TPMEA #021 - Nov/Dec 2019

NOVEMBER / DECEMBER • ISSUE 021

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PARTY IN THE PARK FATBOY SLIM HEADLINES DUBAI’S MOST TALKED-ABOUT FESTIVAL

WAKE UP CALL • INSOMNIA DUBAI • PROLIGHT + SOUND ME • ROCKING THE DAISIES • EAST AFRICA’S GOT TALENT

TPMEA

WELCOME...

TO TPMEA

No substitute for authenticity...

Some artists perform for the fame, some perform for the money, and some do it simply for the love of their craft. In the case of Norman Cook – aka Fatboy Slim – there is no doubt that he is very much in the latter camp. It’s a fact that his Production Director, Mark Ward, confirmed to me as we caught up before Cook’s headline performance at Dubai’s Party in the Park. “Norm doesn’t need to work,” he told me. “He does it because he enjoys it – and so do we!”

If there’s one thing that my conversation with Ward and the rest of the Fatboy Slim team taught me, it’s that there’s no substitute for authenticity. With every aspect of the show being performed live and not a hint of timecode in sight, it was clear that every member of the Fatboy Slim crew is just as talented as the DJ himself. Read more about Fatboy Slim’s show-stopping performance, and the festival as a whole, on page 28.

With the traditionally quieter summer period now a distant memory, the Middle East’s event season is now in full swing. As always, TPMEA was on-site at Dubai World Trade Centre for Prolight + Sound Middle East. This year’s trade show provided the perfect opportunity to catch up with some familiar faces – and meet lots of new ones.

Read our show report on page 22.

Also in this issue, we have a tech profile of Wake Up Call Festival (p38), which took place in the salubrious beachside surroundings of the W Dubai – The Palm. With performances from the likes of Rita Ora, Rüfüs Du Sol and Disclosure, the event was a treat for Dubai’s luxury-loving music fans. We also have a profile of Insomnia Dubai gaming festival (p44) a look around ETC’s new Dubai office (p48) and an extensive African news round-up (p52).

We also have some exciting news to announce: The TPMEA Awards 2020 in association with EFM Global Logistics is set to take place once again at Dubai’s Hard Rock Cafe on 21 April. We’d like to thank our headline sponsor, EFM, along with Robe, SES Entertainment Services and Sennheiser, who have also confirmed their support for the event. Keep an eye on our social media for further announcements about what is set to be our biggest and best awards yet!

Enjoy the issue.

Peter Iantorno Assistant Editor

www.tpmeamagazine.com | www.tpimagazine.com | www.tpmeaawards.com

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A S S O C I A T I O N

W I T H

21 APRIL 2020

Hard Rock Cafe, Dubai

21 APRIL 2020

Enquire about sponsorship : j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk

Hard Rock Cafe, Dubai

CONTENTS

CONTENTS MIDDLE EAST 06 - FIRST LOOK: IAN SPENDLOVE

Spendlove Group Founder and Chief Executive gives his take on Expo 2020.

38 - WAKE UP CALL

Rita Ora, Rüfüs Du Sol and Disclosure are among the star acts at the W Dubai – The Palm.

44 - INSOMNIA DUBAI

10 - REGIONAL ROUND-UP

The latest news from the Middle East.

A new generation descends on Dubai’s Meydan Grandstand for the Middle East’s biggest gaming festival.

22 - PROLIGHT + SOUND ME

48 - ETC DUBAI – THE STUDIO

Highlights and news from this year’s tradeshow.

26 - INTERVIEW: MATTHEW TONKS

Senior Bid Manager, Matthew Tonks takes the hot seat to discuss TAIT’s work in the Middle East.

28 - PARTY IN THE PARK

AFRICA 52 - REGIONAL ROUND-UP

The latest news from Africa, including the Namibian Annual Music Awards, Rocking The Daisies and East Africa’s Got Talent.

EDITOR Stew Hume Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7702 054344 e-mail: s.hume@mondiale.co.uk

ASSISTANT EDITOR Peter Iantorno Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7763 233637 e-mail: p.iantorno@mondiale.co.uk

STAFF WRITER Jacob Waite Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8352 Mobile:+44 (0)7592 679612 e-mail: j.waite@mondiale.co.uk

COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR Hannah Eakins Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7760 485230 e-mail: h.eakins@mondiale.co.uk

SALES EXECUTIVE Harley Daniels Tel: +44 (0)161 476 9119 Mobile: +44 (0)7854 087731 e-mail: h.daniels@mondiale.co.uk

SALES EXECUTIVE Lyndsey Hopwood Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7800 0557094 e-mail: l.hopwood@mondiale.co.uk

DIGITAL EDITORIAL ASSISTANT James Robertson Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7725 475819 e-mail: j.robertson@mondiale.co.uk

CHIEF EXECUTIVE Justin Gawne Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7768 850767 e-mail: j.gawne@mondiale.co.uk

TPMEA INTERN Lily Harrison

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Sonam Diki: s.diki@mondiale.co.uk

MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh

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

be merry and

TPMEA visits the company’s first base in the Middle East.

Fatboy Slim headlines the British-style music festival in the heart of Dubai Media City.

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

may your

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Party in the Park by eclipse Staging Services PRINTED BY Buxton Press • www.buxpress.co.uk @tpmea_magazine facebook.com/TPMEA_Magazine @tpmea linkedin.com/company/tpmea

productiontec.com

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

IAN SPENDLOVE, SPENDLOVE GROUP FOUNDER AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE COMBINING THE GLOBAL EXPERIENCE OF WORLD CLASS, SHOWFORCE, FORCE LOGISTICS AND THE DELUXE GROUP, SPENDLOVE GROUP IS A STAPLE OF DUBAI’S EVENTS, ENTERTAINMENT AND LEISURE INDUSTRIES. THE COMPANY’S FOUNDER, IAN SPENDLOVE, GIVES HIS TAKE ON THE EMERGING SAUDI ARABIA MARKET, EXPO 2020 PREPARATIONS AND WHAT KIND OF LEGACY WE CAN EXPECT THE EXPO TO LEAVE IN THE UAE.

For us at the Spendlove Group, the impact of Expo 2020 is still a bit of the unknown, as many of the projects that we will be involved in haven’t begun yet, which is starting to become an area of concern. In order to deliver ‘The World’s Greatest Show’ an incredible amount of work needs to take place.

As it stands, there aren’t enough people or products in Dubai to deliver an event of this scale. In fact, I would argue that it would be a challenge in London. There needs to be some strategic thought about where the resources are coming from and some practical steps put in place for achieving the ambitious plans before it is too late.

There is a lot of legislation that has to be worked through before you can work in the UAE. The labour laws, licences and designations that have to be adhered to can’t be ignored.

Companies outside the UAE don’t understand the local laws and the need for compliance, and it can take a long time to explain them. This will absolutely need to be addressed if people are going to come here and start working.

Behind the scenes at Spendlove Group, we are proactively preparing – implementing and developing procedures and systems, forming partnerships and gathering intelligence to ensure that we are ready for Expo 2020. We have also bolstered our operations team and began the recruitment process, which we feel is especially important given the large numbers of personnel, at all levels, that will be needed to ensure the success of the event.

We’ve also established the production team, which combines the experience of Showforce and World Class Events to give us direct access to production specialists across all sectors of the industry – many of whom have experience of working on the world’s most prestigious events. We undoubtedly have the global resources to assist with Expo 2020. However, we are

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

The Showforce crew assembled outside King Abdullah Sports City Stadium in Saudi Arabia.

“Dubai needs to share more detail about its vision for the legacy of Expo 2020 once it draws to a close. I think everyone with a base in the UAE is at the point where they need to know what their plans are.”

Ian Spendlove

slightly cautious of exposing ourselves to too much financial risk – and I think the same is true of many of our industry peers. Suppliers are being asked to put up fairly hefty bonds in order to be awarded contracts. For us, and many of the other SMEs in our industry, they are just way too high and the cashflow simply isn’t there.

A more reliable source of income in recent years has been from the explosion of work in Saudi, which has been very welcome. It has kept many companies in the region afloat as the work in the UAE has declined. It is regular and consistent; the clients that we are working for in Saudi Arabia pay well, on time and appreciate what we do. What’s not to like? We now find

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ourselves between a rock and a hard place.

Obviously, we want to be a part of Expo 2020 – it’s a huge event and something that we have been looking forward to since Dubai was awarded it back in November 2013. However, we can’t afford to walk away from the huge opportunities that there are in Saudi Arabia when there is still some uncertainty surrounding Expo 2020.

Moving forward, in my opinion, Dubai needs to share more detail about its vision for the legacy of Expo 2020 once it draws to a close. I think everyone with a base in the UAE is at the point where they need to know what their plans are.

Obviously, we know about District 2020, which we are assured will become home to

world-class innovation, educational, cultural and entertainment facilities, as well as a conference and exhibition centre. If that is the case, then that is great news for the industry. However, the landscape and the economy of the country have changed, and we need to know where we are heading.

Nobody wants to leave the UAE – we have spent years investing and building our businesses and making our lives here – but we need more direction of where we’re heading. The increase of work in Saudi and the obvious business benefits of being there are impossible to ignore.

Photos: Spendlove Group www.spendlovegroup.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

PSAV ACQUIRES ECLIPSE DEAL SEES ECLIPSE CEO, SIMON RANSOM, TAKE LEADERSHIP OF PSAV UAE OPERATIONS. Global event experiences company PSAV has acquired audiovisual, live event production and venue company, eclipse.

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed. Now a wholly owned subsidiary of PSAV, eclipse will continue to operate under the well-known eclipse brand name.

eclipse CEO Simon Ransom and his senior team will remain in place. Ransom will assume leadership of PSAV UAE operations, and work with Nik Rudge, PSAV’s Managing Director, International, and his team.

“eclipse is an exciting addition to the PSAV group of companies due to its extensive inhouse venues, event production expertise and strong alignment to our purpose and mission,” commented Rudge. “I am delighted about what this means for PSAV, and more importantly our customers, as we continue to focus on more ways to create amazing event experiences in locations throughout the GCC.”

Ransom added: “We are certainly familiar with PSAV and its long-standing history as a leader in the event experience industry across the globe. The entire eclipse family is eager to

be joining forces with PSAV and establishing more impactful ways of serving our collective customer base.”

Photo: eclipse Staging Services www.eclipse.ae www.psav.com

PROTEC MAKES WORLD’S FIRST XTYLOS ORDER TECHNICAL STAGING AND SOLUTIONS PROVIDER SIGNS A DEAL FOR 350 OF CLAYPAKY’S NEW FIXTURE. Protec has become the first company to order the new Claypaky Xtylos, purchasing 350 of the market’s first-ever laser moving fixtures.

“We are very excited that Protec was the first in our world sales network to order at Prolight + Sound 2019 in Frankfurt, where we launched Xtylos,” said Claypaky’s Egor Popovski. “Protec is also the first in the Middle East to receive the shipment of these fixtures and has become the largest stockist of Xtylos in the Middle East.”

Xtylos is a compact beam moving light with unique optical and chromatic characteristics featuring a tailor-made laser source. The first moving head light with a laser light source, Xtylos opens up new prospects for the development of the entertainment lighting world.

“Protec is always investing in the latest technologies, and Xtylos is the next innovation in lighting technology,” said Aaron Russ, Protec’s Head of Lighting. “Xtylos is more energy efficient,

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but its real selling point is how its laser-sourced engine reproduces colour with such intensity and definition. We believe this offers something unique and introduces a whole new world of creative lighting solutions for our clients.”

Russ believes Xtylos will be ideal for large outdoor events. “The Xtylos’s energy efficiency has a green appeal, which is something the events industry needs to continue to make improvements on, but the main attraction is the fixture’s ability to maintain colour intensity and vivid brightness over a long distance,” he pointed out. “Xtylos sends a focused solid beam of colour through the sky with minimal diffusion.”

In addition to the 350 Xtylos, Protec also acquired 48 Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures to further expand its lighting capabilities.

Photo: Claypaky www.claypaky.it www.productiontec.com

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IAAF WORLD ATHLETICS CHAMPIONSHIPS DOHA 2019 CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY CAPTURES RECORD-BREAKING RESULTS AT THE 17TH EDITION OF THE SPORTING EVENT.

Taking place at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Creative Technology (CT) delivered a projected track-athlete introduction which covered the entire running track, entertainment lighting, LED athlete entrances for both track and field positions, and an LED medal ceremony podium on top of the Event Presentation control and stadium relay screens.

