TPMEA October 2018 - #015

OCTOBER 2018 • ISSUE 015

18TH ASIAN GAMES

INFRASTRUCTURE SPECIALISTS FROM THE UAE DESCEND ON INDONESIA FOR THE PRESTIGIOUS SPORTING EVENT

TOMORROWLAND UNITES WITH PROTEC • WOMEN WALK TOGETHER: PRODUCTION PROGRESS IN SOUTH AFRICA • ILEA COLUMN • MORRISETTE IS MADE • EXPO: PROLIGHT+SOUND MIDDLE EAST • OPPIKOPPI IN SA

INTRODUCING

Harman Professional and GSL Professional warmly invite you to the premier launch of the JBL VTX A8 line array in the GCC region on Thursday 22nd November.

This invitation-only event at the Atlantis Hotel, The Palm Dubai is your unique opportunity to get hands-on with the VTX A8 and the people behind it. In addition, the event will showcase many other new Harman Pro products that will be shaping the future of audio and lighting in the entertainment industry for years to come.

We hope you will join us at this entertaining, educational and exclusive event; to register your interest please email kulsum.khan@gslprofessional.com.

TPMEA

WELCOME...

TO TPMEA

Dear readers,

The season is upon us again, and TPMEA is back for the final throws of 2018. And what a season we’ve returned to! In the last year, the magazine has grown as a result of a healthy business in the Middle East. It’s enabled us to produce - with your help - our first TPMEA Awards and now we’re diving head first into another buoyant chapter for of live events.

We’ve been going through some changes at TPMEA HQ too; Ste has set sail for a new venture (although he’ll still be the industry working in PR, so keep an eye out!) and we welcome on board our new Staff Writer, Jacob.

This issue features coverage of UNITE with Tomorrowland, Filipina singer Morrisette, and for our cover story, Stew takes a look at the infrastructure requirements of the Asian Games courtesy of some top UAE talent.

In business news, some of the team attended Prolight + Sound Middle East which by all accounts was very productive for networking and new story leads. Turn to Pg. 34 for the latest.

In our Africa section, we cover the incredible work of Rachel Haughey and the Women Walk Together (WWT) team on their latest mission. See the incredible talents of South Africa’s technical women on Pg.57.

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

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TRUSTED BY THE LIVE EVENTS INDUSTRY SINCE 2000 Leading brands and the biggest names in music, theatre, events, sport, automotive and exhibitions, depend on us to manage their global logistics.

“If anyone can pull off a miracle it’s EFM!” Depend on us to deliver vital equipment on time, on budget, every time – even when it seems impossible to everyone else.

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS MIDDLE EAST 06 - FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

eclipse Staging Services’ Martin Lubach looks forward to the rapidly approaching season.

08 - REGIONAL ROUND-UP The latest news from the Middle East.

16 - TECH FOCUS

Companies head east to champion the 18th quadrennial Asian Games.

24 - TECH PROFILE

Envie Events connects over 400,000 EDM fans in the UAE with the return of UNITE with Tomorrowland.

28 - TECH PROFILE

Morrisette - the Filipina singer wows crowds.

32 - ILEA COLUMN

ILEA Middle East President Elect, Paul Berger, sets out his objectives for 2019.

SPECIALISED T ECH N I C A L SOLUTIONS

34 - EXPO

TPMEA is onsite in Dubai as Prolight+Sound opens its doors for the third year running.

38 - PRODUCT FOCUS

A look at some of the industry’s latest launches.

CONFERENCES

AFRICA

CORPORATE GALAS

46 - REGIONAL ROUND-UP

The latest news stories from the region.

58 - EVENT FOCUS

EXHIBITIONS

TPMEA chats to Rachel Haughey, a driving force behind the Women Walk Together (WWT) initiative.

AWARD CEREMONIES

64 - TECH FOCUS

Robe illuminates the biggest multiple day music festival held in the Limpopo Province of South Africa.

CONCERTS

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

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

STAFF WRITER Jacob Waite Tel: +44 (0)161 4768385 Mobile:+44 (0)7592 679612 e-mail: j.waite@mondiale.co.uk

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

SALES EXECUTIVE Lauren Dyson Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)741 5773 639 e-mail: l.dyson@mondiale.co.uk

SALES EXECUTIVE Lyndsey Hopwood Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)780 005 57094 e-mail: l.hopwood@mondiale.co.uk

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

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Zoe Willcox: z.willcox@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 MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh

FESTIVALS

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Asian Games photography courtesy of GL events.

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

@tpmea_magazine www.tpmeamagazine.com www.tpimagazine.com www.tpiawards.com

PRODUCT LAUNCHES

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See back cover for more productiontec.com

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

ECLIPSE STAGING SERVICES’ MARTIN LUBACH AS WE LOOK FORWARD TOWARDS THE RAPIDLY APPROACHING SEASON, WE CAN LOOK BACK OVER OUR SHOULDER AT A PRODUCTIVE SUMMER IN PREPARATION FOR THE MONTHS TO COME.

Summer for the truly local offices is historically slower and this is the time to catch our breath and get our shop in order. We use this time to stock check and maintain our equipment, carry out training to drive innovation, collaboration and a culture of continuous improvement among our team of experts. During this time, we encourage the professional learning of all employees to develop their skills to the fullest capacity and ready themselves for the busy season ahead. We ask ourselves what went well last season and what went not so well, so we can continually improve our systems, processes and strategic planning.

The summer has not been completely dead; we have worked on concerts and special events, to name but a few. We offered our support inside Barasti Beach Bar’s Superdome throughout the FIFA World Cup. In addition, our full technical production services were extended to the first international leg of the “Morissette Is Made” concert and some sizeable corporate events.

The Middle East is undergoing rapid expansion with many ambitious projects in the pipeline.

With the launch of several new venues, Abu Dhabi has enjoyed huge success, hosting worldclass events such as the Special Olympics and attracting yet more visitors which contribute massively to the emirate’s economy. Expo 2020 will be a major boost for the lucrative MICE market here, further strengthening Dubai’s position as a premier tourism, events and knowledge hub. The eclipse Group companies, especially eclipse Staging Services (ESS) and eclipse Venue Services (EVS), are very well placed to take advantage of this expected MICE growth and particularly as EVS now has a portfolio of over 20 of the key hotel venues in the UAE with more to be announced soon.

Over the years, the local market in the UAE has become more saturated as more players enter the region. We have started to see a shift with our customers becoming more priceconscious and discerning in what they want. Pricing is under pressure and a higher price point needs to be justified through value-added services and superior quality of the product. Having said this, every player in the region provides similar services. What differentiates eclipse from its competitors is the quality of our work, the partnerships we create with our customers and the determination to drive Health & Safety standards in the region. We are ethical in our approach and passionate about delivering exceptional customer service.

The developments in Saudi Arabia is the talk of the town and a lot of technical suppliers are looking to this region as a route to growth as the UAE market becomes more competitive.

The entertainment sector remains a cornerstone of the Saudi Vision 2030 to diversify its wider economy. As the Kingdom aims to realize its vision to become the leading destination in the region for meetings and events, a growing wave of live events and shows for the local

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

population and overseas visitors is expected as part of the reforms.

We see a strong future in Saudi Arabia, not just for our flagship brand, eclipse Staging Services but also for our eclipse Venue Services division, providing technical services to the hotel and venue sector. As the clear regional industry leader in the venue services market serving a wide range of luxury hotels across the UAE, eclipse Venue Services prides itself on top-tier service and adaptability with a focus on customer service whilst achieving the highest level of HSE standards. We also continue to pursue opportunities to add to our portfolio, and in turn, increase our market share over the coming years.

In the last few months, we formalized additional key strategic partnerships with leading hotel

brands, yet further cementing our position.

For us, one of the key elements is understanding Saudi Arabia as a local market with its own demands and requirements. We believe simply cloning events doesn’t work; they need to be adapted to the local culture and environment. With the help of our partners, we will look to build on our market knowledge and relationships and expand our operations and interests in the Kingdom over the coming years. As with all our territories, we are there for the long term and recognize that some markets, such as Saudi Arabia, take longer to mature than others.

Our new office in Riyadh will not only be investing several million dollars in new technology but we are also committed to being

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part of the development of the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia. Initially, this will take the form of recruitment of Saudi nationals in key roles to manage sales, operations and ultimately technical positions and a pro-active approach of training and educating to enable the development of Saudi nationals into roles across the company.

Since the passing of our founder, Mark Brown in December 2016, although time moves fast, his legacy continues on today through the great leadership of our executives, championing the core values instilled in the organization since it was established back in 2003. Mark will always be remembered and despite his absence, we only move in one direction and that is forward. www.eclipse.ae

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

MAESTRA GROUP LAUNCHES A SCENIC DEPARTMENT IN DUBAI EVENT DESIGN AND TECHNICAL PRODUCTION SPECIALIST MAESTRA HAS LAUNCHED A NEW SCENIC DEPARTMENT IN DUBAI WHICH WILL OPERATE FROM A DEDICATED FACILITY CLOSE TO ITS HQ IN DUBAI INVESTMENT PARK, AND WILL BE AN INTEGRAL PART OF MAESTRA’S THRIVING EVENT SUPPLY BUSINESS.

Maestra Group has been proving its clients with creative scenic services over the past few years in both London and Dubai. The development of a scenic department consolidates the company’s business model, and brings a key division of the contractor services portfolio in-house.

As well as delivering lighting, audio, video, and rigging as well as scenic elements - including the fabrication of set and staging. This latest move is a “totally logical step” confirmed Maestra Dubai’s MD Tom Clements.

The department will be headed up by Jurgens Potgieter, who brings over 10 years of practical experience in the region, having worked for several fabrication contractors. Before then, he cut his ‘production teeth’ in South Africa.

Potgieter has been deployed on many demanding and high profile shows and events, and “his wealth of talent, energy and positive personality fits perfectly with our team” said Clements.

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Potgieter started his career in theatre while completing an N-Dip in Entertainment Technology, specialising in Set Design & Construction. In the intervening 12 years he has acquired some serious skills in the construction of temporary and semi-permanent structures across all genres of the entertainment, production and special projects spectrums, and he’s also worked on permanent installations.

“I always strive hard to help create memorable events, productions and projects, by combining my passion and knowledge of the highest international standards and safety regulations to deliver the vision and expectations of each individual client” he commented.

Asked why he wanted to work for Maestra Group, known for their imagination, flair and being one of the youngest, fastest growing and sought-after production partners in a highly competitive market, he said: “What Tom and the team have achieved at Maestra in such a short time says a lot about their enthusiasm and

aptitude for the industry.”

