive in the notoriously last-minute environment of the Middle East events market.

“There are certain pressures in this market that are unlikely to change – every job is fast-moving and fluid, which can make everyone’s job more difficult at times,” he stated. “Flexibility, honesty and good communication is required on both sides to make the relationship work.”

Photos: JAM People www.jameventservices.com/people

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Middle East

FEEDBACK

The problem with plastic Ahead of Plastic Free July, Selina Donald, Founder and CEO of sustainability consultancy, The Bulb, lays bare the environmental impact of plastic and explores how the live events industry in the Middle East can cut down on its consumption.

consumption in the world, using four billion plastic water bottles annually – many of which end up in the ocean, and in marine life across the Gulf. In 2022, nine in 10 turtles found dead in the UAE had plastic in their stomach.

However, there is good news. As a result of the scale of plastic pollution and its impact, both globally and in the UAE, we are seeing real action from governments, businesses, and individuals.

The 2022 UN treaty on Plastic Pollution saw 175 nations agree to develop a legally binding agreement on plastic pollution by 2024. In the UAE, there have been a raft of policies that will transform the way plastic is consumed and disposed of, and widespread awareness of the importance of actions like this has surpassed expectations.

In 2020, Abu Dhabi became the first capital in the Middle East to ban single-use plastic bags. As a result, between June 2022 and June 2023, 172 million single-use plastic bags were taken out of circulation – an estimated 75% reduction. In 2024, Dubai became the last of the seven Emirates to ban plastic bags, along with other nonrecyclable packaging products.

On the horizon is a UAE-wide ban on importing plastic cutlery, drinks cups, styrofoam and boxes, from January 2026. Moves are afoot around the world, particularly in the UAE, to reduce plastic consumption and pollution.

Consider this: every single piece of plastic ever made still exists today. In fact, each of us is likely ingesting a credit card’s worth of plastic each week, because plastic pollution is everywhere – in our water, our soil, our air, and our food. The facts are stark: 8 million tonnes of plastic enter our oceans each year; only 9% of plastic is recycled, and most is downcycled into poor quality products that are less likely to be recycled again.

Recycling is still important, as it reduces plastic pollution and reminds us all to consider our impact, but the answer to the size of our plastic pollution problem is to eliminate plastic use in the first place. Plastic pollution is a global problem, but the UAE has the fourth-highest level of bottled water Middle East

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The event industry’s plastic problem Plastic is still widely used in events, as vinyl, acrylics and other materials used in fabrication as well as uniforms and costumes (think ‘polyester’). It’s difficult to measure the full scale of event industry plastic waste, because many event producers still don’t measure it, despite it being easy to do using platforms such as TRACE. However, there is no doubt that events are still a significant consumer of single-use plastics, and this is a problem, both locally and globally.

There is, however, an opportunity for our incredibly creative sector to turn the tide. Not only can we stay ahead of upcoming regulations banning single-use plastics, but we can create new ways of creating sets, sites, and materials for events in a way that can filter out as best practice for other sectors around the world. And there is already a range of innovative, inspiring work being done by key players in the UAE event industry.

The Bulb recently worked with People to plan and produce the UAE Union Day in 2023, which resulted in the most sustainable Union Day celebration thus far. We led the sustainability strategy from the start and wove it into every single decision.

One of our aims was to deliver a plastic-free production, so we banned single-use plastic water bottles from the site; all staff, crew and suppliers were required to bring a refillable water bottle. The result? We reduced plastic on-

The Bulb recently led the sustainability strategy for UAE Union Day, reducing plastic on site by half a tonne

site by a half a tonne – that’s the equivalent of around one million plastic straws. Just one small, easy decision truly can have a significant impact.

Hosting COP28, the largest climate change event to-date, changed the game for the UAE. COP28 found measurable operational ways to help deliver the UAE’s sustainability objectives.

Prioritising recycled and recyclable materials and partnering with local designers who crafted furniture from waste by-product materials were inspiring and impactful ways we found to do this. The approach drove innovation and new best practices for events in the Middle East region.

What can you do?

If you’re wondering what you can do to have a positive impact on plastic pollution through your own work and your organisation, options are abundant. Take part in Plastic Free July – a global movement that provides resources and ideas that has inspired more than 100 million participants in 190 countries to make small changes they can maintain to have a positive long-term impact on their community and our planet. It’s a great way to raise awareness and create momentum in your own organisation.