IAAF Event Presentation Manager, Florian Weber commissioned CT to deliver a VR model of the Khalifa Stadium featuring athletics apparatus, production overlay and the proposed LED screens and track projection. This bespoke pre-visualisation service also assisted the

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broadcast team in allowing them to pre-plan camera locations around the stadium and even specify individual camera and lens specifications – reducing site-visit requirements and reducing overall broadcast costs.

The VR model and the easy visualisation of design changes allowed CT to work closely with the IAAF sports presentation team to plan and design the in-stadia overlay, integrating all sports, functional, presentation and broadcast elements of the event.

This was then viewed by stakeholders to assess the project and pre-visualise the whole event from all locations within the stadium and

from a live broadcast perspective. A number of LED screens were installed throughout the stadium with the key placements including the medal presentation and ceremonies stage, stadium relay screens, and athlete entry screens.

CT supplied more than 500 sq m of curveable 4.8mm LED screens.

CT also supplied eight mobile batterypowered LED monoliths, an innovative solution to field of play displays giving the athletes taking part in the field event finals the star treatment they deserved. The LED monoliths could be positioned anywhere around the arena, displaying live data for the athletes’ names and

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country flags – a world first. Lighting was added to enhance the overall entertainment and draw focus to areas such as the athlete’s entrances, medal ceremonies, and every time an athlete won a tournament. CT supplied over 80 lighting fixtures, which consisted of a mixture of Robe BMFL Blades, Claypaky B-Eye K15s and Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures.

In addition to the lighting at the athletes’ entrance and medal ceremony stage, CT also provided lighting around the top of the stadium.

These fixtures were part of the entertainment feature and added to the atmosphere of the architectural lighting of the stadium for the duration of the event.

CT used more than 100 21K and 31K laser projectors to project custom content across the entire running track – bringing it to life during the finals.

The creative team, headed up by Weber, consisted of Rob Currie and Nick Clark-Lowes

who worked closely with the CT team, led by Project Manager, Matt Hartfree, to develop the content and technical solutions.

The projector placement and light levels required were then modeled in the Photon server to work out how to project a single continuous image taking into consideration environmental and structural constraints of the stadium as well as other stakeholder requirements.

CT provided cameras and switching to ensure a seamless delivery of the sports presentation content for the stadium LED screens, which included: EVS playback, custom graphics, real-time edit and playback for production highlights.

In all, 24 broadcast and dedicated camera feeds were fed into the PPU and sent out via the switcher as four separate HD video outputs, each fed to the stadium control system over a Mediornet wide area network (WAN).

Communication and audio feeds were also

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transported along with the video signals via the Mediornet WAN.

Multiple feeds and an eight-channel recorder linked on 10GB network to multiple NAS drives were supplied to three Editors, which enabled them to select and record the action from all the available camera feeds within the venue.

In addition to this, the editing team had access to all the broadcast EVS content collected on-site via IPD Director, including that of CT’s colleagues at NEP Broadcast.

The stadium control system based around two Barco Encore switchers controlled the content to every display, eight Watchout media servers providing 32 HD outputs provided the content playback to the LED. These were also capturing 4K live data from Mercury Sports to display the digital flags and athlete names for the medal ceremony.

The projection mapping and content playback was handled by six Photon media

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

servers. CTs Mercury sport application interrogated and formatted the results and timing data to drive Character Works, allowing CT to deliver 13 independent scoring outputs, each capable of displaying different graphical states for 49 athletics events. Controlling the feed to the stadium PA system CT supplied a Yamaha CL5 desk, and Sigma Spot-on for audio playback.

Creative Technology supplied the communication systems for the event presentation team and broadcast production team – an essential and critical service on which the success of the live show depended on. The event presentation system was built around a Riedel artist 128 matrix and featured 16 comms panels, 12 ways of Riedel C3 beltpacks. Also managed through the artist matrix were 20 Bolero wireless belt-packs for the

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floor management team and four CCP-1116 commentary units.

For the broadcast rights holders, CT provided 150 hand portable radios with 18 duplex talkback channels linked from the stadium via an audio over fibre solution. A total of 24 channels of MADI delivered over Mediornet were used to make four-wire connections between event presentation and the broadcast compound.

Another 36 radios, four channels of Clear-Com Helixnet talkback and Glensound commentary units were provided at the Corniche for the Event Production of the road racing events.

CT’s Middle East General Manager, Irum Ashraf, added: “Our local office fully supported the wider Creative Technology team with both human and technical resources. Having been part of several athletics meetings held in Doha

over the past year, CT’s local office played a pivotal role in providing knowledge of the local market, which helped with our successful delivery. It’s a very exciting time for sport in Qatar right now, and having a base here puts us in a prime position to be involved in such great events in the future.”

Head of Sport at Creative Technology, Steve Purkess, concluded: “Working towards the IAAF World Athletics Championships in Doha has been an amazing journey, delivering presentation techniques at a scale more commonly seen in opening ceremonies into live athletics gave us a unique challenge. It has been a privilege for CT to play a part in delivering this game-changing approach to event presentation.”

Photos: Creative Technology www.ct-group.com

BIGGER IN SO MANY WAYS. SMALLER IN ONLY TWO. SMALLER SIZE. SMALLER PRICE. INTRODUCING THE MARTIN ERA 300 PROFILE.

The Mar tin ER A 300 Profile is our brightest high value moving head in a compact class. Delivering stunning output, colour mixing, zoom, crisp projection and more features than ever, it is surprising that the cost is as small and attractive as the sleek body itself. This combined with durable engineering makes it ideal for the rigours of today’s rental market as well as houses of worship, concer t venues, nightclubs and cruise ships.

Learn more at martin.com/era300 | Contact us: European.Marketing@harman.com

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BILD STUDIOS INVESTS IN DISGUISE VISUAL CONTENT CREATOR ADDS DISGUISE GX 2C MEDIA SERVERS TO BOOST MIDDLE EAST PROJECTS. Bild Studio Founders David Bajt and Rowan Pitts have been working with disguise for more than a decade, having delivered hundreds of software training sessions around the world, while also using the technology on some of their most ambitious projects.

These include the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ tour in 2011, Cirque de Soleil’s stunning Toruk show in 2015 and the Pakistan Super League opening ceremony earlier this year.

“We’ve always put a lot of effort into preproduction, where precise system designs and creative content workflows are developed,” outlined Bajt. “We see ourselves living in the great world between tech and cutting-edge visual design, advising people and companies from both technical and creative backgrounds.”

The Middle East is familiar territory for Bild, as Bajt explained. “The Middle East has always been

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somewhere we have seen huge demand from and the events we have been part of tend to be on a colossal scale, with technically challenging briefs,” he stated.

“We specialise in the pre-production, execution and hardware-supply of large-scale, complex shows that are pushing the creative envelope. Middle East productions tend to combine large, complex projection surfaces with tracking of people and screens, with some recent projects calling for the addition of Augmented Reality and real-time based visuals. disguise has always helped us achieve solutions for the demands, and we’re completing more and more events nowadays using the extremely powerful gx 2c server.”

The company’s latest gx 2c has already seen plenty of use this year, having been featured in the intricate projection mapping of the Ritz

Carlton Hotel in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia this October.

“Using disguise gx 2cs and OmniCal, lining up the projections for the huge façade of the building took less than 15 minutes,” enthused Bajt.

The company was also heavily involved with the Pakistan Super League (PSL) in January this year. Bild and its partners, Studio One, used total of six tracked cameras to create a diverse range of immersive AR environments for both musical and ceremonial show elements, including performances from ’70s icons, Boney M and some of Bollywood’s most iconic performers.

“For shows such as the PSL project, which require real-time content, the gx 2c is an absolute must-have,” stated Bajt. “No other server combines the next-level graphics power with the unique software package that disguise offers us. We also use the gx 2c as master servers for very demanding high-resolution shows where

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Bild Studios Founders, David Bajt and Rowan Pitts.

it’s absolutely key for the huge amount of slave servers that play back and output content to remain controlled by an incoming master server.”

Coincidently, and lining up with Bild’s latest investment, disguise through September and October hosted a selection of open houses across Europe, the Middle East and Africa, including stops in London, Amsterdam, Berlin, Barcelona, Oslo, Gottenburg and Dubai.

TPMEA was on site in Dubai to get a closer look at the range of disguise products. During the open house, attendees were able to discover how the disguise workflow could be used to explore designs, present concepts, sequence shows and deliver complex designs with ease.

Along with the gx c2, the event also gave visitors the opportunity to discover the latest software update, r16, which features support for 10-bit and HDR to create the highest quality video playback,

and improved workflows for their projection toolkit and new workflows for augmented reality.

To close, Bajt spoke of Bild’s exciting Middle East plans for the immediate future. “I wish I could say more about what we have coming up,” he commented.

“In fact, I could speak for days about the shows that are currently in the pipeline for the Middle East. All I can say at the moment is that some of the projects that are currently installing or are in preproduction for 2020 involve anywhere from 250 to 300 projectors with 80 to 90 unique server channels, in combination with tracking, realtime content and OmniCal – naturally with a huge amount of disguise servers involved.

“It’s all very exciting, and we look forward to being even more present in the Middle East throughout 2020 and beyond.”

Photos: Bild Studios www.bildstudios.com www.disguise.one

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ABSEN LIGHTS UP GITEX 2019 MORE THAN 1,000 SQ M OF ABSEN LED BRINGS COLOUR TO DUBAI’S TECHNOLOGY WEEK.

Following the success of last year’s GITEX technology event, which saw numerous Absen LED solutions being deployed at the show, Absen was once again selected to play a starring role at this year’s event.

Huawei, Saudi Telecom Company (STC), Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Etisalat were among the companies

that chose to incorporate Absen LED into their stands. More than 1,000 sq m of Absen LED were integrated in and around the companies’ booths.

STC integrated a 3.9mm pixel pitch LED video wall into the design of its stand.

Additionally, STC also used 4.8mm LED boards, which were mounted to the ceiling to create a more immersive effect. Meanwhile, TRA covered

the front of its stand with two wave-shaped LED banners. Measuring 144m by 2m, the two spectacular screens were made of 2.9mm Absen LED. Inside, a floor-to-ceiling column was decorated with four Absen 2.9mm LED displays.

Huawei partnered with Absen to showcase its Smart City and 5G ecosystem solutions using Absen’s Acclaim A27 series. A 1.5mm screen was used to create a Transportation Intelligent Operation Center, and a 2.5mm display, to create an Intelligent Video Brain & Operation Center.

Etisalat also used Absen LED displays on its booth for the second year, creating a 3D robotic video wall.

Each module on the screen moved independently, creating a unique and multisensory 3D video experience for the audience. Other LED screens were placed at the entrances and exits as well as the hallways, where LED video boards were placed to play advertisements and display relevant information about the exhibition.

Absen Gulf Market Director, Jet Liu commented: “We are glad to see that our partners opted for Absen LED again in delivering reliable digital solutions for their customers.”

Photos: Absen www.absen.com

3DB SUPPLIES DUBAI SPORTS FESTIVAL THE EVENT PRODUCTION COMPANY DEPLOYS AV EQUIPMENT AND TECHNICAL SUPPORT. Kicking off on 1 November and put together by Abu Dhabi Moments and Flash Entertainment, The Sports Festival, which took place over the course of two days in Abu Dhabi, was packed with all types of activities suitable for all fitness levels and age groups.

An opportunity for attendees to try new challenges and meet new people, the event site covered more than half a kilometre of the Corniche Beach in Abu Dhabi. Tasked with providing AV equipment and technical support

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across the site was 3db. The setup for the event comprised four stages, two LED walls, ground support structures, 36 channels of Sennheiser RF and digital wireless audio connections between all stages.

Additional lighting covered the full aspect of hourly stage performances, area wash and four high-intensity sky tractors.

The video elements included a pair of 3mm Absen LED walls running media servers to allow the heart rates of 50 participants to be shown on

the screen at any time, with an additional eight 65in screens placed around the venue to show the heart rate of other contestants.

Photo: 3db www.3db-dxb.com

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SIXTY82 CONTINUES MIDDLE EAST EXPANSION UNUSUAL RIGGING & ENGINEERING BECOMES EXCLUSIVE SIXTY82 MIDDLE EAST REPRESENTATIVE. SIXTY82 has appointed Unusual Rigging & Engineering as its sole distributor for its full trussing and staging product range in the UAE, Oman and Saudi Arabia.

The team at Unusual Rigging boasts a wide range of disciplines, and every member is passionate about what they do. “At SIXTY82, we share this passion for the industry,” commented SIXTY82 CEO, Fokko Smeding. “We therefore believe that Unusual Rigging & Engineering is a perfect fit to meet the needs of our everexpanding customer base.”