A new warehouse has been designed and kitted out for the exclusive use of Maestra Scenic, all geared towards providing a flexible workspace with maximum efficiency.

An initial investment in new tooling and machinery will assist with custom set and scenic requirements, and while it is envisaged that this will be a big part of the activity, there will also be a comprehensive range of standard rental items available from stock - set flats, staging units, etc. - unleashing an even wider range of costeffective solutions for any client.

This new scenic division is expected to be expanded rapidly as the company’s commercial success flourishes.

The department will focus on supporting Maestra Group’s existing business as a truly excellent single-solution provider for all scenic and technical production needs. www.maestra-group.com

Lighting | Audio | Video | Rigging | Power Distribution | Lasers | Stage Effects

www.eclipse.ae

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

INTRODUCING PITCHBLACK ESTABLISHED AFTER NOTICING THAT DRAPE WAS OFTEN CONSIDERED AN AFTERTHOUGHT, OR A SIDE BUSINESS IN PRODUCTION, PITCHBLACK WANTS TO MAKE DRAPERY A PRIORITY, BY DELIVERING AFFORDABLE, QUALITY, AND SAFE DRAPE SYSTEMS ACROSS THE UAE. Mark Hammond a NRC level 2 rigger moved to the UAE 2 years ago working freelance both within the region and internationally. Hammond started rigging at the NEC group, part of being a house rigger at Birmingham arenas meant installing, removing and maintaining drape – and lots of it.

Hammond noticed that there didn’t seem to be any dedicated draping companies within the UAE, many AV companies’ stock small amounts of drape as part of its inventory but it’s not necessarily maintained or the primary business.

After witnessing a system failure on a job in Abu Dhabi Hammond had the idea to setup Pitchblack.

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He started drawing and speaking to engineers trying to find a way to develop a freestanding system that would be quick and easily installed in venues across the UAE, adaptable to various room shapes and heights, but most of all would be safe at 6m height.

Pitchblack’s focus is on providing great customer service, and a quality product at an affordable price.

The beauty of black wool serge is that it’s inherently fire retardant, has great acoustic properties, is natural fibers, and it’s a sustainable product. We currently have 200m of 6m drop drape and structure and our stock of 12m drop is being sewn. Pitchblack drapes are sewn in house,

so we can customise to whatever a particular event or venue may need. We also have modular door portals to fit the drape system complete with wool serge curtains to enable the room to be blacked out.

Pitchblack officially launched on the 1 September, and has completed its first few jobs, one of which was a 160m drape and structure install complete with 4 door portal units at Manarat Al Saadiyat for People. It was so rewarding to see all of the thought and effort that went into the system design and build pay off. www.pitchblack.ae

REGIONAL ROUND UP

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CHANGES AT ECLIPSE GROUP ECLIPSE GROUP INTERNATIONAL CONFIRMS THAT FLAIR EVENT SERVICES AND ECLIPSE INSTALLATIONS HAVE DEPARTED THE GROUP.

“In a move designed to refocus the eclipse Group activities around our core business units of eclipse Staging Services, eclipse Venue Services, Stage FX and Laser FX, the decision was taken to divest our holdings in both Flair and eclipse Installations with immediate effect” said Simon Ransom, eclipse Group CEO.

As eclipse continues to reinvest and grow its market share in the Middle East region, it was decided that the time is right for Flair Event Services to branch out on its own. As a successful business and continuing under the leadership of Sameer Rahman, who has run

the business as the Managing Partner since its creation in 2013, Flair will continue providing equipment and event technology services to the local market under the Flair brand.

The eclipse Installations business has been sold to the current management and will also continue to provide its consultancy and AV design and installation services to the regional market under the leadership of David Fell who has been running the business since the departure of the General Manager earlier last year. With successful projects delivered in the UAE and Saudi Arabia and active enquiries across

the wider region, the Company will be moving forward rebranded as “Echo 8” joining a portfolio of companies owned and managed by Fell.

Ransom concluded by saying: “Since the passing of our founder, Mark Brown in late 2016, a reorganisation has been on the cards and it has taken this long for us to finalise our strategic path moving forward. I wish both Sameer and David well in their new adventures and look forward to potentially collaborating with them on projects in the future.” www.eclipse.ae

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

GALLOWGLASS HEALTH AND SAFETY MIDDLE EAST GOES IT ALONE DUBAI-BASED HEALTH AND SAFETY CONSULTANCY GALLOWGLASS HEALTH AND SAFETY (GGH&S) HAS DISSOLVED ITS COLLABORATION WITH LIVE EVENTS SERVICES COMPANY, FRUITION EVENTS, IN ORDER TO EXPAND ON AN INDEPENDENT BUSINESS.

Both businesses joined forces in 2017 to form a combined offering to meet the demand for events Health and Safety provision within the GCC region. After a year of consulting on a series of large-scale events, GGH&S is now ready to continue as a stand-alone entity.

GGH&S Managing Partner, Steve Kearney said: “Over the last 12 months we’ve worked for leading agencies including Jack Morton Worldwide, 45 Degrees and DAS Event - on some fantastic projects, such as the Opening Ceremony of the Dubai World Cup, the Abu Dhabi Ideas Weekend and a major car launch.

“We’ll continue to work with Fruition but have now formed Gallowglass Health and Safety Middle East as a subsidiary of our UK parent.

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Our Dubai team will be closely linked to our UK head office, and with to the Gallowglass Group as a whole - which provides a broad range of international events services.”

GGH&S’ ME team is headed by Principal Consultant, Adrian Peet. He said: “We have 3 full-time advisors based here in Dubai. But we’re increasingly calling on a wider pool of visa-ready, legally-compliant consultants from our UK head office, who can support our growing international activities as and when required. Our specialist trainer, John Young, has been out recently to deliver Occupational Safety and Health training to audio specialist Delta Sound.”

Peet has expanded the consultancy’s sphere of operation into other GCC regions. Most

recently he has been working at Saudi Arabia’s King Abdullah Sports City stadium for the World Boxing Super Series: George Groves v Callum Smith. More projects have been confirmed for the run-up to Christmas and beyond.

Peet, who was responsible for delivering a number of key health and safety projects for the overlay and infrastructure of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, is also actively engaged with the Middle East Chapter of the International Live Events Association (ILEA). He is one of several local experts who have formed a working group to open a forum for the creation of event-specific approved codes of practice in the region. www.gallowglass.com

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

GL EVENTS SEALS DUBAI SOUTH DEAL GL EVENTS MIDDLE EAST CONFIRMS MANAGEMENT DEAL FOR DUBAI MULTIPURPOSE EVENT VENUE.

GL events Middle East, regional branch of GL events Group, acknowledged the management aquisition of multipurpose event venue - E2 Dubai South Event & Exhibition Center (also known as the Dubai Airshow Site).

The state of the art venue has been developed by Dubai South with the motivation of allowing businesses in the GCC region to grow, aiming to incubate collective progression within the region.

E2 Dubai South is a short drive from the world’s largest airport in the making - Al Maktoum International Airport.

Located in Dubai South district, E2 has been developed in the premier urban project of Dubai and is home to a neighborhood that

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hosts landmark events such as Dubai Air Show and World Expo 2020. E2 Dubai South is an international hub for trade and commerce, developed with a specialised understanding of the requirements of international business travelers.

The name of the venue is simply inspired by its main pillars, Events + Exhibitions, summarised as E2.

The venue makes for an impactful and inspiring event space; with an exhibition space that covers more than 40,000sqm, the venue is purpose-built to cater to large-scale exhibitions, conventions and live concerts.

E2 also has more than 60,000sqm of outdoor space, created exclusively to host large

equipment, including machinery, helicopters, and aircraft pads.

Benoit Beylier, Managing Director at GL events Middle East commented: “This project adds one of the world most significant landmark – Dubai South– to the GL events Venue network.

As an economic platform, it is designed to support every conceivable kind of business and industry.

Today, our aim is to facilitate communication between the organisers of key international business events and to provide them with a positive experience at E2 Dubai South Event & Exhibition Center.” www.gl-events.ae www.gl-events-venues.com

REGIONAL ROUND UP

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SHOWFORCE LAYS THE SMACKDOWN IN SAUDI ARABIA CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY DRAFTS IN AN EXPERIENCED SHOWFORCE CREW TO ASSIST WITH ONE OF THE WWE’S LARGEST EVER INTERNATIONAL PPV EVENTS; DUBBED THE GREATEST ROYAL RUMBLE IN HISTORY. Billed as the greatest Royal Rumble in history, the annual must-watch WWE wrestling event headed to King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia on the 27 April 2018. Featuring no less than 50 WWE superstars, including sports entertainment juggernauts: John Cena, Randy Orton and Triple H, as well as new-era wrestling superstars, Braun Strowman, The New Day, and many more, the event was screened to the WWE universe and millions of wrestling fans around the world.

To ensure one of the biggest events in wrestling was as spectacular as it promised to be, leading display screen specialist Creative Technology tasked a team of experienced Showforce crew to assist with the load in and install of more than 1,500 linear metres of LED video screens situated over both the main stage and the ring side stage.

Required onsite 10 days before the Royal Rumble got underway, the team worked tirelessly to ensure everything was in place for the showcase event; providing 15 crew members in total, including 4 international crew chiefs - who flew out from the UK and senior crew members from the UAE.

The Royal Rumble match itself was a huge success. A packed out arena watched Braun Strowman charge to victory to take the title, walking away with a huge trophy as well as a custom-made WWE title.

Once the fans had gone home, Showforce returned to assist the Creative Technology team with the de-rig. www.wwe.com www.showforce.com

SENNHEISER PRESENTS 3D AUDIO THRILLER AS A PRACTICAL DEMONSTRATION OF THE CAPTIVATING POWER OF 3D AUDIO, SENNHEISER HAS CREATED A REALISTIC 3D SOUND EXPERIENCE IN ITS SHORT FILM FINAL STOP. Writer and director Roxanne Benjamin uses soundscape to create a thrilling atmosphere, with stunning audio recorded using Sennheiser’s Ambeo Smart Headset. The result is a gripping 3D audio thriller.

Even though director Benjamin made Final Stop without any dialog, she created an astonishingly realistic and thrilling cinematic atmosphere.

Final Stop was recorded in immersive 3D audio, using just a smartphone and recording most of the audio with Sennheiser’s Ambeo Smart Headset which was developed with A/D

conversion specialist Apogee.

The incredibly realistic 3D sound recorded by the headset makes horror and shocking moments appear more intense than ever before.

