TPMEA - 003

MARCH 2016 • ISSUE 003

WORLD AIR GAMES PRODUCTION ON AN INTERNATIONAL SCALE AT SKY DIVE DUBAI

AUtomation Automation EVENT EQUIPMENT RENTAL i TECHNICAL EXPERTISE i dESIGN SUPPORT

TPMEA

WELCOME...

TO TPMEA

Hello!

If you’re reading this edition bound into TPi, then the photos to your left will need little explanation. If however, you’re reading the stand alone publication of TPMEA, you’ll be glad to hear that the TPi Awards 2016 went off without a hitch and became our largest awards to date. We were joined by so many international guests, and were thrilled that so many of our Middle East and Africabased colleagues could join us for the event. Lee Charteris of Abu Dhabi promoters Flash Entertainment and South Africa’s Ofer Lapid of Gearhouse (above) were among the hordes of industry professionals who came to join the celebrations. Special thanks to EFM’s Lisa Ryan who presented and sponsored the Production Manager of the Year award that was won by Ceri Wade, the lady behind magnificent tech feat, Arcadia, which also happened to win Live Event Production of the Year. Ceri is the first female to have claimed the title in the awards’ 15-year history. The best thing about this fact is that the TPi Awards are 100% voted for by you, on a global scale. I’m still revelling in this kind of progress. Well done Ceri, and thank you to everyone who voted!

Speaking of progress, you’ll have noticed that our third instalment of TPMEA has been brought to you on new paper. After our first two magazines landed, we made the decision to change paper. This new move will allow for a glossier feel and much clearer photo depiction. After all, getting to know each and every face behind events such as the World Air Games, RedFestDXB and the After-Race concerts at Yasalam is all part of the fun.

www.tpimagazine.com | www.tpiawards.com

03

04

CONTENTS

CONTENTS MIDDLE EAST 06 - FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST The Ever-Changing Middle East: Protec’s Stephen Lakin discusses success in the region’s events industry.

6

10

10 - TECH PROFILE

Yasalam: The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix brought with it a variety of showpieces.

22 - TECH PROFILE

World Air Games: A projection mapping masterclass at Sky Dive Dubai.

26 - TECH PROFILE

RedFestDXB: A host of Virgin Radio playlist stars grace the DMC Amphitheatre.

22

26

36 - A NATIONAL CELEBRATION TPMEA takes a look at patriotic event production from around the Middle East.

42 - INTERVIEW

We stopped by Flow Air + Power Solutions for a potted history of the company.

AFRICA 44 - TECH PROFILE

36

44

The Experience: Subfrantic delivers the huge gospel event in Nigeria.

48 - REGIONAL ROUND UP

The latest news from Africa including Sound Stylists, Chauvet Professional and MA Lighting.

EDITOR Kelly Murray Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7738 154689 e-mail: k.murray@mondiale.co.uk

ASSISTANT EDITOR Ste Durham Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8385 Mobile: +44 (0)7891 679742 e-mail: s.durham@mondiale.co.uk

EDITORIAL ASSISTANT Stewart Hume Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7712 607419 e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk

GENERAL MANAGER - TPi MAGAZINE & AWARDS Hannah Eakins Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230 e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk

ADVERTISING SALES Charlotte Goodlass Tel: +44 (0)161 476 9126 Mobile: +44 (0)788 0208 226 e-mail: c.goodlass@mondiale.co.uk

EVENT MANAGER - TPi AWARDS Mo Naeem Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)775 9272 313 e-mail: m.naeem@mondiale.co.uk

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Zoe Willcox: z.willcox@mondiale.co.uk

MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh

www.tpmeamagazine.com www.tpimagazine.com www.tpiawards.com

ACCOUNTS Lynette Levi / Sarah Miller: ar@mondiale.co.uk

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY World Air Games - Sky Dive Dubai courtesy of Flash Art Dubai

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Justin Gawne

PRINTED BY Buxton Press • www.buxpress.co.uk

@tpimagazine facebook.com/TPiMagazine youtube.com/user/TPiMagazine

06

FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

THE EVER-CHANGING MIDDLE EAST STEPHEN LAKIN, FOUNDER AND CEO, PROTEC FOUNDED IN 1999, PROTEC HAS BECOME ONE OF THE EVENT PRODUCTION INDUSTRY’S BIGGEST TECHNICAL RENTAL HOUSES.

There is nothing permanent except change, and I have seen this from the time I started in this constantly changing industry. This to me is one of the most exciting parts of the industry and one of the main reasons why I’m still in the business after 35 years.

I have seen the development of professional event equipment from the time the industry was in its infancy when I was running the predominant company, Viewplan, in the early 80s while I was drawing inspiration from the worlds of broadcast and film. Today, I feel just as passionate about the work we do at Protec - the company I now own and run in Dubai.

Protec is my third company in this industry following both Viewplan and Gearhouse (all 63 locations). After going public in the UK stock exchange with my first two companies, I have made a firm promise to keep Protec privately owned. Always.

I started Protec when I saw an opportunity; we won a large project in Saudi Arabia to launch the Faisaliah Tower in the late ‘90s. I looked at renting the equipment we needed from the UK but the shipping costs worked out too high so I decided to buy the equipment we needed for the show instead. We ended up with 20, 40ft containers full of equipment. I brought it back to Dubai and decided to start a company. Protec was born.

Today, 17 years later, we have grown from those humble beginnings to provide a more holistic production solution and are now one of the largest companies in the world in our sector. Within our vast staff, we now have over 40 project managers and senior staff, mainly from the UK Europe, who don’t just have the required technical knowledge but, more importantly, they have wellrounded event production knowledge and experience. This makes it a lot easier for our clients, as they know we are also paying attention to the overall production while we are delivering the technical solution.

Our fully equipped - and expanding - design and graphics department has enabled us to offer our clients the option to design their events with us, thus ensuring that whatever is designed is also practically deliverable. Since our designers are aware of all the new technology Protec has, they are able to build these elements into the designs they create, allowing our clients more creativity within their budgets.

ME

FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

07

ME

08

FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

At Protec, we always believe that every member of the audience deserves the best seat in the house and we ensure this by giving audiences the best visual, audio, special effects, staging and scenic experience at every event.

We have captivated audiences for years with our creativity and expertise by effectively using our crew and equipment, which includes one of the world’s largest event rental stocks of lighting, video, audio, rigging, staging, trussing, conference

ME

equipment, automation, robotics and special effects.

By capitalising on our vast experience in integrated solutions, our clients put on spectacular shows, presentations and major events with ease. All of this makes us one of the most sought after live event production companies in the world.

We remain committed to growth - not just Protec’s but the industry as a whole. Since I

started Protec in 1999, we have always looked forward to producing more creative and globally acclaimed events for our clients, thus maintaining our reputation as one of the world’s largest and most consistently reliable event rental companies offering total technical and staging solutions to a size, be it large or small, always within our clients’ budget.

All photos courtesy of Protec www.productiontec.com

WE ARE HERE

NEW YORK DETROIT NEW JERSEY FRANKFURT WASHINGTON DC TORONTO KASTRUP ROME SWEDEN DEKALB ATLANTA ORLANDO ZURICH NEW ORLEANS DALLAS DENVER LAS VEGAS MADRID

SEOUL

ATHENS

COLOGNE

DUBAI

CASABLANCA

KUALA LUMPUR

MUNICH

TILDONK MELBOURNE SHANGHAI SYDNEY LONDON MAIDSTONE HAMBURG GYEONGGI BERLIN DOHA SAO PAOLO DUSSELDORF CHICAGO BRUSSELS PARIS MILAN LOS ANGELES SINGAPORE UTRECHT BUENOS AIRES TOKYO SÃO JULIÃO TOJAL CAMPINAS BIRMINGHAM

GLOBAL REACH, LOCAL SUPPORT PRG Gearhouse is the Middle East’s longest serving provider of event technology services to the world’s leading entertainment and event producers.

As part of Production Resource Group, we offer our partners regional expertise and the world’s largest resource of technology.

T: +971 4 8850541

W: www.prg.com

E: dubai@prg.com

LIVE MUSIC | CORPORATE & TRADE SHOW | SPECIAL EVENTS | THEATRE | TELEVISION & FILM

10

ME

TECH PROFILE

TECH PROFILE

11

YASALAM 2015 AFTER STARTING ITS LIFE AS AN ACCOMPANIMENT TO THE INAUGURAL ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX IN 2009, YASALAM HAS GROWN INTO A SERIES OF CITY-WIDE ACTIVATIONS, INCLUDING FREE EVENTS SUCH AS THE F1 FANZONE AND BEATS ON THE BEACH SHOWS AT ABU DHABI CORNICHE, AND A SERIES OF AFTER-RACE CONCERTS FOR F1 TICKETHOLDERS AT THE OPEN-AIR DU ARENA. TPMEA’S STE DURHAM HEADED TO THE UAE’S CAPITAL TO WITNESS THE FOUR-DAY SPECTACLE.

ME

12

TECH PROFILE

Above: Yasalam 2015 treated audiences to four nights of entertainment at numerous spots across Abu Dhabi.

The year 2015 saw After-Race Concert goers treated to four nights of entertainment, with an all-Arabic night on the Thursday, Latin crooner Enrique Iglesias on Friday, festival favourites Florence + The Machine on Saturday, and Britpop legends Blur, who closed the celebrations on Sunday.

Produced by government-backed promoter Flash Entertainment, the four consecutive shows each required a distinct look and feel, and this meant that the stage had to be reset each night to accommodate the incoming artists. The AfterRace Concerts were realised under the watchful eye of Flash’s Lee Charteris, along with the consultation of Lighting Designer Steve Shipman.

Charteris explained: “The core lighting, audio and video package doesn’t really change over the course of the event, though the bands are

ME

allowed their own floor packages, backline, risers, and monitors, as is their want. We make minor changes but, because of the nature of back-toback shows, we are more or less working under festival conditions. We have a lot of international bands and, as the F1 is so big, we have to come up with a big show design. This year I think we’ve come up with an absolute corker!”

Although the du Arena circa 2015 seems perfectly suited to hosting such a high profile event as Yasalam, the infrastructure now in place is there thanks to a concerted effort from Flash to develop what was essentially an open field.

Production Manager for Flash, Haidar Shukry, explained: “The place was completely different when I first came 10 years ago - we didn’t even have a perimeter fence! It has become like my baby as we’ve built it up from basically nothing.

We’ve built the VIP tree houses and suites, and paved over a lot of the gravel that was here. All of the cabins and toilets are here and plugged in all of the time now. It’s become a proper branded arena, and now there’s a three metre fence that you can’t climb – or at least we’ll have time to catch you if you do!”

MORE IS MORE A major aspect of the show design that became apparent as soon as TPMEA entered du Arena was the colossal set of LED wings, supplied by Creative Technology. These wings comprised around 300 sq metres of high resolution (six mm) Panasonic DA6-RZ panels split into three screens per side, with the spaces in between filled by 160 sq metres of lower resolution (20mm) Diamond P20 panels. The main video control system

TECH PROFILE

13

supplied by CT was operated using a Christie Spyder X20 video processor with the requisite software.

“I was at a trade show in 2015 where low and high res screens were mixed together, with lights placed behind the low res that could shine through at the right moment,” Charteris continued. “At the After-Race Concerts we have these huge LED wings either side of the stage that are a combination of three sets of high res and two sets of low res. They make a giant IMAG and because of the programming we can break them into two sets of five.”

This meant that each screen could be used individually or as one giant IMAG, showing a mixture of camera shots, unique video content or anything in between. At specific points during a set, the low res screen could also be blared out by the wall of molefays rigged behind each one, and framed by the Clay Paky Sharpys all the way along the top.

Shukry added: “I don’t think many productions have put up over 450 sq metres of screen in one go like we have here. It took us a while to make it happen because it weighs a lot and took a lot Above: Beats on the Beach was free to attend throughout the weekend.