SIXTY82’s Sales and Marketing Manager, Rainier Smeding, added: “We’re excited to be working with a team with this knowledge and

expertise, as well as an unrivalled track record.

With these dynamic and experienced people, we can focus on next-gen structures, based on the highest knowledge, skills and safety regulations.”

Unusual Rigging Managing Partner, Denis Bramhall, commented: “We are delighted to take on the role. By adding their products to our portfolio, we are offering our customers in the region something new, which complements our current range. The quality of SIXTY82’s products is second to none, and we are proud to have formed this new partnership with them.”

Photo: Sixty82 www.sixty82.nl www.unusual.co.uk

ILEA MIDDLE EAST ANNOUNCES FESTIVE BALL INAUGURAL INDUSTRY NETWORKING EVENT SET FOR 12 DECEMBER. ILEA Middle East’s Industry Festival Ball is set to take place on 12 December at the Address Montgomerie, Dubai.

“ILEA ME members work hard in a highly competitive environment, and it’s crucial that we offer our community opportunities to come together in a social environment. This evening will be filled with entertainment, amazing food and cocktails as well as unforgettable memories.”

Ali furthered that the event would not have been possible without the support and partnership of its members, who are lending their expertise to help make the event: DISH Catering, Innovative Hiring, Create, La Cle Entertainment, Quiceno Art Event Management, Harlequin Furniture Rental, Shiftling, Focus Wedding and Event Planner and Party Social.

Photo: ILEA Middle East www.ilea-me.com

BOSE PROFESSIONAL EXPANDS PORTFOLIO LOUDSPEAKER MANUFACTURER DEMONSTRATES ITS PRODUCT RANGE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN DUBAI. Taking place on 30 October 2019, The Installed Sound Expansion hosted by Bose Professional saw a successful turn out of more than 300 professionals from the live events industry.

Introduced at ISE and InfoComm USA this year, the manufacturer demonstrated its loudspeaker arsenal in Dubai for the first time to an audience of distributors, consultants, system integrators and end users at Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Jumeriah Beach Road.

With an introduction of more than 50 new products for a variety of spaces, the audience experienced live demonstrations of the new DesignMax Loudspeakers, MSA12X, Arena Match

and Arena Match Utility loudspeakers. “We are excited to bring the newest DesignMax series to the region. Along with the new PowerSpace amps and controllers, we can offer solutions for more spaces and market segments than ever before,” said Bose Professional Regional Manager, Nittin Dargan.

Installed Sound Expansion has one goal: providing consultants and integrators with the components they need to deliver complete systems, from simple background music systems, to complex, networked, and distributed solutions.

Photo: Bose Professional www.pro.bose.com

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SAUDI ARABIA LAUNCHES TOURIST E-VISA IMAGINATION CREATES SPECTACULAR SHOW TO CELEBRATE HISTORIC MOMENT IN KSA HISTORY. Global experience company, Imagination, created a multi-sensory experience and spectacular show to launch the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s (KSA) tourist E-visas scheme – enabling citizens of approximately 50 countries to travel to the Kingdom for tourism.

The event was a Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage initiative, which aims to make Saudi Arabia one of the world’s leading tourism destinations, a key pillar of the country’s Vision 2030.

Imagination teams from around the world, including Riyadh, Dubai, London, Sydney and the USA, joined forces to work with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage to create a next-generation, unique, immersive experience and a spectacular show. This brought to life the diverse beauty of the KSA, as well as the culture, warmth and hospitality of its people, with the overarching message: ‘Open Saudi, Open Hearts, Open Doors’.

UNESCO World Heritage site, Ad Diriyah, Riyadh, was chosen as the site for the bespoke experience for an audience of 400 VVIPs, media, influencers as well as a live TV and on-line audience across the Kingdom, the GCC countries, and beyond. The event also saw the unveiling of the ‘Saudi: Welcome to Arabia’ tourism positioning, which was revealed as the

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culmination of a high profile global advertising campaign asking millions around the world, including Dubai, London, New York, Beijing, Shanghai, Paris, Rome, and other key cities, “where in the world can you find such unexpected treasures?” The answer: “Saudi Arabia”.

Imagination created the experience identity ‘Open Saudi’, which was applied across all touchpoints, before, during and afterwards. A contemporary colour palette was used that celebrates the inspiring, contrasting landscapes of the regions – aqua and deep purples from the red sea, warm reds and vibrant oranges from the deserts of Najd, and fresh, energetic greens from the terraces of Faifa.

Inside, an exhibition area containing immersive pods surprised the senses, using augmented reality, sound, smell and temperature, presenting the four key tourism pillars of Nature, Adventure, Heritage and Culture. The pods brought each theme to life by providing a glimpse into the diversity of the Kingdom, including snow from the Tabuk Mountains. The area also featured a Stories of Saudi installation – large portrait screens depicting residents, past and present, telling their positive and inspiring personal stories about life in Saudi Arabia.

Guests were treated to a culinary journey of typical Saudi dishes, with a contemporary

twist – all set to a backdrop of stunning animated scenery from around the country. The experience was set in an immersive 360 environment, which served as an epic canvas for the stunning footage, captured on an 11K 360 drone camera, from around the diverse regions of KSA.

Imagination also created a pixel streaming augmented reality experience powered by 5G, in collaboration with Zain, featuring a virtual bird that joined guests in the room before embarking on a journey around KSA. A powerful immersive theatre experience was brought to life by a cast of 150 actors and musicians, culminating in a procession of children carrying national flags representing eligible countries.

Commenting on the launch, Patrick Reid, Group CEO of Imagination, said: “We are extremely proud to have worked in partnership with the Saudi Commission for Tourism and National Heritage to celebrate this historic moment of transformation. Imagination is passionate about the power of experience to change behaviour, and by showcasing the extraordinary treasures of the KSA through this multisensory experience, we firmly believe we can encourage travellers to visit, in turn creating jobs, diversifying the economy, and helping the KSA to achieve its 2030 goals.”

Photo: Imagination www.imagination.com

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

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LASERVISION AT SAUDI NATIONAL DAY COMPANY PROVIDES IMPRESSIVE PROJECTION MAPPING FOR SAMBA FINANCIAL GROUP HEADQUARTERS AT THE 89TH NATIONAL DAY. Alongside famous international music acts and world-renowned theatrical producer Cirque du Soleil, Laservision was engaged to provide its world record-setting projection-mapping expertise and technologies to the celebrations in Riyadh for the 89th annual National Day.

Laservision’s stunning, 7,000 sq m projection show beamed onto the distinctive Samba Financial Group Headquarters in the heart of Financial Plaza. The 40-storey tower is the centrepiece of Riyadh’s new King Abdullah Financial District and features an innovative three-dimensional diamond façade designed by Foster and Partners.

Although the complex and unique aesthetic of the architecture provided an intricate canvas for Laservision to create upon, it also presented a challenge as an all-glass surface can

drastically hinder a projection mapping display - leading to poor video quality and washed out colours. However, with its expert knowledge in skyscraper-sized projections and four-decades of entertainment innovation, the Laservision team were able to provide a solution without altering or changing the unique aesthetics of the building – providing a bold, bright and clear image across the city.

Since opening its MENA office in 2016, Laservision has seen excellent growth and demand for its creative services and entertainment technologies around the GCC area, especially in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

“The demand created from the implementation of ‘Vision 2030’ has been very positive for us,” commented Shannon Brooks, CEO, Laservision. “We are excited to continue

creating world-class tourist attractions, special events and celebrations, as well as unique and artistic modern experiences around the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. As the county continues to diversify and invest in the tourism economy, we look forward to providing our innovative entertainment solutions.”

At the end of the five-day celebrations, it is estimated that the customised projection show reached more than a million motorists travelling around the financial district.

Photo: Laservision www.laservision.com.au

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PROLIGHT + SOUND

PROLIGHT + SOUND MIDDLE EAST 2019 THE THREE-DAY EVENT FEATURES MORE THAN 55 EXHIBITORS FROM 14 COUNTRIES, WITH OVER 180 INDUSTRY BRANDS ON DISPLAY.

The fourth edition of Prolight + Sound Middle East returned to the World Trade Centre in Dubai, with this year’s trade show taking place on a new mid-October date.

Among the booths were a number of first-time exhibitors including Aura Audio and POPE Professional from the audio sector, Turkish company Yildirim and Infinity Intelligent Light adding to the lighting line-up, and Kvant Lasers boosting the special effects representation.

The usual suspects were also on the show floor with the likes of Robe, ADJ, Claypaky and

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Sennheiser occupying space, alongside regional distributors such as Masterpiece, Venuetech, Provision AVL and Procom.

There were some products making their regional debut during the show. First up was MA Lighting’s grandMA3 – the brand’s flagship console released earlier this year – which features ground-breaking concepts, presented within a refined user interface, and is designed to make practical tasks more intuitive.

Next, was Robe’s Esprite. It’s the first in a new series of Robe luminaires to feature fully

replaceable/transferable white source LED engines. Thanks to this powerful LED light source and a highly efficient optical system, the fixture has an output of 27,000 lumens.

TECS Event Services also introduced Broadweigh bluetooth – a game-changing solution for riggers who want to monitor loads on small-scale applications and have the data sent straight to their mobile phone or tablet.

Other highlights at the exhibition included the Area Four Industries stand, which was populated with all eight of the company’s brands

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Oppsite: ROE Visual Marketing Manager, Marina Prak and team; Even2’s Thorsten Siebers, Charlotte Wuellner and Alex Franzetti; Masterpiece’s Alok Ghurde, Simon Daniel, Filippos Degaitas and colleague; NMK Electronics’ Darren Caithness and Alex Kemanes. Above: Mika Isotalo and Jan Thomé from Aura Audio; the Yildrim team; Kvant Lasers’ Michal Rezek, Richard Sramek and colleagues; Safwan Kammoun of Venuetech and Elation’s Frederik Afif; SSL’s Philippe Guerinet.

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PROLIGHT + SOUND

Highlite’s Raymond Paes (right) and colleague; Elie Battah from Robe Middle East; Claypaky’s Egor Popovski; The ADJ team; GALA PRO AV’s Rukshan ‘Rukie’ Jumath with AVISS Group’s Sanjeev Singh and Lavoce’s Alexander Kroworz; Mark Cooper and Duncan Wilkinson-King from SES Global.

– MILOS, LITEC, JTE, TOMCAT, EXE Technology, Mobiltechlifts, Xstage and Xtruss.

ROE Visual also attended the show, with the aim to raise more interest in the Middle East market for its innovative LED products. “Apart from presenting our latest products, our presence at the show aimed to play into the growing demand for audiovisual technology in the Middle East and Saudi Arabia specifically,” stated Glory Gao, Deputy Sales Director for ROE Visual.

“The region is witnessing more demand for immersive environments and experiential

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branding, which calls for high-quality, innovative LED products, like our fine pitch LED solutions and 4K platforms.”

Long-term supporter, Unusual Rigging was also back this year, but co-exhibited with Doughty Engineering and SIXTY82 for the first time. “From experience, PL+S ME is a well organised show that attracts the right people,” said Denis Bramhall, Managing Partner at Unusual Rigging & Engineering. “We look forward to meeting up with new and familiar faces, making the most of the networking opportunities that

the show provides and, of course, demonstrating a selection of products on the stand.”

Julian Chiverton, Sales Director for Doughty added: “This is the first time we’ll be showing the Fifty Clamp and Scaff Boom Arm in the region, so we are looking forward to hearing what visitors have to say about these new items.

“They have been big hits in the UK and Europe, but Prolight + Sound Middle East puts us in front of a very different audience and it’s great to understand what’s important to our customers in this part of the world.” The customary seminar

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Procom’s George Germanos, Lars Toonen of Prolyte, Roberto Mataloni and Luigi Paoloni of FBT; Tobias Harst and André Bragard-De Naeyer of ASM Steuerungstechnik; Abrar T. Albaba and Melissa Charlier from Showtex; SIXTY82’s Fokko Smeding with Unusual Rigging’s Denis Bramhall, Doughty’s Julian Chiverton and colleagues.

programme took place again this year, with one of the headline sessions delivered by Shaun Vorster, Vice President – Programming, Expo 2020 Dubai. He discussed what is required to produce ‘the world’s greatest show’, as well as how Expo 2020 will impact local businesses and the entertainment industry and what opportunities the event will bring.

Prolight + Sound Middle East also offered free-to-attend certified workshops by reputed institutions Audinate and Harman Professional, and the inaugural Sample Music Festival – a

dedicated event for DJ’ing, turntables, controllers and live sampling. Guests were able to get a first look at the latest gear, attend showcase presentations, meet international artists and participate in workshops.

