TPMEA #005

OCTOBER 2016 • ISSUE 005

DUBAI IS EN ROUTE TO A TECHNOLOGICAL 2020 PROTEC PIXEL MAPS THE METRO

DAN BOLTON TALKS ILEA • AN EVENING WITH MARCO BALICH AT PRG GEARHOUSE VIDEO DIRECTOR STEVE PRICE VISITS NIGERIA • JERRY GILBERT MEETS DELTA SOUND’S ANDY JACKSON

TPMEA

WELCOME...

TO TPMEA

After what seems like a long break thanks to the seasonal lull in live events, we’re back with more determination than ever to produce the kind of publication the MEA production community deserves. Having made some invaluable contacts over the past year, we’re now gearing up to visit the Middle East in full force with a trip to Dubai during Prolight+Sound. A few of you have already met Hannah’s new right hand woman, Georgia, but for those of you who are yet to have the pleasure, make October’s trip count!

First of all, big thanks to eclipse Group’s HSE Manager Manu Abraham for introducing the issue with some valuable points and information.

Despite the lack of live events during those blisteringly hot summer months, the diverse coverage in this edition is testament to the fact that the MEA region never quite stops. A favourite of mine in this issue is veteran industry journalist, Jerry Gilbert’s fantastic job of capturing the life and career of Delta Sound’s Andy Jackson. Jerry was an invaluable mentor when I first - like him - left the heady world of music journalism to go backstage with the road crew, and I can’t think of a better writer to have on board TPMEA. Read the conversation on Pg.36.

Elsewhere, our in-house team has done a sterling job this month; Ste talks to the IBS Group about the company’s success to date, and Stew boarded Emirates for the first time… Not only did he talk to AES about its challenges and achievements in the staging world, but he also attended an interesting talk with famed show creator, Marco Balich (Pg.18), for an insight into the Rio Olympics opening and closing ceremonies. Plus (deep breath!), we have news from ILEA thanks to Dan Bolton, we unearth the technological feat behind Protec’s Dubai 2020 metro expansion, and I catch up with Video Director Steve Price to discuss his first Nigerian adventure.

That’s just about all for now. We’ll see you all very soon...

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

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The Quality We Deliver Sets Standards

Photo: Courtesy of HQ Creative – winner of the Best Event Lighting Design, Middle East Event Awards 2016 For more than 30 years our name has stood for professional event technology. Our company is one of the first in Germany that received certification in the fields of lighting technology, audio engineering, video technology, IT technology, and rigging by the German Institute for Certification in the Event Technology (DPV T). With our highly specialised technicians and well-qualified engineers we are able to offer our customers the whole spectrum of technical services, including competent advice and planning in the run-up to a production, the rental of equipment and the complete implementation of events. Though founded in Germany N&M has been operating in Dubai since 2005 and has the necessary local knowledge to realise high-quality events and creative productions successfully.

Audio • Lighting • Video • Conferencing • Rigging • Event-IT • Content Production

Neumann&Müller Event Technology Dubai Investments Park 1 · Dubai, UAE Tel: +971 4 885 3558 dubai@neumannmueller.com · www.neumannmueller.ae Winner: • Supplier of the Year 2015 Shortlisted: • Employer of the Year 2015/2016 • Supplier of the Year 2016 • Best Use of Event Technology 2016

CONTENTS

CONTENTS MIDDLE EAST 06 - FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

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eclipse Group: Manu Abraham, HSE Manager, discusses the everpressing issue of health and safety standards in the live events.

12 - REGIONAL ROUND-UP

The latest news from the Middle East.

16 - ILEA COLUMN

Dan Bolton, President Elect at ILEA, reflects on what the future has in store for the association in supporting live event evolution in the region.

18 - EVENT FOCUS

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Executive Producer of this year’s Olympic Ceremonies, Marco Balich, offers advice on striking the balance between technology and emotion in large-scale events.

22 - LIVE EVENT FOCUS

Protec provides an immersive experience for the opening of the newest part of Dubai Metro.

28 - IN PROFILE

Ste Durham discusses the growing role of IBS Group in the Middle East’s staging industry with company CEO, Alan Scoley.

32 - IN PROFILE

Managing Director of All Events Services, JJ Trichardt, reveals key working principles behind the company’s success.

36 - THE BIG INTERVIEW

Delta Sound’s Andy Jackson looks back at his fruitful career that leaves a pervading influence on current entrepreneurial spirit in the Middle East.

AFRICA 42 - REGIONAL ROUND-UP The latest news stories from Africa.

46 - FESTIVAL FOCUS

TPMEA takes a closer look at the Robe-centric lighting design for the Innibos Festival 2016 in Mbombela, South Africa.

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48 - EVENT INTERVIEW

Touring pro Steve Price gives an insight into his role as video director for a high-profile project in Lagos, Nigeria.

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)7702 054344 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 Georgia Guthrie Tel: +44 (0)161 476 9357 Mobile: +44 (0)750 1597 837 e-mail: g.guthrie@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 Metro Launch - Photo courtesy of Claire Louise Armes

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Justin Gawne

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

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

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

ECLIPSE GROUP THE EVER DEVELOPING AND EVOLVING MIDDLE EAST EVENTS INDUSTRY IS CONSTANTLY ON TOP OF THE NEWEST TECHNOLOGIES, MARKETING METHODS AND EVENT DESIGNS. WE COMPETE ON A GLOBAL STAGE IN TERMS OF CREATIVITY AND SCALE. HOWEVER, THERE’S ONE AREA IN WHICH WE ARE TRAILING BEHIND OUR PEERS IN MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD - HEALTH AND SAFETY. I have no doubt that the majority of you have witnessed first-hand a harrowing level of personal safety on site at least once, and while thankfully standards are improving, it’s not happening fast enough. There are a multitude of factors that contribute to unsafe working practices, and many of these cannot be addressed or resolved with a single article.

However, I do hope that this serves as a platform for you, the individual, to recognise your personal responsibility to make your events or venues as safe as possible. Remember that ‘nobody notices what you do until you don’t do it’, and you don’t want that kind of recognition.

My primary objective when joining eclipse back in 2012 was to raise group-wide health and safety (HSE) standards, but that has since shifted to include encouraging the development of the industry’s standards throughout the region, with the help of event professionals such as the International Live Events Association (ILEA).

In the UAE, labour law clearly outlines the employer’s responsibilities with regards to the wellbeing and safety of their employees. However, our varied and fast-paced industry leaves room for interpretation, meaning that some companies can implement them as they deem appropriate.

As the region’s hub of experienced experts in the field of live events, ILEA began to address this issue with the release their first set of Health and Safety Guidelines in 2015. Though these are just guidelines and not law, they are intended to serve as the minimum criteria needed to ensure a safe event for you, your client, your employees and your guests, and I urge you to download your copy of it for reference.

Expanding on these guidelines, eclipse has committed to publishing an annual HSE report, listing and reviewing all areas that we have determined to be beneficial to our continual improvement. With this report, not only can we gauge our efforts year-on-year, but we can also provide our clients with a transparent service offering, allowing them an insight into a topic that directly affects them and their customers. The final decision to publish this report was largely pushed by our CEO and Chairman Mark Brown, a huge advocate for safety in the workplace, whom can often be heard citing ‘there are no shortcuts’ in reference to health and safety. He’s not wrong.

As I mentioned earlier, there are many factors that can lead to unsafe practices in the workplace; so much so, that I can’t touch on them all today because, well, this isn’t an HSE policies and procedures handbook. However, I will get the ball rolling by asking, ‘What can we do as industry leaders to raise the standards and lead by example?’ I am a huge advocate of inspiring from the ground up and there are a huge number of resources readily available for everyone to improve their personal safety, and for managers to ensure the safety of their staff.

Frequent training is one of the most fundamental elements in protecting your staff, and it is essential to provide your employees with the education they need. There are countless opportunities available for individuals or groups; you just need to be proactive and further qualify yourself and your team.

Health and safety is the responsibility of all those involved, so no matter what title you hold, whether you’re an admin assistant, a sales manager or a technician, if you see something unsafe, or something you think is not quite right - report it! At the risk of sounding cliché, you are better safe than sorry. As HSE starts with each individual, allowing your team the opportunity to voice

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

their concerns will engage a shared sense of selfresponsibility and instill a culture of safety in your workplace. You can then reward the employees who show the biggest advocacy to the company’s HSE. For example, eclipse has implemented an annual ‘Safety Performance Award’ to positively reinforce this initiative and lay the foundations for a safe working environment.

Venues such as the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC) have recently launched their own safety initiatives aimed at raising awareness of the importance of safety by organising open workshops and training days that anyone can attend. The purpose of these workshops is to be inspired by the speaker’s passion, while gaining an insight into the importance of the topic, networking with other HSE officers and expanding your knowledge.

Large workshops like these are a catalyst to kick off discussions on what you can all do as a team to create a healthy and safe environment, and I encourage you to attend as many as possible.

In our industry, we are frequently presented with the opportunity to visit events that we may not be directly involved with. Next time you attend one, make sure you check out what their safety measures are, ask questions and get recommendations; by doing this, you are

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contributing to a common goal the entire industry will benefit from.

We all use expert lighting designers and industry leading audio engineers for their trained advice on an unforgettable audience experience, so why don’t we put similar efforts into providing a health and safety expert to create a safe environment for our staff and audiences?

Organising a site inspection to be signed off by a registered HSE Officer, though it will add to your event budget, can and will significantly reduce your business costs in the future.

Understandably, some companies may not feel that they have the budget to cater to the costs of proper HSE efforts such as personal protective equipment (PPE), but the preventative costs associated with health and safety are minor compared to the potential cost of an accident.

When an accident occurs, there are far more indirect costs to the business that may not be budgeted for, therefore reducing the company’s profitability considerably. Obviously, the costs differ depending on the severity of the accident, but let’s use PPE as an example. If an employee does not have a pair of steel cap boots on (which cost approximately 200 AED) at a working site, and then drop a piece of heavy equipment that breaks their foot, what do you as the employer

wind up paying? For starters, their medical expenses, loss of time from the injured worker, loss of time from fellow employees helping, overhead costs while work was disrupted, loss of morale, the cost of administrative time sorting paperwork, and what if the employee needs to take time off work? You can see how this begins to build, and that’s just a foot. Some studies have found that the hidden costs of an accident can be 10 to 36 times more than the direct cost.

Health and safety best practices need to form the foundation of any event plan, and it needs to be a consideration for all event industry professionals right from the initial concept stage.

We all need to work together to make this a reality.

Although safety is improving, there is plenty of room for improvement. While there are a handful of industry leaders who already understand the value of a clear health and safety policy, there are others who still need to be shown the benefits. At the end of the day, we are all held accountable for the global perception of the UAE’s HSE standards, and the change in culture has to start with us.