You can also find local sustainable suppliers in the UAE who will help you to deliver a ‘circular economy’ approach and eliminate plastic for events to have a much more positive impact. For example, DGrade turns plastic bottles into Greenspun clothing. Yas Marina Circuit has already worked with them to ‘upcycle’ 18,000 plastic bottles each year to create their employee uniforms. BioWare makes serveware from 100% renewable plant sources. They use

materials like sugarcane (bagasse), paper, bamboo and bioactive thermoplastic aliphatic polyester (PLA) instead of plastic. And, in fact, they make straws from date palm leaves, which always create a fun talking point at any event where they’re used.

Precious Plastic Dubai are specialists in converting unavoidable plastic waste into items like keychains, plant pots and coasters, which you can then use as future giveaways for clients, keeping these materials in circulation.

Ecyclex has been around in the UAE since 2012 and refurbishes gadgets and sells unusable parts to factories. In 2021, they launched Reloop, a recycling subscription service to homes and corporations of everything from plastics and cardboard to batteries and cooking oil.

When it comes to ‘getting your head straight’ to reduce your plastic impact, when you need to print something, think creatively. Ask your suppliers to swap plastic-based materials like vinyl for ReBoard (corrugated cardboard) or canvas, printed with water-based paints (and keep in mind that acrylic paint is plastic). Make it mandatory for your suppliers to eliminate plastic wrap and use cardboard, blankets, and reusable materials to transport goods.

The reality of plastic pollution is important to acknowledge. It’s everywhere and it’s only going to get worse unless we take individual and collective action. But the good news is that that is entirely possible, and we can create beautiful, memorable experiences that change event industry practice and leave a legacy for all the right reasons.

So, join me in Plastic Free July!

Photos: The Bulb, People www.thebulb.eco 83

Middle East

FEEDBACK

Going with the FLOW in Saudi Arabia Stephen Lynch, Head of Commercial at FLOW KSA, sheds light on the sustainable solutions the company is offering in the Kingdom.

ideal time to focus on the KSA events market, as the push for sustainability will drive long-term growth and innovation as these technologies become more cost-effective.

Beginning his career in 2008 with a regional equipment rental business as a supervisor, Stephen Lynch has navigated his fair share of challenging and hectic days in the industry, gaining invaluable insights into how events are orchestrated, not just from an equipment standpoint but also from operational and production perspectives.

From 2013 to 2023, he worked with FLOW in the UAE as a Senior Account Manager, before freelancing on high-profile projects such as FIFA World Cup Qatar and Rugby World Cup in France, before being offered the position of Head of Commercial with FLOW KSA. “Knowing this role didn’t exist back then made it even more exciting to throw my hat in the ring when it became available,” he explained.

With his focus now firmly on Saudi Arabia, Lynch spared some time to discuss his new role and shared his take on the exciting future for sustainable solutions in the Kingdom.

Why is now a good time to be focusing on the Saudi Arabian events market?

Saudi Arabia has a thriving market with a wide array of events across different regions, each showcasing unique aspects of the country’s culture. From the hugely successful MDLBEAST events to the world’s biggest boxing bouts and LIV Golf, there is a diverse range of activities that highlight Saudi Arabia’s rich heritage and modern advancements.

One common theme emerging in recent years is a strong focus on green initiatives. Although some green energy technologies are currently more expensive, the market’s commitment to exploring and adopting these technologies is unparalleled in the region. This makes it an Middle East

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What sustainable solutions is FLOW capable of offering in Saudi Arabia?

FLOW offers a range of sustainable solutions in Saudi Arabia. At the source level, we provide solar, hydrogen, and battery systems. Our diesel generators are also biofuelready, and we offer options to include additives that reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions and diesel cost.

Additionally, we can create hybrid systems that combine all these technologies, tailored specifically for each event to deliver greener and more efficient solutions. By integrating these advanced systems, we are committed to supporting the country’s green initiatives and reducing the environmental impact of events.

The desire for sustainability is shared across all areas of the country, whether for government-led or private events.