As the exhibition drew to a close, show organiser, Messe Frankfurt announced that the show would be taking a break in 2020, and returning in January 2021 – the same time as the NAMM tradeshow in Anaheim.

Speculation over whether Expo 2020 was the reason for the date change was rife, but nothing

was officially confirmed. A January dateline, just weeks away from two of the largest tradeshows in the calendar these days – NAMM and ISE – might not be the best move for the show in terms of attracting international visitors and exhibitors, but only time will tell.

Prolight + Sound Middle East will take a break in 2020 but will return to the Dubai World Trade Centre in 2021. The dateline will be moved to 24-26 January.

Photos: TPMEA www.prolightsoundme.com

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INSIDE LOOK

MATTHEW TONKS, TAIT TPMEA CATCHES UP WITH TAIT’S UK-BASED SENIOR BID MANAGER TO DISCUSS THE COMPANY’S WORK IN THE MIDDLE EAST AND THE LATEST DEVELOPMENTS WITHIN THE ORGANISATION.

World-renowned staging specialist, TAIT have become a dominant force throughout the live events sector. Whether it’s creating stage sets for acts such as Taylor Swift or Beyoncé or working on massive global events such as the Olympic Games, there is little the company can’t help to create.

It’s an exciting time for the company who, recently announced the acquisition of UK-based

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staging specialist Brilliant Stages, as well as automation manufacturer Kinesys.

It’s little surprise that TAIT has also had its fair share of experience with the vibrant Middle East events sector, working with productions including La Perle by Dragone amongst many other instillations in the UAE, Saudi Arabia and Oman. One of the key players within TAIT’s infrastructure pushing its presence in the Middle

East is Matthew Tonks, who spoke to TPMEA about his experience in the region.

How long have you been with TAIT? I have worked in the London office for 18 years, and in that time have seen massive changes.

When I joined, I was the company’s 23rd employee. Now I am part of a global team of more than 800, with over 200 staff in the UK.

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La Perle by Dragone.

Why did TAIT decide on Dubai as one of its bases?

A few years ago, Franco Dragone teamed up with Al Habtoor Group to create the amazing production that is now La Perle. We worked on several productions with Franco and were fortunate enough to win a significant contract to supply automation for the show in Dubai.

While working there, we recognised how prominent live event productions were in the region and began seeing increased opportunities; thus, we created the Dubai office to support these. We have since completed several more installation projects in Dubai and elsewhere across the Middle East.

What other memorable projects you have worked on in the Middle East?

One of the other significant projects recently completed is the King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture in Dharan, Saudi Arabia. This architecturally stunning cultural facility, designed by Snøhetta for Saudi Aramco, was commissioned before the more recent changes in Saudi were introduced to create more entertainment and cultural facilities. It includes a fully equipped proscenium arch theatre, a small cinema and a great hall for events.

TAIT supplied stage machinery and automation, working with local partners First Gulf Company. This particular project was complicated

by main contractor Saudi Oger going out of business part of the way through the contract.

Our rentals team have supplied highperformance performer flying equipment for several events in UAE in recent years. Typically, we get involved when the required equipment and skills are not available in the local market.

What makes TAIT different to other stage engineering and automation providers in the Middle East?

We can provide a large range of services to support artists and their creative teams. Our client list reads like a who’s who of the global entertainment industry, although many of our clients swear us to secrecy.

We are unique because we can provide a complete package, from the original creative concept all the way through to a finished high-quality installation, using equipment manufactured by us in UK and USA, and then provide support to the owners and operators.

Many of the other providers of stage machinery and automation in the region are system integrators, who do not have the knowledge, skills and resources that TAIT provides.

What are the main challenges of TAIT’s Middle East operation?

Performing arts buildings are usually complex and require a highly qualified team to ensure

that the project progresses successfully. While our main bases of operation remain in the US and UK, our team has always been exported around the globe to work remotely as required for each project.

Due to the location and timely manner of our work, we often face the challenge of arranging visas, work permits and other travel logistics – especially when schedules often change at the very last minute. Finding highly skilled local crews under these time constraints can also be challenging.

How will the Kinesys acquisition affect your offering in the region?

Kinesys equipment is already available to rent through local partners in UAE. However, now as they are part of the TAIT group, it is more likely that Kinesys equipment will be included in our installation projects in the future.

What does the future hold for TAIT in the Middle East?

We are excited that the Middle East continues to be part of our global market and we look forward to future opportunities in that region. We are working on a major installation for one of the iconic pavilions at Expo 2020, which is, of course, the focus of a great deal of activity now in Dubai.

Photos: TAIT www.taittowers.com

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TECH PROFILE

TECH PROFILE

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PARTY IN THE PARK HEADLINED BY LEGENDARY DJ FATBOY SLIM WITH SUPPORT FROM THE LIKES OF RICHARD ASHCROFT AND LIGHTHOUSE FAMILY, PARTY IN THE PARK IS A BONA FIDE BRITISH-STYLE MUSIC FESTIVAL IN THE HEART OF DUBAI MEDIA CITY. PETER IANTORNO MEETS THE TEAM THAT MAKES IT HAPPEN.

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TECH PROFILE

Multi-award-winning British big beat legend, Norman Cook has been performing under his Fatboy Slim alias for 23 years now. A master in the art of injecting a party atmosphere whatever the venue, whenever Fatboy Slim comes to town, one thing is for sure: everyone is going to have one hell of a party.

Having performed in Dubai a number of times over the years, the emirate has become something of a regular haunt for Cook and, as he prepared to bring his inimitable brand of energetic electronica back to the UAE for the headline slot at Party in the Park at Dubai’s Media City Amphitheatre, TPMEA caught up with the long-serving Fatboy Slim team.

Checking in during soundcheck the evening before the show, we met Proper Productions’ Production Director, Mark Ward, who has been working with Cook for the past 11 years. “When I started working with Norm, we agreed on two things: first, we wouldn’t be out of the house for

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more than two weeks at a time; and second, we would make sure that wherever we go, we have a damn good time,” he began. “Norm doesn’t need to work. He doesn’t live an extravagant lifestyle.

He does it because he enjoys it – and so do we!”

Ward was in a remarkably relaxed mood considering that there had been a late change to the line-up, which meant that Fatboy Slim’s headline slot, which was originally planned to take place on Thursday 31 October, had been moved a day later to the Friday. The change came after The Kooks, who were set to headline the Friday slot, were forced to pull out due to their lead singer, Luke Pritchard, suffering a back injury.

“This kind of thing happens all the time,” Ward commented on the alteration. “Everybody responded to it with alacrity, which is all that anyone can ask for. Norm is totally flexible. It’s one of the reasons why we love working with him so much.” And it’s not just flexibility that makes Fatboy Slim a pleasure to work with. Over

many years on the road, the DJ has become well accustomed to giving the crowd what they want and, according to Ward, that only helps boost the fun factor.

“There is no point in trying to take people on a long deep house trip when they just want to hear the hits,” Ward said. “Norm totally gets that he’s paid to make sure that everyone has a good time. He’s not going to do that by playing all the latest white labels and trying to look cool; he does it by playing the hits and jumping around all over the stage.”

Ward expanded on Cook’s animated style of delivery, explaining how the production is tailored to make the most of the DJ’s energy and charisma. “It’s really rare for a DJ to have a console that isn’t mostly about hiding them from the audience,” he noted, alluding to the simple, stripped-down stage setup used on the show.

“The thing with Norm is he’s doing everything live and he wants the audience to see that. He

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TECH PROFILE

Top left: Lighting Designer, Dave Ross; Top right: eclipse Staging Services’ Senior Audio Engineer, Wissam Shaheen and Project Manager, Ghanim Williams; Above left: Senior Lighting Technician, Sam Connolly.

wants to get close to the audience, he wants to establish the connection – that is the biggest difference between him and lots of other DJs. He’s an exhibitionist.”

The Production Director continued: “We’re not creating something new or trying to turn the show into something it’s not. Everything we do is done with the goal of taking what Norm is already doing and communicating it more effectively to the people watching.”

CHAMPION SOUND Tasked with delivering a full audio, lighting and video package for the festival was eclipse Staging Services. Project Manager, Ghanim Williams showed TPMEA around the Media City Amphitheatre before doors opened on Friday morning. “It’s a fantastic venue to put on a festival,” he commented, as we sheltered at FOH

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from the already sweltering mid-morning sun.

A relative newcomer to eclipse, having joined the company earlier this year, Williams was “blown away” by the attention to detail of his crew throughout the setup process.

One key crewmember who was integral to the success of the show was Senior Audio Engineer, Wissam Shaheen. He ran TPMEA through the audio package, which was a full d&b audiotechnik system, with the main PA hang comprising 16 J-Series per side, with six J-SUBs per side also flown. The ground package was made up of six J-INFRAs, four J-SUBs and eight V-SUBs, ground stacked, while eight VSeries per side were used as out fills and four V7Ps were utilised as front fills.

“We split the subs half flown, and half ground stacked, which meant that both the live bands and DJs were catered for,” Shaheen explained.

“The benefit of this is that you get more control over the subs – it’s an element on its own, but everything is also completely aligned and optimised to work together. It meant we could achieve the punchy dance music feel but also spread the energy across the venue evenly.”

Shaheen noted that while he would often use Y point sources for front fills, he decided to go with V7Ps on this show to make sure that the hardcore fans in the pit were well catered for.

“They really pack a punch and deliver a powerful sound,” he said. “They also keep the sound consistent between the main rig using the Js and the front fills.”

d&b’s ArrayProcessing – a favourite tool of Shaheen’s – was again utilised in the audio setup. “This helped us minimise slap-back from the buildings behind the VIP area, which can be pretty annoying for the artists,” he explained.

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“The VIPs still get the full hit of sound, but then it just rolls off smoothly before it reaches the buildings behind so the bounce back is minimised.”

The system also helped level out the sound throughout the venue, despite it being on a slope. “It’s 48m from downstage to the end of the grassy area where most of the audience stand, and there’s a 2m incline over that distance,” Shaheen noted. “It’s nothing drastic, but ArrayProcessing was handy in making sure everything was even.”

Shaheen produced the mix for Fatboy Slim, as well as the local artists who performed on the night. “It was good for us to mix on our own system,” he said. “It’s always nice to mix on the system that you have designed and installed.” And Fatboy Slim’s Production Director, Ward, was also pleased with the result. “The mix isn’t massively sub heavy – we’re not trying to do a dub show. It’s hi-fi,” he commented. “The audience needs to be able to hear the nuance of it.” He added that after more than a decade touring to far-flung destinations all over the world, he’s “not fussy” about the specifics of the audio setup. “All we ask of a system is that it is well maintained and that the people who built it know what they are doing – and we’ve certainly had no problems in that regard.”

It was a busy day for the eclipse Staging Services audio department, with the likes of Richard Ashcroft and Lighthouse Family as well as a selection of local artists including The Boxtones, The Supernovas, Andreah and

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TECH PROFILE

Hollaphonic performing on a packed line-up. This, of course, meant that monitor world was a rather busy place.

With 16 d&b M4s, six M2s, eight V8s, four V-SUBs and 10 D80s utilised, Senior Audio Engineer, Tariq Al Hassan dubbed it, “a pretty extensive setup”. Meanwhile for control, a DiGiCo SD8 was used for Fatboy Slim as well as the opening acts, while a DiGiCo SD12 was used for Richard Ashcroft and an Avid Profile was utilised for Lighthouse Family. IEMs came in the form of eight channels of Shure PSM 1000, while 10 channels of Shure UR4D provided the radio mics.

“The number of acts is a challenge, but we’re co-ordinating everything,” reflected Al Hassan.

Meanwhile for Ward, monitors aren’t a major concern. “Norm only uses them for timing really,”

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he commented. “It’s not like he’s trying to mix basslines and it’s not about him having a private party up there either. I get why some DJs need to really feel it to get them motivated, but that isn’t where Norm takes his motivation from. He gets motivated by the crowd reaction.”

WEAPON OF CHOICE As ever with a Fatboy Slim production, video content played a massive part throughout the show. Dubbed by Ward as a “video genius”, the man who’s been behind Fatboy Slim’s video content for the best part of a decade is Digital Content Creator and Video Operator, Bob Jaroc.