ME

14

TECH PROFILE

Above: Beats On The Beach featured performances from Emirati, Arabic, Bollywood, and Filipino, local and regional talent, alongside an eclectic mix of international artists; Enrique Iglesias was a popular draw on Friday night; Aryam on Arabic Night; Florence + The Machine chose an understated lighting rig for the Saturday night.

of calculation. There was a great deal of back and forth with StageCo in Germany to make sure everyone was happy. To see it up is a huge weight off my shoulders and it looks fabulous.”

Shipman controlled the content of the LED wings on using an MA Lighting grandMA VPU media server where necessary, while the headline acts tended to bring their own.

The wings were, quite understandably, a challenge for the team at CT for a number of distinct reasons. Senior Video Engineer Richard Bearpark explained: “The big issue with such a huge screens and various different levels of content is how to scale everything.

With the screens running different resolutions simultaneously we have to stretch some of the content whilst others are pixel mapped and Spyder control handles this nicely.”

CT’s Alem Dzinc was responsible for the programming and operation of the Spyder during the main show, giving all the artists the desired positioning of content to any of the screens required.

Project Manager James Crump added: “Luckily, the Panasonic six mm is a light weight

ME

piece of kit. This is always an issue when hanging screens outdoors but we’ve kept it as light as we can. The 20mm screens are less than a tonne each, whereas the high res are 2.4 tonnes each which, for a screen of that size, is very manageable.”

A final concern that the team encountered was the occasional gust of wind at stage right, which wasn’t helped by the sheer surface area of the newly-rigged six mm wings. Crump laughed: “The way the venue roof is shaped forms sort of a wind tunnel, and this caused the screen itself act like a giant LED sail! That said, we had additional safety practises in place and a great product two key factors when hanging screens at any outdoor venue - so we weren’t really worried.”

The team of eight worked closely with Flash and PRG Gearhouse, which supplied an additional 18-metre by eight metre upstage screen made of ROE MC-7 LED. The screen was only used by Enrique Iglesias and then dismantled overnight to make room for Florence + The Machine’s floor package and Blur’s backdrop.

Head of Lighting, PRG Gearhouse’s Damien Jackson, said: “The way the screens are set up,

there are different ways to switch between them.

For example, the three high res can take the same image or three different ones, and content can be used on the low res.”

As well as the upstage screen, PRG Gearhouse supplied lighting kit, a five camera PPU system and switching, as well as three lighting technicians, four video crew, four follow spot operators, and four cameramen.

Jackson continued: “There’s a lot of lighting fixtures going on as well as the video but Steve’s design with a permanent flown rig and changing floor packages is something we were very supportive of.”

This meant that the flown rig could stay in place throughout the four-day run, with any necessary changes to the floor lighting being made overnight.

The main stage lighting consisted of 36 Martin by Harman MAC Viper Profiles, 36 PRG Best Boy HP Spots, 24 Clay Paky Sharpys, 13 Martin Professional Atomic 3000 Strobes, eight 8-Lite molefays, and 20 P64 Chrome PARcans.

This was accentuated by four ReelFX DF-50 hazers, two Martin by Harman JEM ZR44 smoke

16

TECH PROFILE

Above: Steve Shipman, Haidar Shukry and Lee Charteris; GCC’s Nigel Beaton; PRG Gearhouse’s Damien Jackson; CT’s Richard Bearpark and James Crump.

machines and four Martin by Harman JEM AF2 fans, with four STRONG 3K Gladiator III follow spots rigged at FOH. Enrique Iglesias’ crew requested a floor package made up of 24 Martin MAC 301 LEDs, 14 additional MAC Viper Profiles, and 12 Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE K20’s, while Florence + The Machine specified 35 Martin Professional MAC Viper AIRFXs, 22 TMB Solaris Flares, 36 extra P64 Chrome PARcans, 12 ETC Source Four lantern heads, 12 ETC Source Four lens tubes, and an Avolites 48-way ART 2000 dimmer rack.

Blur’s additional kit was relatively modest, to compliment their backdrop, and consisted of six Philips Vari-Lite 3000 spots, 14 Clay Paky Sharpys, eight Clay Paky A.leda B-EYE K20’s and four Robe ROBIN 800 LED washes. Unusual Rigging & Engineering assisted in the rigging at du Arena, along with PRG Gearhouse’s own lighting riggers, using an assortment of Lodestar hoists.

FOUR OF A KIND Given the fact that the After-Race Concerts are only open to F1 ticket-holders (most of whom

ME

could be the same people night after night), Flash had to ensure that each night retained its own identity.

Although the initial concepts came from Charteris, he explained that Shipman was the one who made his vision a reality: “Steve is a really clever guy. We take elements of all three touring riders, fixtures-wise, incorporate into main rig and then extend them out, so it is not too daunting for LDs when they turn up.

“Video in general is an easy sell to bands as it makes them look big and the control is relatively simple. Enrique was the only one that used the back screen as Florence had a big floor package and Blur brought their own backdrop.”

Another of freelancer Shipman’s duties was to assist all the incoming LDs and light those artists that didn’t have their own. Charteris added: “He pulls together all the lighting designs from all these acts and puts a package together that satisfies all of them, which is no mean feat!

He then designs a show that works for everybody and has done that successfully for six of the seven years that we’ve been here.”

Shipman had no consultation with the artists until after the design was completed, though he was glad to report that this year’s acts had been receptive to the rig on offer. He said: “We, through PRG Gearhouse, supply the floor packages that the artists specify as a bit of a sweetener. None of them have been too much of a challenge for us, and we’ve done much bigger in the past. As soon as you have to start flying extras it becomes time-consuming but setting up kit on the floor is relatively easy.”

TRIED AND TESTED Delta Sound provided a “tremendous amount” of PA to be hung from the main stage, according to Senior Engineer Rob Eatock, as well as secondary hangs in the wings and delays out in the field.

There were four main hangs at du Arena, two of which comprised 12 L-Acoustics K1’s with four K2’s hung underneath, and an additional 12 K1 per side for outfill – a total of 48 K1 and eight K2 on the main stage alone.

Flown behind the main left and right K1 hangs were 12 K1 subs (six per side), while frontfill

TECH PROFILE

17

consisted of eight stacks of L-Acoustics KARA (four stacks of two, then four single stacks in the middle). Subwoofers were arranged in an arc configuration, made up of 32 L-Acoustics SB28’s tipped on end with a five metre gap in the centre.

A central delay tower was rigged with 12 K2 per side to provide even coverage for the potentially huge crowd.

Eatock said: “I definitely feel that having all the same speakers across the front makes for a more integrated system. You can walk across the field and it sounds exactly the same - which is why this is the go-to rig for most outdoor shows.”

The entire PA system was driven using L-Acoustics LA8 amplifiers and controlled at FOH via Network Manager. While some bands brought their own consoles, the local monitor desk used was an Avid Profile. Managing all the desks was a DiGiCo SD11 with a D-Rack on stage.

A selection of microphones were used during the event, including Shure SM58’s and 57’s, Sennheiser 3732’s with 5200 heads, and Shure wireless UR2’s. In-ear monitoring was taken care of by Sennheiser 2050’s and Shure PSM1000 systems. All audio rigging was taken care of using a Above: Delta Sound’s Rob Eatock and TESS’s Simon James.

Reinventing the large sound system

Do things you could never do before AiRAY achieves an impressive downsizing while providing higher SPL and better directivity control than any large format system existing before. Groundbreaking innovations including the newest generation DDP drivers, AiCOUPLER and extremely efficient 12” cone drivers make AiRAY the world’s most advanced high-output sound reinforcement system.

The result is more than just a new line array. It’s the future of line array.

ME

18

TECH PROFILE

Above: Trey ‘AcE’ Smith and Wael Kfoury.

“I think by now we can match anywhere in the world for any show. Production managers speak to each other and we are gaining a good reputation - a deserved reputation for putting on first class events.”

Managing Director of Gulf Crewing Company, Nigel Beaton

selection of one and two tonne Liftket motors.

Eatock added: “The F1 always poses challenges with it being four days back-to-back.

The Arabic night was the most demanding because there was so much going on. Luckily, we are very familiar with the venue and having all the same speakers across the front has resulted in a more integrated system than we’ve had in previous years.”

While Florence + The Machine and Blur brought in some pieces of their usual touring setup, Delta Sound provided the rest, as well as the whole audio rider for Enrique Iglesias and the Arabic night.

“It’s very satisfying for me when it all goes well - it’s like a game - there’s so much kit on site and it’s such a case of juggling it efficiently day-to-day.”

TAKING THE STRAIN All Event Services took care of “everything that wasn’t plugged in” at du Arena, according to JJ Trichardt, and this included the main stage, scaffolding requirements such as the FOH and delay structures, bespoke stage wing extensions to support the LED and flown PA, and all fencing and barriers.

It only took AES a day to install the

ME

wing extension, though the necessary static calculations had to be checked due to the sheer scale of the wingspan. The weight of the screens and PA thus had no impact on stage itself, as they were rigged on a completely independent structure.

In terms of constructing the central delay tower and FOH structure, AES had to strike a balance between satisfying the concerts’ audio requirements and maintaining crowd sight lines.

Trichardt said: “The single delay tower is everyone’s friend as it provides unrestricted view, meaning the promoter doesn’t have any ‘dead view space’, the production feels safe, and they are faster with load in and out.”

As with many of the other suppliers on site, AES benefitted from a strong relationship with the promoter and a wealth of experience working at du Arena.

Trichardt continued: “I have been providing services at this venue since 2009 and Flash makes it easy for us every time we visit the arena. The UAE market is a very reactive work environment and in order to survive you need to be able to take on these requests through smooth ignition and productive execution.”

Resuming its relationship with Flash, eclipse Staging Services supplied 47 varying

specifications of power distribution at du Arena, as well as over 1,000-metres of cabling.

Neal Large, Senior Electrician at eclipse Staging Services, said: “As part of our ongoing contract with Flash, eclipse ran all of the power distribution on site for the events and also conducted regular safety checks on the equipment, including annual servicing and PAT testing before and after each and every event to ensure all safety precautions are taken.”

As one of the special effects experts with the eclipse Group, Stage FX, supplied kit for Enrique Iglesias and Blur such as confetti and Co2 blasts using a variety of its Magic FX stock.

Stage FX’s services were used intermittently, and this contributed for a straightforward run for the crew.

Rory Inker, Senior Special Effects Technician for Stage FX, added: “Completing a four-day event in some ways is a smoother process, as load-in and load-out do not change and it is just a case of re-loading the equipment with the consumables such as confetti, streamers or Co2.”

SAFTEY FIRST UK-based health and safety specialists The Event Safety Shop (TESS) had staff at both du Arena and the Abu Dhabi Corniche for Beats on the Beach

VISIT us at prolight & Sound 5-8 april 2016 | Frankfurt hall 3 | LEVEL 1 | STAND C31

The flagship sound system from Pioneer Pro Audio

The Café D’Anvers installation comprises the GS-WAVE series 3-metre dance floor stack with GSA technology, and the XY Series in-fill speakers. All powered by Powersoft’s high performance K Series amps with built-in DSP. This comprehensive line-up guarantees versatile installations that deliver superb sound and complete coverage throughout venues of every shape and size.

cafe d’anvers | antwerp | belgium

PEE_PRO-AUDIO-AD_TPI_PROLIGHTANDSOUND.indd 1

visit www.pioneerproaudio.com to learn more about our GLOBAL installations. venues include Sound Nightclub LA, Sankeys Ibiza, UshuaÏa, Pikes and Bierfabriek #madeintheUK

Pioneerproaudio

09/03/2016 16:31

20

TECH PROFILE

Above: Arwa at BOTB; Florence Welch entertains du Arena; The crowds flocked to Abu Dhabi Corniche for J. Cole; Tove Lo brought some impressive video content.

to ensure that the festivities continued incidentfree. The majority of the company’s expertise was centred on crowd management - particularly a safe entrance and exit.