Saudi Arabia has set extremely ambitious goals, such as creating more sustainable cities like The Line in Neom. This commitment drives the need for more efficient and greener power solutions.

Where is KSA when it comes to sustainability, and how do you see the sector developing in the future?

With continued investment, the processes for producing hydrogen and biofuels will become more streamlined and widespread, ultimately reducing costs. Additionally, I believe that in the near future, AI will play a significant role in determining temporary power needs more effectively.

By leveraging raw data from the suppliers’ market, AI will enhance power and cost efficiency overall.

What are FLOW’s main goals in Saudi Arabia?

In the short term, our goal is to leverage our expertise to enhance the client experience and build a strong local reputation in Saudi Arabia. In the medium term, as an engineering-led temporary power and cooling solutions company for events, we aim to establish Saudi Arabia as a central hub for the event industry. By taking advantage of the country’s significant incentives, we will continuously push the boundaries of what can be achieved in this market.

In the long term, we aspire to contribute to the development of sustainable power and HVAC solutions. As Saudi Arabia attracts top talent and invests in sustainability, the market will benefit from advancements in green energy and AI-powered efficient solutions. We are excited to be part of this dynamic and innovative future.

Photo: FLOW www.flowsolutions.me

GEAR HEADS

AUDIOFOCUS ARRoCC constant curvature system Håkan Sjöö, AUDIOFOCUS Sales Manager, discusses the benefits of the manufacturer’s latest loudspeaker series, now distributed in the GCC region

by Trigon.

What products form the ARRoCC constant curvature loudspeaker series?

There are three core building blocks in the ARRoCC system: the wide coverage CC210W and narrow coverage CC210N top cabinets, plus the 118S subwoofer. The CC210W and CC210N both mount identical pairs of 10in LF transducers, with coverage patterns of 90o by 25o and 90o by 12.5o respectively. These two cabinets can be combined in many ways, both horizontally and vertically, so it is easy to tailor the coverage for each event. We will Middle East

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also release a fast-fit magnetic horn plug insert for creating asymmetrical directivity patterns onsite. Our 118S sub was developed specifically to fit into the ARRoCC system and rigging scheme.

The 118S is built around a single 18in transducer and has a frequency range of 30 to 100Hz with a peak SPL of 135dB. A supporting cast of accessories allows ARRoCC systems to be stacked or flown in myriad different configurations, with optional brackets for pole, wall, and ceiling mounting.

What are the main features of the series that benefit the end user?

ARRoCC delivers high SPL and excellent intelligibility in a compact package that is quick and simple to set up. For our target customer, a lot of their work is in medium-throw sound reinforcement scenarios, which often don’t play to the strengths of line arrays or point source systems. This is the sweet spot that ARRoCC drops into neatly. ARRoCC scales from a couple of pole-mounted cabinets for a spoken word event to full arrays for a live

stage. Its modularity also makes ARRoCC a smart option for startup rental companies looking to invest in a system gradually as they win more ambitious projects.

What kind of R&D process went into the development of the range?

A key R&D decision was to mount two 10-inch transducers rather than a single, larger driver.

This V-format twin 10-inch layout gives us higher SPL, a smaller footprint, and more control. We evaluated countless components and the new generation of transducers employing Tetracoil dual voice coil technology really stand out for the SPL and fidelity boost they give. We also selected a large 4-inch titanium diaphragm HF compression driver, which lets us employ a lower crosspoint, resulting in better dispersion and control down to lower frequencies.

Another vital task was perfecting the custom waveguide for the CC210W and CC210N cabinets. The success of the ARRoCC system hinged on having an ultra-rigid definition of coverage patterns between loudspeakers, so we 3D printed, tested, and refined many prototypes before we arrived at the ultimate Severin waveguide design.

Where in the market do you see this new series fitting in?

ARRoCC was specifically created for busy PA rental or corporate AV companies serving

a broad clientele. Imagine a rental company that is supplying systems for a product launch today, a conference tomorrow and a live show the next day. This type of customer needs a scalable, modular medium-throw system that is quick to set up and pack down, and this is exactly what ARRoCC gives them.

Where can Middle East users get hold of the ARRoCC series?