He explained his process: “There’s a mixture of content – some from me and some from Norm’s laptop,” Jaroc began. “It’s a combination

of cameras, which I mix over the top of video, synced footage from Serato and busked footage from Resolume, which resides on a Macbook Pro with two MIDI controllers at the side of stage.”

eclipse Staging Services provided the impressive 15m by 8.5m, 4.9mm pitch, LED screen, which was rigged as the backdrop to the stage and used to display Jaroc’s imaginative and striking visuals. Meanwhile two 6m by 3.6m, 9mm pitch ROE Visual LEDs powered by Green Hippo V4 Taiga were used for IMAGs. “eclipse has been great,” Jaroc commented. “Our rider is probably more straightforward than many, but everything went really smoothly.”

Jaroc has gained a reputation over the years as a master of busking shows, and he explained why this is so important when it comes to

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working with Fatboy Slim. “Norm is very much a ‘DJing DJ’,” he confirmed. “We don’t get a setlist – it’s very much a busked show.” Jaroc explained that a lot of the tracks have got video “striped onto them”, so when they are played, the video comes out in time, “in the way that I decided to make it when I was in the studio”.

He added: “A lot of the time, tracks will start off with me busking them, then Norm will keep that track in the set. I have a bunch of clips that are for busking – stuff that I’ve made that I can mix live. But if that gets included in the set, then that gets taken away, printed onto the track and I can’t use it again until that track gets retired.

Sometimes the visuals will live on, on another track, or the track will be released back to me in parts and I get to then busk with it again.”

Jaroc revealed that sometimes Cook “goes off-piste” and “plays something completely new” that none of the crew has ever heard. In that situation, Jaroc’s extensive content creation work

in the studio becomes invaluable. “I spend a lot of time making material that’s not specifically for Norm’s show, but I know that if I need it, it’s not going to take a lot of work to get it to a point where it can be used for Norm,” he revealed.

“I think of it like having a stock – It’s bubbling away nicely and, when I need it, I just need to put it back onto the stove, add a couple of ingredients and turn up the heat.”

With no setlist to take his cues from, Jaroc has to come up with alternative ways of preparing himself for what’s coming next – one of which is by turning the robo cam that is usually used to get a close-up of Cook to see the DJ’s screen. “The only thing I know for sure is that it’s going to be at 128bmp, because everything is. So, if I’m going to busk it, I’d better have something ready,” he said.

And video wasn’t Jaroc’s only role on the night – he also uses his lighting-fast reactions to call the lasers and SFX. “All those years I spent

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playing computer games had to go to some kind of use,” he laughed. “It’s always nice to leave some space for lasers within the video and lighting, otherwise it’s just like everybody fighting for the audience’s attention. For example, on this show, we’re leaving the first songs relatively dark so the lasers can do their thing.”

While video will always be a huge part of the production, Jaroc pointed to Cook’s constant interplay with the audience as a major factor that makes a Fatboy Slim show special. “Norm is great at making a connection with the crowd and reacting to what they want to hear,” he commented. “He doesn’t want to be hidden away behind a temple of solitude. That’s why his riser isn’t dressed. If he had his way, he’d be dangled on a massive fishing rod just above the crowd!”

RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW Party in the Park was unusual for the Fatboy Slim team, as their regular Lighting Designer, Stephen

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TECH PROFILE

Abbiss – who Jaroc described as “the king of busking” – was unable to attend the festival due to other commitments. Thankfully, the team had a very able stand-in arranged: Dave Ross, who is best known for his work as Lighting Designer for Aphex Twin.

“I step in whenever Abbiss is busy,” began Ross, who has been working on and off with the Fatboy Slim team for around three years. “It’s a very happy camp to be part of.” Jaroc added: “Dave is a great fit. You can’t have someone who only works with big chunks of timecode. Dave is a killer at busking as well, so it works well.”

Just as Jaroc had to be on his toes with video throughout the set, Ross also had his hands full keeping pace with the unpredictable DJ – something he’s no stranger to. “Aphex Twin is pretty much two hours of randomness, so I’m used to the busking element,” he commented.

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“A lot of LDs prefer to work with timecode, but the fact that we’re all riding the show makes everything much more dynamic.”

The main rig comprised 18 Claypaky Sharpy Wash 330s, 18 Sharpys, 16 Stormy CCs, 16 Martin

by Harman MAC Viper Profiles, 34 MAC Aura LED Washes, 24 Vari-Lite VL3500 Washes as well as 24 650W Thomas 4 Lite Molefay blinders and two 1,000W PAR 64 Long Nose Black fixtures. Two Robert Juliat Followspots were utilised, along with two MDG Max 5000 APS smoke machines and three Smoke Factory Tour Hazer 2s.

Meanwhile for control, the Fatboy Slim team specified an MA Lighting grandMA3 full size at FOH with a grandMA3 light as back up. eclipse Staging Services’ Senior Lighting Technician, Sam Connolly, who was on LD duties for all of the acts apart from Fatboy Slim, was impressed with the lighting console. “I like the new touchscreens

and the new layout,” he commented. “It’s pretty responsive and easy to use.”

Commenting on the design of the show, Ross said he focused on producing mainly “big audience looks”. He commented: “There aren’t too many typical set pieces, but there are plenty of memorable moments. We use a lot of silhouette for Norman. He looks dynamic, always striking a pose. It works better in silhouette than being key lit.”

Ross expanded on the importance of video, stating that his lighting was designed mainly to complement the video, rather than overshadow it. “We try to synchronise with what the video is doing,” he commented.

“The video content for Eat, Sleep, Rave, Repeat, for example, is very striking, so we try not to do too much with the lighting during that one.

We make sure there’s enough room for every

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department to shine,” he continued. “We don’t have loads of lights, video and lasers all at the same time – except at the end of the show, when we say, ‘if you’ve got a button, press it!’”

WONDERFUL NIGHT In a city that craves genuine, down-to-earth musical experiences, Party in the Park is a breath of fresh air. The unfortunate withdrawal of The Kooks, which saw the festival cut from two days to one, served only to galvanise the rest of the acts, who shared a packed and eclectic line-up that offered something for everyone – from the uplifting tunes of Lighthouse Family, to the anarchic anthems of Richard Ashcroft. And by the time Fatboy Slim left the stage to rapturous applause after a typically energetic headline performance, there was no doubt that the crowd had been treated to a spectacularly original and authentic show.

“Every show is different. Mixes change from one show to the next. We’ve got no idea what’s going to happen half of the time, and that’s why we all love doing it,” Ward reflected. “In all my time working with Norm, I have never seen him be average – he simply doesn’t know how. He’s old-school, he’s a showman and he’s always on.”

Photos: eclipse Staging Services & TPMEA www.partyinthepark.ae www.fatboyslim.net www.properproductions.org www.eclipsestagingservices.ae

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WAKE UP CALL WITH LUXURIOUS HOTEL SURROUNDINGS AND HIGH-END PRODUCTION VALUES TO MATCH, WAKE UP CALL IS A MUSIC FESTIVAL THAT’S THOROUGHLY BEFITTING THE GLITZ AND GLAMOUR OF DUBAI. TPMEA REPORTS…

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Top left: eclipse Staging Services’ Rigger, Alden Burata and Junior Rigger, Reagan Hamor; Top right: Head of Project Management, Duncan Shortt; Above left: Senior Engineer, Geno Welburn; Above right: Head of Video, Richard Bearpark and Senior Technician, Jake Pettit.

Say the term ‘music festival’ and immediately the mind conjures images of camping in muddy fields with less-than-desirable facilities.

However, for Wake Up Call, the high-end music festival held recently inside the grounds of the luxuriously appointed W Dubai – The Palm, this image couldn’t be further from the truth. Held over three days from 10-12 October, the event starred the likes of Rita Ora – an artist fast becoming a Dubai live events regular, having appeared a number of times and shot the video to her song New Look in the emirate – as well as Rüfüs Du Sol and Disclosure.

Organised by IMG Live, Wake Up Call drew an expectant crowd comprising a mixture of hotel guests, VIPs and day pass holders. And when it came to living up to lofty expectations, eclipse Staging Services was more than up to the task. “I first hooked up with IMG Live a couple of years ago when we collaborated with them on the Gwen Stefani concert at the Renaissance Downtown Hotel,” began eclipse Staging Services’ Head of Project Management, Duncan Shortt.

Unlike conventional festival locations, the concept for Wake Up Call was to have the festival

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inside the W Dubai – The Palm, located on the hotel’s exclusive private beach. Although the team at eclipse is well accustomed to working in similar surroundings, Shortt admitted that the venue presented something of a challenge.

“The biggest challenge was the fact that there was around a 2m drop-off from the high end of the beach down to the water line, and at high tide there was a good 6m worth of stage in the water,” he commented. “We ended up building to about 26m wide. It certainly made us come up with a different way of thinking, as we knew that the water would be coming up higher than where you would normally want your sub array to be, in between the PA towers.” After the initial site visit and some work on WYSIWYG, Shortt decided that the simplest solution was to build a shelf above the water level for the subs to sit on. “It was an interesting one,” he recalled.

Al Laith was brought in to handle staging, and Shortt was nothing but complimentary about the company. “They are my go-to for anything of this kind of size,” he began. “I can rely on them and that everything is going to be considered in terms of health and safety.

We’ve worked side by side on all sorts, from tiny projects up to large-scale events such as the Special Olympics. The work is easy when you have good long-term relationships such as this.”

Due to the nature of the venue, Shortt noted that space was at a premium throughout the event. “We didn’t have the luxury of space.

Between Disclosure and Rita Ora – their two central risers alone were almost 5m by 5m, 6m all the way around the central back wall,” he explained that everything had to rotate.

“We couldn’t just roll it down a ramp off the back of the stage otherwise it’d have been straight into the sand.”

The tide also proved a challenge when it came to flying the PA. “The way the stage was designed, one of the PA towers was in the water at least twice per day for several hours, so the opportunity to lay it down on the beach then drag it up through the sand was simply not there,” he commented. “We had to make sure that we had enough stage built in front of the PA tower so we could build it one box at a time.”

One of the defining features of the event was the large FOH tower, which was used as a

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Above left: Rigging Head of Department, Max Bagehorn; Above right: Senior Audio Engineers, Wissam Shaheen and Tariq Al Hassan.

structure to mount audio, lighting and video elements. “It was pretty hefty,” the PM recalled.

Due to the open-air nature of the venue, the FOH tower ensured there was enough front lighting – “It gave us enough height to put a front lighting truss in, from which we hung eight Robe BMFLs to fire in some front light,” Shortt added that broadcast-quality front lighting was vital, with the show being streamed live on YouTube.

BRIGHTER eclipse Staging Services’ Senior Engineer, Geno Welburn, walked TPMEA through the extensive lighting package, which comprised 16 Claypaky A.LEDA B-EYE K10 LED Washes, 20 Sharpy Wash 330s, 30 Sharpys, and 14 Stormy CCs, along with 19 Martin by Harman MAC Viper Profiles and 26 SGM P-5 LED Washes. Two Lycian Stage Lighting 1295 followspots were specified for Rita Ora’s performance, while the majority of front lighting was provided by the aforementioned Robe BMFL

Blades rigged to FOH. “We needed something extremely bright for this and the BMFLs had the perfect reach,” Welburn commented.

Meanwhile, a further 12 Claypaky A.LEDA B-EYE K10 LED Washes and 20 SGM P-5 LED Washes were used to illuminate the VIP deck and FOH, while the DJ/Wet Deck package comprised eight Claypaky Mythos 2s, 16 CHAUVET Professional COLORado 1-Tri IP-66 rated LED Washes and a ChamSys MagicQ MQ100 Pro.

For control, Welburn specified three MA Lighting grandMA2s – one full-size and two lights. “This allowed us to switch between the various artists throughout the festival easily,” he commented. “The grandMA2 is very user-friendly and all the incoming LDs requested them.”

As is to be expected on multi-artist events such as this, a different floor package was specified for each headliner. “We had three different floor packages – for Rita Ora, Disclosure and Rüfüs Du Sol,” Welburn commented, noting

that his favourite look of the weekend came during Rüfüs Du Sol’s set.

“We had the Mac Auras shining up through the see-through perspex of the risers, which created quite a cool effect,” he recalled.

“Sometimes it’s the simple tricks like that, which you don’t necessarily see very often, that work out to be the most effective.”

In terms of challenges, Welburn wasn’t fazed at all by the location, although he did admit that the weather made things difficult. “There was a torrential downpour on the second day which was challenging – it came from nowhere!”

The deluge didn’t last long, and by the time the crowds arrived, and the show started, Welburn was able to appreciate the beauty of the unique venue. “It’s a fantastic location on the edge of The Palm, with boats sailing past during the day,” he reminisced.