TESS Director Simon James said: “The biggest issue is that we don’t know how many people to expect. We know how many go to the race but there’s no way of knowing how many people will actually show up at du Arena. You build up a picture over the years of what people will do, but the reality with F1 concerts is that people will come and go.”

Nigel Beaton, Managing Director of Gulf Crewing Company and Stage Manager for Flash, oversaw the load in and load out at Yasalam, as well as running the main stage for the duration of the event.

He told TPMEA: “A major challenge here for a

ME

touring crew that isn’t used to the heat is to work at the same pace as you do in an air-conditioned arena. Even a slight dip in productivity has implications throughout the day as we work to strict deadlines. The UAE is also very conscious of peoples’ safety so we have to adhere to the security sweeps that take place on site at certain times. We all have to stop work and leave the stage and that eats into our schedule as well.”

Gulf Crewing Company was established in 2008 and has gone from strength to strength, having worked closely with Flash since its inception.

Beaton continued: “Every Yasalam is a learning curve, particularly since we added the Arabic Night three years ago. I don’t know of any other F1 events that cater to the local community like that. The Arabic bands have their own

timescale and it’s always an additional challenge to fit everything in. That said, they always go down really well with the locals and there are some massive acts out here.”

As well as dealing with his own day-to-day duties, Beaton was glued to his radio to help ensure that everything on or around his stage ran as smoothly as possible.

He said: “I think by now we can match anywhere in the world for any show. Production managers speak to each other and we are gaining a good reputation - a deserved reputation - for putting on first class events. This is no accident, as we’ve invested a lot, whether that is in gear or training.”

Despite managing the stage for an event as prestigious as Yasalam, Beaton’s humility was evident – indicative of the camaraderie

TECH PROFILE

that I encountered during the majority of my conversations at du Arena. The term ‘melting-pot’ is a cliché, but ideal to describe the multinational events industry that has emerged in the region, where all those involved are quick to express their pride.

Beaton said: “We are all really lucky - we get paid for our hobbies. We’ve all fallen into this through a love of music and there’s a group of us out here who all work really hard to put on the best show we possibly can.”

NO TICKET? NO PROBLEM While the After-Race Concerts were for F1 ticket-holders only, Flash also ran the Beats On The Beach shows at Abu Dhabi Corniche, featuring free performances from Emirati, Arabic, Bollywood, and Filipino, local and regional talent, alongside an eclectic mix of international artists such as J. Cole, Tove Lo and the Faithless.

PRG Gearhouse covered a great deal of the production on site, including lighting, audio and video.

Despite the relatively modest stage size, Beats On The Beach’s lighting rig was a varied one, with Philips Vari-Lite VL3000 Spots, VL3500

Washes, Clay Paky Mythos, Martin by Harman Atomic 3000 Strobes, Showtec Sunstrip Active DMXs, and Lycian 2193x followspots. This was controlled by a Chamsys MQ100 console with Playback Wing and Magic HD. The company provided an L-Acoustics K2 PA system, with SB28 subwoofers and KARA as frontfill, as well as LA8 and LA48 amplifier racks using XTA management. This was controlled by a rider-driven combination of Avid and Midas gear across FOH and monitors.

PRG Gearhouse also provided a four-metre by 6.5-metre Martin EC10 IMAG screen at each side of the stage, as well as a 10-metre by six-metre Martin EC20 upstage video wall. The screens housed a mixture of artist content and camera shots, the latter of which was captured by a three-camera PPU system.

Laser Grafix, part of the eclipse group, supplied a large amount of high power lasers to the Faithless concert at Beats on the Beach.

Arran Hopkins, General Manager at Laser Grafix, commented: “The only thing that differs on a four-day event is the amount of equipment used and the show itself. In which case, due to our extent of stock here and in the UK we have the

21

ability to supply a large amount of lasers and conceal what is not required for the individual shows.”

As at du Arena, Gulf Crewing Company provided stage and site crew, managed by Beaton’s brother, Stephen.

Again, AES provided the main stage, scaffolding, fencing and barriers for Beats On The Beach, as well as constricting the raised hospitality platforms, while Flow provided all of the infrastructure power - the company’s inaugural live gig on this scale.

Photos: Flash Entertainment www.yasalam.ae www.thinkflash.ae www.deltasound.ae www.ct-group.com/me www.gearhouse-arabia.com www.aes.ae www.eclipse.ae www.stagefx.ae www.gulfcrewing.com www.lgfx.ae www.flowme.co www.the-eventsafetyshop.co.uk

Unrivalled products since 1991

Ready for the future WWW.PROLYTE.COM

FACEBOOK.COM/PROLYTEGROUP

TWITTER.COM/PROLYTE

ME

22

ME

TECH PROFILE

TECH PROFILE

23

WORLD AIR GAMES 2015: OPENING CEREMONY THE SPECTACULAR EVENT, HELD AT SKY DIVE DUBAI, INCLUDED COMPLEX PROJECTION MAPPING, EYEWATERING PYROTECHNICS AND IMMERSIVE STUNTS - ALL DELIVERED BY A TRULY INTERNATIONAL CREW. Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of Dubai International Marine Club (DIMC) ushered in the 4th FAI World Air Games (WAG) at an impressive and colourful opening ceremony on 3 December 2015 in front of an audience of nearly 5,000 spectators, which included officials and contestants from over 50 countries.

Event promoter and creative driving force Dynamic Motion hired Protec to provide the projection, media servers, processing and tracking system for the opening ceremony, including 10 Christie Roadster HD20K-J projectors, 14 Barco HDF-W30 FLEX projectors, four d3 Technologies 4x4pro media servers, a Lightware frame matrix and fiber receivers, and 1.1km of Neutrix opticalCON X-TREME fiber cable.

Projection was required on a 54-metre by 21-metre backdrop screen as well as the central 20-metre by 20-metre stage area and a six-metre diameter inflatable sphere, provided

by ShowTex, that would be revealed and raised during the show as part of the spectacle while being projected on.

Being an outdoor event and along the beachfront, wind was always going to be Protec’s biggest challenge. An earlier decision to build a hard set backdrop to overcome the wind factor was overturned and a fabric screen was used instead as the backdrop projection surface. While the projection on the main backdrop screen and

the stage floor was relatively straightforward, the big challenge was to continuously projection map the moving sphere - a world first.

It meant the use of BlackTrax, a real-time motion tracking system integrated with the d3 Technologies media servers, which would help track the moving video surface while projecting onto it, with the 3D mapping visualised and handled in real-time. This would be the first time this 6D tracking system would be used to motion track a moving sphere. With the BlackTrax technology, 3D moving objects, in this case the sphere, could move, spin, rotate and still be tracked.

The system’s ability to adjust content to compensate for the adverse weather moving the sphere makes it different from any regular encoder based tracking system. True to form, the wind did play its part in blowing the screen, but Protec, with some accurate planning, delivered some impressive projection mapping.

Technical and Production Consultant, Stefan Wieland, explained: “After a couple of workshop sessions with Protec’s video team and a test build with an orthopaedic seating ball, I could convince the producer to spend extra budget on this system. This was definitely the right decision - it worked so well, the whole team was actually surprised how accurate it was.”

Wieland was approached by the event agency around eight weeks prior to the show,

taking it over from pre-production to final planning and contracting. He continued: “About half of the initial concept was technically developed when I joined, with the remaining tasks being very challenging as they constantly changed.”

Although the cover for the sphere looked like it could become another challenge, Wieland credited ShowTex for the “remarkable” solution that it provided.

He continued: “Another curveball was the request from the creatives for stage lifts. As there was no off-the-shelf solution available in the region, myself and Al Laith’s Warren Barlow redeveloped a stage lift system using blueprints from 18th Century theatrical lifts! At the end we had nine electrical stage lifts operating multiple lifts during the show. A big thank you must go to Devan Bezuidinhout from Al Laith who continuously put his magical hands onto the lifts and fixed all teething problems.”

Al Laith supplied and was on site for all of the structural build, including 4,500 seats, a stage construction made from around 1,600 sq metres of Lion Deck, a 90-metre wide by 48-metre high Space Truss arch, and the stage lifts. Al Laith also provided two 36-metre tall steel towers for the main workings of the aerial artists, with the main focal point being a 90-metre wide by 48-metre high Space Truss arch, which was used to facilitate a vast majority of the lighting, audio,

ME

24

TECH PROFILE

aerial artists and the inflatable sphere.

Special effects wizards Flash Art was contracted to make sure the pyrotechnics for the World Air Games were suitably spectacular, using a niche firing system and highly specialised product.

“Our input was as international as the World Air Games and Dubai itself. It was all thanks to the efforts of Polish, German, and Czech pyrotechnicians and riggers installing Spanish and American effects to complement a Lebanese creative director’s concept,” said Piotr Szablowski, Senior Project Manager at Flash Art.

The Delta Sound team, lead by Jentry Scierra, supplied WAG with two hangs of 12 L-Acoustics K2 per side, paired with six L-Acoustics SB28’s, while two L-Acoustics MTD 112b were used as frontfill. The system was driven by four L-Acoustics LA8 racks and managed through LA Network Manager. Artist fold back consisted of six drops of two HK-Audio Cadis CAD 208 speakers with HK FirNet processors and two HK CPQ10 amplifiers that worked well on the WAG’s big stage.

Tom Gellissen mixed the show on an Avid Profile, while Rayno Spies served as Audio Number Two. Delta Sound also supplied a comprehensive communications system, which included a full Clearcom Matrix system, Clearcom 24 way Helixnet system and Clearcom Freespeak.

“Due to the importance of health and safety and with aerial artists involved in a live show, the whole control system including communications

ME

was fully backed up,” said Scierra.

“This not only included wired back up, all units running on both hard power and UPS but, more importantly, a defined communications procedure implemented by Stefan, should anything go wrong. Luckily none of this was needed and we had a great result.”

Lighting Designer Marco Gattella used a High End Systems WholeHog 4 to operate around 350 moving lights and 120 conventional fixtures for the show. Director of Photography Massiliano Fusco and Project Leader Ivan Pierri also both contributed to the visual appearance of the ceremony. Gattella said: “It was a challenge to find the balance between big show lighting and maintaining the atmosphere created by the projections.”

The rig, provided by Blast Events, included 130 Clay Paky Sharpys on the arch and stage, 24 Clay Paky Mythos for stage, 24 Clay Paky SuperSharpys on the low arch, 60 Robe Robins on arch for stage backlighting, and 32 Light Sky F1000 Profiles for cut light and frontal light.

Sanostra delivered a computerised 3D, 2D and 1D Performer Rigging System, while Gulf Show Power delivered the generators and secondary power, underworld lighting and emergency lighting. This included redundant provision of 800amps for lighting, 600amps for audio, video and projection, 400amps for aerial rigging, 400amps for the water fountains, and 400amps for site power and broadcast facilities.

Dubai-based Magical Water created a 250 sq

metre pool for the WAG that contained 125,000 litres of water, along with 36 pumps that fired jets of water 15 metres into the air.

Dynamic Motion’s in-house team delivered set build and dressing services, while MBC Facilities provided the OB van and 12 cameras for the live feed on screen and EventLab provided the stage management and stage crew, artist liaison and extras handling.

Even2 (sub-division of ES:ME Entertainment Services) was the general rigging supplier for the WAG, providing rigging for lighting, video projection and the LED walls. The seven-strong crew also provided the support rigging for the aerial artists and additional rigging for the lighting rig on tower cranes.

The kit included 70-metres of Slick Maxi Beam, 190-metres Slick GS Truss, 80-metres of Prolyte H40V, 28 ChainMaster one-tonne hoists with 24-metre chain and eight Chainmaster onetonne hoists with 34-metre chain.

Alexander Würfel, General Manager of Even2 and COO of ES:ME said: “The most challenging part of this project was to rig the lighting trusses in the same shape as the Al Laith arch. This was achieved by using custom spacers and segmental rigging of the trusses.

“We really enjoyed this project as it was a great challenge for our whole team of skilled riggers. It was a pleasure working with the production team and other suppliers - any time again!”