Manu Abraham, eclipse Group HSE Manager www.eclipse.ae

THE STARS ARE ALIGNING…

WWW.TPiAWARDS.COM

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

ADAM HALL GROUP AT THE PREMIERE OF PROLIGHT+SOUND MIDDLE EAST ADAM HALL GROUP WILL BE PRESENT AT THE FIRST PROLIGHT+SOUND MIDDLE EAST TRADE FAIR, FROM 31 OCTOBER UNTIL 2 NOVEMBER IN DUBAI. IN HALL 1 D12, THE GERMAN MANUFACTURER WILL SHOWCASE THE WIDE VARIETY OF ITS VARIOUS BRANDS OF EVENT TECHNOLOGY SOLUTIONS, INCLUDING LD SYSTEMS, CAMEO, GRAVITY, DEFENDER, PALMER AND ADAM HALL.

For the MENA region as well as for many African countries, the first Prolight+Sound Middle East will be an important place to gather information and establish contacts.

The AV industry is booming and demand is also increasing at the same rate for modern technical solutions for the constantly growing project business, the entertainment industry, the market for infrastructure projects and for broadcast / TV. Adam Hall Group will showcase their innovative audio and lighting products in Hall 1 on stand D12 at the International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Hear and handle: the patented and multidesign-award-winning CURV 500 portable Line Array Series from LD Systems with its impressive sound, achieved inter alia by its specially developed WaveAhead technology; the second generation of the successful MAUI column range from LD Systems - Maui 11 G2 and Maui 28 G2 -

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as well as many new LED lighting products from the rapidly growing Cameo brand. Gravity, Adam Hall Group’s latest brand of stands, has developed just as dynamically and rapidly, and has also received numerous design prizes.

A particular highlight is the new Wireless LD Systems U500 Series. It features True Diversity wireless microphones, wireless transmission for instruments and conferences, and many professional features. Defender cable protectors are considered worldwide as the standard at events in all kinds of public infrastructure and have been used in this region for many years. The latest models, including LED-illuminated models, will also be on show.

Bodo Falkenried, Head of Global Business Development, Adam Hall Group, said: “We are an international company and for many years we have maintained among other things good business connections in the Middle Eastern

and North African markets, as well as many other African regions. And this is in spite of several of them unfortunately being considered as crisis areas. But, due to positive political developments, it is always possible to establish new collaborations or strengthen existing partnerships.

“Just one example from several is Iran.

Precisely because we are a manufacturer and supplier from Germany with an efficient logistics system and a modern, very broad range of sound and light products and extensive accessories, we are increasingly in demand in the region, in both trade and installation projects in the sport, entertainment, hotel and leisure sectors, as well as the many infrastructure projects. We are confident that the new Prolight+Sound in Dubai will provide an excellent presentation platform for our numerous brands.” www.adamhall.com

REGIONAL ROUND UP

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PETER PAN LIVE IN ABU DHABI DUBAI-BASED AUDIO EXPERT PROVIDES FOH CONTROL AND COMMUNICATIONS EQUIPMENT FOR THE POPULAR STAGE PRODUCTION.

Delta Sound provided the FOH console and communications system for the stage production of Peter Pan, The Never Ending Story Live that was held at Abu Dhabi’s Al Raha Theatre.

The company supplied a DiGiCo SD5, with an SD Rack over Optocore, as well as providing on-site support throughout the show. The comms system consisted of 12 Freespeak wireless packs and 20 hardwired packs, over four party lines to allow the various departments their own discreet channel. The show channel was also interfaced with the Motorola Radios to allow communication with the rest of the team, should it be required.

Communications were key for the crew that operated the automation system used for flying performers around the venue, allowing this to be

carried out safely and successfully.

A representative from Delta Sound’s audio crew commented: “The show was a great success

both technically and as a whole, and the team were a pleasure to work with.” www.deltasound.uk

PROLAB PARTNERS WITH MUSIC BRANDS MUSIC BROADCASTS NEWS OF ITS MIDDLE EAST EXPANSION PLANS FOR CUSTOMERS WITH A GRAND ANNOUNCEMENT TO BOOST THE AVAILABILITY OF ITS BRANDS IN THE REGION.

Dubai-based audio company Prolab has been elected a regional distributor for the Turbosound, Midas and Klark-Teknik brands.

The company has stated that it is optimistic of the announcement accelerating sales growth.

“At Prolab, we aren’t the type to sit back and let the customer find us, we pursue those we truly believe we can support. This makes us stand out from the crowd. Naturally we are the ideal partner for Music,” said Farid Dagher, Operations

Manager at Prolab.

Dagher continued: “We have witnessed the devotion that Music has for customer experience and revolutionary product innovation - this is what makes this relationship a must for us.”

Music’s Senior Director of Touchpoint Europe, Simon Godfrey, added: “Music is dedicated to pairing with the best distributors globally and our new vertical market strategy is designed to deliver complete product solutions. Prolab have

exceeded expectations for our Turbosound brand in the last 12 months and this is testament to their sheer enthusiasm for Music products. Now with Midas and Klark-Teknik in the mix, we are set for an extremely exciting partnership going forward.”

www.music-group.com www.prolabllc.com

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

ECLIPSE TRAINING COURSES UTILISING THE USUAL SUMMER LULL IN THE EVENTS INDUSTRY, ECLIPSE HAS LED ITS EMPLOYEES THROUGH A COMPREHENSIVE SUMMER OF TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT.

Each year, the eclipse Group carries out performance reviews where individual personal development requirements are identified, and together with the Group’s technical experts and the individual’s line manager, a tailored training program is designed to cater to the overall requirements of both the employee and the Group.

Accordingly, there have been a number of in-house and outsourced technical courses, open sessions / demonstrations, refresher training programs and online e-learning solutions organised and made available to the staff, all with specific targeted learning outcomes. Group Human Resources Manager, Shiella Manzano commented: “The aim of the summer training program is to optimise the available time during the off-peak season to provide learning opportunities to our colleagues, thereby creating a culture of learning and development across the board.” Some of the in-house courses offered this summer have included audio networking, audio consoles, in-depth Analog Way, Green Hippo and Watchout demonstrations, refresher IRATA

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Rope access courses, and a series of High End Systems Wholehog, Chamsys, and MA Lighting development courses.

The group has also rolled out additional training via one of the largest online training solutions, Lynda.com. With this, each member of the eclipse team has access to over 7,000 online courses, including modules in the latest software, creative, and business skills through high-quality instructional videos.

Since the Group began this summer’s training initiative, over 1,077 training man hours have been accumulated, covering HSE, technical and sales courses and over 400 online hours through Lynda. com.

“We’re delighted with the level of feedback and positive results so far, and I’m confident that with eclipse’s commitment to investing in their team’s personal development, this initiative won’t be the last. I’m proud to be a part of a team that trusts in every person’s individuality, potential and contribution,” concluded Manzano. www.eclipse.ae

CONTROL COMMUNICATE

INTERCOMANDMEDIORNETCONTROL

TOGETHER IN ONE DEVICE

SMARTPANEL RSP-2318

RIEDEL widens its SMARTPANEL app portfolio with the new MEDIORNET CONTROL app. Switch video, audio or combine in macros… all while using your intercom.

www.riedel.net

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ILEA COLUMN

DAN BOLTON WITH THE SUMMER LULL WELL AND TRULY BEHIND US, THE MIDDLE EAST EVENT SEASON IS BACK WITH A VENGEANCE, AS EVERYONE IS THRUST INTO PITCHING AND PRODUCING MODE FOR WHAT PROMISES TO BE A VERY DYNAMIC AND INTERESTING YEAR AHEAD.

It’s safe to say that unlike other summers, this one has seen a flurry of seismic activity: key players within some of the live event industry’s most prominent companies have moved onto other roles and positions; a mass influx of new professionals has made its way to these shores; theme parks have opened (or been delayed further); mega projects have been kicked back into life; our members have given back to the community by bringing in leaders such as Marco Balich, fresh from the Rio Olympics ceremonies to inspire us; and the anticipation of what Expo 2020 really means for the industry continues to gather pace with lighting speed.

Importantly for us at the Middle East chapter of the International Live Events Association (ILEA), it has been a summer of incredible progress. Since the new board took the helm, under the presidency of Lee Charteris, we have seen a continued membership drive that has resulted in the chapter being the fastest growing globally - now standing at over 155 members and rising by the day. Some may ask, why is this important?

When Lee, myself and the rest of the board set out our agenda for the year ahead way back in June, one of the key mandates was to develop the association into a forward-thinking, progressive body and continue to address and develop the impacts on and opportunities for our membership base. The association continues to

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support the evolution of live events within the region.

In order to do this, the challenge is to grow the membership to represent every aspect of this diverse industry. We are gaining traction within the region, but a more representative voice from within the membership of the association will ensure that ILEA can truly become the go-to authority for tackling key issues in the region.

We are consciously playing a much more proactive role in listening to and addressing the concerns that effect our day to day business, and the more we hear, the better the association can support.

Dubai in particular is fast becoming the epicentre of the global live events industry. This was evident at the ILEA Live International Conference in Austin, Texas.

Our Middle East chapter sent a delegation to speak on behalf of the region and to update the global leadership on the progression of our objectives, along with the positive impact these are having for our members.

In conjunction with our rapid growth and this rise of Dubai and the UAE as a global events destination, there is a greater emphasis and focus outward to affiliates outside of the US from the international board of directors, which will see further opportunities and collaboration continue into the years ahead.

The association is certainly listening to the feedback of our membership and we have begun positive dialogue with the Dubai chamber and DTCM who are well aware of the economic importance of our industry to the future development of the city, country and region as a whole. Like all good things this takes time, however steps continue to be made and the bridge between our members and the authorities is strengthening. We are looking forward to supporting them in delivering their future vision of Dubai and the UAE.

Through regular meetings with key stakeholders, the sharing of knowledge, expertise and constructive recommendations from our membership base, the next few years promise to gather pace in the lead up to what will no doubt be a crucial moment in the country’s history. The UAE’s emergence on the global live events scene with Expo 2020 is one of many opportunities on the horizon. ILEA is the industry’s recognised body, and we are here to support those opportunities and the industry at large.

For details on ILEA membership please check out www. ilea-me.com or email dan@danbolton.me

RISING TO A NEW AUDIO CHALLENGE

GS-WAVE

For their first ever outdoor event, the team at fabric – the London nightclub worldfamous for its massive sound – wanted to recreate the club’s legendary Room One in a 2000-capacity, round tent at Lovebox Festival. With obsessive attention to detail, they built a replica birch dance floor and draped the huge walls in acoustic damping material to keep in the energy. The sound came from a monster system of six 3-metre GS-WAVE dancefloor stacks driven by Powersoft’s K Series amps with built-in DSP. The result? A unique clubbing experience worthy of fabric’s reputation.

Pioneerproaudio | pioneerproaudio.com | #madeintheuk

PIONEER_PRO_AUDIO_TPI_AUG16.indd 1

29/07/2016 15:43

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EVENT FOCUS

AN EVENING WITH MARCO BALICH IN AN EVENING HOSTED BY PRG GEARHOUSE AT DUBAI FAMED ATLANTIS HOTEL, THE EXECUTIVE PRODUCER OF THIS YEAR’S OLYMPIC OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES GAVE A SPEECH TACKLING THE SUBJECT OF TECHNOLOGY VS. EMOTION IN LARGE-SCALE EVENTS.