On the visual side, Rita Ora’s energetic performance was highlighted by a range of

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special effects including Galaxis G-Flames, Showven sparkulars and Magic FX CO2 jets with the support of Stage FX, while Laser FX delivered the lasers for Rüfüs Du Sol. WHITE NOISE Another of the original team members who worked on the previous IMG Live Gwen Stefani show, eclipse Staging Services’ Senior Audio Engineer, Wissam Shaheen, pointed out that Wake Up Call was “on a much bigger scale”.

Befitting the larger operation, Shaheen spec’d a full d&b audiotechnik sound system.

“We went with 10 J8s and two J12s per side,” he noted. For the sub arrays, the engineer specified 12 J-SUBs and six J-INFRAs, ground stacked and spaced equally across 18m.

Four d&b Y10Ps were used for front fills in the same configuration, which ensured that everyone in the crowd got the same audio experience.

“The hardcore fans are always going to be right at the front and we want them to get the same wide stereo experience,” Shaheen commented. “The Y10Ps really helped with that.”

The delay tower – which was located 40m away from stage – was rigged with six d&b V8s and two V12s per side to “extend the sound a bit further”. Shaheen noted: “We didn’t need to push

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it that hard because the Js on the main rig were already more than enough,” he continued. “I was 150m away from the stage and the sound was still crystal clear.” Amplification came courtesy of 26 D80 amplifiers.

The audio package was expanded for Rita Ora, with the addition of four d&b V-SUBs and four V12s split evenly as side fills. Similarly, Disclosure requested two additional V-SUBs and two V8s per side.

Shaheen relished the challenge of dealing with the 2m slope on the beach from an audio perspective. “Obviously, we couldn’t lower our right PA – it wouldn’t look right, and it would sound unbalanced anyway,” he began.

“Thankfully, d&b’s ArrayProcessing helped us a lot. It evened out the sound brilliantly across the venue without the need for any physical alterations in speaker positions.”

In fact, the engineer used the quirks of the venue to his advantage. “It was a very narrow venue – just 25m wide, which is basically the same as our sub array, so you can imagine that the sheer power from the sub was almost overwhelming.” What is more, working on the sand also helped boost the overall effect.

“Sand is an absorbent, acoustic-friendly material that doesn’t give much reflection at all,”

he added. “Everyone was really happy with the result. It sounded absolutely stunning.”

As well as the main crowd area, there was also a VIP deck house left, elevated by 3m to consider. “This was covered completely by the main PA,” Shaheen noted. “We had a point source allocated for it but, after testing the PA, we realised we didn’t need it. The sound was amazing throughout the venue.”

Shaheen worked closely with fellow Senior Audio Engineer and “the busiest man on the gig”, Tariq Al Hassan. Primarily stationed in monitor world, Al Hassan had to manage the masses of kit on the various artists’ riders. “We had three different engineers who wanted three different consoles,” he commented. “We provided an Avid S6L for Rita Ora, a DiGiCo SD8 for Disclosure and an Avid Profile Venue for Rüfüs Du Sol. Plus, we had the house DiGiCo SD11.” The latter handled the voice of gods and playback.

All three main consoles were matrixed through an SD-MiNi Rack, which was controlled by the house DiGiCo SD11. “They all had direct connection to the PA, which meant that each engineer was able to line check while another band was performing with no problem whatsoever,” Al Hassan commented. Meanwhile, the extensive IEM requirement was covered by a

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mixture of Shure and Sennheiser. “Rita Ora had 18 packs and Rüfüs Du Sol had 12,” noted Al Hassan.

DESERT NIGHT The video package comprised a 14m by 4m upstage centre screen made up of 114 DC 4.8mmpitch LED panels, an additional 13.2m by 1.8m banner screen located just above the central screen, and a 6.6m by 3.6m IMAG relay, which was rigged behind the large FOH tower to provide visuals for the rest of the beach.

The video supply at the Wet Deck comprised a ROE 9.6m by 1.2m LED screen at 9mm pixel pitch that resided in the DJ booth. Content for the main screen, DJ risers as well as the Wet Deck, banner and relay screens was run by two Green Hippo Boreal V4s.

“It is the same screen we used on the Westlife show,” opened eclipse Staging Services’ Senior Technician, Jake Pettit. “This is the first time it has been rained on, so at least we know it’s waterproof! It stood up to the conditions well,” he said, reflecting on the freak rainstorm during set-up. “We’re cleaning it up now,” Pettit quipped, pointing to a group of technicians working away

busily. eclipse Staging Services’ Head of Video, Richard Bearpark, added: “We gave the touring crew detailed video schematics so they knew exactly what to expect and how they’d be able to integrate with our system ahead of time. We gave them pixel maps of exactly how the LED screens are mapped, so everything was very smooth.

Everyone was very happy with the result.”

The main challenge as far as Pettit was concerned was the tough conditions, working through the heat, rain and humidity. “It’s part and parcel of living and working here in the UAE,” he reflected, stretching his arms out to draw attention to the sunburn he’d picked up from the job. “We’re used to it.”

eclipse Staging Services’ Rigging Head of Department, Max Bagehorn shared his take on the freak conditions. “The weather presented a challenge,” he commented.

“We wrapped all the fixtures and electric hoists to save them from the water. We were constantly monitoring the weather conditions – especially the wind. The PA hangs are always wired, so if the wind picks up too much, we can get them down quickly and safely. It’s a big

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consideration.” In all, nine 1,000kg and eight 500kg LIFTKET electric hoists with 21m chains were used.

“This wasn’t the biggest show for us in terms of rigging, but it certainly wasn’t the smallest either,” commented Bagehorn, who credited Rigger Alden Borata with doing most of the legwork throughout the festival.

Bagehorn was also keen to pay tribute to PM Duncan Shortt, who he described as the “driving force” behind the project. “Every project manager comes in with their own ideas and Duncan had a clear vision for what he wanted to do. It was my job to do the calculations and make sure everything was safe and worked well.”

Reflecting on a successful event, Shortt said he was “delighted” with how close the final build was to the initial drawings. “This was my baby.

All of the incoming acts loved the PA and were super-easy to work with. It sounded fantastic and the hotel was also really pleased.” www.eclipsestagingservices.ae www.stagefx.ae www.laserfx.ae www.wakeupcallfest.com

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www.adi.tv

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INSOMNIA DUBAI THE MIDDLE EAST’S BIGGEST EVER GAMING FESTIVAL SEES A NEW GENERATION OF ESPORTS PLAYERS AND GAMING ENTHUSIASTS DESCEND ON DUBAI’S MEYDAN GRANDSTAND. TPMEA IS ON-SITE TO FIND OUT MORE…

For everyone except those who have been living under a rock for the past decade, the unstoppable rise of gaming and eSports has been impossible to ignore. With social gaming more popular than ever and professional eSports now a viable career for some of the most talented youngsters, the days of gaming being only for geeks are well and truly over.

Catering to the hordes of young techies was Insomnia Dubai – the Middle East’s biggest gaming festival.

A spin-off from the wildly successful Insomnia UK, which welcomes more than 100,000 visitors each year, Insomnia Dubai was a three-day gaming extravaganza held at Meydan Grandstand – the venue originally built to stage the world’s richest horse race, the Dubai World Cup. The festival saw a wide range of activities, including virtual reality experiences, eSports tournaments and meet and greets with stars of the gaming world, all centred around an impressive main stage, which hosted tributes to some of the world’s biggest games, public

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appearances from popular YouTubers such as the Sidemen and a performance from the singer of the original Pokémon theme song, Jason Paige.

Event hosts Global Event Management (GEM Events) enlisted the services of production company West End Worldwide to provide all content for the main stage, who in-turn brought on board designer Ben M Rogers for the main show stage lighting and video design. As doors opened and the first of what would be thousands of gaming fans streamed into the venue, TPMEA was on-site to meet Production Manager, Toby Darvill, who explained the concept and setup of the main stage.

“There is an incredibly wide variation of acts,” Darvill began – and he wasn’t wrong; as well as a range of musical performances, demonstrations and giveaways, the main stage hosted four tribute acts, to Fortnite, Assassin’s Creed, PUBG, and Overwatch.

“They are full 15-minute choreographed shows,” commented Darvill. “The shows have a lot of acrobatic elements in them, and we see the

performers flying off the decking platforms on the sides of the stage. It’s pretty impressive stuff.”

Darvill talked TPMEA through the specifics of the setup, drawing particular attention to the video elements. “Video is a good place to start, since the backdrop for the stage is made up pretty much entirely of LED panels,” he smiled.

“The main stage screens comprised a total of 308 Absen 3.9mm LED panels (50cm by 50cm), while for the large central IMAG, 50 Absen 2.9mm LED panels (50cm by 50cm) were utilised.

“All the video is running off disguise,” noted Darvill. “There are QLab Pro Audio and Video feeds running into that, which triggers some of the other content,” he said, adding that the crew used Resolume Avenue for VJ mapping on some of the performances.

When it came to audio, the 24m-high floorto-ceiling windows and hard marble floors of Meydan Grandstand provided quite a challenge – but one that Darvill’s team was more than up to. “The sound can easily reverberate off all the hard surfaces, but Josh Evans, our Production and

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Bottom left: Production Manager, Toby Darville and Lighting Director, Stephen Hoy.

Sound Engineer, has done a brilliant job with the audio setup,” commented Darvill. “It’s not easy, but we like a challenge.”

L-Acoustics was chosen for the main PA, with 12 dV-DOSC line array speakers split evenly left and right. Subs came in the form of four SB218s, while six LA8 amplifiers were utilised and four 5XTs were purposed as front fills. Six Martin Audio LE400C wedges were used for monitors.

Meanwhile, a Yamaha QL5 at FOH was utilised for control.

With a two-person stage management team backstage, a local sound team and FOH all needing to keep in regular contact throughout

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the three-day festival, comms was a vital part of the production. To ensure constant connectivity, eight ways of Clear-Com FreeSpeak were used.

“The nature of the festival means that things can often change, and we need to be able to communicate with stage management and react to any changes quickly,” commented Darvill. “We use the same system on a lot of theatre shows, and the reliability is always fantastic – speech is crystal clear.”

Since the festival was open during both the daytime and evening, the lighting setup had to be flexible enough to work in both bright daylight and darkness. Controlled from an MA Lighting

grandMA2 full size stationed at FOH, the main stage rig comprised seven Martin by Harman MAC Viper Performances, 16 Claypaky Sharpys, seven Claypaky Alpha Wash HPE 1200 Moving Heads and 14 Cyclops Lighting CPX91 LEDs.

Darvill was keen to thank several people who were essential to the success of the event, including Stephen Hoy, who was on Lighting Director duties throughout the three-day festival – “he also does some VJing and is a handy electrician, too.”

Darvill also paid tribute to Grant Murphy, who directed and choreographed the shows on the main stage, and West End Worldwide’s Lucy

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Magee, without whom, “the show simply would not have happened”.

Summing up, Darvill was proud of how the crew had performed in the challenging environment. “Tight schedules can sometimes be a challenge and every one of the acts has their own requirements, which certainly keeps us busy,” he noted. “We have done a lot of work in the region – in Abu Dhabi’s Yas Mall, for example – and I still find it exciting. The teams we work with out here are always spot on.”

And it’s a good job that Darvill enjoys the Middle East, because work in the region is coming thick and fast – the next project being Insomnia Saudi Arabia, from 27 to 30 November. “Insomnia Saudi Arabia is taking place as part of the Riyadh Festival,” commented Darvill. “It’ll be a similar sort of layout, but very different acts and potentially even bigger than this. We’re very much looking forward to it.”

Photos: West End Worldwide & TPMEA www.insomniadubai.com www.westendworldwide.com www.geventm.com

photo credit: Stadium Wrocław

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ETC DUBAI – THE STUDIO WITH MORE THAN 40 YEARS WORKING WITHIN THE LIVE EVENTS INDUSTRY, THIS YEAR ETC LAUNCHES ITS FIRST BASE IN THE MIDDLE EAST, ETC DUBAI – THE STUDIO. PETER IANTORNO IS ON-SITE TO CHECK OUT THE BRAND-NEW WORKSPACE.

ETC Founder Fred Foster always had lofty ambitions for the company. As the story goes, on Christmas Eve 1975, the fresh-faced student pitched the idea of a state-of-the-art lighting console to his college professor. “We’re going to make a lighting console and sell it to the Met!” he declared. With this statement of intention, ETC was born.

Foster would go on to fulfil his ambition of selling a lighting console to the Metropolitan Opera House in 1995. Skip forward some 44 years and, despite his sad passing earlier this year, as ETC opens its first office in the Middle East, ETC Dubai – The Studio, not even a visionary like Foster would have been bold enough to predict just how successful the company would go on to become.

With nearly 1,400 employees across 10 countries and upwards of 300 authorised service centres around the world, it was only a matter of time before ETC set up a permanent base in the Middle East.