Wieland concluded: “Every element

TECH PROFILE

25

worked so well. The responses from the client, competitors and audience have been so good that we can proudly say we produced a wellreceived, home-grown show on an international level.”

“I am really happy with the support from all the suppliers. They all put loads of effort into it and contributed extra thoughts and solutions to the show.

“Everyone stepped up and wanted to contribute to make this a success, particularly Production Manager Daryl Payne, who did an amazing job to direct the site and support me where he could, while I was stuck in meetings or workshops with creatives and suppliers.”

Photos: Protec www.wagdubai.ae www.productiontec.com www.showtex.com www.deltasound.ae www.allaith.com www.flashart.com www.blast.ae www.magical-water.com www.mbc.net www.even2.ae Above: Stefan Weiland and Production Manager Daryl Payne during the build at Sky Dive Dubai.

ME

26

TECH PROFILE

REDFEST 2016 DESPITE ONLY BEING IN ITS THIRD YEAR, REDFEST HAS ALREADY MADE ITSELF A MAJOR PART OF THE UAE’S MUSIC FESTIVAL CALENDAR. TPMEA’S STE DURHAM RETURNED TO DUBAI’S MEDIA CITY AMPHITHEATRE TO MEET THE CREW.

ME

TECH PROFILE

27

Above: The 2016 manifestation of RedFestDXB saw acts such as The Vamps, Steve Aoki, Rita Ora, Adam Lambert and DJ MistaJam play to thousands of adoring fans.

Initially put together collaboratively by Done Events and Virgin Radio, RedFestDXB was conceived as a hit music festival, designed to showcase the stars of the station’s current playlist.

The 2016 manifestation of the two-day music festival saw acts such as The Vamps, Steve Aoki, Rita Ora, Adam Lambert and DJ MistaJam play to thousands of adoring (and intimidatingly youthful) fans. As well as the main stage entertainment, the festival venue in Dubai Media City Amphitheatre offered numerous interactive installations, large food and beverage areas for bars and street food vendors, merchandised entertainment stands, and a fully serviced, elevated VIP grandstand.

Festival Promoter Thomas Ovesen, who was charged with booking the talent lineup, said: “This year we wanted to add more non-Virgin Radio playlist artists to add appeal to a wider audience. The festival introduced EDM talent to the festival for the first time in 2016 in the shape of Steve Aoki, a reflection of Ovesen’s compulsion to appeal to an older audience. He continued: “Having an event centred to this age group is both a strength and a weakness, Just adding EDM is not enough to expand the demographic, but it is certainly an interesting aspect.”

Due to its sloping width, the amphitheatre

can comfortably host 12,000 guests in the ‘bowl’ area in front of the stage and use the rest of the space, with less in the way of sight lines, for food and beverage stands, second stages or activation zones. Although the first two years of RedFest boasted a second stage and promenade area for attractions such as retail and art exhibitions, 2016 saw the team adopt a more straightforward approach. Ovesen continued: “The focus this year was on the main stage rather than giving people too many choices. It represents a different view on festival experience, and something that allows the guests to make sure they catch their favourite stars on stage.”

Site Manager for Done Events, Robert Hodson, was backstage making sure all structural and logistical elements of the event went off without a hitch. According to Hodson, the key priority for the close-knit team at RedFest was to avoid cutting corners – to give the best show possible and ensure that all of the suppliers’ reputations remained just as strong after the gig.

This has led to each year comprising of more or less the same core companies.

Al Laith were on-site to create some of the structural elements such as the necessary viewing and VIP platforms. Hodson said: “Everybody that comes to the event wants to see the show. We try and subscribe to this view and

Al Laith are very good at being creative with the tiered systems we request.”

Keeping everything ticking over was Gulf Show Power, with which Hodson has a long and productive relationship. He said: “All their equipment is industry standard and they will help every end user, powering everything from food trucks to video screens.”

Although RedFest is a two-day event, Hodson said that he sees this as a bonus, rather than added workload: “It doesn’t cause any difficulty for us in terms of preparation time. I’d personally prefer to keep it up because it’s so soul destroying ripping something down when you spend so much time building it. I’d keep it up for longer if I could!”

BRINGING THE NOISE Delta Sound supplied a complete audio package for the main stage, delivering 12 L-Acoustics K1 per side, three L-Acoustics K2 per side as downfill, and six K1 subwoofers per side flown behind the main array. It also supplied L-Acoustics 115XT speakers for stage monitoring in combination with L-Acoustics SB18 and SB28 subs, 16 L-Acoustics KARA as frontfill, and six K2 per side as outfill.

The complete system was powered by L-Acoustics LA8 amplifiers, using LA Network

ME

28

TECH PROFILE

Above: Al Laith constructed the raised viewing platforms; Site Manager for Done Events, Robert Hodson, was backstage at the event to make sure all of the structural and logistical elements of RedFest went off without a hitch.

Manager, and controlled by a DiGiC0 SD9 at FOH, with an additional pair of Avid Profile consoles.

Another Profile was present at monitor world, as was a Waves-enabled SD5.

None of the touring productions brought their own audio equipment (with the exception of Adam Lambert). Delta Sound supplied in-ear requirements audio for the rest of the artists and RF. This package included 22 Sennheiser 2050 IEMs, eight Sennheiser G3’s, eight Sennheiser 2000 Series radio microphones and 16 Shure UR4D radio microphones. “Most of the gear was running at the same time, so RF was certainly a challenge,” commented Craig Harvey, Delta Sound Project manager. Delta Sound also supported the communication requirements of the event by providing 100 Motorola radios for crew and artists, as well as a Clearcom Freespeak system integrated into the shout system.

Delta Sound’s Al Woods said: “Most of the acts are pop or dance orientated so I made sure that the system has accentuated sub bass and low end. Generally I keep the system with as much available energy as possible to ensure maximum headroom. It sounded great, really punchy and very even. I feel its important to keep the dance vibe everywhere.

“From receiving the first band rider for each artist, we ensure that absolutely everything is advanced right down to the exact microphones, input lists, output patches and miscellaneous feeds (time code, intro music, VT). The artists’ engineers will have received all of this information and if things change it is sorted before arrival. It’s a lot of spread sheets and paperwork but it pays off in the end!”

“We had some long hours and early sound checks and mixed over 50% of the artists, both at monitors and FOH. Delta are super busy at the moment so there was no way of crew doing

ME

double shifts. We had a great result with lots of positive comments from the client, visiting artists and, most importantly, paying guests.”

SIZE MATTERS The lighting and video brief from Done Events specified that the rig had to look ‘big’, so as not to become dwarfed by the substantial stage and IMAG screens. The amphitheatre is a regular haunt for PRG Gearhouse’s Head of Lighting, Damien Jackson, so he was well-prepared to deliver on the team’s great expectations. He said: “There wasn’t a great deal of design being led from the incoming bands as they seemed happy to work with a ‘festival rig’, so the design was down to me.

“Firstly, I wanted to split the big upstage LED screen. All too often we see a huge LED wall at the rear of the stage, so breaking it into multiple shapes and sizes offered something different.”

This served to use more of the space available, continuing the big look. Jackson continued: “I’ve always liked having fixtures at many different levels so splitting the screen offered opportunities to squeeze in fixtures all over the stage at various heights - a dynamic I felt offered more diverse looks over the two days of Redfest.”

Jackson was not obligated to overhaul his core lighting rig too much during the festival, bar the odd floor package alteration, and only had to deal with a handful of incoming LDs. While he had slightly more work to do from a video point of view, Jackson and his team had prepared from the influx of guest media servers.

He explained: “Over half of the acts brought their own so there was a lot of re-patching to do.

We had identified this during pre-production, so we were able to draw up a detailed schematic and assign the correct number of signals in the

correct locations - it was just a matter of keeping on top of it once we were on site.”

ALL GUNS BLAZING Stage FX, part of the eclipse Group, was drafted in to take care of some of the weekend’s biggest moments.

The company was initially contacted to assist with some of headliner Steve Aoki’s specific requirements, providing a number of new Magic FX Stadium Shot Extremes and Co2 guns. Aoki himself even likes to get in on the action - firing the Co2 into the euphoric crowd at points during his set.

Stage FX also included on-site technical support for all the equipment being used so as to ensure health and safety precautions were followed to the letter.

Arran Hopkins, General Manager of Stage FX, commented: “In line with our commitment to health and safety, the usual procedures were taken including the use of our proven high quality European equipment, checks by our in-house HSE manager and safety briefing of the artist on the use of the handheld Co2 gun.”

These effects, combined with the already impressive production in place, contributed to make RedFest a resounding success - further cementing its place on the country’s growing portfolio of events.

Photos: Done Events www.redfestdxb.com www.doneevents.com www.allaith.com www.gulfshowpower.com www.deltasound.uk www.gearhouse-arabia.com www.eclipse.ae

30

SOUNDING OFF

COMMENT CORNER IAN SPENDLOVE, CEO AND FOUNDER OF SHOWFORCE ASKS “FREELANCERS - WHERE ARE YOU?”

As someone who has knowledge of the global event market, it always surprises me that many of the freelancers based in the UK don’t capitalise on the opportunity to work here in the Middle East.

The UK market is still reasonably seasonal, particularly for festivals and outdoor events, and the Middle East definitely is. Coming out here for four, five or six months of the year would undoubtedly ease the pain of those long, cold, quiet winter months. I appreciate that it isn’t for everyone - people with partners and families probably wouldn’t want to uproot them or spend long periods of time apart. However, the possibilities for those without ties to the UK really are endless, and yet we still find it challenging to get people to register for our Production HR division.

I’m not saying that things are completely plain sailing out here - the fall in oil prices has effected the market. There isn’t the same volume of work as there is in the UK but in many ways that increases the need for freelancers; it’s better to bring in talent as and when it is needed, rather than employ people on expensive salaries.

When we embark on large projects it’s noticeable that there is a shortage of some skillsets out here, particularly on the technical side. For those willing to travel, there’s a void to fill. At one time, expensive accommodation costs would put people off but these have reduced considerably of late and perhaps people just don’t realise that. If freelancers were willing to invest in a visa, something that we can even help them with, then there’s work here for them.

The experience that they would gain and the contacts they’d make would stand them in great stead for future employment.

As we approach the World Athletics Championships in Qatar in 2019, Expo 2020 in Dubai and the World Cup 2022, also in Qatar, the opportunities will only increase. There’s never been a better time to get on a plane, so get out here and start making a name for yourself. www.showforce.com

ME

NEW FACES

31

NEW FACES FOR THE MIDDLE EAST

Above: Director of Sales and Marketing at PRG Gearhouse, Matt Cooper; ETC has introduced Darren Beckley as its new Regional Manager.

To continue its dedication to supporting the lighting and stage technology markets in the Middle East, ETC has introduced Darren Beckley as its new Regional Manager. He brings to ETC many years of experience working in the industry and across the Middle East.

In his new position, Beckley will be responsible for sales within the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait, Bahrain and Iraq. He will be based out of ETC‚ London office, with much of his time spent in the Middle East, working with ETC‚ distributors, dealers and integrators.

Beckley joined the rental team at UK-based Stage Electrics in 2002, working on equipment and show preparation. Over the next seven years, he continued to progress through the ranks at Stage Electrics, and was promoted to the position of Sales Manager for installation projects in 2010.

In that position, he led a team responsible for designing and selling integrated lighting, audio, video and stage engineering systems in the UK, Europe, Africa and the Middle East. In 2012, he established the Dubai branch of Stage Electrics, adding the title of General Manager for the Middle East to his sales management responsibilities.

“Darren joins Southwest Europe Regional Sales Manager, Daniele Peroni, and Southeast Europe Regional Sales Manager, Davide Gabbani, in supporting the vast sales territory in Southern Europe, which for many years was covered by our friend and colleague, Fulvio Cotogni, who passed away unexpectedly in 2015,” said ETC Vice President of Sales, Mark Vassalllo. “We’re thrilled to bring Darren on board. He will play an important part in maintaining our high standard of service in the region.”