Just like any industry, the world of live events over the last few decades has seen fantastic technological innovation. However, this can sometimes create an interesting challenge for those responsible for those producing large scale productions. With clients and departments often wanting the latest pieces of equipment, initial concepts and themes have the potential to become convoluted and lost amongst the noise. This was the subject that famed show creator, Marco Balich, chose to tackle. Having being involved in several large scale events across the globe, most notably, this summer’s opening and closing Olympic ceremonies, he understands better than most

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how to make sure the emotion of an event remains at the forefront of the show.

The evening was the second in a series of events hosted by PRG Gearhouse. Director of Sales and Marketing Matt Cooper spoke at the start of the evening before Balich took to the stage. “This is our second instalment of a series of events which we designed with a vision. To bring peers from the regional and wider global events community under one roof so as to share experiences, lead trends and set the pace to move this industry forward together.” The first of these event earlier this year saw famed LD Patrick Woodroffe, discuss his 40 year career after working with the likes of The Rolling Stones, Elton

John and Michael Jackson.

For the second instalment, the theme of the evening was still very much focused on the future as Balich launched into his talk. “When PRG asked me to make this speech, my immediate thought was to talk about how all the amazing technology we have today can be blended with emotion.

As event organisers we are fortunate enough to produce these dreamlike events and although lasting only a few hours, stays in the hearts and minds of people. I love technology, and obviously use it constantly. But, the one thing I always keep in mind is to use the technology to service the emotion of the show. Technology alone never creates the emotion.” He went on to explain

EVENT FOCUS

some of the trends he noticed over the last few years, particularly in the world of dance music festivals where technology is quickly becoming the main focal point of a show. “However, this is only one trajectory. In our world of live events, we try and keep the emotion as a protagonist with technology supporting.” This makes sense when you look back at the projects Balich has become famous for in recent years which are all steeped in story telling such as the Olympic ceremonies. Throughout the talk he supplied anecdote after anecdote about how even the biggest show can begin with the simplest of ideas. For example, during his work on the 2006 Turin Olympic Opening ceremony, they conceived

the design for the Olympic rings by making a simple model of five CDs and two pencils.

This ability to work from a simple idea became very useful this summer for Balich and the rest of his team. “As Executive Producer I was very excited to be in charge of an opening ceremony and after Sochi our expectations of what we could produce were very high,” explained Balich. However as a result of varying levels of poltical and economic turmoil in the lead up to the games in Brazil, each month there was a new challenge for the producer which inevitably created massive constraints on budget.

“The budget was actually half of that of London 2012, meaning that many of our original ideas

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had to be altered.” Balich mentioned however that the budget restraints in fact worked in their favour. “Due to all the issues surrounding the games, it would have been inappropriate to have lots of special effects and cutting edge technology. This way, the emotion was able to run through. With the right tools, you can create anything!”

THE FUTURE With one of the world’s leading creators of large scale events, the conversation inevitably led to the Expo 2020. Having been involved in the events in the past, there were many that were keen to pick Balich’s brains. “The Expo is a very

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EVENT FOCUS

“In our world of live events, we try and keep the emotion as a protagonist, with technology supporting.”

Marco Balich

special event. When we first got involved in the show in Milan, we didn’t really know what to expect. It’s a fanatic event with so much creativity and so much talent from over 150 nations. The organisers came to me asking to produce an icon for the event, as at that time there was nothing that was driving the emotion of the show.” What the producer decided to do was to produce an icon that could be appreciated by all the children visiting the show. “With the 22 million people visiting the show, there are several thousand children. They should be able to take something away from the event; while they might not remember the beautiful pavilion, they would remember something iconic.” This led to Marco producing what became known as the Tree of Life. “In my view it is a great icon of Italy with our strong roots as we grow towards the future.” It was a huge success with 20 to 30,000 people watching the 15 minute show which was performed every hour with an estimated 15 million witnessing the event by the end of the Expo. He even gave a message to those who would be working on Expo 2020. “They need to remember that people need icons. If you only use people to perform, it becomes a theme park event and less of a unique occasion. Technology will be used heavily during the event, but those involved really need to take into account what the

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message of the event is and try to make use of the technology to interpret that message.”

Towards the end of the talk, the floor was given to the audience and the question was asked; how do you maintain the balance of emotion and new technology. Balich put it simply, “If you coordinate an event where technology is at the forefront, you’re making a statement that will be forgotten as the technology ages. If you look back at some global events where organisers tried to make a statement with the technolgy at the forefront you usually find they are less memorable then those with a clear message and simple idea.”

A WORD FROM PRG GEARHOUSE As well as witnessing Balich’s speech, those attending the event were also invited to see the latest innovations from the various departments of the wider PRG family. PRG Gearhouse’s Matt Cooper commented: “We were really pleased when Marco offered to speak at our event, especially as this was so soon after the Rio 2016 closing ceremony. Alongside Marco’s speech we were also keen to showcase the latest innovative technologies that PRG are designing for the world’s top event producers across the world.”

One of the highlights of the evening came courtesy of PRG Lab, which presented the PRG Time Freeze or ‘Selfie Jump’ for the first time in

the Middle East. With a ring of cameras capturing a 360-degree photo, it was certainly was a hit with all those attending the event. PRG Lab also had a chance to show off the PRG Nokia OZO, a first of its kind camera which records 360 degree audio and 3D video.

Frederic Opsomer and his team from PRG Projects were on hand to show off the PRG Hex Panels and PRG Belly Banner. These wearable, portable, wireless LED technologies have been designed specifically for live event performances.

Another of the products seen on the evening was PRG Projects’ LED volleyball net which just missed out on being featured in Rio 2016 but is sure to been seen at sporting events in the future.

At the entrance to the event, visitors got a closer look at the LED Airwall, an inflatable 25 metre squared LED wall which can be used for every type of event and on any surface, including water.

Finally, one of PRG latest releases, the Ground Control Followspot, was on display for all attendees to have a go. The revolutionary, remotely controlled followspot has been turning heads in the industry, having been used in shows throughout Europe for the last few months.

Photos: PRG & TPi www.prg.com/ae/en www.balichws.com

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07.10.2016 15:34:51

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LIVE EVENT FOCUS

PROTEC TAKES THE RIGHT ROUTE BETWEEN OCTOBER 2020 AND APRIL 2021 DUBAI WILL PLAY HOST TO THE NEXT WORLD EXPO, BRINGING TOGETHER MORE THAN 180 NATIONS. GIVEN THE NUMBER OF VISITORS EXPECTED TO FLOCK TO THE CITY, THE DECISION WAS MADE TO EXPAND DUBAI’S PUBLIC TRANSPORT SYSTEM. PROTEC WAS ON HAND TO PROVIDE AN IMMERSIVE LOOK AT THE FUTURE OF THE CITY’S METRO.

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Following in the tradition of the very first Great Exhibition of 1851, set in London’s Hyde Park under the spectacular glazing of the Crystal Palace and masterminded by His Royal Highness Prince Albert, Dubai’s World Expo 2020 will provide visitors with the chance to see spectacular architecture, merge with global cultures, examine thoughtful and thoughtprovoking exhibitions, and taste food from every corner of the globe. Above all, visitors to the event will witness the very latest in thinking and technology.

To provide the necessary infrastructure for transporting the millions of visitors, Dubai is expanding its public transportation system and Protec was there to provide Avantgarde, the creative agency for the event, with all the AV solutions at the immersive ceremony that unveiled Route 2020 for the Dubai RTA. Three main event spaces were prepared for the ceremony, which was attended by His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown

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Prince of Dubai, and his accompanying party.

Protec’s Project Manager, Simon Travis, explained the brief: “To demonstrate how and where the new metro system is going to connect the Expo 2020 site with the rest of Dubai, the ceremony was set within two domes and a tunnel built specially for the event on site. We supplied the lighting, audio, video, rigging and onsite communications in each of the domes.

The welcome or pre-function Zendome 300 was a Geodesic dome of 10.2m in height and 20m in diameter; the Time Tunnel was a space measuring 9.5m x 8.5m with a 5.4m ceiling, while the last, big 1000 dome, where the LED cube took center stage, was another Geodesic room measuring 17.7m in height and 35m in diameter. Each one provided us with separate challenges but our main concern was temperature that occasionally reached 49°C. The wellbeing of the crew is paramount and we took extra care to ensure everyone remained properly hydrated and took appropriate breaks out of the heat during the

nine-day build, the event itself and the load out.”

With the event taking place in three separate rooms and control being onsite in separate cabins outside of the structures, reliable comms were a must. For on-site communication, Protec used a Riedel RiFace unit to integrate Motorola radios running in duplex into the Clearcom matrix and subsequently across to the main Clearcom Helix-4X show channel ring that all the technical team used. This allowed for complete coverage across the site for both stage management and clients and they could freely communicate with the show operators who were positioned in portacabins outside of the venue. The Clearcom system proved a winner, overcoming the interference and signal drop out from the domes’ metallic structures.

The rather tricky acoustic nature of the Geodesic domes was always going to be something of a challenge. From a presentational perspective it was paramount that the audio in the domes - and in the Time Tunnel - needed

LIVE EVENT FOCUS

to be unobtrusively located while still providing the optimum playback sound to complement the presentation and yet not fall foul of the more reflective elements of the performance spaces. Travis said: “In the pre-function dome, we placed L-Acoustics X12’s and X8’s behind the scrim. It was configured as a four-point system so everywhere you went in the room you received a stereo image. The capacity of the loudspeakers meant we were able to generate sufficient SPL without causing reverberation within the reflective confines of the domes.

“In the Time Tunnel where there was no lighting, just the AV content, we rigged eight L-Acoustics 5XTs above the LED screen and were able to put the subs behind it. As the video presentation was music driven, this was ideal as audio and visual were essentially coming from the same source.

“The large dome where the main reveal took place was covered by L-Acoustics 115HIQs and the new SB28 subs. The 115’s were rigged around 8m above the floor so we could accurately direct the playback to where the audience would be stood. Although the curvature of the dome and the reflective properties of the structure proved a challenge, once the dense carpeting on the floor was in place we were able to successfully manage and reverberation issues.”

For this ceremony it was the AV content that played the major role, with the lighting offering a support in providing atmosphere and ambience.

Ben Connor, Protec’s Video Engineer, commented: “We were tasked with providing video solutions for all three zones. For the small dome the challenge was achieving full projection coverage of the structure; it was not particularly wide and we had to have the projectors positioned above head height to avoid shadows and lights in the VIPs’ eyes. We had to use wide lenses with quite small blends to achieve coverage. We used seven projectors to create a 360° projection; five Barco 20K FLEX projectors covered the walls while the other two projectors, positioned opposite each other, covered the top of the dome. We used 1.14 -1.49 lenses from our stock to help achieve the required coverage and the content came from d3 Technologies media servers.”