“We’ve been involved in the region for a long time, and we decided that the time was right to give ourselves a base here,” Mark Larcombe, ETC’s Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East, told TPMEA at the launch of the new Dubai office.

“We’ve got offices in the US, UK, France, Italy,

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Germany, and there was a big gap in the middle of the world between Europe and Hong Kong where we didn’t have any representation.”

ETC already has a strong presence in the Middle East, with its equipment being used at a range of the region’s most illustrious venues, including the Burj Khalifa, Dubai Opera House and Dubai Parks and Resorts, as well as Oman’s Royal Opera House Muscat and Oman Convention & Exhibition Centre, and the Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Cultural Centre in Kuwait. “With all of these venues and many more using our equipment, we needed to help and support them more,” Larcombe commented.

As anyone who is familiar with ETC’s offices will know, they are never formulaic run-ofthe-mill affairs. “All of our global offices have something special about them,” Larcombe revealed. “Our reception space in London is a theatre, while in Madison, Wisconsin, we have what we call Town Square, which has got everything from a bank to a delicatessen.”

When it came the design of the new Dubai premises, ETC called upon the services of its Scenic Designer, Kate Foster – daughter of Founder, Fred Foster.

“We were very lucky to have Kate involved,” commented Larcombe. “She is very creative

and has worked on many of our other locations around the world. Although it was a very collaborative process, lots of the concepts and elements were her idea. We’ve gone for a layout that’s not typical of the Middle East. We wanted to create an interesting space that people remember – something with a ‘wow factor’.”

To that end, ETC’s design team set about creating the new office, which includes a black box space for product demonstrations, an area for console training sessions and is, of course, kitted out entirely with ETC fixtures. “From the moment you walk into the building, everything you see is ETC,” said Larcombe. “When you’re standing in the entrance, it feels like you’re on a stage. It’s different to anywhere else in Dubai.”

The first light that visitors see is the company’s Arc Pro One-Cell, controlled by the ETC Echo – the company’s architectural control system. “Next you see our rigging and architectural lights on our own track mount system, then you come into our meeting room and we’ve got ColorSource lights lighting the back wall with a Source Four LED Series 2 backlighting the window.”

Much more than simply an office, the new site serves multiple purposes. “It’s like walking into a permanent trade show stand. It’s not your typical office,” Larcombe added. “The

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demo space is really striking.” The new space is very much geared towards building product awareness – something Larcombe is an advocate of. “As technology moves on, we need to build product awareness and get people using our products to their full potential,” he commented.

“The best way to do that is through training.”

Of course, training isn’t a five-minute job.

“You need to have the right equipment, set up in the right way,” Larcombe noted. “That is exactly what this space provides. It allows us to have products here that we can use without having to worry about a day’s worth of setup time.” And a comfortable space for some time out during training days is just as important as the right technical setup. “It’s great to have the breakout space,” Larcombe said, as we sat in the office’s meeting area. “We’ve all done training courses before, and we know how intense they can get.”

Moving forwards, there are plans to build a dedicated, full-time team at the Dubai Studio

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whilst the space is currently being managed by ETC staff from different offices. “That’s the aim,” confirmed Larcombe. “It’s all about finding the right people for the job. These things take time.”

For the time being, The Studio will be used primarily for training sessions. In fact, the first are already pencilled in the calendar, with Eos sessions taking place on 18-19 and 20-21 November, and High End Systems Hog 4 training set for 9-10 and 11-12 December.

As well as a chance to check out the new space, the launch event also provided an opportunity to get hands-on demonstrations of some of the company’s newest innovations, including High End Systems’ new automated fixtures, SolaWash 1000, which features a full framing system and is available with either an Ultra-Bright or High CRI engine, as well as the TurboRay, which can be used as a powerful hard-edge beam or a narrow-angle wash light.

Meanwhile, The Studio’s black box space proved

ideal for its intended use as visitors were treated to a demonstration of Augment3d. The awardwinning 3D programming environment which is part of the Eos v3.0 software is designed to increase programming speed and dramatically improve workflow.

With the recent emergence of Saudi Arabia as a tourist destination and subsequent influx of work from the Kingdom, the new Middle East base came at just the right time. “The timing is spot on,” Larcombe said. “We see the massive potential of the country’s Vision 2030 project, and this is the perfect base to work from.”

As the launch event began to wind down, Larcombe reflected upon what is bound to be a period of growth for ETC in the Middle East. “We are really excited,” he beamed. “A lot of hard work has gone into this and to see so much positivity from the marketplace is really encouraging.”

Photos: TPMEA www.etcconnect.com

ETC DUBAI – THE STUDIO NOW OPEN Training and Product Demonstrations | Black Box

ETC Dubai – The Studio

ETC Dubai – The Studio Studio 2, Zee Tower, Media City, Dubai, UAE Sign up for new Eos and Hog console training sessions via etcconnect.com/Training Contact us at +44 (0)20 8896 1000 or email ETCDubai@etcconnect.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

NAMIBIAN ANNUAL MUSIC AWARDS TAKING PLACE AT THE DOME CONFERENCE CENTRE IN SWAKOPMUND, THE 2019 NAMIBIAN ANNUAL MUSIC AWARDS SEES ITS MOST AMBITIOUS PRODUCTION TO DATE. TPMEA REPORTS…

Widely acknowledged as the most successful event since the inaugural Namibian Annual Music Awards (NAMAs) in 2011, this year’s NAMAs took place on 9 September at The Dome in Swakopmund. With a wide range of eclectic performances, from an artist singing in a bubble-filled bathtub, to singers arriving on stage aboard motorbikes and horses, the technical had to be spot on to match the ambitious production.

While Swakopmund is a beautiful city in Namibia, nestled between a desert on one side and the Atlantic Ocean on the other, the location

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was chosen for more practical reasons. The Dome Conference Centre is 100m long, 65m wide and 22m high at the apex, and was the only venue in the country able to cater for a show of this size, while the roof trusses, every 5m, were useful for rigging purposes.

For the fourth consecutive year, Michael Lehr of Eventplus played an instrumental role in the production. “I got on board with the event in 2015 as Production Manager, but since 2016 we have also taken on the production design, stage management, overall production management and all technical logistics and operation,” he

explained. “Our client is Rockstar Namibia, and we worked closely with Jandre Louw, Executive Producer, whose artistic concept was to create a spectacular platform, extremely visual and LED dominated, with some very special stunt performances in the mix.”

Lehr explained that his process begins by interpreting the client’s vision from a design point of view before trying to create a new visual approach each year to keep the production fresh and exciting. “It is also very important not to ‘over design’ and to keep in the realm of practicality,” he said. “Other parameters are obviously

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

availability of equipment and budget. This year it all went smoothly, with very few adjustments made during set-up. We landed up with the show looking exactly as the initial drawings presented to the client.”

The biggest challenges were the performance stunts. “The Flying Eagle rig and the rain rig took a bit to get fine-tuned, but they worked out very well in the end,” Lehr recalled. Performer Sally Boss Madam was seen flying on the 5m by 6m bird built by Scenic Art in Pretoria, South Africa.

The stunt rig was designed and provided by Roy Wood of Rigology in Durban, with stunt riggers Ian Freemantle and Siyabonga Mkhize executing on site.

A further highlight was the performance of hip-hop rapper Skrypt, who delivered his two songs I Got It and Clinical Bars while standing in the rain under a custom-designed ‘rain rig’ – “another first for this part of the world”.

Meanwhile, Y-Cliff sung his hit song Drowning in

My Feelings while sitting in a bubble bath.

The NAMAs committee brief is that the event must be an ‘all-Namibian event’, which means all resources should ideally come from Namibia.

Once again, rental company MikelJes, led by owner Michael Vermeulen, was commissioned as the main technical supplier. “MikelJes draws on all resources available in Namibia from other suppliers with only a very limited amount of specialised equipment sourced from South Africa,” said Lehr.

“We were lucky enough that Duncan Riley of DWR Distribution made a brand-new MA Lighting grandMA3 light system available to us, as there is no lighting control system of this size available in Namibia. What a wonderful desk! The LD was delighted,” Lehr commented.

MikelJes also recently invested in more LED screens, as well as Robe and Claypaky lighting fixtures, to accommodate the increased size and complexity of the event. “As always, it was great

to have the Robe BMFLs as workhorses in FOH,” commented Lehr. “It is important to note that we did not use any follow spots on the show, and we would love to get our hands on the Robe RoboSpot for the next production.”

A new lighting designer was brought in for this year. “We engaged Marius Coetzee as our LD, as I like to give young and upcoming designers the experience of working on this kind of large-scale event, as well as giving them the opportunity to showcase their talent and expertise. Marius delivered a magnificent show,” said Lehr.

In control was an MA Lighting grandMA2 light and grandMA3 light, with two MA NPUs and two MA Fibre Network Switches. The extensive lighting gear included 12 Robe Robin BMFLs, 36 Robin LEDBeam 100s, 16 Robin LEDBeam 150s, 12 Robin LEDBeam 1000s, 22 Pointes, 14 Spiiders, 12 Robin LEDWash 300s, 12 Robin LEDWash 600s, eight Robin 600E Spots and 12 Robin miniPointes,

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as well as 20 Elation Professional Lighting ACL 360 Bars, 12 Claypaky Axcor Profile 400s and various parcans and strobes.

Described as a man with “incredible knowledge, experience and patience”, Audio Engineer Andreas Furtner controlled the audio on DiGiCo S31 and S21 consoles, with two DiGiCo D2 Racks.

Close to 600 panels including 3.9mm, P12mm and P8mm were incorporated to create LED walls, with projection forming part of the show.

Lehr paid tribute to the people who he dubbed “the reason for the show’s success”.

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He commented: “Sean Potgieter, with his endless stamina, stepped in as Production Rigging for the third consecutive year. For the second year, Jesaya Johannes from Windhoek was the AV Engineer.

Nothing is ever too much for Jesaya and he will only leave the venue when all his AV components are set up to his satisfaction!

“Danny Maestro from MikelJes was the Monitor Engineer this year and delivered a great job, making all the artists happy.

“Once again, Max Lehr took on the role of Production and Stage Manager. He always takes great care of the detail and, as always, did

an amazing job. Dylan Jowett, Assistant Stage Manager and ‘fixer” was helpful, with a smile, 24 hours a day. The entire crew of 28 technicians was supplied by MikelJes. These guys are growing with every NAMA, gaining experience, and they can be very proud of their achievements.

“And last but not least, the TV director in NBC’s new OB van was Eben Oliver, who delivered a splendid broadcast.”

Photos: Micky Lehr, Eventplus www.nama.co.na www.rockstartelevision.com Micky@eventplus.co.za

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ROCKING THE DAISIES COMBINING INTERNATIONAL STARS SUCH AS THE 1975 WITH A SLEW OF LOCAL TALENT, ROCKING THE DAISIES RETURNS FOR ITS 14TH YEAR. TPMEA CATCHES UP WITH THE TEAM TASKED WITH DESIGNING AND PRODUCING THE FESTIVAL, BAD WEATHER PRODUCTIONS.

Taking place in Cape Town over the weekend of 4-6 October, this year’s iteration of the annual Rocking the Daisies music festival saw international acts such as the UK’s The 1975, American rapper, Russ, and Australian indie artist Tash Sultana, join a range of popular South African stars including Nasty C, Sho Madjozi and Busiswa.

Tasked with designing and producing the festival was Bad Weather Productions. The creative design company has a longstanding relationship with festival owners, Steyn Entertainment, having delivered full design and technical production on Rocking the Daisies, as well as Johannesburg festival, In the City, for

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the past three years. “We have formed a close working relationship and consult throughout the year to bring these world-class events to life,” opened Bad Weather Productions Creative Director, Jonathan Bandli.

“Each year, the festival has adapted and always strives to bring the most relevant musicians from South Africa and around the world. This is reflected in the consistent and increasing attendance of not only Rocking the Daisies, but also In the City, Johannesburg.”

This year’s Rocking the Daisies was set across three main arenas: The Can Do Main Stage, the Visa Beach Club and the Johnnie Walker Jungle.

From a technical standpoint, the stages and

structures have also gone through different stages of evolution. In the early years of Rocking the Daisies, an electronic dome was a massive feature, however with hip-hop now far more popular, this has been replaced by a heavily clad set structures with technical elements to highlight organic materials and textures.

“A festival of this scale demands a massive amount of structures and technical equipment and wouldn’t be possible without the collaboration of several different technical suppliers around the country,” commented Bandli. “It was incredible to see how seamlessly these companies work together to create the amazing stages and experiences at Rocking the

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Daisies and In the City, however this still poses a massive logistical challenge.”