“Since we structured the short around the use of 3D audio, I kept the camera largely behind Phoebe (Tonkin, lead actor in the film), so that audiences really felt that fear of being followed. This was the element that struck me the most about the Ambeo Smart Headset when I was first testing it out – just how effective it could be in enhancing a narrative horror setting.

“The 3D element really brings you a whole

lot closer to the action and feeling like you’re right there with Phoebe as she’s experiencing this fear. It’d be fascinating to see it being used for a full thriller or horror feature,” said Roxanne Benjamin.

Uwe Cremering, Director Ambeo Immersive Audio at Sennheiser, added: “We wanted to let viewers experience the remarkable emotional quality 3D audio can lend to any film and with Final Stop, Roxanne tapped the full potential of the Ambeo Smart Headset in providing a frighteningly lifelike audio experience.” www.sennheiser.com/finalstop

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ASIAN GAMES 2018 THIS AUGUST, OVER 11,000 ATHLETES FROM 45 COUNTRIES COMPETED AT THE 18TH ANNUAL ASIAN GAMES, THE WORLD’S SECOND BIGGEST INTERDISCIPLINARY SPORTING EVENT, HOSTED THIS YEAR BY INDONESIA. WITH A MARATHON TASK AHEAD OF THEM, THE INDONESIA ASIAN GAMES ORGANIZING COMMITTEE CONTRACTED SOME OF THE UAE’S FINEST TALENTS TO HELP THE GAMES REIGN VICTORIOUS. TPMEA’S STEW HUME SPOKE TO SOME OF THOSE INVOLVED…

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As the temperatures in the UAE soared, many companies from the events industry use the quieter summer months to take stock and look to the start of next season. However, when a truly global opportunity rolled into town, some companies decided to head east to champion the 18th quadrennial Asian Games.

Second only in size to the Olympic Games, the event welcomes competitors from over 45 countries across Asia. In 2018, over 11,000 athletes came to compete in 44 different sporting events - from eSports to canoe polo.

Organised by the Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC), the entire event spread across 2 cities, Jakarta and Palembang, which lie 270 miles apart. The dual location was a first for the Asian Games, which dates back to 1951, and the ambitious approach created some interesting logistical challenges for the body.

Back in May 2017, the INASGOC began talks with GL events Group, which would take on the role of General Contractor. Overseen by GL events Middle East, the organisation engaged 180 team

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members from 23 different countries to work alongside 1,000 local crew. Known globally for its work on large-scale sporting events, including the FIFA World Cup and the Olympic and Paralympic Games, few are more equipped with handling an event of this size. With only 9 months’ preparations time, GL events faced the challenge head on, supplying more than 45,000sqm of temporary structure for the Athletes’ Villages, accreditation centres, security, VIP and lounge zones. The group also supplied more than 15,000 seats for the grandstands.

The group was also tasked with providing 75,000sqm of branding materials in order to decorate the event’s many venue spaces. GL events also took care of the important directional information so spectators and athletes could orientate themselves and make it to events before the final whistle. This proved to be integral in the INASGOC’s City Beautification scheme to give the two cities a dramatic facelift prior to the event.

Speaking on behalf of GL events Group was the Managing Director of GL events Middle East,

Benoit Beylier. “The time scale is the first hurdle that we had to overcome,” he commented, referencing the 9-month lead up to the event.

“This included everything from design all the way to delivery, installations and, of course, removal of all temporary structures.”

Beylier also outlined some of the logistical issues. “During the early stages we needed a lot of information from the committee. Not having clear lines and directions at the earliest stages was very time consuming. There was also a selection of last minute additions that certainly added pressure.

But we managed to help produce a successful event.”

The Managing Director also told TPMEA having a Middle Eastern arm of the global group sends a message to the wider entertainment world. “It really shows Dubai-based companies have the knowledge and capacity to become key players in another territory,” he asserted, adding, “It’s not only in the GGC countries!”

Wicked and Flow also enjoyed considerable presence in the Games and joined GL events Middle East in flying the flag for the UAE events

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TECH PROFILE

industry out in Indonesia. In September 2017, GL events Group announced the acquisition of a 70% share stake of sister companies Wicked and Flow - a decision made as the Group looked to develop its presence in the Middle East events market. “We had begun to realise who the main players in the region were, as well as becoming aware that we were missing AC and power within our arsenal,” explained Beylier. “That’s when we first discussed the idea of combining teams and equipment with Wicked and Flow.” During the announcement, Alistair McDonald, Managing Partner at Flow and Wicked had expressed his excitement about the new opportunities the acquisition would present both companies – especially outside of the UAE region. The Asian Games marked the first time both companies were involved with a global event since the partnership.

Julie Doucet, the General Manager of Wicked, said the company was first approached by GL events because of its proximity to Asia: “Along with the vast square metres of structure we could supply from Dubai,” she added. As the first major

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collaboration with the group, Doucet expressed how the Wicked team approached the Games as a massive opportunity to expand its horizons and give the team the amazing experience to work on such a big event.

For the Games, Wicked provided 7,000sqm of its stock to help fulfil the demand for temporary structures. Most was utilised in the Athletes Village, including the main 8,000sqm dining hall within the area, all of which was created with a build time of just 6 to 8 weeks. “This was much shorter than the 3-month build we had initially planned,” admitted Doucet, explaining how delays at customs slowed down the timetable – the joys of international gig organisation! “But the delays and hard work were all worth it when we got to see our work front and centre for the athletics village,” recalled Doucet.

For Wicked, the timing of the event could not have been better as it offered a way to avoid the stock lying dormant during the ‘dry Dubai’ season of the blistering August heat. However, with the Games concluding in early September, Wicked had to be conscious of the impending

season when deciding what stock to send over to Indonesia. “Throughout, we had to be mindful of the time of year for the stock to come back and ensure we could still device the UAE local market,” explained Doucet.

The quieter month of August also meant Wicked could send several members of its crew over to the event. “In total we sent a team of 20 to work on the project, filling various positions.

It was a tremendous experience for our local crew!” For both the crew on site and those working on the production from Dubai, there were challenges. “Here in the UAE, we have access to our circle of suppliers which we can rely on, a luxury not always available in a foreign country,” said Doucet. “Not only that, language barriers were sometime a struggle for the ground team.

Thankfully the appointment of local assistants on each site helped to facilitate the entire operation.”

Doucet concluded by looking to the future and stating how opportunities such as the Asian Games were just the kind of challenges Wicked embraces. “Wicked has always been willing to send kit anywhere - we just needed the

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opportunity. Being part of GL events is definitely giving us access to a lot more worldwide projects, which we are happy to take on alongside our regular local clients. Being able to deliver a project of this scale in a country where we had no local resources has strengthened our capabilities and we look forward to many more.”

Elsewhere on site, GL events also took up the mantel of official power supplier. For which it brought in Flow to provide 12mw of power and more than 800 distribution boxes. As well as dealing with venues across both cities, Flow also powered the Opening and Closing Ceremonies which showcased the beauty and greenery of Indonesia.

Flow, after first being approached at the back end of 2017, accompanied GL events to scope the power solution necessary for the event. Once it was agreed upon that Flow would handle the entire power solution for the Games, the team got straight to work to ensure enough stock was made available.

Jonathan Calvert, General Manager of Flow discussed the company’s involvement with the project and the 2 main logistic issues faced. He elaborated: “First of all there was the challenge of getting such a large volume of equipment over to Indonesia. Along with equipment from Dubai we also brought in stock from suppliers in South Africa, Germany and the UK. In total, we sent over 70 containers of equipment which, as you can imagine, was quite a feat. The second was simply filling the quota which saw Flow invest over €3.5 million in new stock!”

Representing Flow on the ground was Mark Butler, the company’s Head of Sales. Butler went into further detail about the latest investments.

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“Due to the demand of the Asian Games, Flow’s general fleet has increased by more then 500% across our cable and distribution products.”

Although much of the investment was increasing Flow’s current stock, the Asian Games did present an opportunity to add new technology to its offerings. “Due to the extensive media presence at the Games, we wanted to ensure we had a fleet of distribution boards designed with broadcast in mind,” stated Butler. “Our latest editions to the distribution board fleet all have individual, adjustable RCDs as well as digital monitoring fitted to the distro. This allows complete flexibility and control on every individual circuit.”

Recounting his personal highlights - the opening and closing ceremonies – Butler added, “It was such a prestigious event and it was very exciting for everyone involved.” The Flow team ensured both ceremonies were provided with a reliable, stable power source while keeping certain parameters – such a voltage and frequency – within acceptable tolerances set out by the production company. As some of the cable runs were up to 350m in length - and with a load of approximately 600A - Flow significantly increased the dimensions of the cable to carry the current. Butler continued: “The generator farms designed for both ceremonies allowed the load to steadily increase across rigging, testing rehearsals and the show itself, so there was no danger of under loading any of the generators.”

Away from the glamorous ceremonies, Butler admitted the Games being spread over 2 cities did create a testing working environment.

“Indonesia is a huge country and with more then 50 sites across the 2 cities did prove trying,” reminisced Butler, not to mention the

remote locations such as the mountain biking course which was a 10-hour drive from Jakarta.

Thankfully Flow were aided by a team of more then a 100 staff, divided into teams, who all managed between 5-6 venues. “This allowed us to give each venue the attention it deserved!”

Calvert dubbed the aid of the GL events Group invaluable. He explained: “The support of such a large organisation was priceless. They worked very closely with our local staff to ensure a successful delivery of equipment and personnel throughout the games.” The General Manager confirmed that without the acquisition by GL events last year, Flow simply would not have had the opportunity to access an event of this calibre.

“I think it sends a strong message to the global market: Flow is very much a local business done well and is now ready to support an international event of this calibre.” Butler agreed: “The Asian Games was a huge challenge and without a doubt the largest Flow has ever worked on. That said, we knew we had the people and the skillset to execute effectively. We have come out the other side having successfully delivered a great product and service and we’ve learned a great deal in the process.”

Now the fun and Games are at an end, Flow can start planning its next move with a significantly increased fleet ready and waiting in the starting blocks. Calvert concluded by joking the first challenge was successfully bringing the equipment back to the UAE – all 70 containers of it!

Photos: GL Events www.asiangames2018.id www.gl-events.ae www.wicked.ae www.flowsolutions.ae

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DAN BOLTON SHORTLISTED FOR THIS YEAR’S TPMEA AWARDS ENTERTAINMENT MANAGER OF THE YEAR, DAN BOLTON TOOK ON THE ROLE OF ASSOCIATE CHOREOGRAPHER FOR THE OPENING AND CLOSING CEREMONIES FOR THE GAMES. TPMEA SPOKE TO HIM ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE…

to help bring all of this together. Essentially taking the creativity out of the minds of the choreographers and placing this on digital charts which is where we plot every single movement of the 4,000 cast members that were performing in the show.