We are in the process of formalising our network and earlier this year we were delighted to announce Trigon’s appointment as the exclusive AUDIOFOCUS distributor for the GCC. Trigon will be familiar to many as a distributor of top ICT and AV brands, and they have recently built on this with the creation of a dedicated pro audio team. We know we can impress whenever customers hear and feel the quality of our products, so we are excited to see how the brand develops with the benefit of Trigon’s contacts and expertise.

Beyond the GCC, we have a lot of experience of supplying and supporting customers throughout the Middle East and Africa. Having sales, manufacturing, and support under one roof in Belgium gives us a level of flexibility that few brands can match, including the capacity to turn around orders much more quickly.

Photos: AUDIOFOCUS www.audiofocus.eu www.trigononline.com

AUDIOFOCUS Sales Manager, Håkan Sjöö proudly showcases the new ARRoCC constant curvature system 87

Middle East

GEAR HEADS

Robe iFORTE Elie Battah, Robe Middle East General Manager, highlights the benefits of the company’s latest IP-rated fixture.

Which features will end users and investors be excited by?

The iFORTE, part of our highly successful iSeries, boasts the same features, performance, and Transferrable Engine flexibility as our award-winning indoor FORTE. With our groundbreaking active RAINS internal microclimate protection technology, the iFORTE is specifically designed to deliver consistent, outstanding performance in any weather or climate. This fixture requires no special tools or pressurising kits.

It is designed around standard maintenance procedures, ensuring easy and familiar preparation and maintenance.

The overall system is engineered to be selfsustaining over extended periods, avoiding the typical additional burdens associated with outdoor luminaires.

With identical DMX maps, an almost identical form, and an inconsequential weight difference of just 1.5kg, designers and programmers can interchange FORTE and iFORTE units in shows without any noticeable difference. They can even be rigged next to each other on the same truss if required.

How was the iFORTE developed?

We don’t disclose specific details related to product R&D, but what we can say is that all the product development is based on a thorough research and referencing process undertaken across multiple markets and disciplines. We are constantly engaging in communication with all types of end users – lighting designers, programmers, technicians, rental companies, venue operators – about the most relevant tools and features enabling them to achieve the best possible results for their audiences.

The FORTE family of fixtures was brought to the market as a super-powerful, high impact LED sourced long-throw range of luminaires to replace discharge source ranges like the BMFL, which has been hugely successful worldwide since its launch in 2014.

How is the fixture well suited to the Middle East region?

Crucial for the Middle Eastern climate – heavy dust, wind and unpredictable rain being just some of the climate anomalies in addition to extreme heat and dryness – the iFORTE is Middle East

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available in both IP65 and IP66 permanent installation versions.

Constructed from magnesium alloy, the iFORTE is designed to mitigate UV component degradation, extreme humidity level variance, and particle ingestion commonly found in the region. Without this level of active protection, fixtures will quickly fail.

For permanent outdoor installations, the iFORTE can be connected to the Robe Remote Ethernet Access Portal (REAP) for real time over ethernet monitoring of all fixture functions and diagnostic information.

What kind of applications has the fixture already been used on in the region?

Numerous shows and events – from car and product launches to experientials, music concerts and sports show spectaculars.

Where can Middle East customers get hold of the iFORTE? Rental companies currently with iFORTE in stock include ShowTech Productions in Bahrain, Talentz in Oman, Creative Communication Group and Al Istiklal in Qatar, plus Perfect Ovation, SLS Production, Flair Events and Creative Technology in Dubai.

Photos: Robe www.robe.cz

Robe Middle East General Manager, Elie Battah; Robe iFORTE

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

AVI-SPL Middle East partners with d&b audiotechnik Announced at the company’s recent VIBE Dubai event, the partnership sees the addition of d&b Soundscape into the immersive demo room at AVI-SPL’s Dubai office.

AVI-SPL has become an integration partner of d&b audiotechnik in a move that Phil Marlowe, Managing Director of AVI-SPL Middle East described as “a significant milestone”. He elaborated: “This collaboration signifies not only a union of cutting-edge technologies but also a shared vision for elevating audio-visual experiences to unprecedented heights... With d&b’s renowned expertise and our dedication to impeccable integration and service, we’re poised to revolutionise the industry landscape, offering our clients audio perfection.” d&b Middle East Vice President, Brad Maiden added: “Partnering with AVI-SPL Middle East is an amazing opportunity for d&b audiotechnik to work with and contribute to a company of real innovators who continually push the boundaries of technology in our industry. In addition to their innovation, AVI-SPL are known for their attention to detail and high quality.”