Bandli pointed out that the festival’s location on the Cloof Wine Estate in Darling presented its own challenges, with varying site layouts each year. “Unpredictable wind and rain can cause obvious setbacks, too,” he commented. “However, we drew upon our design expertise and industry knowledge to create the environment necessary for this collaboration.”

Other challenges came in the form of specifications set by artists – namely the larger international acts such as The 1975 and Tash Sultana on the Can Do Main Stage, which required Bad Weather to find the best way to translate

these productions to a South African stage.

On the audio front, between the Cape Town and Johannesburg events, more than 250 boxes of d&b audiotechnik were used. Four MA Lighting grandMA2 full sizes were used to control nearly 200 lighting fixtures, while five DiGiCo consoles including SD5, SD12, SD10 and SD11 were utilised.

A full Blackmagic Design video switching camera package integrated with Bad Weather’s Notch media server, which controlled more than 180 sq m of LED screen.

Seeking the ideal camera solution to do the event and artists justice, Bad Weather decided to take the plunge and invest in its own gear.

“This provided the festival with the unique and

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talked-about visuals,” Bandli commented. These were created with the combination of a true 4K workflow through an ATEM Constellation 8K Switcher, Blackmagic Design URSA broadcast cameras with Canon HJ lenses, and the Notch effects engine.

Bandli concluded: “The most enjoyable and rewarding aspect of being part of a production like this is seeing a group of hand-picked professionals, doing what they do best, building relationships, and enjoying the highs and lows of working together.”

Photos: Jonathan Bandli & Aiden Tobias www.rockingthedaisies.com www.badweather.co.za

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EAST AFRICA’S GOT TALENT TPMEA MEETS THE TEAM OVERCOMING HUGE CHALLENGES TO PUT ON THE EAST AFRICAN VERSION OF THE POPULAR TALENT SHOW.

A triumph for the region, the very first series of East Africa’s Got Talent was filmed in Kenya and broadcast across East Africa to countries including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda.

After the success of South Africa’s Got Talent in 2017, a blueprint was already in place and the idea was to follow this formula. Auditions – consisting of a seven-day set-up and then a fourday back-to-back shoot in June – were followed by the live broadcast hosted over a four-week period from 15 September to 6 October.

South African companies, including producers Rapid Blue, technical suppliers Blond Productions, and Visual Frontier, who was responsible for the lighting design, partnered with Kenya-based rental company, MoSound Events to pull off what turned out to be a greatlooking show. “After much searching, we found a great venue: The M-PESA Foundation Academy

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in Kenya, a state-of-the-art school with an auditorium fully equipped with brand new gear,” said Mauritz Neethling, Project Manager and LD at Blond Productions.

The venue already had most of the front light needed, so the only items that had to be brought in from South Africa were 48 Robe LEDBeam 100s – to replace the parcans on trusses on the side used on the previous show – and Cyc FX4 to frame the 8m by 4m LED wall that made the backdrop of the set.

Neethling and Christiaan Ballot, owner of Blond, had also visited Kenya to find a technical supplier and joined forces with Kevin Muley from MoSound, who supplied lighting, sound desks and microphones, while his subsidiary company, Film Studios Kenya, provided Sky Panels, HMI and cabling and distribution needed for the behindthe-scenes section of the show. “The auditions,

based on Joshua Cutts’ design, worked well and looked great,” commented Lighting Operator, Andre Siebrits from Visual Frontier. “It blew away all expectations of what we could achieve in East Africa and that was because of everyone’s willingness to help.”

After the successful auditions, the team returned to South Africa, assuming that the M-PESA Foundation Academy venue would again be used for the live broadcast to be held a few months later.

“A month before we headed back to Kenya, we found out that the children at M-PESA Foundation would be sitting exams at the same time we wanted to shoot and, because education is taken so seriously in Kenya, the government would not allow us on the school premises during that time,” Neethling explained. “So, it was back to the drawing board to find another venue

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that would work for our production.” With little time to spare, Neethling flew back to Kenya to search for a replacement venue.

The only one that would suffice in terms of the dimensions was the Catholic University of Eastern Africa, just outside Nairobi. However, it was far from ideal. “The stage was a lot smaller than what we had previously,” revealed Neethling. “There was nothing at FOH and no lighting bars. We would have to bring in all the infrastructure.”

Due to the much smaller venue, there was no way that the South Africa’s Got Talent 2017 design could be replicated.

“The only way we could technically make it work would be if we added FOH bars, lighting bars on stage, extended the stage by 2.5m and doubled up the LED screen wall,” said Neethling.

In the end, Neethling and his colleague, Ryan Lombard, did a drawing stating clearly that it was not a set design, just a proposed set layout, and the producers opted to go with the venue.

At this point, South African Michael Gill of Michael Gill Design came on board to create a new set design and scale everything down to fit within budget. “The set was very different to what we had planned, but it was beautiful,” commented Neethling.

Most of the gear was supplied from Kenya.

“As our own gear from Blond was busy on gigs, Gearhouse Splitbeam was able to assist with 10 Vari-Lite VL3500s,” Neethling said.

While the VL3500s are hardly new, they provided the desired effect. “We needed a punch with shutters from the front, and the VLs were a good fit for our budget,” Neethling added. “The equipment in Kenya is not what we are used to,”

Neethling explained. “There is no distributor like we have in South Africa with DWR Distribution, who provide extensive technical support. A technician would arrive on site and spend most of the day fixing gear. It’s not like at home – you have to make a plan and ingenuity has to come into play.”

Despite the challenges, the MoSound crew rose to the occasion. Having never worked on a large television broadcast, they were quick to learn and adapt, and are now fully equipped to pull off their next big televised gig. “The growth of the crew when comparing the first day to the finale was incredible,” said Siebrits. “I have goosebumps thinking about how they stepped up and how their souls were in it.”

In fact, everyone had to go the extra mile.

“Logistically, Mauritz really made the show work,” said Siebrits. “He did the site recces and, being an experienced lighting guy, knew what angles would work in the venue. On our side, we knew that the four Xs had to be there for the live part of the show. We had to make it work with the equipment we had.”

The lighting fixtures included 48 Robe LEDBeam 100s, 10 Vari-Lite VL 3500 Spots, 12 Robe 300s, 14 Claypaky Sharpies, 12 Martin by Harman Rush MH 7 Hybrids, eight ETC Source Fours, a mixture of 24 LED parcans, 10 Showtec Octostrips, LED strips and two Martin by Harman Jem K1 hazers. “The Robe fixtures were the workhorses of the show,” said Siebrits.

“I sometimes had to light people with LEDBeam 100s, which was a very effective solution, while the Claypaky Sharpys were used for special effects. We had to work extremely smartly with what we had – no light was

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wasted,” he continued. “Every single fixture had its purpose, and if one light went off, you knew about it straight away.”

For control, Siebrits utilised an MA Lighting grandMA2, VPU as media server, NPU and a full MA System. Where similar international productions may see more than one operator, Siebrits operated the lights, screens, trigging sound, special effects and buzzer system, all from the MA console. “It was hard work, but the great thing about it was the crew – the Kenyans are the nicest, friendliest people,” he commented.

Neethling added, “It was awesome working with Andre Siebrits and seeing how he translated both myself and Joshua’s vision into a reality on stage. I also want to thank Edward Okello, Project Manager from MoSound, for going above and beyond when it came to problem-solving, finding solutions and managing his hardworking crew.”

The show serves to provide East Africa with a rare opportunity to showcase the incredible talent in the region, no matter the background of the contestants. Siebrits reflected on a dance crew that pulled off an almost perfect performance, having only rehearsed in the streets, without resources like dance studios that are taken for granted in many other places around the world.

“The talent on East Africa’s Got Talent was outstanding, and I am extremely proud and humbled to have had the opportunity to be part of this production.

Photos: DWR Distribution www.blondproductions.co.za www.rapidblue.com www.visualfrontier.co.za www.mosound.co.ke

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CLAIR BROTHERS SOUNDS FAIRGROUND FESTIVAL CLAIR BROTHERS C8 CRANKS UP THE EDM BEATS AT ONE OF TUNISIA’S MOST PRESTIGIOUS EVENTS. Clair Brothers loudspeakers were a central part of Tunisia’s popular Fairground Festival.

On the main stage 32 C8 line arrays provided the overall sound. According to Yasmine Bejaoui, Stage Manager at Pro Audio & Light (PAL), Clair Brothers’ exclusive distributor in the region: “The C8 is one of our best systems, if not the best. Since we obtained this PA, it’s the one we highlight the most. And we only propose using it for big events that really deserve its power and delicacy – like Fairground.”

Along with C8s, four Clair Brothers CS118 subs, plus a host of custom subs, were called on to handle the massive low-end popular among EDM artists.

On-stage sound was provided by four Clair Brothers 1.5AM monitors in tandem with the SD12 DiGiCo desk. The entire configuration was

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powered by the Powersoft Audio X-Series, X4 and X4L Amplifiers and a Waves MaxxBass bass enhancer processor.

Bejaoui elaborated: “The festival was spread over two days, in a huge arena called ‘Eco-Village.

This large area represented a much-anticipated opportunity for PAL to install our entire inventory of C8 boxes.

“We’ve all been waiting for this, and since we introduced the Clair Brothers 1AM and 1.5AM stage monitors at events in the past, these speakers have become everyone in the Tunisian music industry’s favourite monitors.”

Anis Ben Ammar, Fairground Festival Promoter, added: “My team and I have always trusted PAL’s professionalism and expertise.

“The equipment choices they make for sound and lighting are always spot on. It’s why

I’m in full support of whatever decisions they make. The sound of the music from this PA is really something special. PAL and Clair Brothers delivered once again.

“The C8 system has become the dream of any sound engineer, musician and promoter in town,” continued Bejaoui. “Even audiences are becoming conscious of the huge difference Clair Brothers speakers make.

“The C8 has great specifications besides the quality of its sound and intelligibility. Its rigging system is also very well designed, easy and quick to assemble.

“Lastly, on behalf of all of us at Pro Audio & Light, we are honoured and thankful to be part of Clair Brothers family!”

Photo: Clair Brothers www.clairbrothers.com

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NEXO LINE ARRAYS COVER SOUTH AFRICA JOHANNESBURG-BASED SOUND STYLISTS INVESTS IN NEXO GEO M6 AND M10 COMPACT AND MID-SIZE LINE ARRAY SYSTEMS. For a corporate event at the Thornleys club in the spectacular Drakensberg Mountains in South Africa, Sound Stylists deployed a stacked configuration comprising the NEXO GEO M10 mid-size line array.

The main PA comprised eight M1012s, two M1025s and four MSUB15s with four LS18s, and six M6 compact cabinets, used as delays. The M10s were powered by two NXAMP4x2Mk2s, with one NXAMP4x4 for the LS18s and another NXAMP4x1 for the M6s.

“They worked really well in a stacked configuration,” reported Sound Stylists Director, Kevin Glover. “We used the wide box at the bottom of the stack.

“The one major requirement of this show was that the PA couldn’t be in front of the LED screen, so, even though the PA was out wide, we still had really good front coverage. The M6s were

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used as delay for speech reinforcement.” Main entertainment came from drumming duo Drum Machine, which the system handled beautifully.

“There was a lot of power in the low end with a big boomy kick drum, and overall high SPL. The M10 showed again that it can really handle large corporate functions. It’s a really good box in that we have used it for corporate, rock ’n’ roll and orchestral shows. Its clarity and warm natural tone make it perfect for speeches, giving power without being too loud. This same characteristic is what makes it perfect for the orchestra – you’ve got sound quality and clarity without it being too loud.”

The compact GEO M6 loudspeakers were paired with LS18 for a large-scale corporate event in South Africa’s leading resort, Sun City.

The varied entertainment on the night included a neoclassical trio, the DJ Deeno Bravo as well

as lots of AV content. For main PA, the GEO M6 cabinets were flown six per side, crossed at 85Hz, paired with eight LS18 subs stacked in two blocks of four, and with iD24 super-compact cabinets, two used as front fill and two for delay.

Glover concluded: “The PA performed spectacularly, replicating the smallest nuances, from the violins to AV content, along with thundering bass for the DJ.

“We package our M6s in boxes of six with all accompanying rigging gear including fly ware.

Stacking these creates a really useful one-box solution that suffices for most needs. We used the recommended NXAMP4x1 to run the M6s, and a second one for iD24s, and the LS18s were run by a NXAMP4x4.”

Photo: NEXO www.nexo-sa.com www.soundstylists.co.za

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