This is a forever changing process and as we commenced rehearsals our team grew with the addition of 2 further international associate choreographers, Barbarana Pons and Kirill Mosunov, both who have a vast amount of experience within the world of ceremonies.

When it comes to show time, much of our work should be complete so we spend most of the ceremony in the black zone, on hand should there be any unforeseen dramas (the event is fully live) and principally to help get in and seat the 6000 Athletes of 45 nations that enter the stadium in the parade of nations.

When did you first get involved in the project?

I got involved back in December when I spoke with the Creative Producer, Brenton Kewley. We had never directly worked together however, I had worked on a previous project with the Asian Games production company, Five Currents, in 2015 (National Day ceremony in Abu Dhabi) and met Brenton in Dubai not long after that after. Jakarta was a project that really interested me. Indonesia is such a culturally diverse and beautiful country and having been based in Dubai for 11 years, I wanted to take the opportunity to work alongside some of the worlds best when it comes to huge scale ceremonies and push myself further by learning new skills.

What were your main roles and responsibilities for the production?

As Associate Choreographer I was working directly under Staging Director Michael Pena.

When I first joined back in February, we were the only 2 internationals in the department. We were working alongside 2 very well known Indonesian segment choreographers and their teams. In all there were around 40 choreographers that each specialised in various elements of Indonesian culture and dance. It was our responsibility

What were the main themes and moments within the opening and closing ceremonies?

The opening segment was inspired by a traditional welcome dance from the province of Ache on the island of Sumatra. This was created using 1,650 high school girls, from 18 schools all across the city of Jakarta. Lead by the amazing choreographer Dede Syahputra, this traditional dance was developed to include intricate costume changes that revealed various patterns and colours inspired by traditional Batik fabrics.

For the main creative segment of the show it was all developed around a journey through the elements and the natural beauty of the islands of Indonesia. Water, Earth, Wind and Fire with a finale segment named ‘energy’ that represented the modernity of Indonesia, the vibrant and sometimes chaotic city of Jakarta and the immense collective energy of the 250+ million people that make up the nation of Indonesia.

What were some of the main challenges that spring to mind with both events?

From the minute the project started there is an immense element of pressure and that built dramatically as the project got closer to show day. Deadlines needed to be met and things need to be built and elements need choreographing.

People have input and differing opinions and then the added pressure that you are doing this on behalf and representing a whole nation so you

want to ensure that you create work that they can be proud of and that showcases them in the light that they deserve.

I think being based in the Middle East and experienced working with various nationalities set me in good stead for working with our Indonesian colleagues and vast international team. We all work differently and every country that hosts such a mega event will approach things differently. It’s all about being adaptable, communicating, collaborating and working collectively to produce something amazing. We all approach this differently but it comes together in the end.

There were several companies and crew from the Middle East present throughout the event. As an active member in the region, what message does having so many UAE companies working on this large-scale international event send to the global entertainment industry?

I think it reiterates that the there are some amazing companies and people based in the UAE that can deliver elements of global events throughout the world to an exceptional standard.

Long was the tradition that international companies would all come into the UAE from more established markets as it was seen that the UAE did not have the talent or infrastructure in place to deliver large events. Now after a decade of development, its great to see those that have set up business in the UAE, invested in the Middle East events industry and call the UAE our home, export and share this knowledge and infrastructure at leading events globally.

The strategic importance of the UAE being literally at the centre of the world, its transportation links and its positioning as a live events capital should also not be underplayed. This will only evolve further in the years ahead.

What were your final thoughts from both events?

I’m extremely fortunate to have been a part of this historical event. The ability to learn, grow and immerse myself in Indonesian culture is something I am very grateful for. I’m certainly looking forward to possibilities to do it again in other shows and events somewhere around the world and here at home in the UAE as we look forward to our own mega event, welcoming the entire world and it’s culture to Expo 2020.

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TECH PROFILE

UNITE WITH TOMORROWLAND THE DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE AND TOURISM ABU DHABI, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH DUBAI-BASED PRODUCER, ORGANISER AND PROMOTER, ENVIE EVENTS, CONNECTED MORE THAN 400,000 MUSIC LOVERS. ON SATURDAY 28 JULY 2018, REVELLERS VENTURED TO THE DU FORUM, YAS ISLAND, AND WERE LINKED UP VIA A LIVE SATELLITE GLOBAL CONNECTION WHEN THE MUCH-ANTICIPATED EDM FESTIVAL UNITE WITH TOMORROWLAND RETURNED TO THE UAE. ME

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A total of 6 other locations across the globe were also connected to the Tomorrowland main stage in Belgium, with Italy, Malta, Spain, Taiwan, Mexico and Lebanon also enjoying the world-renowned dance extravaganza. Envie Events filled up the du Forum on Yas Island with thousands of revellers from 2pm – 2am, as the event was linked up live via satellite to the Tomorrowland mainstage in Belgium as well as to the other venues across the world.

The Abu Dhabi event featured live local and international DJs including the duo Lucas & Steve,

SmokinGroove, Marcus Santoro, Regi, Barry Fore, Omar Basaad, D.O.D and Ummet Ozcan.

Headlining this year’s line-up in the capital, Lucas and Steve performed their hit club collaborations Summer on You and These Heights, which have received millions of views online to date.

For these travelling artists, the crowds in UAE were fantastic. “We noticed immediately the huge energy that everybody was giving during the show,” said Lucas de Wert.

“We heard a lot of stories about the Middle East and it’s really growing music-wise,” Steven

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Jansen added: “EDM is becoming the next big thing and that’s what we saw.”

Dazzling special effects in du Forum were synchronised with the show in Belgium to create an exciting atmosphere which highlighted the unique global connection. Party-goers got the opportunity to dance in real time to the tunes of renowned international DJ’s including Afrojack, Armin van Buuren, Dmitri Vegas and Like Mike via the live satellite connection. This also involved remote control of lighting to ensure each of the 7 venues shared an almost identical visual as well

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as audio experience.

Protec were called on by Envie Events to deliver audio, lighting, video, scenic, staging and rigging solutions for what can only be described as probably the most elaborate festival on earth.

Having successfully delivered the technical production for the festival held in Dubai in 2017, Protec’s project manager Pieter Smuts said: “The show in Abu Dhabi was almost a breeze – which was fantastic because the heat of the UAE summer can really put a lot of pressure on the crew as temperatures hover in the high 40s.

As the theme for Abu Dhabi was the same as the one in Dubai, it made it a lot easier for us as we already knew the challenges we could have potentially faced.”

Abigail Bates, heading up Protec’s lighting crew, said: “The major difference for lighting was that the venue was smaller than last year. This meant that we didn’t need to implement a large amount of audience lighting, as we did last year, because the audience area was not as spacious.

Not having to install a large amount of audience lighting also made the install slightly easier, as it meant that we could concentrate all our efforts on rigging the fixtures into the stage set, which is the most complex and time consuming part of

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the lighting rig.”

When asked about the challenges she faced, Bates explained: “The main challenge for lighting on Tomorrowland, in both years that we have done it, has been the physical rigging of the fixtures. For every fixture, and there are around 80 fixtures attached to the stage façade, firstly the exact position of the fixture needs to be determined. It is important to be as precise as possible when determining this because the lighting/stage design has to look the same as the other UNITE events, and a fixture or group of fixtures rigged in the wrong place would be very noticeable when the live stream footage is playing from the other countries. Once the position for the fixture has been determined, a hole has to be made in the set, a pipe put through this hole, and then a rigging structure installed on the back of the set to hold this pipe in place. This whole process means that for every fixture, at least 4 lighting crew and 1 staging technician is needed.”

The lighting spec was outlined by the main Tomorrowland show designers in Belgium and Protec’s broad inventory had all the required fixtures. These included Robe Pointes, Claypaky B.Eye K10 Wash, Scenius Profile, Philips Vari-Lite VL3500 Wash, Claypaky Stormy CC Strobe, SGM

P5, and generic 4-lite molefay and PAR 36’s.

“It’s important that we used fixtures as specified in their lighting rider so that all the UNITE with Tomorrowland shows around the world have the same visual aesthetic. In addition, we used SGM P2 and some more Pointe to light the VIP deck, and a combination of SGM P2 and LED Parcans to add some colour and atmosphere to the catering/bar area outside,” Bates explained.

From a video standpoint, Smuts listed Protec’s Mambo 9mm LED 16x10 panel Screen - 1280x800 pixel resolution with 2x VX4S controllers for main / backup and automatic failover switch - Roland V-800HD switcher to switch Resolume, satellite camera feed and Playback Pro to screen.

He added: “Last year the switcher was analog way saphyr and we had 2 IMAG screens for camera feed. This year required only 1 main screen and a less complicated control.

We supplied a duplicated output signal from satellite to an activation stand with an LED wall so people there could see other countries on the advertisement screen.”

The video team overcame any challenges that could have potentially arisen with the live stream due to their experience from last year.

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Foreseeing any potential obstacles, the show went smoothly and the audience in Abu Dhabi were transported to Boom in Belgium for a couple of hours.

Ed Ross, Protec’s HOD described the audio setup, “It was all relatively simple this time with no challenges at all. We used our L-Acoustics K2 with K1-SB flown above and SB28 subs on the ground. It differed from last year as we had a lot more weight loading capacity this time round so we were able to fly a very large array for the main hang and then a small kara array for delays for the VIP deck.”

The hangs Protec used were L-Acoustics 4 x K1-SB and 18 K2 per side ensuring depth, richness and clarity of sound identical to each UNITE venue worldwide. The delays were 6 x L-Acoustics Kara and 2 x SB18 per side. Ross chose 24 x SB28 for subs. For communications Protec used 3 x Clearcom Helixnet master stations networked together and 10 x Clearcom Freespeak II wireless comms. These have the ability to maintain a strong and continuous wireless connection with clear audio across an expansive area making them an ideal system for this event.

According to Leigh Snyman of Protec’s scenic and staging department, this year’s Tomorrowland scenic set had a few changes and alterations from last year. Firstly, the entire set was scaled down to a total height of 15.8m and a width of 22.8m. The reason for this was to fit the set into the new venue in du Forum, where Snyman and his team were limited by the height

and width of the venue.