Amir Haghshenas was Protec’s d3 programmer: “The server requires an accurate model of what you are projecting to calibrate the projector line up correctly. As is often the case when setting up for a one-off event in a temporary structure, the projection surface specs from the CAD drawings to the actual dome projection surface was not as we anticipated.

However, we opted to survey the height of the dome at set intervals along the diameter to

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recreate a more accurate model of the dome, which gave us exactly what we needed.”

The accompanying lighting in the prefunction dome was to provide a welcoming ambience for the royal entourage. An MA Lighting grandMA2 Light controlled a number of ETC Source four Mini LEDs for the doorways and some Clay Paky Glow Up Strips to add a little wash and warmth.

Connor gave further details about the Time Tunnel: “This was another 360° experience, this time created with our Mambo 6mm LED and 6mm LED from NIT LED. The content was created so that people in the room would watch the content on the main screen in front of them and then see it pass by on both walls and ceiling, eventually disappearing from view on the rear wall behind them. The rear LED wall was used as an entrance for the guests and was closed manually once everyone was in. No automation was used here for health and safety reasons, so that we could comply with the Royal protocol for emergency exits in the event of a power failure.

At the end of the presentation, the front wall was opened using our automated tracking system for the VIPs to exit to the next zone. We chose NIT’s screen because the arrangement of hanging brackets on the back of the panels enabled it to be hung facing down.

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LIVE EVENT FOCUS

“We ran a main and back up input of 12 feeds into the room; six main and six back ups. Main came from d3 through a matrix (connected to d3) to another matrix at the LED side via fibre optic cable. Back ups took the same route, except we used HD Base T transmission to send video over Cat6 cable. We had a crash switch configured on the matrix at the LED receive side so that we could seamlessly switch to the back-up feed in the event of the main feed failing. Each wall had two feeds from d3.”

Connor continued: “Technical specifications aside, our main priority was to ensure all walls and ceiling were AV seamless, as well as the doors when they came together to form an unbroken wall. With all walls and ceilings being a mixture of ground stacked and hung from the truss it was quite a meticulous process to build perfectly. We had to measure out and build the room very accurately so that all pixels on all surfaces lined up and content ran smoothly across all surfaces.

“Also, due to the metallic nature of the dome structure that we built the Time Tunnel within, it was a constant challenge to cool the LED panels and prevent them from overheating. It wasn’t just the crew that were in danger of overheating!

The initial AC design was not enough to cool the LED and panels higher up were reaching temperatures pushing 60°C. Extra AC cooling and heat extractors had to be installed.”

In the large dome it was the main reveal that was the centre of attention; a scaled model

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of the new metro station located in the middle of the dome. On entry to the dome, the model was hidden by a four sided LED screen forming a square around it, hung from truss. LED panels used for this were Protec’s Mambo Twist 4.8mm.

At the moment of the reveal, the screens tracked vertically upwards thanks to automation controlled with a CP Solutions system.

There was a total of 10 projectors in the room, five in use and a further five for back up, all connected to d3. The three screens displayed content at different intervals as the party made their way around the room. The main screens were 6m x 4m with two screens rigged between.

These were made up of three 2m x 2m each, each one tracking vertically at different rates while the content was mapped across the three.

Lighting for the main event was a primarily Clay Paky affair. Alpha Spot HPE 1200’s lit the glass structure on the revolve in the centre and the metro station model. In addition, Protec supplied general lighting such as Schnick Schnack Systems LED strips and gobo projections used as visual guiding pointers through the event, all controlled by an MA Lighting grandMA2 Full Size console.

As Project Manager, Travis is well placed to comment on the success of the event. “This was an event that demanded the very best from us, both technically and in terms of personnel. The venue being sited out of doors in mid-summer is a very unusual occurrence and presented us with challenges in terms of manpower as well as

possible equipment malfunction.

“For example, the lamp hours of moving head fixtures rigged in the dome roof were kept to a minimum and left in open white whenever possible to assist in cooling. That said, cooperation and communication between all parties was very relaxed and smooth over the entire event. A nine-day set up allowed us the space to ensure that any unforeseen issues could be rectified and any adjustments to the rig could be made to create just the right feel. The event itself was just 30 minutes long but, to put it bluntly, the client was blown away with what was achieved. It is undoubtedly one of the best parts of my job: to see a client that happy with what Protec has done for them.”

The show’s Production Director, Matthias Maurer, and Technical Director, Philip Richmond, from Avantgarde were both thrilled with the outcome. Richmond commented: “From the outset we were keen to showcase some event technology for the first time in this region. This comprised over 1,800 HD Blades, rigged to each horizontal and vertical feature of the main dome structure. The visual effect of this really brought the room to life and provided us with a versatile pallet for both lighting and video effects. Protec delivered a truly immersive experience for our guests and we could not be happier with the result.”

Photos: Claire Louise Armes and Avantgarde www.productiontec.com www.avantgarde.net/city/dubai/

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IN PROFILE: IBS GROUP FROM PROVIDING ITS FIRST STAGE 20 YEARS AGO TO FABRICATING LAVISH WEDDINGS AND CORPORATE EVENTS TODAY, IBS GROUP HAS GROWN INTO ONE OF THE GO-TO SET AND STAGING COMPANIES IN THE MIDDLE EAST. TPMEA’S STE DURHAM SAT DOWN WITH CEO ALAN SCOLEY TO DISCUSS THE PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE OF THIS AMBITIOUS ORGANISATION.

IBS Group has had quite a journey from its humble beginnings to the company it is today, now providing bespoke set and staging to everything from production launches to fashion show and mall displays to live events. Everything is constructed in-house, with a woodworking shop, paint shop, metal fabrication area and front office all on site, as well as the adjacent offices of stage and theatre fabrication specialist J&C Joel.

Having attended the ILEA pub quiz and an undisclosed number of Dubai’s salubrious nightspots thereafter, TPMEA was understandably a little fragile as we sat in wait at the IBS Group headquarters for group CEO, Alan Scoley, to arrive. I must admit, while his first words to us were delivered unassumingly enough, they were still almost sufficient to reduce me to tears of joy: “Hello, how do coffee and donuts sound?”

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A DIFFERENT WORLD Although Scoley was not present at the company’s beginning, he nevertheless possessed an encyclopaedic knowledge of its 20-year ascendency. He picked up the story: “IBS started as International Building Services, basically a building maintenance company, because there simply weren’t many events in Dubai 20 years ago. Gearhouse and John Henry’s were here, but that was it.”

He continued: “It began when Gulf Arena asked my business partner Scott Davis to build a stage for an event, which was built, installed, and then taken away. A week later the call came in asking for the stage to be brought back - that’s how the rental business in this region began. As building maintenance companies were popping up all over the place, Scott decided to pursue this.”

The company grew as IBS was asked to provide starcloth for an event, as there wasn’t any to be found in the Middle East at the time.

This led the company to call on an old friend in the UK. Scoley continued: “I was working for 16 years at production house in the UK and decided I’d had enough of always being a director but never a shareholder. I decided to leave and Terry told me about Dubai. I was reluctant at first, but he sold it to me: ‘There are nightclubs coming out of the sand!’ he said.

“After I accepted, there was a little prep time in the workshops and it was straight into the PALME show. It was the first one that had a bar and we persuaded them to let us sponsor it. It went down really well. Everyone was in there networking and they loved it - from there the business took off,” Scoley remembered.

Following PALME, the company’s first

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Above: IBS group CEO, Alan Scoley.

job was for HQ Creative, building a fibreglass chandelier and installing a starcloth for a wedding - and from there, the possibility of an eventsfocussed business became closer and closer to being a reality. He added: “We decided to put all of our eggs in one basket. From there Scott stood down, but remained a shareholder. Now there are four partners, three that aren’t involved in the day-to-day. Now I run it and am in charge of the company’s growth.”

From this point, IBS grew from its diminutive home in Al Quoz to a purpose-built facility in Dubai Investment Park, wholly owned by the company itself. “This means we are set up comfortably, for the duration. Even though the market in the UAE has grown with us, we could be bigger still,” Scoley enthused.

“When the market hit its peak we were turning more work down than we turned over

- then it crashed. That said we pushed through it thanks to our corporate and private work and, while we may be on the tip of some more uncertainty, we remain optimistic about the future in the region.”

With 2020 on the horizon, as well as the company’s second decade in business (a lot of 20s, I know) Scoley can be forgiven for being positive about the prospects of his team. He said: “We have 100 employees now, compared to the 12 that we had when I first arrived. Our attitude to the market has changed, as has the market itself, but we remain as focussed as ever.”

LEADING THE WAY At the time IBS was in its infancy, health and safety (HSE) was something of a myth. The starcloth had no business being fire retardant and forget about regulations when it came to rigging.

However, 2016 is a different UAE entirely, and IBS is one of the many companies now pushing for compliance with the rest of the live event world.

“We’re striving to do things by the book,” asserted Scoley. “We’re pushing to go ISO standard, though we have to do a year of training and then another of monitoring - it’s a great deal of paperwork. That said, it’s really gratifying to see Emma Clark from Action Impact becoming the first certified events manager. There are so many here but no one else has done it. It’s not necessary now, but maybe it will be in the future.

Everyone wants to know where your skills from.”

While Scoley was from the school that learned by loading trucks and spending time on site, he is fully aware that there is a brave new world to be explored in the future in the UAE. He laughed: “The new guys have 3D visuals and renders when we used to draw on paper and tell

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the client to use their imagination!”

It goes without saying that technology has run away with itself in the last 20 years of IBS Group’s existence, and Scoley cites this as a key factor in the company’s progression. He said: “Take starcloth for example. When we started we were putting holes in a cloth and pushing fairy lights though, whereas now you can get a piece of starcloth you can play video on. These advances also make technology more affordable. You only have to look at the way we design to see that.”

IBS has six in its design and costing team - a hybrid department that prices up the logistics of jobs as they are imagined - and the group has become accustomed to learning from its mistakes throughout the maelstrom that is facilitating events in the UAE. “We taught the designers how to cost, as they were originally separate departments, which made them more aware of the realities of these projects. They would create something beautiful and seamless, but you couldn’t get it on a truck or in the venue!” Scoley chuckled.

“I am as guilty as anyone. Take the Book Awards we did. We’d made these eight metre columns that were lit inside and looked amazing.

I thought we could make them in one piece - I knew the venue, I knew we could back the trucks right up, so I did the costing. Once I saw them, I realised I hadn’t accounted for the fact that you

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could only fit one on each truck! We had to have eight trucks there and back, which wasn’t cheap, but I learned my lesson. We now have a way of breaking the drawings down to ‘truck pack’ versions so the designers can plan truck space as well as venue loading and costing. If you are good at Tetris, then you can probably become a good designer at IBS!”