Production Resource Group, PRG, has appointed three new senior staff members in its UAE operation.

The new appointments are a direct response to the growing demand within the region as PRG continues to serve a range of markets that include concert touring, corporate events, trade shows, special events, theatre, television and film.

Heading up the appointments is Director of Sales and Marketing, Matt Cooper. Cooper joins PRG after a 10-year career in the hotel industry.

He brings a wealth of experience in strategic planning, team development, proactive sales and account management and will contribute to the company, growth on a local and global level.

Working alongside Cooper will be Manuel

Meloh in the role of Sales Manager. Meloh transfers to PRG Gearhouse with over 10 years of experience having started his career as a trainee in PRG‚ apprentice programme in Germany.

Meloh has extensive experience across the automotive sector having spent the last five years managing some of PRG‚ largest global accounts.

The team will be further supported by Venue Services Manager, Nicholas St Hilaire, who will oversee the daily operation of the venue team who are working within some of the UAE’s largest venues. St Hilaire brings over 14 years of industry experience and will be instrumental in driving growth in this area of the business.

Speaking about the appointments, Managing Director, Peter McCann, commented: “PRG Gearhouse offering will be further strengthened by this added experience and expertise across our various markets.”

When asked about the Venue Services Manager appointment, McCann said: “Nicholas’ role overseeing the venues is particularly important as we continue to be recognised as the leading in-house provider at six of the UAE’s‚ most exciting and forward thinking venues.

Our ability to service them and provide a global resource of the latest technology to their

ME

32

NEW FACES

Above: The Maestra team has made new equipment investments in both the UK and Duabi; Lynzi Claire Spindley has joined Dubai-based Evolution Events as Head of Scenic.

customers is key to these partnerships, while offering unmatched customer service separates us from the competition.

London and Dubai based Maestra Group, specialist in premium event production, design and solutions, made a large investment in new sound, AV and lighting equipment for 2016, which also followed the launch of the new Maestra London office in January.

Maestra London spent around half a million GBP on sound and AV technology which included a range of d&b audiotechnik’s Y, T and E series speakers complete with associated rigging accessories for all the flying and ground-stacking options, plus its new D20 proprietary amplifiers and Y-SUBS.

“We chose d&b as it is one of the best and most reliable manufacturers in the world, with a wide range of superbly-engineered, versatile kit that is ideal for events of any size,” stated Justin Hammond, Maestra London.

A selection of Sennheiser 2000 range of wireless radio microphones also joined the audio inventory together with DPA headset microphones and several types of Audio Technic products.

Maestra London‚ video department made an initial purchase of Christie high-powered projectors, with the 7K D series and larger 14K M series products joining its fleet.

“We need to deliver multiple scenarios from standard format conferences and presentations to larger and more complex mapping projects, commented Hammond, adding that Christie is another leading brand known for reliability, power-to-weight ratios and the adaptability of its machines.

ME

New Samsung HD LED screens were also fundamental to the Maestra London investment, with a full range of standard 55 and 65-inch screens, as well as the larger 75 and 95-inch options together with numerous comfort monitors.

On the control side Analog Way‚ Pulse2 3G and Acsender ranges of switchers were purchased, ready for action, together with a collection of MacBook Pro laptops running PlaybackPro and a range of other presentation programmes. Keeping to the top brands, Atomos converters and Kramer distribution amplifiers were also integral to the AV infrastructure together with a substantial number of RTS wired and wireless comms.

Maestra Dubai purchased 80 of the new ETC Source Four Minis, all the superior optical quality you expect from a Source Four profile in a tiny package one third of the size of a traditional landmark luminaire. Tom Clements from Maestra Dubai said: ”We currently have the largest rental fleet of these small but exceptionally handy fixtures, they are perfect for so many of our applications.”

The Minis joined over 100 standard Source Fours in Maestra Dubai‚ rental stock, together with numerous other generics and LED fixtures and a comprehensive Clay Paky and Martin Profesional moving light inventory. Two more Avolites ART dimmers were also new in Dubai, plus a quantity of new custom power distribution racks.

Dubai‚ rigging department bought another 20 one-tonne Verlinde motors, along with 1.5 km of Prolyte H40 and H30V trussing‚ which went straight out on the 2015-16 Mubadala

World Tennis Championships at the Abu Dhabi International Tennis Complex.

In addition to all the d&b product in London, in Dubai, the stock of Meyer Sound equipment had been increased with new MICA line array elements.

Lynzi Claire Spindley recently joined Dubaibased Evolution Events as Head of Scenic.

Spindley first moved to the UAE two years ago, gaining an insight into the region’s entrainment business. She stated: “I have been working in the events industry since 2006 in various areas from theming, decoration design, fabric and draping for rental supply, installation and set building. I recently decided to leave J&C Joel Middle East where my role was sales focussed.

“However, due to the nature of the events industry and my creative background, I was able to design, create and install some unusual and exciting pieces with the team. Using the skills I have acquired to date, I realised that event production was the direction I wanted to be in moving forward. My new position with Evolution Events as Head of Scenic is very exciting, I’m looking forward to expanding their already successful scenic and event production department.”

Spindley has been with Evolution Events for six weeks and is relishing the challenge. “I love the variety of opportunities I have been exposed to already. I’m lucky enough to be working alongside some great colleagues and clients and really appreciate the chance to be a part of some fantastic events. The continued development of event production in the Middle East is the driving force behind becoming an integral part of Evolution.”

REGIONAL ROUND UP

33

ACTION IMPACT’S EMMA CLARK BECOMES A CERTIFIED SPECIAL EVENTS PROFESSIONAL THE COMPANY’S EVENTS DIRECTOR BECOMES THE FIRST PERSON IN THE MIDDLE EAST TO BE ABLE TO PUT THE CONVERTED CSEP INITIALS TO HER NAME Action Impact’s famously energetic Event Director, Emma Clark, known for her conviction that ‘nothing is impossible’ has helped produce a very long and high profile list of conferences, public forums, roadshows and product launches over a career that has spanned more than a decade. When she decided to study for, and achieve, the International Special Events Society’s prestigious global designation as a Certified Special Events Professional, no one at Action Impact doubted that she would succeed. Her success makes her the first person in the Middle East to achieve the sought after qualification.

Since 1993 the CSEP qualification has provided global recognition to event professionals who have successfully demonstrated the knowledge, skills and ability to carry out all the components that contribute to a successful special event around the world.

Clark spoke about the decision to pursue the CSEP: “After more than 10 years of hard work I thought it was the right time to prove myself on a global stage and get a qualification that could help me develop my skills even further.”

Action Impacts’ Directors, Mike Wain and Adrian Bell, supported Clark’s studies. “It was a hard program, and very demanding. But I managed to organise my time and got great support from other members of the team at Action Impact,” said Clark. “I’m known for my borderline OCD tendencies,” she added, “But that helped me get to grips with my schedule and the study materials!”

Clark sat the exam under controlled conditions in a specially set-up facility using a secure, virtual link. “I had to use both my practical knowledge gained from learning on the job, to flesh out the theory, and the exam was very tough,” said Clark.

Commenting on her success she stated: “I’m very proud. Not just because I’m the first person to achieve the CSEP in the Middle East, but because it shows just how committed to quality Action Impact is as a company. The industry is maturing fast in the region, and more and more professionals will achieve this kind of global accreditation. That’s healthy for them as individuals, and for the industry as a whole.”

Clark’s achievement means that her abilities have been benchmarked against the best in the world, and it also reflects the qualities that are at the heart of Action Impact’s philosophy. Clark concluded: “I couldn’t have achieved this without Mike and Adrian’s support. I was always confident in my ability, but having those letters after my name, just makes me more determined to keep on developing my skills.” www.actionimpact.com

LEBANESE PA COMPANY INVESTS IN DLIVE ALLEN & HEATH’S PRESENCE GROWS STRONGER IN THE MIDDLE EAST

Lebanese rental firm, QDB, recently purchased Allen & Heath’s dLive digital mixing system to add to its hire stock, making it the first PA company in the country to invest in the new system.

Supplied by Seebeck Audio through Allen & Heath’s distributor, PAXT, the system comprised the flagship S7000 Control Surface and DM64 MixRack fitted with a Waves networking card.

“We were in need of a large format digital console, and after a long and extensive search we were introduced to the dLive system by Seebeck Audio.

Like any sound company, our main concern is sound quality and Allen & Heath deliver that quality effortlessly. ‘Open’ and ‘crystal clear’ are the two phrases that describe dLive’s sound quality to me,” explained Samer Atallah, General Manager/ Sound Engineer at QDB. “The first thing I noticed about the system is that the build quality is amazing - it’s rock solid! The surface design is great, giving a feeling of control when you stand in front of it. Managing inputs and outputs, from patching to customising 64 busses between mono and stereo, is very easy, and the dedicated knobs for EQ and dynamics are very useful. The dLive is very fast to setup and run, and as you start using the copy, paste, and GEQ shortcut buttons, you realise how is it perfectly designed for live sound.” www.allen-heath.com

ME

34

REGIONAL ROUND UP

ECLIPSE EXPANSION THE STAGING SERVICE EXPANDS ITS WAREHOUSE SPACE AND EQUIPMENT RANGE AND CONTINUES TO MANAGE IN-HOUSE AUDIO VISUAL SERVICES FOR EIGHT LEADING LUXURY HOTELS ACROSS THE UAE WITHIN ITS VENUE SERVICES DIVISION eclipse Staging Services has added a previsualisation suite, incorporating WYSIWYG (What You See Is What You Get) into its services offered, further enhancing its clients’ experience when choosing and designing a technical package for their event.

With this new facility, the client, video and lighting departments have the ability to visualise different looks in a virtual 3D environment and to determine the best methods for reaching their design goals. The ability to draft cue structure for the show in advance of arrival at the venue saves time and production costs and is an invaluable tool to producers to pitch creative ideas to their customers.

Head of Video, Lee Worthington, commented: “The eclipse video team were the first to utilise the new WYSIWYG/Training facility this week, making use of it for its ongoing media server console training with the new Green Hippo V4 TIAGA. The facility is a great benefit to the company as we now have a bespoke well equipped location to undergo training, or pre show programming with WYSIWYG, media servers, or indeed any other event pre-production, whether it be in-house or for travelling production teams.”

ME

Staging Services General Manager for eclipse, Martin Lubach, noted: ”We have created a comfortable and creative environment that is ideal for clients and in-house staff to pre-visualise their events, making the production process more efficient.”

Along with eclipse’s expansion of both warehouse space and range of products, the group has also announced several new partnerships following its successful relationships with the JW Marriott Hotel, Dubai and the Jumeirah at Etihad Towers, Abu Dhabi. Continued in the same progressive vein, eclipse Venue Services now manages in-house AV services for eight leading luxury hotels across the UAE. The partnership with eclipse Venue Services ensures that the property and its clients will have access to a full range of brand new, custom purchased equipment from leading manufacturers and support from one of the largest and leading AV equipment suppliers in the region.

Faiek El Saadani, Hotel Manager for The St Regis Dubai, commented: “We needed an audio visual partner that could support our requirements seamlessly.” He went on to add: “Their on-site support and off-site warehouse

operations provides us the ideal combination to meet the business needs of our clients and guests.”

Further to its extensive inventory of equipment, eclipse Venue Services now employee over 40 venue professionals; a far cry from the initial team of three that it started with in 2014. Consideration must be given to the environment of the luxury venues which is why eclipse Venue Services invest in the best technical minds with diverse backgrounds from the hospitality and audio-visual industries, giving them a better understanding of the demanding hotel business, as well as the knowledge to consult clients on the mechanics of the technical aspects of their events.

Director of Operations at Le Meridien Dubai Hotel and Conference Centre, Brendan McCormack, remarked: “Our ambition is to deliver the highest standard of events in the region. For this we need to work with best in class partners.