When asked about the challenges faced Snyman explained: “The towers were the most challenging part of the new restrictions as we had to cut them down by a total of 2.4m. This meant we had to remove a large section of each tower without compromising the structural integrity and the overall appearance of the towers.”

Other changes to the set were simpler to make. Cogs had to be shifted slightly to allow for the changes made to the towers. New graphics and prints also had to be altered, which were a simple fix for an experienced team.

Getting the set and entire visual effect to be uniform across all the venues involved working closely with the lighting team.

“We also had to work hand in hand with the other departments, especially with lighting.

Because of the changes made, lights were shifted slightly and we had to cut new access holes into the set panels for them,” Snyman added, “Those were the only major changes and challenges we had on site. Before we started the build, we sat down and worked on a realistic and practical timeline to make sure the build was carried out without any delays.

We made a day by day schedule on the entire sequence of events, including Abigail and the lighting department. We also planned a worst case scenario schedule for this gig to ensure we were prepared for any pitfalls or external factors along the way. In short, we were extremely well prepared for the gig from the very beginning

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right through.”

Protec project manager, Pieter Smuts paid tribute to the excellence of his crew for the weeks of planning, preparation and successful delivery, turning an ambitious and groundbreaking concept into a reality. “The show itself was amazing to be a part of – it looked great and sounded great,” he said. “There were no issues and I could not be happier. We look forward to partnering with Envie events again very soon.”

Director of Envie Events, Barry Pavic, reflected on another successful Unite with Tomorrowland leaving us with these final words: “Our goal is to bring people from all walks of life, countries, backgrounds and unite them as one with the power of music. That is exactly what UNITE with Tomorrowland did once again and we are very happy with the feedback. It is with the help of strong partners like Protec, and many others, that have made this concept such a huge success in the UAE.”

Protec has been the cornerstone of the events industry in the Middle East since 1999.

Established by industry leader and habitual pioneer Stephen Lakin, Protec has grown into the region’s most committed and consistently reliable event equipment rental company, producing live events that are truly spectacular, leading edge, and globally acclaimed.

Photos: Protec www.tomorrowland.com/en/unite/ www.productiontec.com

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TECH PROFILE

MORISSETTE IS MADE FAMED FILIPINA SINGER, MORISSETTE, RETURNED TO DUBAI IN AUGUST TO TREAT HER UAE FANS TO A HEADLINE PERFORMANCE AT THE WORLD TRADE CENTRE’S ZABEEL HALL, WHERE ECLIPSE STAGING SERVICES SUPPLIED THE AUDIO-VISUAL TECHNOLOGY TO DELIVER A MEMORABLE NIGHT FOR MORE THAN 4,500 GIG-GOERS.

Hailing from the Philippines, singer Morissette Amon – known simply by her stage name Morissette – entered the limelight as a runnerup on TV5’s Star Factor when she was just 14.

Along with an appearance in the Philippine version of The Voice in 2013, she has since enjoyed a successful career and has even been dubbed ‘Asia’s Phoenix’. No stranger to the UAE region, Morissette performed in Abu Dhabi

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with her group, ASAP Birit Queens back in 2017.

However, this year would mark her first solo performance within the region as she brought the show Morissette is Made to Dubai’s World Trade Centre.

La Verdad Events Management was tasked with bringing the Dubai’s rendition of the performance, all in cooperation with Wish 107.5.

Despite suffering vocal issues on the day, the

singer was still able to hit the stage, much to the pleasure of the 4,500 strong audience. A noteworthy number as Morissette is Made was the first ever sold-out Filipino concert the region has ever experienced.

Handling technical support for audio, lighting and video was eclipse Staging Services.

Jhune Lenon, Senior Project Manager for eclipse explained how the company was brought into

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the project. “La Verdad Events Management is a new organisation here in the Middle East and this was their first project,” began Lenon. Despite this, La Verdad was able to bring the spectacular to the region with the backing of Wish 107.5.

“La Verdad got in contact with us following a recommendation from our other clients,” stated Lenon. Once on board, eclipse began talks with Morissette’s team.

“The stage design and technical rider came from her Philippine production team and, with their permission, we enhanced it,” said Lenon.

These enhancements included changing the LED screens to a much higher resolution product as well as upgrading the audio and lighting package. Finally eclipse added an extra element of thrill using CO2 cannons with the support of Stage FX – the special effects arm of the eclipse Group.

“There really weren’t too many challenges on the project,” enthused Lenon. “Despite working with a tight set up schedule and liaising with multiple companies and suppliers, the event went well.”

The Project Manager reminisced the reception

the singer received on the night. “The atmosphere throughout the evening was fantastic and the comments of appreciation from clients, the touring team and audience members have been overwhelming.”

Lenon cited communication and proper planning as key to this event’s success. “Credit has to go to our crew who are all truly hardworking professionals,” continued Lenon. “I am proud and grateful for each and everyone of them.”

Lenon said the Philippine suppliers were equally happy with the show, namely Stella Sison, Executive Vice President of Stage Production Specialists who sent her thanks to eclipse for its support, expertise and professionalism. “Here’s to more collaborations in the future!” he exclaimed.

Alex Menor, eclipse’s Head of Video, oversaw the instalment of the updated LED requirements.

The product in question was a 2.6mm Unilumin UpadIII for the centre stage backdrop.

“The LED backdrop was motorised meaning it could split down the middle into 2 parts, creating an entry and exit point for artists,” explained Menor. “We mapped the entire LED stage into a

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single display output of 4608px width by 1344px hight.” The UpadIII was also used for the 2 IMAG screens, which flanked the stage. “We opted for a high resolution product for the IMAGs to offer more clarity for the content and camera footage for the audience to enjoy the visual effects,” said Menor.

For the backend of the LED set up, Menor and his team opted for the Green Hippo Taiga V4 media server. Also provided were 2 Analog Way Ascender 48 switchers (one main and one backup) to convert from the in-house graphics to the touring Resolume system. The touring crew had a VJ operator but the rest of the crew including camera director and operators were provided for by eclipse.

“Looking at the whole picture of the LED, control and camera set up, we encountered minimal challenges as we prepared and tested all the kit, piece by piece, before the actual build,” continued Menor.

“Only the opening and closing of the screen on the centre stage needed a couple of rehearsals to synchronise it to Morissette’s entrances and

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exits. But after our operator rehearsed a couple of times it was pretty much show ready!”

For the lighting rig, eclipse supplied a myriad of fixtures including 42 Martin by Harman MAC Auras, 32 Claypaky Sharpys, 16 Sharpy Wash 330’s, 12 Stormys and 18 SGM P-5’s. Also on the rig were 2, Lycian 4000W Followspots. Leading the design was Senior Lighting Technician, Junder Luzon.

“Similar to the video team, we didn’t face any major challenges before arriving on site. All the fixtures and cable looms were all set and ready for action,” commented Luzon. Finally for control, eclipse supplied an MA Lighting grandMA2 full size along with a back up grandMA Light.

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To complement the visual feast, eclipse provided a complete audio system, made up of d&b audiotechnik J, V and Y Series boxes. For the main left and right hangs the company deployed 8 V8’s with 2 V12’s per side. There were also a pair of delay hangs, each comprising of 4 Y8’s and 2 Y12’s just past the half-way point of the venue.

Discussing the audio set up for the performance was eclipse’s Senior Audio Engineer, Wissam Shaheen. He explained how the audio set up had been specially selected for the architecture of the room. “With the Zabeel Hall having such a low ceiling, this particular d&b configuration produced the appropriate level of SPL coverage and tonal consistency for each

audience member.”

For sub reinforcement Shaheen and the rest of the audio crew deployed an array of 16 J-Subs in 8 positions across the front of the stage. The system was powered by D80 amplifiers with Lake LM44’s and DS10’s used for networking and system control.

the request of the touring crew, eclipse supplied an Avid Profile for both FOH and monitor positions. FOH duties were taken care of by Morissette’s engineer, Rards Corpus, while eclipse’s Senior Audio Technician, Ronald Eugenio, looked after monitors. “Stage monitoring was a mixture of in-ears and wedges,” stated Shaheen.

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“The massive success of the event was made possible by the world-class team and the technology of eclipse.”

La Verdad Events Management’s Department Head for Promotions, Mhel Lingat

“All the wedges were d&b M4’s driven

by D80’s along with a V-Sub for drum fills.”

Morissette and her support act, Sam Concepcion, also had Sennheiser G3 IEMs as per their request using personal custom headsets. As a Sennheiser endorsed artist, Morissette used a 2000 Series handheld microphone with a 935 capsule.

“For the other acts including Sam Concepcion and Wishful 5, we used Shure UR2 handhelds with UR4 receivers paired with a UA874 Active Antennas,” stated Shaheen.

Also on site for the performance was Dubai based MEI, which supplied all the backline for the show.

Clearly pleased with its first official project, Mhel Lingat, La Verdad Events Management’s Department Head for Promotions spoke about the collaboration with eclipse Staging Services.

“eclipse exceeded all our expectations with their world-class audio-visual technology. The quality of their sound system highlighted the vocal skills of the singers, while the lighting effects in the venue raised the bar for Filipino concerts in the UAE. Indeed, the massive success of the event was made possible by the worldclass team and the technology of eclipse.”

Echoing Mhel Lingat’s pleasure was Candy

Lingat, Event Organiser for La Verdad Events Management. “The sound and lighting effects were more than awesome! It was epic and no doubt left an indelible mark in the hearts of the guests.”

With 4,500 satisfied fans and a new standard being set for Filipino productions in Dubai, it’s unlikely this will be the last production from the Philippines to make a temporary home within the UAE region.

Photos courtesy of eclipse Staging Services. www.laverdadevents.com www.wish1075.com www.eclipse.ae

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ILEA COLUMN

ILEA MIDDLE EAST PRESIDENT ELECT, PAUL BERGER, SETS OUT HIS OBJECTIVES FOR 2019...

As a founding member of ILEA, I have really enjoyed working this year as the chapter’s president elect, supporting our current president, Dan Bolton, and his board. This year has seen the chapter grow in both size and stature with many new members coming on board.

It has been extremely motivating to see the inroads that the chapter has been making with the likes of the DED and DTCM, and the alliances we have formed with other industry associations. Before I take up my presidency next year, I wanted to take this opportunity to share with you a little about who I am and where I see the chapter in 2020.