Another of Scoley’s learning experiences came when he was designing the set for a wedding, for which the company was tasked with fashioning a catwalk that appeared as if it was made of water. He explained: “We thought it was simple; you make a pond and put some glass on top, right? Well, in the warm room, you soon find out that the glass steams up from the condensation trapped underneath. To combat this, we had to come up with a way for the water to be in constant motion. It’s these kinds of silly things you can only learn by trial and error.”

The good thing for IBS is that, when they are asked to conjure yet another crazy idea from the ether, the group has now have two decades of these experiences to draw on.

As to where the company sits in the microcosm that is the UAE’s live event industry, Scoley has affectionately termed IBS ‘the whore of the business’. “We work with the ad agencies, like HQ Creative, Action Impact and Flash, primarily because we don’t want to deal with the end

client! We’ll talk to everyone and we have done very well from it. We give everybody the same costing and quality and do our best to maintain great relationships with everyone. At the end of the day we’re here to help, not steal your end client,” Scoley said.

“Everybody wants to be the biggest and the best, and of course like to see IBS grow, but we never want to abandon our ethos. If you are happy, you stagnate. I want to grow along with technology. Even with 2020 on the way, we don’t need 10 more machines and 20 new spray booths; we can just run shifts on the machinery we already have, in order to produce more. That’s the sensible way to grow.”

Even after spending only a few hours with Scoley, it is clear that he and the rest of the partners at IBS Group do not feel their work in the region is even close to being done. As many of the UAE’s companies fix their eyes on Expo 2020 as a potential make-or-break moment for the region’s event industry, Scoley remained stoic in his commitment to the development of the sector.

He concluded: “Time will tell, but we’re as optimistic as ever. There’s no reason 2020 couldn’t be a real high for the region and we are willing to do our part to try and make sure that happens.

Ask me again in 2021!” www.ibs-group.com

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Opposite: All Events Services Managing Director, JJ Trichardt; Trust and experience underpins the AES team; The AES team at its 2016 team building day; AES’s Al Quoz HQ in Dubai.

Below: AES is able to provide the infrastructural demands for shows of any size.

ALL EVENTS SERVICES BORN OUT OF A DESIRE TO SHAKE-UP THE LIVE EVENTS SECTOR IN THE MIDDLE EAST, IT IS SAFE TO SAY THAT DUBAI-BASED STAGING AND STRUCTURAL SPECIALIST, ALL EVENTS SERVICES, HAS COME A LONG WAY SINCE ITS CREATION IN 2012. TPMEA’S STEW HUME SPOKE WITH THE COMPANY’S MANAGING DIRECTOR, JJ TRICHARDT, TO LOOK BACK AT THE LAST FOUR YEARS IN THE UAE.

You often find that, no matter the size of the company, there is one fundamental belief that is at the core of an organisation. For JJ Trichardt, Managing Director of All Events Services (AES), it’s the belief that the only way to achieve long-running success is to value each relationship with every client. In only four years AES, has become a respected name within the UAE region. Working from its base in Dubai, Trichardt and the AES team provide a host of services for both a local and international client base. From staging, scaffolding grand stands and delay towers all the way down to fencing and barricades, the company has the ability to provide the infrastructural demands for shows of any size.

Beginning with the company’s creation, Trichardt walked through the initial goals for

the organisation: “AES was born from a desire to change the services delivered to the live events industry by breaking the monopoly that existed in the region and giving clients the freedom to choose.” He continued by stating what he thought set AES apart from other competitors: “I think the gap that we fill within the region relates to providing tailored solutions and unique products and services, and through working closely with each client and developing a lasting relationship.”

The director also went on to state that his goal for the company is not just to focus on the latest trends but also to build an inventory that will set the company in a good state for the future.

In such a short span of time AES has already acquired an impressive portfolio. Working with

big name international artists like The Rolling Stones, Madonna and Bon Jovi to several large scale local celebrations. “If we are talking highlights, I have to mention the UAE’s 44th anniversary at Zayed Sports City Stadium as well as the World Cup Gala Dinner and the RTA 2020 Metro Line opening ceremony,” stated Trichardt.

“You really feel like you are part of something much bigger when you lend a hand to these types of events. Also, I would be remiss not to mention our involvement with the annual Grand Prix. That show is certainly a stand-out in our calendar.”

EXPANDING THE BUSINESS Since the company’s beginnings, its staff base has grown to over 100 members. Despite this rapid growth, Trichardt insists that each staff

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Underwater adventures for scaffolding needs; Stock Layher products; Clean Flush Rentals’ eco-friendly VIP mobile toilet units.

member at AES functions as an important part of the machine. “As a former mentor and colleague of mine once said: it’s not the number of people in your firm, but how many experienced professionals are in your team. We are a growing team but each member is part of the AES family and is valued for their individual contributions and experience.” One of the aspects that the MD believes benefits AES is the variety of nationalities it has under one roof, each bringing in a rich pool of knowledge from across the globe. Trichardt added: “I think it’s safe to say that you will not find another cultural melting-pot like you do in the UAE. It is the only place where yes could mean yes, no or maybe! At times it can be a challenging region to work in as different cultures come together with vastly different views on both timelines and deadlines. But this creates a very vibrant and fast changing market. To survive you need to keep up with the latest technologies and products to be able to compete both locally and internationally.”

One of the ways in which AES is able to compete both on the local and international level has been, in part, thanks to its relationship

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with Stageco. A trusted partner over the last four years, Stageco has provided support for the company in the form of inventory as well as sharing in its years of experience. “We first got acquainted with the team through our internal network but then we took the working relationship to the next level through converging our strengths and weaknesses to create a unique team and product basket for the Middle East market,” stated Trichardt.

It is not only Stageco working relationship that has flourished over the past four years with AES, as the company also have strong ties to 48.3 International Consultancy Engineering Services.

“They have been our training provider over the last four years,” explained Trichardt. “It has been a great fit for us to add them into our portfolio of services.”

More recently AES has also been developing a new venture under the title Clean Flush Rentals.

“This is our newest project and it is still very much in the development stages,” said Trichardt.

“The goal of this branch of the business is to provide high-end mobile washing areas for catering smaller events and projects. we are all

optimistic about this latest venture as there really is a gap in the market for a services such as this… so if you have to go: go with us!”

THE FUTURE At the time of speaking to TPMEA, AES was preparing for the beginning of the season after the annual summer down-period. “Things are just kicking off for us at the moment and we have a lot of projects currently in the pipeline. The whole team is rather excited.” As is the nature of the live events industry, Trichardt has to keep his cards close to his chest with regards to some of the projects coming up over the next few months.

However, as this issue was going to print, the company revealed it would be involved in the Dubai Water Canal Grand Opening 2016. Speaking more generally the MD discussed some long term goals for this season: “We really want to focus on being more sustainable in the coming months.

For example, our new mobile toilet units are mainly solar powered. With 365 days of rays over here, it’s about time we switch to solar power.”

Photos: AES, www.aes.ae

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

THE BIG INTERVIEW

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ANDY JACKSON: FLYING DELTA TO DUBAI DUBAI HAS LONG HELD A FASCINATION FOR BRITISH COMPANIES AND ENTREPRENEURS IN THE SOUND AND LIGHTING INDUSTRY, DATING BACK WELL BEFORE THE END OF THE LAST MILLENNIUM.

Fuelled with wanderlust and the promise of riches in an under-developed market, early frontiersmen often failed, and yet they managed to blaze a trail for those who would later follow. By 1995 Gearhouse Dubai was up and operating, paving the way for a steady colonisation. This in turn led to greater sustainability and more professional infrastructure, as the industry entered the noughties.

The burgeoning need to embrace standards of health and safety was backed with technical training and education for the migrant workers in the nascent events industry, many arriving in this cultural melting pot from places such as Kerala and Goa.

As building projects became ever more expansive - and 24% of the world’s construction cranes moved into the Emirate - technology manufacturers would typically set up base in the Dubai Free Zone, in time moving either to the Dubai Silicon Oasis or later still to the emerging Dubai Investment Park (DIP).

It’s probably no coincidence that those British emigrés who have succeeded best are those with the ability to realise projects on a grand scale - and who were prepared to

carry inventories to support the increasingly spectacular shows, whether sound, vision or staging.

For almost a decade this tapestry has included the engaging and popular figure of Delta Sound Dubai’s Andy Jackson - who has taken the legacy of the London-based parent company set up by Paul Keating and Mark Bonner in 1988, and propelled it on a macro scale across the region. In this TPMEA interview we trace his journey to the Gulf and beyond.

From an original background in theatre, Andy Jackson had been very much part of Delta Sound’s success since the get-go. Having received his induction to the industry via an ABTT audio course back in 1986, the young sound engineer was soon operating in touring theatre for predominant specialists of the day such as Triumph Apollo Productions and Paul Farrah Sound. It was while working with the latter that he met Mark Bonner

“I was one of many floating freelancers, and basically Delta were looking for someone to take on their work,” he recalles. “I came on board as a junior engineer at a time when they were very much moving into the corporate sector, which was a growing and untapped market.”

Andy was impressed with the way in which the company was pushing boundaries and feeding the appetite for increasingly complex product launches and technically advanced awards ceremonies and corporate events for the big American agencies, back in the unforgiving days of analogue. He worked on and off for Delta for 12 years - as well as undertaking a stint for Capital Sound, which also exposed him to the world of concert touring.

He was the original sound engineer for the Mercury Music Prize, supervising its inauguration at the Savoy Hotel in 1992 and remaining with the prestigious event before handing the baton on to Stew Chaney 10 years later. “Working with TV and corporate elements as well as live music gave me a balance of all genres,” he says. “The corporate work was a good learning curve - budgets were healthy and the clients’ expectations were often monumental. The concept had generally not been seen before and Delta became very strong in this sector.”

Andy Jackson also managed to keep his hand in theatre - with the long-running Australian show, Tap Dogs and Dancing on Dangerous Ground, an Irish dance show at New York’s legendary Radio City Music Hall.

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One highly significant event that segues neatly to his future life was Fatboy Slim’s legendary Brighton Beach Boutique, where he first met Lee Charteris. For Charteris, too, has been domiciled in the Emirates for many years - working, until recently, at Flash Entertainment, and so a fertile relationship was reignited.

“When Lee moved to Abu Dhabi, it changed the landscape of supplier delivery in the UAE,” believes Andy. “Lee’s direct approach forced the then mainstream suppliers to up their game.”

When Andy was offered his first job in the region - by Gearhouse Dubai back in 2002 - he was initially sceptical. “I thought I would probably get terrible equipment and only half a dozen crew - but on the other hand it would be nice and warm.“

Instead, Gearhouse Dubai, with Peter McCann having taken over from Steve Lakin, presented him with an interesting proposition.

They wanted to buy an L-Acoustics rig but L-Acoustics would only permit this as long as it was operated by a certified engineer.

As a qualified V-DOSC technician he took the opportunity and stayed with Gearhouse for three years - remaining a loyal L-Acoustics man to this day. “We were a close team at Gearhouse; with Rob Eatock and Arif Khan we presented audio as an important part of the production, and change was in the air.”