Maiden explained how the synergy between the two companies makes the partnership a Middle East

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perfect fit. “With AVI-SPL’s focus on cuttingedge technologies and experiences, and d&b’s own focus on these technologies, there are a lot of synergies we are keen to explore,” he commented. “Their local work, especially with projects like Museum of the Future, is a testament to their technical excellence and pushing boundaries, which is what d&b is all about. The AVI-SPL team in Dubai are at the top of their game when it comes to innovative solutions, and we love to work with people like this.”

The new partnership sees the addition of a d&b Soundscape system into AVI-SPL’s cAVe immersive room. “Our demo room has been fitted with a d&b Soundscape spatial audio system fully integrated for our clients to experience. Our team has been fully trained and has the support from d&b to ensure our technology experts in the field are proficient in installing, configuring, and maintaining d&b’s products,” Marlowe explained. “We want to ensure our clients receive high-quality service

and support throughout the lifecycle of their audio solutions.”

The Managing Director continued to state his belief that the future of sound lies in immersive, object-based audio technology. “This is why we’re thrilled to integrate d&b’s innovative products into our offerings for 2024,” he said.

“With this investment, we’re not just staying current; we’re pushing the boundaries to ensure that our clients receive the most advanced and exceptional audio experiences available.”

The partnership was announced at AVI-SPL’s recent VIBE Dubai event, which attracted more than 100 attendees and fostered collaboration with 22 leading technology partners, including Barco, Crestron, Epson, Q-SYS, INFiLED, Sennheiser, Uniguest, Absen, AppSpace, Biamp, Bose, Extron, Fohnn, Jabra, Lightwear, Mago, Neat, Netgear, ROE Visual, 7thSense, and Shure.

Photo: AVI-SPL www.avispl.ae www.dbaudio.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

Mark Breakspear returns to DLC Events The industry stalwart re-joins as Sales and Operations Manager after two years away from the company.

DLC Events has announced the return of Mark Breakspear to its ranks as Sales and Operations Manager. With a wealth of experience amassed during his initial tenure with the company spanning over 15 years, Breakspear re-joins the company after a short stint away.

“It is great to have Mark return after his sabbatical. We missed him,” stated DLC Events Founder and Managing Director, Lorraine Ludman. “I have always enjoyed working with Mark; his knowledge, enthusiasm and neverfading energy makes him a pleasure to be around. Welcome back to the DLC team.”

Breakspear first embarked on his career with DLC Events in 2007, starting as a lighting technician and steadily climbing the ranks to become a respected senior project manager.

Throughout his tenure, he played a pivotal role in

the evolution and expansion of DLC’s conference technology services, positioning the company as a leader in the meeting and conference sector.

Following the conclusion of Expo 2020, Breakspear ventured to explore new horizons while maintaining a close relationship with the company. Now, with DLC Events experiencing continued growth, he re-joins at what the company dubs “the perfect time to accelerate the momentum”.

“I owe so much to Lorraine for all the opportunities I have received while being with DLC,” Breakspear commented. “It was important for me to move on a few years ago and gain further experience in other fields, but I’m very excited about returning to DLC Events and forging a successful future for the company.”

Photo: DLC Events www.dlcevents.com

LEA Professional partners with Zuhal Muzik The manufacturer amplifies its presence in the region with a new Turkish distributor.

LEA Professional has partnered with Zuhal Muzik to bring its technology to Turkey. The AV distributor will offer all of LEA Professional’s extensive technology catalogue, from IT solutions to DSP and power management.

Zuhal Muzik’s origins trace back to a small family-owned music shop that opened in the 1970s. The original store still stands in Istanbul and houses the present-day Zuhal Muzik team.

Today, the Zuhal Muzik family can be found in every corner of Turkey, proving the nationwide reach of the business. Most recently, Zuhal Muzik was named one of the top 100 AV dealers and awarded Best Store Design at NAMM Show 2024.