I have been working in the Middle East and Asia since 1993, starting my career in Dubai with the OMNICOM Group as a lead Account Director on Emirates Airline, Pepsi Cola and General Motors. In 1997, I moved into the sports event management and sports marketing sector by launching the first leisure motor sport tracks in the region; Indoor Karting, Outdoor Karting, and the Dubai Autodrome circuit. In 2006, I began a close relationship with Formula 1, working closely

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with McLaren and Ferrari on their Middle East partnerships and being involved in the launch of the Abu Dhabi F1 Grand Prix. After 12 years in the motor sports industry, I acquired a shareholding in one of the Middle East’s leading event industry suppliers, Harlequin Marquees & Event Services. In 2009, I became CEO of Harlequin and subsequently sold the company to the Arena Group. In 2010, I was appointed CEO of the Middle East and Asia Division of the Group, launching the company in Singapore and Malaysia. I have subsequently expanded the division to Abu Dhabi, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Korea and now Japan. The division has grown from an AED 20m business in 2009 to over AED 100m by the end of 2018, with over 180 employees.

I have been involved with ILEA (then ISES!) since its inception in the Middle East in 2010, when Harlequin officially backed their initial request to the Dubai Chamber for permission to form. Subsequently in 2012 when the Dubai Chamber application approval had been received, and the business group had been incorporated, the founding president, Adrian Bell asked me to join his board and, gladly accepting, I have been an active participant ever since.

During my time as a board member I took responsibility for Events and Sponsorship, with a focus on sourcing new venues for our events. Highlights for me included securing venue partnerships from the Waldorf Astoria, the Ritz Carlton, the Address Hotel, the JA Ocean View and the St Regis, as well as significant sponsorship deals with organizations such as Fly Dubai. I am also proud to have been part of growing the membership base from the initial 30 to the 400 that it is today.

In mid-2017, I decided that it was time for me to ‘give something back’ to the local events industry and put myself forward for the role of Dan’s President Elect. I will officially take over the reins from Dan in January 2019 and hope to continue the fantastic work that he has started. With a strong board of seasoned industry professionals behind me, together with the support of our members and the wider industry, I look forward to the great honour and responsibility of leading the association into Expo 2020 and beyond.

During my presidency, I will be focusing on going back to basics, ensuring that we reinforce the foundations of our organisation for the future. In addition to continuing to grow

ILEA COLUMN

and strengthen our board and membership base, I have set myself three key objectives for the next 12 to 18 months: EMIRATISATION: I feel that Emiratisation is key if we are to establish a stronger voice in this country and throughout the region. It was never our intention to be an expat organization and I believe that we need additional Emirati and GCC national representation on the board and throughout the membership base in order to rectify this.

CREATE A HOME FOR THE CHAPTER: I have felt for some time that it is crucial that we have a physical base that we, our members and our future members can use and benefit from. I feel that this will provide the association with stability and will help to further cement our position in the marketplace, in addition to providing a useful space for training, education, meetings, general information sharing and networking. To me, this will in turn demonstrate to the local government that we are a serious industry sector that has a role to play in the economy of this country, and that there is a benefit to working closely with us going forward.

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IMPROVE OUR FINANCIAL HEALTH: Finally, I would like to improve the financial state of the organisation and feel that the generation of additional revenue is crucial to our survival. Clearly, we are a non-profit organisation, however the more funds we generate, the more resources we have available to us to reinvest into training, education, events, health & safety, licensing, marketing & promotion.

In summary, in 18 months’ time at the end of my presidency, I would like to be able to look back and see that we have made a lasting difference to our industry, with measurable results that have had a positive impact for our members and their companies. I hope also, that these results will have enabled the chapter to have grown, particularly as we welcome the largest event in the world, Expo 2020, to the country.

It is clear to me that we as an industry need to work collaboratively to achieve these goals and hope that I can count on the support of each of our members, as well as our board, to come together to move the industry forward. I look forward to working with you all over the next year and a half and hope to see as many of you as possible at our next event. www.ilea-me.com

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EXPO

PROLIGHT + SOUND MIDDLE EAST 2018 FOR THE 3RD YEAR, PROLIGHT + SOUND AGAIN OPENED ITS DOORS IN DUBAI PUTTING PRODUCT LAUNCHES, CONFERENCES AND TECHNICAL COURSES IN THE SPOTLIGHT.

Key decision makers from the regional entertainment, event, media and creation industries gathered in Dubai in late September as the Prolight + Sound Middle East 2018 trade fair opened to wide fanfare. The 3rd edition of the annual 3-day expo at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre, with 42 exhibitors from 10 countries displaying 120-plus brands, representing a healthy 50% increase over the previous year. The footfall at the show also saw a healthy increase with 2,869 pre-audited victors, a 33% rise since 2017.

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This year the show welcomed more than 20 new exhibitors from a variety of countries underlying its growing global appeal in a Middle East and African professional Audio Visual (AV) solutions market that’s currently estimated to be worth more than US$5 billion.

Among the debut exhibiters were Gator Cases, Stageline and ADJ, while Claypaky, a subsidiary of the German lighting manufacturer Osram, were also present with its professional lighting systems for the entertainment sector. As well as some new faces the show also welcomed

back returning heavyweights, including Germany’s Monacor International, FBT Elettronica from Italy and Czech Republic’s Robe.

This exhibition is very important for our brand because we need to increase our footprint in the region and widen our customer base in the Middle East,” commented Tareq Abu Ghoosh, Sales Representative for Robe. “Being here also helps us to create awareness of our brand and is vital for our marketing strategy. We hope that our participation here makes a difference in our brand image across the region.”

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Robe Middle East’s General Manager Elie Battah and Martin Michaud of MDG Fog; Clay Paky’s Fabiano Besio, Alberico D’Amato and Egor Popovski; Roberto Mataloni and Luigi Paoloni of FBT; Hannah Eakins of TPMEA Magazine, Ramon Oolthuis of Admiral Staging Essentials, Lars Toonen of Prolyte, Kevin Boujikian of Provision AVL, Ralph Stockley of Prolyte and Rachael Rogerson-Thorley of mondo*dr magazine; The Robe Middle East stand.

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EXPO

Le Maitre’s Elaine Frost with Kevin Boujikian of Provision AVL; Elie Kheirallah of Venuetech with Grégory Dapsanse and Régis Cazin of APG; The Showtex stand; Ken Weller and colleague of Celestion; Elation Professional’s Frederik Afif.

Also sharing his thoughts was Jos Reulen, Export Sales Manager for ADJ: “Prolight + Sound Middle East is immensely important because it is the only trade show targeting the sound and light professionals, hence it brings together all the key stakeholders, traders and buyers from across the region onto a single platform. We use the show to launch our new products here every year and this has resulted in a lot of new business being generated for us.”

Ahmed Pauwels, CEO of Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of Prolight + Sound Middle East, said: “The Middle East is a rising destination for the events and entertainment industry.

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“With the region continuing to feature as an important stop on the annual calendar of leading international performers, demand for top of the rung professional audio and visual equipment will continue to rise. This is even more evident in the UAE, where the professional AV market is estimated to be worth US$707 million in 2018, while Saudi’s nascent entertainment sector will be another major draw, as the Kingdom earmarks US$64 billion to be injected into live events, theme parks, cinema, cultural attractions and tourism over the next decade.

“The momentum is building and will continue to expand in both the fixed spaces as well as further events and productions, and Prolight

+ Sound Middle East fills the essential need in the market that is reflective of the enormous developmental energy that is currently driving the regional sector.”

A returning key focal point this year at Prolight + Sound Middle East was the 2nd Events Technology & Entertainment Development Forum, where 24 thought leaders are sharing their ideas on how the UAE and the wider region can continue its rise as a major destination for large scale entertainment, sporting, business and cultural events. Among the highlights were the Experience Session with La Perle by Dragone, Dubai’s only permanent theatre performance, along with key insights into the award-winning

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The Venuetech stand, ADJ’s Steven Samaan and Jos Reulen; Ramon Oolthuis of Admiral Staging Essentials, Lars Toonen of Prolyte, Kevin Boujikian of Provision AVL, Ralph Stockley of Prolyte; The La Perle panel.

installation of a complete sound system in Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque.

Meanwhile on the exhibition floor, UAE manufacturer ATEÏS Middle East was another first-time Prolight + Sound Middle East 2018 exhibitor looking to make the most of its participation.

Managing Director Hussam Al Haddad said the show was the perfect fit for ATEÏS’ pro audio products: “Audio is our main product and it’s in our company DNA,” said Al Haddad. “We’re innovators in this segment, whether it’s voice

evacuation systems, PA (public address) systems, or professional audio systems. It’s our core business, and as Dubai is our home, Prolight + Sound Middle East is our show.

This year Prolight + Sound Middle East also returned with its successful Dante training workshop by Audinate, where AV professionals can gather more in-depth knowledge about key design concepts and common technologies deployed in typical medium-sized Dante networks.

It’s early days, but Prolight + Sound Middle

East is already looking to next year’s event.

“We had a small demo zone this year, and we’d like to expand this eventually,” stated Gareth Wright, Head of Public Relations. “We’d also like to extend our workshop programmes to attract more professionals, as well as building on the audio side of the show. We also see Saudi Arabia and Africa as key growth visitor markets, so will look to up the ante in attracting visitors from these markets in the coming years.” www.pls.ae.messefrankfurt.com

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PRODUCT FOCUS

PRODUCT FOCUS TPMEA TAKES A LOOK AT SOME OF THE LATEST LIGHITNG ENTERTAINMENT TECHNOLOGY PRODUCT RELEASES

GLP: IMPRESSION E350 LED

FACT FILE:

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Functions: The broad feature package includes CMY, Colour Wheel virtual CTC, Iris, Animation Wheel, Prism, 2-way-Frost, two Gobo wheels, plus 640° Pan and 262° Tilt in 16-bit resolution.

Light source: 350W White light LED-Engine, 7500K, 8000 lm - 9500 lm CMY and CTC Colour Mixing System: New CMY Filters system for smooth colour mixing and deep saturated colours and new CTC Technology for a seamless range from 2500 K – 8000K

High Colour Temperature for Powerful Beams: The 350W LED Engine emits a 7,500K continuous spectrum which gives a more punchy beam than lower colour temperatures.

Two Gobo Wheels: 1x Gobo wheel with 7 interchangeable gobos plus open with precise gobo indexing and smooth and fast gobo rotation, along with a fixed gobo wheel with 10 gobos plus open.

Animation Wheel: An adjustable animation

wheel for horizontal, diagonal and vertical animation effects. Smooth rotation from slow to fast.

Iris: Precise 14 blade iris.

Frost: 2-way Frost system which provides soft to heavy frost effects.

Weight & Dimensions: The E350 features GLP’s trademark baseless design with low weight of just 24.5 kg and a compact size off 471mm x 229mm x 642 mm (LWH).