From the onset it was obvious eclipse Venue Services would be able to offer our clients and guests the service to match our ambitions. We are delighted to have them on board and to be working together for the future.” www.eclipse.ae

REGIONAL ROUND UP

35

SHARJAH BOOK FAIR THE ANNUAL EVENT, NOW IN IT’S 34TH SUCCESSFUL YEAR, JOINED FORCES WITH SLS WHICH SUPPLIED THE EVENT’S LED SOLUTIONS SLS Production was excited to be part of the celebration by supplying the AV Production for the entire event, including the opening ceremony, seminars and workshops.

For the opening ceremony of the Book Fair, SLS showcased its new Absen A3’s LED Screen.

The company used a 20 metre by 5 metre Absen A3 for the central main screen, as well two sets of Absen A3’s (12 metre by 3.5 metre) for the inner side screens. For the two outer side screens SLS used two Absen A6’s measuring in at 14 metres by 3.5 metres.

The fair had an impressive technical requirement that was right down SLS’s alley and

was the kind of project that it gets excited about.

Albeit some challenges and short deadlines, the team worked hard and together we prevailed to execute a successful and impressive event.

Being a part of this iconic celebration of literature in the UAE was an immense pleasure and SLS looks forward to see the expansion of the fair. The company looks forward to seeing what 2016 will hold for the Sharjah Book Fair and strive to bring new and exciting ideas to the celebration, and the UAE, from its technical arsenal of world-class equipment. www.slspro.net

GREEN HIPPO’S MIDDLE EAST TRAINING DAY REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE VIDEO SPECIALIST VISITED THE REGION TO OFFER TRAINING COURSES FOR NEW INVESTORS

Simon Harris, User Experience Manager, and Tom Etra, Technical Sales Manager, were kept busy recently by visiting partners and making new contacts in the Middle East and Africa.

Harris visited Dubai to conduct a very successful three-day training course for the video crew at eclipse Staging Services, that had recently purchased two V4 Taiga media servers. Etra on the other hand flew out to attend InfoComm Middle East and Africa at the end of October

where he was on the Martin Professional stand, showing the implementation of the new P3- PC system controller and Green Hippo’s Hippotizer media servers. This integration unlocks the power of Martin’s creative video solutions in smaller shows and events. You can now install the P3-PC software directly onto any Green Hippo media server running the Hippotizer V4 software, effectively enabling the media server to output the P3 protocol.

After the InfoComm show Etra went on to visit the offices of both Martin Professional Middle East and Venutech to provide training and demo on V4 and SHAPE. He then went onto visit others including Sultan Thomas from Wide Angle, who has used Hippotizer products for shows in Lebanon and Dubai and very happy with his two V4 Taiga, which he purchased recently. He also visited Shadi Said and Vinny Testa from Extreme Productions, who have moved into its new offices to demo the advanced and new features of V4.3. “Shadi and Vinny from Extream Productions were blown away by V4 and are looking forward to adding V4 to their rental stock early January 2016,” said Etra.

He rounded off his trip with a quick visit to eclipse Staging Services too, to check they were happy with their training and to discuss a few future projects and plans.

“We are working closely with our partners in the Middle East and Africa and have successfully signed new partners as well as increasing our sales in this region by over 40%,” stated Samantha Bailey, Vice President of Business and Development. “We are very excited to see what exciting jobs 2016 holds for Hippotizer V4 and are on track to continue our growth.” www.green-hippo.com

ME

36

A NATIONAL CELEBRATION

TPMEA LOOKS AT THE PRODUCTION VALUES OF THE MIDDLE EAST’S NATIONAL DAYS A HUGE POINT IN THE UAE EVENTS CALENDAR, THE ANNUAL UAE NATIONAL DAY ENTHRALS THE NATION AND CALLS FOR AN ABUNDANCE OF EVENTS TO CELEBRATE. TPMEA SPOKE TO SOME OF THE COMPANIES AND SUPPLIERS WHO HELPED THESE CELEBRATIONS POSSIBLE IN DUBAI, QATAR, AL AIN, OMAN AND ABU DHABI...

ECLIPSE GROUP

As one of the leading multi-disciplined suppliers of event technology services to the live events industry, eclipse Group had a full week ahead of itself.

First of all, eclipse Staging Services was called in to supply Dubai’s largest National Day celebration, Reflections, with power full distribution. Taking place on the surface of the lake by the D3 Design District, it took six weeks, 10 men and two boats to distribute over six km of cable to the three floating stages.

Pulling the cable through the salt lake posed a challenge, seeing as the sodium content is comparable to that of the Dead Sea. Extensive testing had to be done before any cable could be laid, again before any cable could go live and finally when all cables were removed.

Aaron Lewis, Senior Electrician for eclipse commented: “None of the above was an easy task but it was executed without a glitch.”

Moving onto special effects, Flair SFX and Production travelled to Al Ain to support the celebrations with a range of effects including flames and co2 bursts. Using 12 of its Magic FX Flamaniacs and 12 Magic FX co2 jets which were coordinated with to the beat of the traditional music and performances by local folk dancers to give the show that extra ‘wow’ factor.

ME

Keeping with special effects, Stage FX were also approached to support a number of celebrations across the Emirates. The crew was split to support simultaneous celebrations such as a corporate ceremony at Port Rashid, Dubai and another at Abu Dhabi National Media Council providing a combination of confetti in the UAE national colours and co2 bursts.

Coinciding with the UAE National Day, Oman was busy with their own festivities, marking its 45th year of independence.

For this, Stage FX teamed up with Laser Grafix to put on a show of flames and lasers to give the crowd a show they wouldn’t soon forget. Using a range from its expansive special effects stock, Stage FX provided a number of Magic FX Stage Flames, Sunshines and Fog Machines, while Laser Grafix added its laser experience into the mix with a number of high power laser machines.

Also running the whole weekend of the 44th UAE National Day was a laser show run by Laser Grafix on Dubai’s Jumeirah Beach Residence the Walk. After sundown, every hour on the hour the crew would cover the whole of the 500m wide pedestrian area with a layer of colourful dancing lasers, achieved by utilising 18 of its high powered laser systems. http://eclipse.ae

A NATIONAL CELEBRATION

37

HQ CREATIVE Dubai based event management agency, HQ Creative, successfully delivered the official UAE National Day celebrations in Dubai.

This was the third time the company had produced the event and with just eight weeks lead-time, HQ delivered a show staged entirely upon the water with Dubai’s dramatic skyline as the backdrop. The event was held at Dubai Design District on a body of water that will soon be connected to the Dubai Canal system, providing HQ Creative with a rare opportunity to use a unique location.

Holding the event on water presented challenges for the team. Technical Director, Andrew Stevens, commented: “When trying to build a stage to sit just millimetres below the water’s surface, and facing close to a 15mm drop in water level each week due to evaporation, we encountered a constant battle to keep the stage submerged beneath the water’s surface.

“Testing showed the water contained an equivalent level of salt to the Dead Sea and this had a detrimental effect on both the crew and the equipment being installed.

“After each night of testing the water, we used 7,500 gallons of fresh water to clean the hardware to enable further content testing the following night.”

Despite these challenges and with just five weeks build time, HQ delivered a grand and elegant open-air show of light, music, movement and theatrics.

A cast of over 400 local and international artists (including school children, dance students and police cadets) performed on the submerged stages, supported by water screens, dancing fountains and pyrotechnics.

Traditional Emirati cultural performances were at the heart of show, creatively staged against mass ‘living scenery’ while injecting more contemporary performance pieces.

Highlights of the show included live horses galloping riderless across the water, a performance from Bedouin horseman Ali Al Ameri and LED flyboarders showcasing exciting aerial displays. A captivating fireworks display from Ruggieri concluded the show in spectacular style. www.hqcreativeuae.com

ME

38

A NATIONAL CELEBRATION

NEWSUBSTANCE UK based show design studio, Newsubstance was engaged

by FiveCurrents to design and deliver bespoke aerial props to support a key sequence within the narrative for the Spirit of the Union ceremony for Abu Dhabi’s 44th National Day. Newsubstance’s creative response comprised seven, 3.8m inflatable ‘pearls’, one for each of the seven states that followed Sheikh Zayed in establishing the UAE 44 years ago. One of the challenge was in the delicate pearlescent finish required to reinforce the notion of a giant pearl and ensuring that they would read within a large stadium environment. Double skinning each pearl and stitching a lightweight, iridescent material to an internal gas fabric envelope achieved the solution. Overcoming the differential stitch characteristics of the two fabrics whilst ensuring that the double skin solution didn’t impact on the

ME

Pearls’ lift capacity were critical issues that required a degree of research and development.

Each pearl was helium filled and operated by a pair of ground crew working with customised rope bags under the instruction of Newsubstance. As the Pearls entered the stage one by one, they were flown out to predetermined heights and positioned over and above a projected image of their corresponding state’s founding father.

The stunning show was watched by 45,000 audience members at the Zayed Sports City Stadium in Abu Dhabi and was broadcast by all the Gulf region’s leading television networks to a viewership of millions. www.newsubstance.co.uk Photo: Josh Zangen

A NATIONAL CELEBRATION

39

FLASH ENTERTAINMENT One of the region’s leading 360-degree live events companies, Flash Entertainment, aided the National day celebrations in Abu Dhabi that was held under the patronage of President His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan and in the presence of His Majesty King Mohammed VI of Morocco.

Some of UAE’s highest-level dignitaries and local residents were among the attendees who walked into the stadium to see the awe-inspiring stage. The atmosphere was one of excitement and steeped in patriotism for the country. The ceremony highlighted the themes of allegiance, self-denial, loyalty, solidarity and cohesion between the leadership and the people of the UAE, and national pride. As well as poems being recited there were also several impressive performances that took place over three stages.

In the weeks leading up to the event, the organising committee work meticulously to create a celebration, which was meant to embody the significance of this day. The 65-minute long event looked to reflect and highlight the spirit of the union melded state of the art production elements with the UAE’s rich culture and history and its numerous accomplishments achieved in the past four decades.

It comprised of three main stages; Founding a Nation (stage one), Emirati and Proud (stage two) and Pride in our Nation (stage three). The celebration commenced with the first stage entitled Founding a Nation where the performance depicted the origins of the UAE. It commemorates the formation of the United Arab

Emirates by the founding father, the first president of the UAE, the late Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, along with the rulers of the Emirates.

The second stage, Emirati and Proud included four scenes named, Youth of the Nation, Strength, Dedication and Sacrifice and Hope. These involved several performers including the portrayal of a girl caught in a sand storm to represent the challenges facing the nation, as well as representatives from the police and armed forces taking to the stage pay homage to those who serve their country.

Finally, on the third stage, the performance comprised of two scenes - Bright Future and We Are United. The first scene celebrated the stability and prosperity of the UAE by depicting iconic landmarks for each of the seven Emirates. The second scene was the show’s grand finale, where the Ayala performers illustrated the unity of our nation in a moment of great joy and national pride.

Lee Charteris, Vice President of Operations for Flash Entertainment spoke about what the event meant for the company: “We were very proud to be involved in the 44th National Day event. We worked with FiveCurrents to produce a truly world class celebration. Over 300 technicians and more than 3,000 performers contributed in the making of this incredible show.” www.thinkflash.ae

ME

40

A NATIONAL CELEBRATION

SHOWTEX

This latest UAE National Day celebration was water themed. With this in mind, during the live performance at Dubai’s Business Bay, the production included HD visual content projected on water curtains, detailed props, hand-held video panels, living scenery, lasers and pyrotechnic effects.

ShowTex took up the challenging job of supplying the underwater LED floor of the ceremony. This included supplying 73 strings of 32 ShowLED Animation Hybrid pixels which were submerged in water and made up the stage’s focal point.