Through this partnership, customers in Turkey will have access to LEA’s award-winning Network Connect series of professional amplifiers and companion Dante Connect Middle East

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series that provide the same features as well as Dante and AES67 connectivity. With the ability to harness the power of the cloud for remote control, monitoring, notifications, and more from any internet-enabled device, the Connect Series allows integrators to stay connected from anywhere in the world.

“We have a long and steady history of providing the very best to our customers,” said Adnan Sungurlu, CEO of Zuhal Muzik. “We aim to make music accessible to everyone, and that starts with ensuring our customers can work with top-quality audio technology. We look forward to introducing LEA’s outstanding technology to all our customers in Turkey.”

“We have been on a mission to expand our global footprint, and this partnership catapults us further in the right direction,” added Scott

Robbins, VP of Sales at LEA Professional. “Zuhal Muzik has never failed to provide the very best to their customers, garnering much deserved recognition along the way. We do not doubt this will be an extremely rewarding and fruitful partnership.”

Photo: LEA Professional www.zuhalmuzik.com www.leaprofessional.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

Gearhouse Splitbeam invests in Ayrton Rivale Profiles The theatre and professional rental specialist purchases the fixtures for the South African version of Mamma Mia!

Johannesburg-based Gearhouse Splitbeam has made its first investment in Ayrton, purchasing brand-new Ayrton Rivale Profile fixtures from Ayrton’s South African distribution partner, Planetworld.

The decision came after a concerted post-pandemic fact-finding mission to secure the best new LED moving lights with which to update the company’s lighting stock, spurred on by the impending requirements of Showtime Management’s production of Mamma Mia! later in the year and a need to increase its stock of LED moving lights.

Departing from its traditional manufacturers, Splitbeam decided in favour of Ayrton Rivale Profile following a shoot-out between major manufacturers’ products and a visit to the Ayrton factory just ahead of the launch of Rivale Profile.

“We are essentially a theatre and longterm lease company working only on theatre productions, and therefore concerned with the finer details of moving lights,” said Splitbeam Managing Director, Alistair Kilbee. “Previously we’d experienced problems with colour mixing in LED moving heads, but Michael Althaus [Ayrton Global Sales Director] promised me that Rivale would solve these problems – and he was right!”

Africa

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Kilbee was “blown away” by the new fixture.

“Rivale is a phenomenal fixture that ticks all our boxes,” he commented. “The inclusion of a progressive CMY colour disc to control the intensity of colour removes any ‘halo’ effect and is especially effective with the pastel colours we use in theatre. It’s a white light source, which is the only solution in my opinion, and a nice medium-size light which fits nicely into a theatre grid without taking up a lot of space.”

He added: “In theatre, we are very picky about the finer points and the improvement in the colour mixing is in keeping with the rest of Rivale’s build quality, which is lovely. We are also very impressed with the sound levels as it is a very quiet unit, and the IP65 rating assists with lowering the noise levels, too.”

Kilbee placed his first Rivale Profile order with Mike Summerfield of Planetworld for 36 units, which were turned around quickly and immediately went out on tour with Showtime Management’s production of Mamma Mia! The production’s lighting and set designer, Denis Hutchinson, commented: “When I first laid out the design for Mamma Mia!, Splitbeam was on board as the equipment supplier and had committed to supplying new gear, but not yet

made a decision on which gear. I was pushing for units that would work best for me, but I am very aware that the reality of the South African rental market is that suppliers need flexibility, for indoor use as well as outdoors near the sea.

“I’d had reservations about the colour mixing, particularly for the theatre where one tends to want more pastel colours, but here is colour mixing I can work with,” he reported. “Add to that the small footprint, which is always a plus in a tightly packed flytower, the low noise level, a really good light frost, clear shutters and a whack of light out the front, and I totally see why Splitbeam took the plunge.”

Produced by leading SA promoter Showtime Management, the new-look Mamma Mia! features a full South African cast, crew, and band, and is headed by an award-winning South African creative team. The tour kicked off on 6 March at the Artscape Opera House, Cape Town, playing to full houses before transferring to Teatro, Montecasino, Johannesburg on 12 April, where it ran until 9 June.

Photos: Christiaan Kotze, Alistair Kilbee www.ayrton.eu www.planetworld.co.za www.splitbeam.co.za

ADVERTISING INDEX

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THANK YOU FOR ALL OF YOUR SUPPORT

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