GLP officially launched the impression E350 LED moving head at PLASA 2018, a new, supercharged companion to its popular impression S350, in an efficient, optimised package.

With an advanced LED engine offering unprecedented output in its class, the fixture will find favour in any type of showcase event or installation with dynamic, articulated lighting as the centerpiece. And since it offers flicker free operation, with smooth electronic dimming from 0-100%, multiple dimming curves, with no colour shift while delivering random and pulse electronic strobing effects it will also find favour in the Broadcast / TV segment.

There are many essential features in this compact fixture with its signature baseless design. The high colour temperature of 7500K provides a hard-edge mid-air effect beam, with bright gobo projections, while it is also notable

for an extremely tight iris and GLP’s motorised 7:1 zoom range (7°- 48°). This creates an even and flat field with a considerable light output of up to a maximum of 9500lm.

The impression E350 also houses a CMY colour mixing system with separate CTC Channel, along with an 8-facet-prism, a light and heavy frost, a tiltable animation wheel, two gobo wheels, a super-tight 14-blade iris and 10-slot colour wheel. All functions are fully capable of working in combination with one another, making the GLP impression E350 perfect for almost any application.

GLP product manager Michael Feldmann, believes his company has produced another powerful and flexible fixture for the Lighting world. “Due to the high efficient LED Engine in combination with the great optical system, the feature-set and the compact form factor, we anticipate immediate take-up by rental

companies looking to maximise return on investment in the dry hire sector for events and shows of all types.”

He explained how GLP set the bar high in designing a blueprint tor a luminaire guaranteed to leapfrog the competition.

“Our first priority was to get maximum output and efficiency from a 350W LED engine, with intensive 7500K default white, as we knew this would be perfect for mid-size shows or wherever compact form factor and low weight are required. In fact the E350 outputs up to 9500 lm at maximum 550W power consumption!”

He stated that due to the high colour temperature the beam appears more powerful and hard-edged. “With a great combination of break-up and mid-air effect functionality, in a package designed for easy tour handling, it is the complete all-rounder.” www.glp.de

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AYRTON: BORA S + KHAMSIN -S FACT FILE: OPTICS • 13 element 8:1 zoom in high-resolution optic system • Beam aperture: 8° to 64° • Fast motorised linear zoom • Tempered anti-reflective coated lenses • 178 mm frontal lens for greater performance

CONTROL • DMX 512 protocol, through DMX cable or wireless system • DMX-RDM compatible • Stand-alone mode and Master/Slave modes • ArtNet & sACN protocol through Ethernet cable • Local control panel, with LCD display • Choice of 3 DMX modes (from 30 to 52 DMX channels)

Ayrton brought yet more innovation to PLASA London with the launch of 2 fabulous new products and some UK ‘firsts’, with exclusive UK distributor, Ambersphere Solutions.

PLASA London saw the launch of Bora-S, Ayrton’s exciting new high output, low power LED washlight, complete with gobo projection and framing capabilities for stunning aerial effects. Bora-S’s extreme optical efficiency delivers a remarkable output of 38,000lm from an 8000K white LED engine of just 750W to surpass any other LED fixture in its class and 1500W/1700W discharge fixtures at a fraction of the power consumption.

Bora-S is the perfect washlight for large scale venues and outdoor and indoor arenas, yet it is also fully featured with a 178mm PC front lens for greater performance, a 8:1 zoom delivering a beam range of 8° to 64°, full field framing, an iris, a rotating gobo wheel, 2 colour wheels and a full CMY + CTO colour system with a CRI greater than 70 – with incredibly smooth transitions at all focal lengths.

What else can deliver all these extra effects from a stunning wash fixture? Ayrton’s LED Bora-S surpasses conventional discharge fixtures in output, performance and price whilst slashing power requirements and all the associated costs.

All this, in a package with the same footprint and similarly compact body as Ayrton’s successful Ghibli!

Alongside Bora-S, Ayrton will also launch the brand new Khamsin-S automated LED profile spotlight at PLASA London. The brightest LED profile spotlight on the market, outputting a massive 39,000lm, Khamsin-S has it all: unparalleled optical efficiency using the same modest 750W white LED engine as Bora-S and a wealth of quality features that include two rotating gobo wheels, an animation wheel, full field framing, 2 prisms, an iris, 2 frosts, 2 fixed colour wheels and a full CMY + linear CTO colour system, plus a 9:1 zoom with a 6.5° to 56° beam range. These combine with Khamsin-S’s brilliance to give lighting designers a full tool box with which to realise their design dreams, and

full rein on their design specs with no compromise.

Khamsin-S provides an LED alternative that exceeds the performance and capabilities of 1500W/1700W discharge fixtures, at an equal price point, yet at a fraction of the running costs and with no compromise on power or performance.

Khamsin-S is the only serious alternative to any 1500W/1700W discharge spot and comes in a similarlysized housing as its wash partner Bora-S.

TC versions of both Bora and Khamsin with TM30 results over 90 are available on request so customers can choose between the “TC-version” (True Colour) with a high CRI, or opt for a maximum output with the “S-Version” (Stage).

Beautifully designed for all large venues and touring applications and offering a complete range of solutions for lighting designers, Ayrton Bora-S and Khamsin-S also offer an enormous return on investment for many reasons, all of which make them especially attractive to rental houses: their huge optical efficiency, compared to discharge fixtures and other LED fixtures, results in a massive output of 38,000 lumens and 39,000 lumens respectively, from an LED source that uses only 750W of power.

Khamsin-S is the brightest LED profile spotlight on the market with a price point equal to 1500W/1700W discharge fixtures that offer a lower output, meaning lighting designers’ wish lists of fixtures are less likely to be compromised due to budget restrictions.

Bora-S is a full wash fixture with gobo projection and full field framing all in one unit, displaying smooth transitions between them all and more design possibilities from the same fixture.

Unbeatable in size, weight and optical efficiency, Bora-S and Khamsin-S have compact

COLOURS • Sophisticated colour mix system providing CMY colour mixing • Variable CTO colour temperature correction • 2 fixed colour wheels with six complementary colours each FROST • 0% to 100% variable linear frost

housings which take up less room in a rig and need less storage space in a warehouse. They require lower maintenance and fewer man-hours due to the long life of the LED source replacing conventional lamps, which also reduces heat damage. Running costs are significantly lower, in addition to which, the lower power consumption means fewer generators and lower plant hire costs for outdoor events.

Also on display in London for the first time is Mistral-S, the high output version of Ayrton’s popular Mistral-TC spot luminaire. At 18.6kg and super small in size, Mistral-S outputs a spectacular 17,000 lumens which aligns it with a 800W/1000W discharge fixtures. It is by far the most powerful light in that area of the market.

The broad range of features and the attractive price remain the same as the Mistral-TC version, so the customer has an entirely unfettered choice. www.ayrton.eu

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PRODUCT FOCUS

ELATION: RAYZOR 760 & PROTEUS SMARTY RAYZOR FACT FILE: • • • • •

7x 60W OSRAM RGBW LED with Pixel Control 28x 1W TwinkLED Effect with Pixel Control (patent pending) Extreme Zoom – 8° for mid-air beam to 77° for even washes Fast and precise 360° continuous Pan and Tilt rotation Beam FX and Smooth Wash fixture in a compact housing

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IP65 Rated 3-in-1 Hybrid Beam, Spot, Wash Luminaire Philips MSD 21R 470W 80CRI 8,000K Lamp and Advanced Optics Motorized Zoom, Beam and Spot Modes Advanced Internal Thermal Cooling System Full CMY Colour Mixing and Linear CTO Colour Correction 14 Dichroic Colours Including CTB, CTO, and UV 8 Rotating Interchangeable and 14 Static-Stamped Metal Gobos Full 360° Bi-Directional Animation Wheel Rotating 8-Facet and Linear Prisms and Frost Filter Motorized Focus and Auto-Focus High Speed Mechanical Shutter and Strobe DMX, RDM, Art-NET, and sACN Protocol Support Elation’s E-FLY™ Internal Wireless DMX Transceiver

Elation Professional is excited to introduce TwinkLED, a new and innovative LED lens design offering creative layers of powerful light beams and elegant lens illumination. TwinkLED offers a prominent, patent-pending LED pixel effect using dedicated high-brightness pixels inside large front lenses to provide additional layers of creativity for the lighting designer.

Showing at PLASA for the first time anywhere is an all new visual effect, the RAYZOR 760, a compact yet extremely powerful LED wash effects luminaire and the first fixture to feature Elation’s brand new, unique TwinkLED system.

With a wide zoom range from 8 to 77 degrees, the

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RAYZOR 760 provides intense and well-defined mid-air beams with over 8000 lumens, as well as an exceptionally wide and even wash coverage.

Driven by 7, independently controlled, 60W RGBW LEDs, the RAYZOR 760 provides a powerful beam that stands out on any stage.

The oversized front lenses create a large surface that is enhanced by the patent-pending TwinkLEDs technology. TwinkLEDs consist of 28 individual white LEDs strategically placed inside the lens itself to create a unique additional layer of effect, allowing designers access to a fresh and innovative way of creating interest on stage. Fast, continuous, speed-adjustable pan & tilt rotation adds another layer of dynamic effects from this versatile fixture.

The RAYZOR 760 is also available in a compact and lightweight weather and dust protected IP65 version, the Proteus RAYZOR 760, for use in any environment and under adverse conditions. The Proteus RAYZOR 760’s multienvironmental IP65 design makes it the world’s first IP65-rated luminaire with continuous pan & tilt rotation, giving designers the freedom to utilize this latest effect at any event, indoors or out. It offers the identical feature set and powerful output as the RAYZOR 760, allowing you to choose the right fixture for the application without compromise.

Elation will be showcasing the CMY colour-mixing Smarty Hybrid at PLASA and is pleased to introduce its IP65-rated version, the Proteus Smarty Hybrid. This is the world’s

first compact CMY hybrid fixture with true IP65 rating. Encompassing the same full feature set and using the same highly-efficient Philips MSD Platinum FLEX 200 lamp with exceptional 6000hour lamp life, the Proteus Smarty Hybrid’s IP65 dust and water protection means this compact and versatile effect can be used indoors or out.

Features include fast movement, motorized zoom, full CMY color mixing, 13 dichroic colours, 2 gobo wheels, prism overlay and frost filter.

Also on hand will be the Artiste Van Gogh, a powerful framing wash LED luminaire with outstanding light quality and the ideal partner to the profile luminaires in Elation’s growing Artiste range. Providing up to 16,000 total lumens from an efficient 380W high CRI LED engine, the Artiste Van Gogh excels at color rendering for precise colour reproduction.