However, it didn’t stop there. ShowTex also supplied a massive amount of Molton masking drapes and various stage props. Water corals were constructed out of printed PolyStretch P8 CS Matt and 64 feathers of three meter high were made out of glass fiber rods covered in white mesh fabric and white organza. Both lightweight fabrics floated on air during the choreography. www.showtex.com

CCG (CREATIVE COMMUNICATION GROUP)

During Qatar’s National Day Creative Communication Group (CCG) was the company responsible for the sound through the whole Corniche area that included five different locations including the fireworks show. In order to cover the whole area with audio, CCG incorporated the Neutrik Xirium system, purchased from local distributor Nicolas Kyvernitis Electronics Enterprises (NMK), to ease the set up on areas where cable crossings were difficult and extended more than 100m.

The purchase of the Xirium system for the event included four transmitters and 20 receivers. One of the challenges was to get signal across roads and extend it more than 300m. Xirium was used in the repeater mode and thanks to the system’s software technicians, CCG were able to see the signal strength in different areas and plan accordingly.

CCG was established in 1998 in GCC as a full service event management and production company. Through the years CCG has expanded to serve all aspects of the entertainment business in the Gulf Region. With its top of the line inventory, talented team, wide range of products, services and experience the company has secured itself as one of the leaders in the events and entertainment industry in the gulf region and middle-east.

“As the area was heavily crowded a normal signal cable could easily be damaged even with cable protectors it could still be

ME

tampered with,” commented Rikus de Kock, Technical Director at CCG. “Xirium was placed in the main structures and was secure from any public interfere. The system saved us on a lot of long cable runs that saved a lot of time.”

“In spite of challenging audio system requirements for this event, Xirium system with a unique features of huge distance range of 500 meters (LOS); signal strength software; broadcast and repeater modes successfully matched our request. I have to mention that the usage of four transmitters and 20 receivers simultaneously was one of the biggest Xirium system set ups in the region so far. Working on 5.2 GHz frequency band and using DIWA protocol Xirium system cannot be interrupted by any other system and it has successfully proven its reliability at Qatar National Day where military wireless signal jammers are used. We were extremely glad to hear positive feedback from the client,” commented Pavel Aheunin, Neutrik Product Manager at NMK. “As the event involved the military in full force and security at a maximum with signal jammers the Xirium has performed without dropout. I would recommend the system as a very easy solution to overcome signals on long distances and crossing difficult areas with ease,” de Kock added. www.cre8ive-events.com

42

INSIDE LOOK

FLOW AIR + POWER SOLUTIONS AFTER INITIALLY GAINING PROMINENCE AS A KEY SUPPLIER OF AIR COOLING IN THE UAE, FLOW AIR + POWER SOLUTIONS BRANCHED OUT TO ADD POWER AND DISTRIBUTION TO ITS OFFERING. TPMEA’S STE DURHAM VISITED FLOW TO DISCUSS THE COMPANY’S ACCELERATED EVOLUTION.

ME

INSIDE LOOK

Visiting Dubai-based events companies quite often means having to leave the relative shade provided by the city’s looming skyscrapers and, while Flow Air + Power Solutions’ Jebel Ali headquarters is no exception, I was reassured by one thing - at the very least, the air conditioning would be good.

With the cool office climate came a warm welcome and a much-needed cappuccino, as well as the opportunity to sit down with Group CEO Alistair McDonald and General Manager Jonathan Calvert.

After being shown around the open plan inner sanctum (complete with staff ping pong tables), it is easy to see how the company has cultivated the creative and progressive mentality that has fuelled its rapid ascent.

NICHE WITHIN A NICHE Having established in 2010 with the idea of introducing a brand of air cooling that was a little easier on the eye than the large-scale industrial units available at the time, Flow has since matured into a business whose success is rooted in a forward-thinking, dynamic ethos.

so clients started suggesting that we just use a few more cables and manage the whole thing.

We had already built a good reputation and, as Flow grew, it was servicing more and more customers. It just kind of snowballed from there!”

Calvert, who has just celebrated his third anniversary as General Manager at Flow, picked up the story, adding: “We then took on the generator side - cross-hiring from elsewhere at first and installing it ourselves. We were spending so much money renting generators that we decided it would be easier just to buy our own.

“Most companies in the region would supply generators and mains power, leaving the distribution end to someone else. A power company with in-house distribution was unusual, but clients that knew us already were very receptive to the idea.”

Just like when McDonald originally entered the air cooling business, he had a strong vision of what he wanted this new arm of his company to be. It was a relatively natural evolution, but it still required the same considered approach that originally made Flow such a success.

Despite the scale of this task, Flow’s

43

arrive and the last ones to leave, so you have to spend time finding talented, positive people particularly when dealing with clients and other suppliers.

“We want to do things differently and that means hiring staff with the right mentality as well as the right experience, which is not an easy task.”

PERPETUAL MOTION As well as taking care in choosing its staff, Flow has also invested considerable time and effort into staying ahead of the curve when it comes to technological and procedural innovation.

McDonald commented: “The easiest thing in the world to do is default into what other people are doing. All it takes is one month of being complacent or drifting into trends to hurt your business - constantly jolting out of that kind of malaise isn’t an easy thing to do.

“We evaluate each and every scenario to see whether there’s potentially a better way of doing things. You constantly come up against the need to innovate in the world of event power.

We feel like we are keeping up with the pace of innovation, which is mainly due to the fact that

“We assumed that it would take a lot longer for people to become accustomed to us doing this - in actual fact they’ve found it refreshing. We have been studious in our approach and are continuously hunting for new talent, regardless of the fact that we are overstaffed.”

Group CEO, Flow Air + Power Solutions, Alistair McDonald

As well as planning to introduce a more refined aesthetic than its competitors, Flow began with the intention of improving the quality of service available to events clients, catering to a range of temporary structures and applications.

McDonald, who is also Partner in structural solutions specialists Wicked, explained the company’s origins.

He remembered: “At the time, companies were not really catering specifically for the range of temporary structures - air conditioning was generally quite ugly and intrusive. This is fine if you’re providing your services for horses in a temporary stable, but not for the VIPs attending the polo.

“We had the idea to create a whole new company that specialised in cooling, rather than being a structural company with a bit of cooling kit. We set up separate offices, warehousing, and staff, just supplying a small amount of clients at first.”

Flow quickly gained in popularity and, as it acquired so much power distribution equipment to handle the cooling itself, began to expand into handling these duties at the same events to cover the rest of the production.

McDonald continued: “Usually cooling is the thing that takes most of the power at an event,

development and subsequent string of successful events as both power and cooling supplier has taken place in just a year. Again, Calvert and McDonald attribute this to strong human resources and a level of trust in their instinct to challenge convention.

Calvert said: “Over the last 12 months we’ve built a power team from the ground up and it’s been a real journey – a journey we are still on. Once we achieve something, we’re already talking about the next milestone. We never anticipated how much you’d have to do,” said Calvert.

McDonald added: “We had to go from being an air cooling business that employed electrical people to manage distribution, to a turnkey business that had a full power team. In addition to shelling out a fair amount of money on kit, we also had to create an entire resource from scratch.”

As soon as the decision was made, Flow hired a raft of generator technicians and engineers, electricians, and project managers – a process the pair was keen to begin before the kit itself was purchased.

Calvert explained: “Having great product is one thing but you have to have the right people as well. On site we are usually the first ones to

we have consultants to keep us on track, as well as a great internal team. The power division has itself come on a million miles since last year.”

The high-profile gigs that Flow’s power division has landed in recent months, such as Beats on the Beach (as part of Yasalam 2015, pg.10) and the home-made flying machine insanity that is the Red Bull Flugtag, are testament to McDonald’s claim.

“We assumed that it would take a lot longer for people to become accustomed to us doing this - in actual fact they’ve found it refreshing.

We have been studious in our approach and are continuously hunting for new talent, regardless of the fact that we are overstaffed,” he said.

For McDonald, the end goal is to broaden Flow’s coverage further still, without straying from the company’s core values.

He concluded: “We feel blessed that we’ve been able to gain this kind of credibility in around six months of actually servicing events. We can already go into any pitch and the client can feel comfortable that we are capable of doing the job to a high standard. We’re not trying to take over the world, just do what we do, as well as we can do it.” www.flowme.co www.wicked.ae

ME

44

TECH PROFILE

THE EXPERIENCE 10 OVER 500,000 PEOPLE ATTENDED THE EXPERIENCE - A MEGA CONCERT AT THE TAFAWA BALEWA SQUARE IN LAGOS, NIGERIA. THE SHOW IS AN INTERDENOMINATIONAL GOSPEL CONCERT ORGANISED IN NIGERIA BY THE HOUSE ON THE ROCK, A VIBRANT, MULTI-ETHNIC CHURCH.

Organisers chose an Outline audio system, Yamaha for control and an upgraded lighting rider that included Clay Paky and Avolites to ensure that the spoken word and music performances by artists such as Don Moen, Donnie McClurkin, Fred Hammond, Micah Stampley, Kim Burrell, Hezekiah Walker, Jessica Reedy and Sonnie Badu were all heard and seen by the huge crowd who enjoyed 11 hours of non-stop prayer and live music.

Steve Davies, Production Manager and FOH Sound Engineer of UK-based production company Subfrantic, shared the success of the 10th event with TPMEA: “We’ve been working extensively in the gospel market in the UK since 1999, and have had a relationship with

Af

the London branch of House on the Rock [the church that puts this event on] for over 15 years.

Through time, our reputation for how we work and the strength of our results made its way back to the main body of the church in Lagos, who eventually asked us to come over and install the desks and audio network for their new 7,000 capacity cathedral in 2013.

“I went out to Lagos for the inauguration of the building and also visited a few times that year for special events, to service and update the desks, and to train the in house engineers.

Shortly afterwards, we were asked to get involved with The Experience 8 in 2013, for which we did FOH and monitor sound. The Experience 9 in 2014 saw us add lighting design and operation to

our responsibilities, and for The Experience 10 in December 2015 we were also asked to undertake the video content for the stage, the broadcast mix, the multitrack recording, stage management, and production management, all while working very closely with the client and their local suppliers, who provided most of the technical equipment.”

AUDIO For The Experience 10, there were 16 channels of Shure UHF-R radio microphones, supplied by the cathedral. Continued Davies: “We created a network for the microphones and ran it on Wireless Workbench, which of course meant updating all of the firmware first. Sound Network

TECH PROFILE

45

“Mixing gospel music can be incredibly difficult at times as there’s a lot going on in terms of the size and makeup of the bands and choirs involved...”

Steve Davies, Subfrantic

in London very kindly leant us two DPA D:Facto II heads that we put on the two main vocal microphones, which were outstanding as always.

Cabled microphones came from a mix of the church’s equipment, stock from Cytech, the local audio supplier, and our hire stock, which we brought over from London. This included a full set of DPA D:Vote 4099’s for the drumkit and eight-way Radial DI boxes for Avid ProTools and other playback gear.”

The desks were all Yamaha CL series of consoles, with a CL5 at FOH and two CL3’s handling monitors and broadcast duties. These ran on the same network with two Rio 3224 stage boxes. “We also brought a Rio 1608 from our hire stock in London which we used to run in the audience response mics for recording, broadcast, and multitrack. The multitrack was

then taken from that Dante network in three places to ensure we had redundancy on our redundancy, using different software to track in each location.”

Subfrantic brought over one km of cable on British Airways, which Davies joked, made some “stunning excess baggage charges!”

He continued: “Mixing gospel music can be incredibly difficult at times as there’s a lot going on in terms of the size and makeup of the bands and choirs involved, and, of course, you usually don’t have any of this information in a reliable form until the eleventh hour. But there are upsides too; most notably the quality of musicianship, which at these events is always outstanding.

“For this gig we ran a festival patch that had to take account of anything from a 200-strong

choir through to spoken word pieces and acoustic drums to Pro Tools, multiple keyboard lines and a respectable radio mic count, so we were constantly fighting to keep it all within 64 channels, especially as the change overs between bands were around five minutes!”

