Lusail Boulevard Motorsport Festival

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

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

To celebrate the landmark partnership, Qatar Airways invited VIP guests and 50,000 spectators to an evening of high-octane motorsport action at Doha’s Lusail Boulevard, featuring F1, rally, drift cars and a MotoGP bike racing down the strip; the display of an FIA World Endurance Championship hypercar; and a live performance from US R&B star, Akon. QVision Productions was entrusted with delivering the impressive spectacle, and Sharif Hashisho, QVision CEO and Managing Director, as well as the event’s Creative Concept Designer and Executive Producer, explained the brief.

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

Has hisho recalled how his team approached the brief by splitting the public outdoor event into four main segments, which were held across a 1.5km footprint on Lusail Boulevard. “The first segment was a welcome reception, which saw invited guests and international media gather and included live music entertainment, a supercar parade and exhibition, as well as seven-star passaround catering,” he commented.

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

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

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

“The boulevard was overlaid with a complete public PA system, 1,500 moving and static lights, 12 powerful lasers, 14 giant public viewing screens, and 1.5km of fireworks above the buildings,” he continued. “There were also several grandstands to host the guests and media, paddocks to host and maintain the show run, motorsport vehicles and bikes, as well as MOC for race observation, launching and concert stages.”

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

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

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

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

Photos: QVision Productions www.qatarvision.com