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But having gone as far as he could, the option then was either to move to the freelance world “or do something different entirely.”

Fortunately for the industry he chose the former but his biggest problem was getting hold of credible kit. “I would pick up many of the big shows but clients would ask if I could source the kit as well. A year later I sat down with Mark [Bonner] and Paul [Keating] in a pub in Kingston and said there was a great opportunity here!”

Delta’s two founders obviously agreed, as soon a 20ft container with 12 dV-DOSCs and a Yamaha PM1D arrived in the Gulf.

Andy Jackson had accomplished most things in the sound world - but never been involved in a start-up a company.

“Like most industry entrepreneurs, I came very much from a technical background. The concept of running a business had never entered my mind, but as long as we were offering value for money and delivering to a higher standard than our competitors, then we could build the business organically. From a business point of view, working in a country with no bankruptcy laws forces people to act responsibly and cautiously with regard to investment and exposure.”

Andy had already relocated his wife Lorraine and son Tod to Dubai back in 2002. “We talked about it being a five year plan - and I would

then be able to come back and retire on the proceeds… before reality kicked in!”

The Jackson family settled into the new lifestyle immediately, quickly making friends. “My son was five and so it was a big decision. But I knew I had got as far as I could in the UK - and it was totally the right time. Interestingly the family love living in Dubai and have enjoyed seeing the changes over the last decade. Tod is now at university in Dubai.”

Although there was little competition in the early days business ethics could be questionable.

He settled in among a farrago of notorious locals such as Liam McGrath, drummer at the infamous York Club in Dubai, who helped him set up his first operation, and idiosyncratic production manager Nick Chapman.

“It was like the Wild West,” he remembers.

“You had no idea what you were letting yourself in for.”

But that was to change in 2006 when Delta Sound LLC officially incorporated, with Mark Bonner and Paul Keating partnering with Andy Jackson. Today the company operates out of four locations, including Dubai. “We are trying to globalise the brand of Delta so we cam make the same offer around the world,” says Andy. “Moving forward, it is vital that we make the most of global equipment utilisation. This is an area that I will be focussing on. At the moment, Dubai and

THE BIG INTERVIEW

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London have very different inventories, the idea is to combine the assets. Both Qatar and Hong Kong will be managed through Dubai.”

With the addition of Craig Harvey, the operation was pegged at just three staff for the first 15 months - an amazing piece of prescience in the event, given the sudden collapse of the economy in 2008, with major projects being mothballed.

“Although we had a small amount of kit we were still doing quite large projects,” he recalls.

HQ Creative had used Andy’s expertise for the spectacular opening of DIFC (Dubai International Financial Centre) in 2006 and 2007 - and this continued on an annual basis until the 10th spectacular anniversary in 2014.

“We were probably the only local company who could have technically delivered that,” believes Andy. “It was in our first year and that really put us on the map.”

The launch of Atlantis, The Palm was to follow towards the end of 2008 as the company seemed almost recession proof. To put it into perspective, during the past decade the turnover of the company has increased tenfold.

However, they can hardly be accused of wantonly chasing the next dirham. Andy believes it would devalue their offer if they were to diversify from their traditional speciality of PA and comms, so we will not be tempted to embrace video or lighting. It’s important to co-exist amicably with everyone, he believes.

“We have an amazing relationship with all suppliers in the region who will come to us when they need assistance. We are able and very happy to share our expertise and unique equipment to anyone who needs it. It can often be a very aggressive market with many suppliers overpromising - therefore, we are available to enhance the production.“

It is this level of professionalism that is Delta Sound’s DNA today and Andy is fiercely protective of his company’s reputation.

‘We have built up a team over the last 10 years that is respected around the world, and have taken staff welfare to a standard that is akin to anywhere in Europe. We are very process driven and we have shown we are here for the long term.” By that he means Delta Sound not only has H&S compliance, with formal training and onsite awareness, but BSI accreditation and OHSAS 18001 certification. “All these are massively important; these processes determine how everything is logged and documented.”

However, a chastening moment came just this summer when one of their employees, operations manager Claire Ferguson, died of an asthma attack, having worked at the company for almost four years.

“Claire was a very special person to all that knew her and will always remain a part of our lives. As Claire’s sponsors we are responsible, and this has made it even more important that we do the very best we can for our employees,” continues Andy. “It’s part of our policy to look after our staff even when the most tragic event happens.”

However, there is no escaping the fact that when the Dubai economy collapsed, it sank far and fast. Delta Sound, like many companies, ventured 90 minutes down the Sheikh Zayed Road to Abu Dhabi to boost their work roster.

They have handled the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix concerts every year since the track was built on Yas Island (including the unforgettable inauguration with Aerosmith over four nights) “Abu Dhabi became an important part of the business, during the Dubai recession.”

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THE BIG INTERVIEW

“In terms of timing I have always managed to get things right but at the same time I’d be disappointed if I looked back and thought we could have done things differently.

I’m quite impulsive and believe you need to stand by your decisions. I can look to the future but I can’t predict it.”

Delta Sound’s Andy Jackson

then to open in Qatar in 2010. “Dubai was on its knees economically and the big projects were happening in Doha, although it’s pretty quiet now compared with 2010. Doha continues to run as its own entity, although the company is concentrating on communications in that territory,” he points out.

Another major coup was the opening ceremony of the Burj Khalifa at the start of 2010, once the go ahead was given to complete the world’s tallest building, and again Delta Sound were on hand for the spectacular opening ceremony.

“It was the first time we had worked for [French company] Prisme although we were well known to each other.” Although the economic recovery was underway by 2010 it was still not possible to airfreight 20 tonnes of equipment from Paris, so it was in Prisme’s interest to look at local solutions. “We were a good match for them, with our expertise, love of red wine and a safe pair of hands,” states Jackson.

Through clever networking, and his many

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connections in the industry, the Delta man has always been adept at securing the services of top mixing engineers and system techs. One of his inner circle is Al Woods, another with a strong Capital Sound connection, and one of the most highly sought system techs back in the UK - but with something of a fiery reputation.

Andy Jackson chuckles when he says: “I was the man that tamed the monster! We’ve known each other for 20 years and I knew he wanted to expand and do something different.

“When I made the announcement that we had appointed him, people wondered how we would control such a ‘no compromise engineer’ but Al has become an important part of the management team. Al’s experience is second to none and he shares his knowledge by devising and running all our internal training.”

Between them the two men can also tap into the UK’s finest sound engineers, who regularly visit Dubai -“People like working for us,” he says.

“They know the work will be challenging but they know the project will be unique.”

So what has changed most significantly in the region in 2016? Andy Jackson ponders: “The projects are still as ambitious but it’s way more procurement driven, this often means the final contractor appointment is made by accountants rather than production managers. Unfortunately, sometimes that leans in the favour of the full service providers.

“There are huge entities in the region with enormous inventories all looking for increased market share. The danger is that as prices are forced down, the industry will become undervalued and it’s impossible to bring the price point back up to where it needs to be.”

Yet Delta Sound Dubai continues to diversify - most recently into Hong Kong, which was opportunity driven. “We did a couple of theatre tours and corporate projects in the region and therefore decided to team up with Dan Mosley to assist in our delivery,” reports Jackson. “It’s an opportunity for our comms dept to thrive.”

Notable recent projects have included the opening of the Apple Store in Shanghai, Studio

THE BIG INTERVIEW

City and Parisian Hotel in Macau.

However, the addition of Hong Kong to the portfolio has intensified the Dubai MD’s travel itinerary, which in the course of a month typically involves a week spent in Qatar, a week in Asia and two weeks in Dubai.

Delta Sound Dubai may have been reluctant to move sideways into other technologies on the rental side, but recently they took a strategic decision to grow vertically into integration by setting up Delta AV Solutions. “We were increasingly getting approached for installs,” he explains. “We provided an L-Acoustics system for the Madinat Theatre three years ago and we needed to separate the business.

“We also took the distribution rights of Waves, DiGiCo and L-Acoustics. But some of the Dubai based companies weren’t happy buying from a competitor.” So their response was to set up AV Solutions, appointing Gareth Armstrong, who came with a full delivery background, to head it.

Prestigious Dubai venue, Zero Gravity then

asked the integrators to design the rest of their club with stand alone equipment - and they were up and running.

Looking back at the last 14 years since relocating to Dubai, Andy Jackson’s approach has been nothing but pragmatic and philosophical.

“In terms of timing I have always managed to get things right but at the same time I’d be disappointed if I looked back and thought we could have done things differently. I’m quite impulsive and believe you need to stand by your decisions. I can look to the future but I can’t predict it.”

But the one thing of which he is most proud is that during the decade in which Delta Sound Dubai has been trading - during which time the population of the region has doubled - he has never lost a member of staff to a competitor. It is a proud boast. “People who have left Delta have either furthered their career within the Delta group, gone freelance - or they have retired.”

Dubai may have been one of the worst hit cities in the world from a business perspective,

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but post-recession all sectors of the Dubai property market are now gaining momentum. For people like Andy Jackson who managed to dodge the bullets, and keep a steady hand on the tiller through those choppy waters, life remains good.

“This is a great place to live and the rulers have it right on - Dubai’s ruler Sheikh Mohammed is a class act and completely in touch with the perople. This was the first place to kick the recession - and when the rest of the world was imploding Dubai was back on its feet.

“My son is at the SAE studying sound engineering and we have a good relationship with them, having taken on six or seven of their graduates; it’s a great way into the industry.”

But in this great urban horizontal and vertical sprawl, once described as ‘Las Vegas on steroids’ surely there is something that a rural Somerset lad who grew up within the sound of Glastonbury misses back home. “Well I do miss the countryside,” he admits, after due consideration, “but I’ll get it back to it one day.” www.deltasound.uk

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

GEARHOUSE SHAPES THE FUTURE OF EVENTS GEARHOUSE GROUP GIVES THE INDUSTRY A GLIMPSE INTO THE FUTURE AS IT TRANSFORMS A HOT BEZUIDENHOUT VALLEY SITE WITH IN2STRUCTURES’ DOME VENUE.

‘Welcome to tomorrow’ was the catchphrase used to introduce some of Gearhouse group’s latest technology to 600 of the organisation’s top clients and suppliers. The launch was housed in the inaugural build of the Maxi Dome Lite venue, a bespoke temporary structure designed and built in South Africa by Gearhouse In2Structures, the group’s specialist design and manufacturing company.

One of the selling points of the In2Structures Dome Venues is its ability to transform any stretch of land into an event space within four to five days and this build was a prime example.

Guests were transported to the ‘future of events’ as they stepped from the hot and dusty Bezuidenhout Valley car park into the climatecontrolled, theatrical environment of the new venue.

Maxi Dome Lite is a mid-sized iteration of the In2Structures design range and was used for this launch in a three-bay configuration (27m wide x 40m long). The improved design uses 700Mpa steels throughout with easy rigging access and increased strength; in fact the 11.5

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tonnes of equipment hanging in the roof for this event did not use even half of the load capacity available. A six bay build of the Maxi Dome Lite will accommodate 700 capacity banquet style for a gala dinner or 1,450 cinema style for a conference and easily packs down into a single interlink to save time and money.