Although the sheer size of the gig makes it impressive, it’s not just the size of the site or the audience that presents the biggest challenges, these often come from unexpected places, as Davies explained: “In UK we have conventional views on the decibel level you would expect to use to cover a certain area at an event like this because we expect a certain number of people to be there, so when you look at the predictions and see a smooth 105dB you might think you’re safe. When you walk around the day before the event and are metering the delays at 110dB at

Af

46

TECH PROFILE

Above: Gareth Cox used a Yamaha CL3 in the air conditioned shipping container used to mix broadcast audio; LD Graham Roberts on the Avolites Sapphire Touch. The screen behind him shows the content and makeup of the rear stage screens and was connected to a Green Hippo Hippotizer Karst.

the back of the main arena you may think you’ve got yourself a little headroom. But when you realise that there are over twice as many people in that area as you expected, all of who sing, most of who bring whistles or vuvuzelas, you quickly realise that you could have a problem!

This means that you have to interpret software predictions very differently as what would otherwise be sufficient is all of a sudden far from it, and when you’re on site it’s even more important to use your ears to get the system how you want it than it is to use prediction software or analysers.”

SOUND SYSTEM The PA system was supplied by local firm Cytech World Communication. The company was called in for the third consecutive year to handle sound production for the huge event. Cytech

Af

invested heavily in an Outline C12 rig for its first involvement with the event in 2013. In 2014 it invested in further boxes that were added to the design for 2014 and 2015.

The main FOH Outline audio system was comprised of 30 GTO C-12 line arrays, two GTODF down-fills, 16 DBS 18-2 subwoofers and four LAB 21 HS infra-low subwoofers. Coverage for the audience near the sides of the stage used 20 Butterfly line array. Six Outline 2-way DVS 12 point source cabinets provided front-fill facilities, 24 Butterfly and eight 218 Subs were deployed as delay units. Outline T-Series amplifiers powered the entire sound system. With a limited time frame the audio team used Outline’s Openarray3D acoustical prediction software to guide the installation of the sound system, which had the task of covering all of Tafawa-Balewa Square, 280 metres by 200 metres, bounded by tiered seating

20 metres high and 30 metres deep.

The Experience 10’s System Engineer was Italian live audio veteran Carlo Gennaro, who explained: “Due to the vast area and the size of the crowd, achieving the best possible results in terms of coverage was fundamental to ensure everyone enjoyed and participated in the show, no matter where they watched it from – even for those in the bleachers. The Outline rig with its impressive long throw, precise coverage and overall clarity overcame this challenge with ease and precision and the result was really gratifying.

At FOH, forty metres from the main system, we had of 110dB of undistorted SPL. We couldn’t have asked for more!”

Behind the main arena there is an overflow area, which fills is an entire cricket pitch. Lagos rental firm PF Syztems handled this area with an Electro-Voice X Series PA system.

TECH PROFILE

47

Above: Subfrantic’s Technical DIrector Sean Murphy mixed monitors on a Yamaha CL3; Production Manager Steve Davies with local lighting contractors, 001.

“The Outline rig with its impressive long throw, precise coverage and overall clarity overcame this challenge with ease and precision and the result was really gratifying...”

Carlo Gennaro, Audio Engineer

LIGHTING AND VIDEO The lighting expanded enormously this year with a rig including 57 Clay Paky Sharpys, 24 Sharpy Washes, six Clay Paky Alpha Profile 700’s, and generic fixtures supplied by local company 001.

Said Davies: “Last year we brought an Avolites Tiger Touch console with us which handled our requirements dutifully, but this year we added further production values with a 3.9mm video wall which was placed at the rear of the stage.

This year we air freighted our new Avolites Sapphire Touch to handle the bigger job. This was then networked with the Avolites Tiger Touch

and a brand new Green Hippo Hippotizer Karst Media Server to manage content. This meant that again we could do a vast majority of the pre-production in the UK before we left, but Owen Evenas, our Green Hippo Tech and Graham Roberts, our LD still had a few late nights creating custom content for certain parts of the show.”

Nigeria’s gospel community were once again able to revel in the magnitude of hard work and production elements delivered to The Experience, only this time, it was better than ever. In conclusion, Davies told TPMEA: “The gig is breath-taking. The team I take out

are seasoned professionals but we all see it as something special and we’re all very proud to be a part of it. The quality of the artists that perform whilst being surrounded by such an enormous and positive audience creates a truly unique experience.

“There’s talk that The Experience 10 was always going to be the last one, but if there’s an 11 then we’d be out there to keep on building on the good work that us and the Nigerian teams and suppliers have put in over the last decade.” http://theexperiencelagos.com http://subfrantic.com

Af

48

REGIONAL ROUND UP

SOUND STYLISTS INCREASES ITS STOCK OF ROBE

THE DURBAN-BASED RENTAL AND PRODUCTION SPECIALIST CONTINUES ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LIGHTING MANUFACTURER.

South African rental and production specialist Sound Stylists opened its Durban branch in 2010 to service the growing events, music and entertainment markets in the busy KwaZulu Natal port city. Now it has expanded from a satellite operation in its Johannesburg HQ with two staff to a major branch with 11 full time employees, working across all industry sectors.

MD Kevin Glover’s intention has been to proactively grow the company’s work portfolio on all fronts, providing innovative and imaginative audio, lighting, staging and AV solutions. A steady investment in Robe moving lights has featured in the success of the Durban facility as the lighting division has increased its capacity and pushed the proverbial envelope of excellence.

Initially Durban started with 24 of Robe’s classic workhorse 575 E AT ColorSpot and ColorWash series products, but as the business grew, particularly in the last two years, it started purchasing the latest Robe technologies in the form of LEDWash 300’s, LEDBeam 100’s and miniPointes.

Af

“We needed a very flexible range of lights for the sheer variety of work we are covering in and around Durban,” stated Glover. “They needed to deal with a tough lifestyle and the price had to be very good! Robe emerged as the best choice.”

Apart from the products themselves, service and backup were also major factors in the decision, and once again, Robe’s SA distributor DWR hit the spot. The first of the new lights were 12 Robe LEDWash 300’s, to the delight of Head of Lighting, Mphilisi ‘Tarzan’ Miya who designs many lightshows as well as working closely with Project Manager Jacques Marais on others shows.

Tarzan has worked at Sound Stylists for two years. When he arrived, the 575 E AT ColorSpots were the only Robe product, so the LEDWash 300’s really boosted his scope as an LD. Being so small, lightweight, low power and dynamic meant they could be used almost anywhere and on all shows.

Glover kept a close eye on how Tarzan

looked over the LEDWash 300s - which are in pristine condition - and then suggested they get some LEDBeam 100’s, another tiny yet powerful fixture ideal for Durban. 12 of these joined the inventory, and these were followed last year by the 12 miniPointes.

Tarzan has used them in numerous designs including a DVD shoot for SA Gospel artist Sgwili at the Winston Churchill Theatre in Pietermaritzburg, a fast paced, stirring performance lit with 12 miniPointes, 12 LEDBeam 100’s and a bunch of PARs for general stage washes.

Tarzan concluded by expressing his admirations for the selection of Robe Lighting fixtures: “They are so small, well designed and enable you to work wonders on a show.” The size also means he can rig a show on his own. “It’s absolutely great to be able to rock-up to the gig in a small van with lots of little lights, needing minimal power and produce a show that wows the crowds!” www.soundstylists.co.za

50

REGIONAL ROUND UP

CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL’S STRIKE 4 AT SOUTH AFRICA’S AQUAFEST LIGHTING DESIGNER SHANIEL LALOO MADE USE OF THE CHAUVET FIXTURE AT DURBAN’S ANNUAL DAY-LONG BEACH PARTY.

With miles of coast line, South Africa’s second largest city has become known for its beach parties, the biggest of which is Aquafest. To keep all the party goers entertained, LD for the event, Shaniel Laloo, opted to use Chauvet’s Strike 4, which was imported by Audiosure.

“Aquafest is one of the biggest beach parties in this country,” said Laloo of Sounds Ideal in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa. “Aside from live bands, we also had 16 DJs on stage throughout the day; many of them like Mark Stent, Roger Goode and Ryan the DJ are quite famous here.

So naturally, there were a lot of eyes on the DJ booth.”

Laloo nestled the DJ booth in an arc of 10 high-output warm white Strike 4 fixtures, each with four independently focusable LEDs. A pair of the Strike fixtures were positioned at the bottom of the DJ booth, and four were arranged on each side, allowing Laloo to envelop the structure in warm white light at various points during the festival.

The Strike 4 is a versatile multi-format fixture, and Laloo made full use of its versatility.

Throughout the festival, he called upon his 10 Strike 4’s to serve as a wash, an audience blinder and a strobe. “I ran the Strike fixtures on fourchannel mode without any dimming curves so I could use them as strobes and blinders,” said the LD, who controlled his rig with an Avolites Tiger Touch II console.

Changing the DJ booth helped keep the stage looking fresh throughout the festival.

Pixel mapping effects around the DJ booth also commanded attention. “I put the Strikes where I did, because I could pixel map and run funky effects with them and the nearby panels simultaneously,” explained Laloo. “We gave people a wide assortment of eye candy to enjoy.”

For pixel mapping effects, Laloo ran the

Strike 4 units at 25%, so as not to overpower the AV and other lights. He went on to say that the output of the Strikes was so intense, the units has no issue showing at sunlight hours during the daylong festival.

In addition to the Strike 4’s, the Aquafest stage rig included 12 Chauvet Legend 230SR Beams, which Laloo arranged in four groups of three. “I placed the Legends in groups of three to minimise cabling, and to do lots of aerial work on the beach night sky,” he explained. “The beams helped us create some powerful looks that stood out in our beach setting.”

Although the beach setting did provide an idyllic environment for the thousands who flocked to the festival, it also presented some challenges for Laloo and his team. “Lights and the beach don’t go well together, so the less time out in the salt air the better,” explained the LD. “Load in had to be quick and load out even quicker.

This is where the Strikes came in really handy, because we didn’t need dimming with them and all that extra power. We went green, saving power and we saved time too and we created a show that was very nice to look at.” www.aquafest.co.za

MA LIGHTING’S GRANDMA2 USED FOR SOUTH AFRICAN ARTIST CASSPER NYOVEST SOUTH AFRICAN DESIGN COMPANY FORMATIVE WAS BROUGHT IN TO PROVIDE CREATIVE DIRECTION, CONTENT DESIGN AND TECHNICAL PRODUCTION FOR THE SOUTH AFRICAN’S #FILLUPTHEDOME SHOW IN JOHANNESBURG. The production design was based around the artist’s dynamic music and the creation of special ‘moments’, a process that was built throughout the show, revealing different elements as the music called for them. For lighting and video control, Formative relied on an MA Lighting grandMA2 for control.

The team, led by Formative’s Creative Director Grant Orchard directed the entire performance, right down to artist placement and positions on stage. The team familiarised themselves with Cassper’s music before designing the production so that they could create lighting, video and scenic elements to match, and then worked with the various different companies in the Gearhouse South Africa Group to unite these seamlessly in the show.

Af

Formative ran two media servers and two MA Lighting grandMA2 full-size consoles, with an additional grandMA2 full size at ‘dimmer beach’ as well as four MA NPU. They ran ArtNet from the media servers into the grandMA2 for pixel mapping and split timecode between all the systems for full redundancy. They also had a four-camera HD IMAG system from which they captured the feeds and integrated them into the performances via the media server.

The team set up the entire rig in MA Lighting’s MA 3D software via Vectorworks with an Nvidia GeForce Titan X, which, with some tweaks to fixture profiles, was able to deliver a solid 130fps at 1920 by 1080, regardless of how many fixtures were running how many effects at the same time.

This enabled them to put the entire show into the desk ahead of time, assess how the different elements worked together, move fixtures around as needed very easily and then send a final plot off to GHSA for the prep. This detailed level of preparation made work on site significantly easier for the crew.

Visually, the team avoided colours and gobos to create a stark, direct look, using only white, red and blue, with fixtures focussed almost always as narrow as possible. Where a softer look was needed, they used the prism instead of a gobo, except for the song Alive, where the situation dictated a sharp rotating gobo.

DWR Distribution CC is MA Lighting’s exclusive distributor in South Africa. www.malighting.com