This Gearhouse event aimed to give clients a ‘wow event experience’ with MC Jason Goliath, Pixel Poi Performers from Dreams of Fire, The Kiffness, Matthew Mole and The Musos pulling out all the stops; LEDVisions were also on hand providing a panoramic 23m x 7m high curve of 3mm LED screen behind the artists, which provided a talking point all of its own.

AV content ran seamlessly across all three 16:9 screens or as picture-in-picture with live camera feed during speeches, on a display that delivered on its promise to provide outstanding colour processing and clarity in a breathtaking backdrop to the event. LEDVision now holds over 100sqm of this HD ROE Black Pearl product which can be configured in any number of screen sizes.

LEDVision also clad sections of the interior venue walls with flexible ROE LED Strips. These were incorporated into the overall screen display design, providing an additional linear creative dimension and an immersive LED experience.

Gearhouse System Solutions’ latest product, an ultra slim portable signage display product was used in the greeting area at the registration counter. iMira plug-and-play 2mm pixel pitch digital LED poster frames can be used in a variety of ways. Although they have an integrated foldout stand, unique wall mounting brackets also give the capacity to attach displays horizontally or vertically to innovate brand communication at venue entrances, exhibition stands or point of sale. iMira features multiple display modes of one to four screens via Wi Fi or USB - no PC required.

A great time was had by all and according to the sales team at Gearhouse judging by the amount of clients asking for quotations for the exact same setup, it seems that the technological impact of the event was also a great success. www.gearhouse.co.za

REGIONAL ROUND UP

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MA LIGHTING COMPLETES THE CIRCLE SOUTH AFRICAN ROCK BAND PRIME CIRCLE HAVE INVESTED IN A MA LIGHTING DOT2 CORE AND DOT2 F-WING, ALLOWING THEIR LD VINCENT VAN NIEKERK TO TAKE FULL CONTROL WHEREVER THE BAND IS PLAYING, INCLUDING INTERNATIONAL SHOWS AND TOURS. The move was instigated by the band’s bass player Marco Gomes, who is involved in all aspects of their production, and was supplied

by MA Lighting’s South African distributor DWR Distribution, with which Prime Circle has a long working relationship.

Founded in 2001, Prime Circle have toured increasingly in Europe in recent years. Their mid-2016 single Ghosts reached the top 150 in Germany’s weekly airplay charts and their European popularity was boosted further by several show-stopping performances at high-profile German events like Rock im Revier, Rockavaria, Rock auf dem Berg and the Hamburg Harley Days.

In South Africa the band works with a variety of rental companies depending on the set up of the concert or tour. They play a full repertoire of events, from massive arena audiences of tens of thousands to more intimate site-specific gigs and now they have the continuity and self-sufficiency of their own console.

Van Niekerk commented: “I had an initial three-hour training session with DWR’s Gareth Chambers and then went straight out on a 10-day tour, which included headlining the main Rhodes Theatre venue at this year’s Grahamestown Festival and I had only a couple of hours to create that show using 80 moving lights.”

Going forward, he will be using the dot2 to trigger their media server and run all the video visuals as well as the lightshow.

DWR’s Duncan Riley said: “Prime Circle, with their work ethic and their approach to production values, are quite unique in South Africa right now. They fully understand the

importance of having the right tools for the job and that being able to produce the best looking and sounding shows can boost their live performance reputation. For us and for MA, it’s really awesome to be associated with a top artist like this”. www.malighting.com

CAUSING A SCENIUS THE ITALIAN LIGHTING MANUFACTURER BRINGS ITS NEWEST TOY TO THE AFRICAN CONTINENT. Clay Paky’s Massimo Bolandrina was recently present for one-on-one demonstrations of the Scenius Profile with clients in South Africa.

Along with Robert Izzett from DWR Distribution, Bolandrina visited a number of clients in Johannesburg.

“It was very good to see that everyone was enthusiastic about the product,” said Bolandrina. “It was also good to have a warm reception from the customers.”

Going on to discuss the global reception of the Scenius, Bolandrina said: “The response has been very positive. Designers have seen the Scenius and are interested.

They understand the character and personality of the product, so we are happy and are starting to deliver in numbers.” www.claypaky.it

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

ARKAOS TRAINING 2016 DWR DISTRIBUTION WELCOMED THE FOUNDER OF ARKAOS, MARCO HINIC, AND COLLEAGUE BENJAMIN BAUWENS TO SOUTH AFRICA FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN AUGUST. THEY VISITED CLIENTS IN JOHANNESBURG, DURBAN AND CAPE TOWN AND ALSO PRESENTED TRAINING AT DWR’S OFFICES.

ArKaos MediaMaster software and Media Servers offers a solution for show and lighting used all over the world including South Africa, allowing lighting designers to create visual projection on video screens or LED walls. The company has worked remotely with DWR for several years now but this August marked the first time its staff physically visited the region.

ArKaos’ founder, Marco Hinic, commented: “I had a feeling that we were in for a nice surprise and indeed we were overwhelmed by the warm welcome and hand of friendship from everyone.

I was thrilled I could take a day at the end of the trip to explore the beauty of Cape Town. All we can think of now is when can we plan to come back!”

This year ArKaos celebrated its 20th anniversary. “We focus on the winning formula which is making our products easy to use and relentlessly pushing their performance,” commented Hinic. “Because of this dedication, we grew a very substantial user base. I think what distinguishes us is that we have a large range of tools that took many years to build.

We are very proud to be leading the way with our contributions in the industry. Our latest product, Kling-Net, was developed with the same

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philosophy in mind - making technology efficient and easy to use. We’ve also got more exciting products rolling out in the next few months!”

A day’s training was hosted in Johannesburg and presented by Benjamin Bauwens and Hinic and both were encouraged by the good attendance. “Attendees were asked to install their laptops with MediaMaster ahead of time, which worked out very well. Their success in doing this on their own beforehand is testament to how user friendly we’ve made the process.

During trainings such as this one, we can validate our approach. For example, we had a mix of Macs and Windows laptops and everybody could follow the examples we were showing and quickly start mixing and mapping video.

We truly enjoy seeing the new users’ surprised expressions when they are able to manipulate videos relatively quickly and start having fun with it. Within a day, we covered a large range of subjects such as video mixing, DMX triggering, LED mapping, managing multiple video outputs and video mapping. It’s motivating for the delegates to leave the training and have the tools they need to get started installed on their personal machine.”

Since starting the company in the mid-

90s Hinic’s goal has always been to produce products that help users do things easier and faster. “Back in 1996, I created a one-window application where you could drag and drop a picture and it was instantly available to be triggered by a music instrument enabling perfect visual synchronisation. In the end, we stay true to our philosophy when creating new versions of our software and we always start from the perspective of the user. We also believe in regularly inviting users in when designing new tools. In our world, it’s very easy to be overwhelmed by technology and that’s why we spent a week in South Africa. Connecting to the users in South Africa was very special.”

Hinic concluded: “We could not have had such a successful training without the dedication of the DWR team so a huge thank you for all of your support! We were very impressed by their professionalism and enjoyed abundant, meaningful dialogue with the DWR team. We are excited to see what the next steps are and to collaborate together again. We’ve taken to heart the feedback and will give priority to some features to better assist you.” http://dwrdistribution.co.za www.arkaospro.com/arkaos-pro

REGIONAL ROUND UP

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RENTAL COMPANY EVENT LIGHTING MAKES ITS DEBUT EVENT LIGHTING, A BRAND NEW RENTAL COMPANY IN JOHANNESBURG OFFERING LIGHTING EQUIPMENT TO THE INDUSTRY, CAME INTO BEING THANKS TO A JOINT VENTURE BETWEEN PETER RIECK OF RIECK’S LIGHTING AND HENRY JENKINS OF EVENTECH, WHO TOGETHER HAVE INVESTED IN SEVERAL ROBE AND LONGMAN FIXTURES, ALL SUPPLIED BY DWR DISTRIBUTION.

“Rieck’s Lighting will operate as normal,” explained Peter Rieck. “I am still a consultant, a Project Manager and have my own clients to look after, while Henry Jenkins remains the owner of Eventech, a rental company which supplies sound, staging, backline, structures and power.” Event Lighting is a new and separate company.

The collaboration came about after Eventech, who do not own any lighting gear, were continually hiring in equipment for events. “We were on the point of buying our own lighting fixtures when Rieck and I started chatting,” said Jenkins.

The idea to start a separate lighting company made sense. Both parties had a need for lighting equipment and within a month Event Lighting was born. “When you know it’s going to work, it’s going to work,” said Rieck. Jenkins teased: “If

we bring the lights back to DWR later it means it didn’t!”

The new company will be run by Wynand Veldsman who is well-known in the industry having worked at Eventech for the past year, and prior to that, at Gearhouse South Africa and at C&S in Cape Town. Wynand will keep his finger on the pulse, ensuring quotes go out, admin is kept in check and most importantly that the lights work hard!

With an aim to enter the market by catering for corporate events and shows, Event Lighting have purchased Robe Pointes, Spikies and Longman F4 Up LED Parcans. Also adding to the stock is a 180 Meters of trussing with all the rigging required for any event.

“I had a look at the Spikie at Prolight+Sound in Frankfurt and thought it was an awesome fixture,” explained Rieck. “The versatility is

amazing. For a little unit, it’s so bright that it you can do almost anything.” The Spikies went out on their first event, The Queens Picnic at Melrose Arch, a couple of days after delivery.

“The Pointes have fantastic beam work, there is so much you can do with them and they have become an industry standard,” said Jenkins.

“As a new company, we can do a lot with the equipment we have purchased.”

Event Lighting is run by two individuals who are well liked and respected in the industry. “We just want to carry on doing what we do, service the industry and look after our clients. At the end of the day, that’s what it’s all about,” concluded Rieck. “And now we are able to offer a complete solution.” www.eventlighting.co.za http://dwrdistribution.co.za

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FESTIVAL FOCUS

ROBE LIGHTS INNIBOS 2016 INNIBOS - AN ACTION-PACKED HIGH PROFILE ARTS AND MUSIC FESTIVAL STAGED IN AND AROUND MBOMBELA (NELSPRUIT) IN SOUTH AFRICA DURING THE WINTER PRESENTING AFRIKAANS MUSIC, THEATRE, LITERATURE AND VISUAL ARTS - AGAIN FEATURED ROBE MOVING LIGHTS ON THE MAIN AND THE ROCK PERFORMANCE STAGES IN 2016.

Lighting for the festival was designed by Johan Ferreira of BF Productions and Levan van der Merwe, with kit supplied by MGG on the Main Stage and EPH Productions on the Rock Stage, both of which have large rental stocks of Robe luminaires.

These were just two of seven live stages, all fully scheduled with all types of entertainment for the family-friendly, five-day extravaganza of that culminated in a free Sunday gospel show on the main stage.

The event united hundreds of artists, musicians and actors from multiple genres showcasing their talents and works, who were lit with around 170 Robe fixtures among other lights. The event was attended by over 109,000 people who also enjoyed a lively proliferation of arts, craft and food-stalls along with other

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cultural and brain-stimulating activities like poetry reading and a ‘book crawl’.

MAIN STAGE Ferreira, who also runs his own production company, has been involved with Innibos since 2005 (it started in 2004), at that time designing one of the smaller stages. He has also been using Robe products in his work for some time.

In 2006, he was asked to light the main stage and he’s been designing and technical directing an eclectic line up appearing on it ever since.

The main stage production design process, which also includes set and video, typically starts around 10 months in advance, and Ferreira will look at all aspects of the technical stage presentation working in close conjunction with FOH Engineer Murray Lubbe.

As main stage technical directors, the pair are an integral part of the wider festival creative team.

Ferreira’s creative starting point for lighting the 2016 event was to shift it away from a ‘conventional’ music festival set up with bands and artists appearing in quick succession. Instead, he wanted to establish a theme that could carry on with a bit more depth and visual interest through all days of the event, and work equally well for the different musical genres.

Ferreira’s theatrical roots came into their own, as he had to create a stage and set that would work with a number of demanding scenarios including the grand opening on the Wednesday; Thursday night’s all-out rock show; the Friday night variety performance, and the large gospel production that closed the festival

FESTIVAL FOCUS

on Sunday. The primary requirement was to be flexible and extremely dynamic.

This year some 150 Robe fixtures were on the versatile rig, including LEDWash 600’s and 1200’s, BMFL Blades, LEDBeam 100’s and CitySkape 48’s, together with a variety of other lights.

The 24 LEDWash 1200’s were scattered around on the overhead trusses and used for vibrant stage washes. The ones on the front truss were used for band key lighting, and worked in unison with 28 LEDWash 600’s, which were also distributed on the over-stage trusses as well as along the top of the PA wings for shooting into the audience and pulling them into the action.

The six BMFL Blades were upstage. They gave huge backlight effects on artists and bands and were used to produce complex and stunning gobo looks.

The 48 LEDBeam 100’s were divided into two banks of 24, each suspended on three upstage trusses and Johan’s idea was to create an array of beams that would resemble the look of stadium lights and enlarge the perception of space.

The 44 CitySkape 48’s were used as footlights and basic washes for artists strutting up and down the thrust stage.

LEDWashes have long been a favourite fixture of Ferreira’s and he loves “the output, the beam spread and colour mixing / correction.” He said that he’s always surprised by the “incredible brightness” and he can use them as a full stage wash one minute or a tight special the next - an adaptability essential to his theatrical lighting style.

“The colour mixing is incredible, from the deepest saturates to the most delicate pastels,” he said. “I love being able to use them to create eye and camera-candy with the individual ring

control.”

The LD was equally enthusiastic about the BMFL Blades: “It’s by far one of the best profile luminaires in our industry today, packing a massive punch!”

On this show, it was vital to have a unit with enough impact to produce mid-air effects in spite of a huge, mega-bright upstage LED screen and Ferreira was delighted with the speed and accuracy of the BMFL beam-shaper, the colour system and the “beautiful but practical” set of gobos.

The LEDBeam 100 is also a favourite fixture “and will be for the foreseeable future”, he enthused. “It’s small enough to place anywhere onstage or around the rig, but powerful enough to produce highly visible beams. Using LEDBeam 100’s rigged in an array-style gives almost endless possibilities”.

The biggest challenge of lighting the Main Stage this year was illuminating the 28.8m wide x 4.8m deep thrust section into the audience, as he didn’t have the luxury of any lighting towers in the public area that filler lights could be rigged on to assist. As it was, the CitySkape 48’s acted as an effective replacement.

The other challenge was the sheer amount of content in the show. Each night there are over 50 numbers to keep looking new, fresh and invigorating, and that’s a lot of intense programming to ensure a wow factor for each song.

Commenting on Robe generally, Ferreira said: “Care is taken with every fixture. They are robust and can take the strain of an outdoor environment like Innibos. Robe pushes boundaries with every new fixture and takes the time to listen to LDs when it comes to the design

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of new products.”

Ferreira stated that he can’t wait to get his hands on the new Spikies and hopes to include it on the plot for Innibos 2017.

ROCK STAGE The Rock Stage is also a popular area of the festival and Pretoria-based rental company EPH Productions has been involved as an equipment supplier to that stage for several years.

However it was van der Merwe’s first year as LD, having joined the company in late 2015, which he thought was a very special opportunity.

Naturally he designed a completely new lighting scheme and this had Robe Pointes, and LEDBeam 100’s and 1000’s right at the heart. “I wanted the lighting to be a new and unforgettable experience for the audience and artists - something that they’d never seen before,” he explained.

The eight LEDBeam 1000’s were located upstage in the roof, with three Pointes at each end along the sides and the remaining six Pointes on the deck. The LEDBeam 100’s were positioned along the top front of the roof structure for audience effects.

The LD expressed his appreciation for the “incredible zoom and powerful, fat light-source” of the LEDBeam 1000’s. On the LEDBeam 100’s he noted the piercing narrow beams and the macro effects. “On the Pointes, I like just about everything! The prisms are great, as are the gobos, zoom and the spot and beam effects.”

Talking generally, he also pointed out that the optics “are great” on all Robe products, and that the brand represents great value for money.

Photos : Duncan Riley www.robe.cz

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EVENT INTERVIEW

STEVE PRICE

WHEN VIDEO DIRECTOR STEVE PRICE WAS OFFERED A JOB IN NIGERIA, HE SAW IT AS THE PERFECT CHANCE TO ADD ANOTHER DESTINATION TO HIS CV. THE ENSUING JOB WAS CERTAINLY A MEMORABLE ONE, INCLUDING THE CHANCE TO OVERSEE AN EVENT FOR ONE OF THE WORLD’S RICHEST MEN, FACEBOOK FOUNDER, MARK ZUCKERBERG. TPMEA’S KELLY MURRAY TALKED TO PRICE TO FIND OUT MORE...

How did you get into the concert / live event touring industry?

I spent 15 years directing music videos, all on film, for a variety of British artists throughout the ‘90s and early 2000s, then suddenly the whole world went digital one weekend in 2004 and the entire industry collapsed, pretty much overnight! There I was, walking down Oxford Street kicking my heels, when I bumped into a friend of mine called Matt Dowden, who was the drummer in my first demo video in 1993. I hadn’t seen him for years and it turned out he was a lighting director now working with a new band called Razorlight... They were about to do an in-store gig at HMV.

I went in, saw the band, said hello to a couple of people and left. Shortly after, Razorlight played at Alexandra Palace and needed a video director for the screens, so Matt called me up and asked me if I’d like to direct it (under the impression I’d done it before). I basically blagged

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my way through it and it went really well - within a few months I was working for the Arctic Monkeys and Faithless, thanks to the support of Razorlight’s Tour Manager, Kumar Kamalagharan and Pod Bluman of Bluman Associates (their video supplier).

I was with Razorlight for four years and I learned to do the job by doing the job. If I hadn’t bumped into Matt that day I have no idea what I’d be doing these days. I was 41 when that happened, I’m 52 now so this industry came to me late in life but I’m very grateful for it.

What does your usual role as a video director involve?

It’s changed over the years. It used to be simply cutting cameras to IMAG screens, but as the technology has developed and LED has become so integral to the design of most shows, I now get involved in everything from content creation

to DVD directing. Video and lighting are so integrated now that I usually work very closely with the LD to compliment and enhance their overall design for the show. A good example of this is the design of the Queen + Adam Lambert tour - my mix goes to a massive circular screen upstage centre and so it’s integral to the look of the show. I’ve been working on it for over two years now and Rob Sinclair, their LD, has really pushed me hard to stay on my toes and work on the finest details, constantly evolving and improving the video design to maximise the impact of his lighting and the band’s performance. Rob has taught me an awful lot, I’ve learnt more from him than anyone else I’ve worked with along the way.

Can you tell us about your recent work in Lagos?

I got a call from Creative Technology (CT) offering some work for a few days on a corporate job in

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EVENT INTERVIEW

Lagos. I accepted it straight away, mainly because it was in Nigeria and I’d never been there before.

A couple of days later CT called me back to say the client had decided to use a local video supplier, but still wanted to take a director, and there was just enough time to get my visa sorted.

All I knew was that it was a job for Facebook, through London based creative agency Clive. I was to utilise four cameras and it was scheduled to last for an hour, with two days of rehearsals.

It actually turned out to be a Q&A with Mark Zuckerberg and an audience of Nigerian web developers! Although I didn’t find this out until a few hours before kick off, for security reasons.

The audience had no idea Zuckerberg was coming until he walked onto the stage, their reaction was pretty impressive - it was quite a party atmosphere.

Did this project pose any challenges?

I met the Producer, Neal Rawlings, and discovered we’d worked together a few years ago on the Carphone Warehouse Christmas party at ExCeL in London when I was hired to direct a performance by N-Dubz. He’s a great guy and knows Nigeria well, having been there over 40 times in the last couple of years. His knowledge and experience of Lagos was exceptional. It’s

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not the easiest of places to get a grip on and his advice about how to work with the local suppliers was invaluable. However, the nature of this particular job - with Zuckerberg being kept secret - meant that rehearsals never actually materialised, so I used the time to get to know our local vendors.

The video guys were keen, helpful and hard working, and even though the equipment was quite basic it was adequate for the job. When I asked to meet the LD, I was told there wasn’t one! I was then asked if I’d like to get involved with that myself.... I ended up lighting the show as well as directing the cameras.

The video coverage was streamed live to an invited corporate audience across the world and went as well as could be expected without any rehearsals - everyone was overjoyed with it by the end. Also, a team of Facebook executives arrived the evening before the show and ripped out the stage, so Zuckerberg was no longer restricted to the space I’d positioned my cameras around. He kept walking into the audience to shake hands and hug the people asking questions, so my experience of shooting rock shows came into its own with me having to chase the live action all over the place! It kept me on my toes for sure.

Did you have any highlights from the event?

I was picked up from the airport by a local production manager, two drivers and three heavily armed guards. It was quite handy on the way back to the airport when the brakes on our vehicle caught fire and we all jumped out into the road. Men with assault rifles make effective motorway traffic police as it turns out!

You’ve obviously travelled all of the world for your job but this was your first time in Nigeria, how did you find the experience?

I took the job mainly so I could get a taste of Nigeria, albeit for just three days. It was an education - I wouldn’t say it’s the easiest place to work but it is heading in the right direction.

For me, the most memorable part of this job was when a woman thanked Zuckerberg for coming to Nigeria, explaining that many people think South Africa is the only advanced country worth doing business with on the African continent, when in fact they should be looking towards development of Nigeria for the future of Africa.

She got such a massive cheer from the crowd. I truly hope Nigeria’s future is a bright one.

TPMEA Photos: Steve Price