CMY and CTO colour mixing and a 7-position colour wheel provide flexible colour options and an internal 4-blade barndoor system allows for beam shaping and light control at any angle.

With a wide zoom range and choice of PC or optional Fresnel lens, the Van Gogh is capable of concentrated beams to wide washes for use in a variety of applications that require high output and precise beam control.

Elation Professional is excited to show visitors to PLASA 2018 these exciting new lighting tools and invite lighting pros to Stand H40 to be some of the first anywhere to see them. www.elationlighting.com

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CHROMA-Q: VISTA 3 SOFTWARE Chroma-Q , who recently acquired and rebranded the Jands Vista lighting & media control system, has released the long anticipated Vista 3 software, which introduces a large number of exciting new features and improvements.

After receiving extensive user feedback, Vista 3 has been developed to dramatically enhance existing functionality and introduce an array of intelligent new features that appeal to both existing and new users. Some of the new features include the ability to merge multiple showfiles, a new colour engine that supports up to 11 colours, improved 2D fixture visualisations, customisable workspaces, a vastly expanded command line interface, and Smart FX masters.

These features all contribute to improving the entire user experience in creating and delivering fantastic looking shows, in addition to making the software even more intuitive to those users who are new to the Vista ecosystem.

Vista 3 user, LD Ben Inskip has been trialling the software on his shows. He commented: “Vista is getting better and better. The features in Vista

3 make everything quicker to access. Custom workspaces and the command line put even more at your fingertips. It allows me to try new things out really quickly and focus on adding intricate little touches to shows.” He continues: “Everything feels solid and reliable. I’m really excited to follow Vista as it continues to improve.”

Paul Pelletier, Chroma-Q’s Global Brand Manager, has been working with the development team on Vista 3. “I know a lot of people have been eagerly looking forward to the announcement of Vista 3. It feels great to deliver what we believe is an impressive product, and hope users agree that it was worth the wait.”

Visit the Chroma-Q website to watch the Vista 3 software features video and then download the free demo version of the official software release.

Alongside Vista 3’s software launch, Vista

by Chroma-Q is now shipping two new control surfaces - the Vista MV and Vista EX - which provide affordable hands-on control suitable for any size or style of production. www.chroma-q.com/vista

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PRODUCT FOCUS

ADJ: AV2, VIZI, HEX IP, ENCORE FR & PAR Z120

ADJ used the exhibition to showcase a variety of its latest lighting and video fixtures suitable for both permanent installations and touring productions.

ADJ’s AV Series of LED video panels has proven extremely popular worldwide. Building on the success of the original AV6X, which offers a 6mm pixel pitch, the AV Series now features a range of models suitable for a wide variety of permanent installation and touring applications.

The recently launched AV2 model boasts an extremely tight 2.97mm pixel pitch, making it ideal for use in situations where audience members will be relatively close to the screen.

The AV4IP, meanwhile, is a 4.81mm pixel pitch panel benefiting from an IP65 weatherproof rating making it suitable for temporary outdoor use. All of the AV Series models have been designed for easy use and serviceability, with standard powerCON and etherCON input and output connections and simple rigging mechanisms. A variety of the panels will be on display at PLASA 2018, giving visitors the opportunity to experience the AV Series for themselves and to decide which model is the most suitable for their particular requirements.

ADJ’s Vizi Series of moving head lighting fixtures covers the whole gamut from affordable and compact, to powerful and fully-featured, offering something suitable for every type of event or installation. At PLASA, the focus will be on the 4 hybrid units in the range, which combine the 3 functions of a beam, spot and wash into 1 versatile fixture. Hybrid moving heads offer a cost saving over the use of 3 separate fixture types as well as a reduction in electricity consumption and required rigging, trucking and

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storage space. Utilising a potent and efficient 330W Phillips Platinum 16R lamp, the ADJ Vizi Hybrid 16RX is a powerful and feature-packed moving head that is ideal for use in large venues.

If offers 14 colors plus white, 2 separate GOBO wheels (one with replaceable slots), 2 rotating prisms (6-facet linear and 8-facet circular), as well as motorized focus, zoom and shutter functions, making it a flexible lighting tool. Building on this impressive combination of light output and beam shaping features, ADJ’s new Vizi CMY 16RX offers the same light source and features with the significant addition of full CMY (cyan, magenta and yellow) colour mixing, which gives designers the creative freedom to select from a vast pallet of potential colours. The Vizi Series also offers the option of hybrid fixtures fitted with modern LED light sources, with the associated benefits of long operating life, low power consumption and reduced excess hear. The Vizi BSW 300 uses a specially-designed 300W LED engine to generate a level of brightness previously unobtainable from an LED-powered fixture. It also offers 2 independent colour wheels, 2 rotating 6-facet prisms (circular and linear), motorized focus and two GOBO wheels (1 with rotating replaceable slots and the other incorporating 3 beam reducing apertures), allowing it to be used to create a wide variety of lighting effects. Finally, the Vizi CMY300 features the same potent 300W LED light source but with the added benefit of full CMY colour mixing.

ADJ’s new range of weatherproof LED Par fixtures will also be on display at PLASA 2018.

The 7P HEX IP, 12P HEX IP and 18P HEX IP all feature a distinctive metallic casing design with an IP65 rating, making them suitable for use

both indoors and outdoors regardless of the weather conditions. Offering a beam angle of 30-degrees, each of these fixtures utilize an arrangement of powerful 12-Watt 6-in-1 HEX (red, green, blue, amber, white & UV) LEDs to provide lighting designers, integrators and installers with a huge palette of colours including UV-infused hot pink, lime green and electric blue.

All 3 units are equipped with powerCON True1 input and output sockets as well as IP-rated 3-pin DMX input and output sockets fitted with waterproof rubber caps. This means that IP-rated power and DMX linking cables can be used for outdoor applications, however standard XLR and powerCON cables can also be utilized if the fixtures are used indoors.

Bringing the benefits of LED – low temperature, low power consumption and long lamp life – to the world of theatre lighting, ADJ’s Encore FR Series of Fresnel fixtures generate soft-edged beams of warm white (3000K) light.

At the top of the range is the Encore FR150Z, which is equipped with an 8-inch Fresnel lens and powered by a potent 130W LED light-source.

For smaller stages, the Encore FR50Z features a 6-inch Fresnel lens and a 50W LED, making for a compact yet highly efficient fixture. Both models offer a variable beam angle of between 8- and 50-degrees, and are fitted with locking powerCON input and output sockets as well as professional 5-pin XLR input and output connections to allow standard DMX control.

Finally, the recently released Encore FR20 DTW is a compact version fitted with a 2-inch Fresnel lens and a 17W LED. Ideal for illuminating small stages and retail displays, this slimline fixture features Dim-to-Warm technology, for a halogenstyle dimming profile, and is Triac dimmable.

ADJ’s new PAR Z120 RGBW is powered by a potent 115W quad color C.O.B (Chip On Board) LED. Combining red, green, blue and white chips into a single LED, the unit’s light-source allows for extremely smooth colour mixing while casting no colour shadows. Packaged in a standard Par 64 casing, this flexible fixture offers five different beam angle options – 7, 11.5, 16, 20.5 and 25-degrees – which can be easily selected using a manual latch system. The fixture is supplied with a gel frame in which diffusion filters may be inserted to further change the beam angle, while locking powerCON input and output sockets allow the power supply for multiple fixtures to be daisy-chained from a single socket. Also on display at PLASA 2018 will be the new PAR ZP120 RGBW model, which offers the same fixture but with a striking polished silver exterior housing.

The Par Z120 RGBW and PAR ZP120 RGBW allow lighting and stage designers to achieve the look of traditional stage pars with the technological advantages of modern LED light-sources. www.adj.com

PRODUCT FOCUS

SPOTLIGHT: HYPERION SERIES

After previewing its new Hyperion LED series earlier this year, Spotlight showcased the 6-Colour Fresnel, 6-Colour Profile and Warm White Fresnel models with new software at PLASA 2018. In addition, they also debuted the new Tuneable White Profile.

Developed to celebrate 50 years of the brand’s innovation, the Hyperion series has been expressly designed to meet the most discerning requirements of professional users, both for the quantity and the quality of the light output.

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FACT FILE: • • • •

• • •

•

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Increased Fresnel lens for greater brightness 200 mm Extremely soft dimming even at low levels for theatrical use Flicker free for television and film applications Colour booster to improve single colour when not all the channels are at full Possibility to control the fan speed through a special channel Simplified access to internal electronics for faster maintenance Tungsten lamp emulation function through the “Amber shift” function Function for the simulation of the halogen lamp with a delay in the phases of switching on and off Also available in versions with pole or motorized control Compact size and extremely light (8.6 kg)

The Hyperion 6-Colour LED technology adds amber, cyan and lime alongside RGB, for a wider choice of even colour-mixing, a colour temperature range from 2,700K to 8,000K, and colour rendering up to 97. As a result, it gives designers increased creative possibilities to achieve their artistic vision. The Hyperion range of Fresnels and Zoom Profiles also includes Tuneable White and Fixed White versions.

Designed for large installations such as professional theatres, film and TV studios, the

highly efficient 300W luminaires have an output comparable with 2,000W Halogen fixtures; feature a new rounder, sleeker and more compact design, yet retain Spotlight’s reliably efficient internal heat reduction system; and have DMX controlled fan speed modes to suit different environments and productions.

Highlights from Spotlight’s extensive, awardwinning Green Line range of lighting fixtures were also represented. www.ac-et.com

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PRODUCT FOCUS

FACT FILE: • Internal capacitive multi-touch screen • Colour picking, mixing & image capture • Filter libraries by Lee Filters, Rosco and Apollo • Mood Boards by Lee Filters • Additive, subtractive and HSV control • 4 encoder wheels • Built-in fixture library • 241 playbacks • 2048 freely assignable channels for moving lights, LED and conventionals • Upgradable up to 4096 channels • User Definable Keys (UDKs) • Scratch-resistant rugged dual-skin construction • Quiet, dust free, fanless operation • USB pluggable Wings available • Optional external touch screen • CE compliant to all relevant standards • Designed and manufactured to ISO 9001:2015 standards

ZERO 88: FLX S RANGE Eaton’s leading lighting control brand Zero 88 celebrates a year since the launch of its hugely successful FLX S range of small, powerful and highly intuitive lighting consoles, ideal for small to medium shows utilizing a mix of moving lights and LED fixtures as well as conventional luminaires.

FLX S24 runs up to 48 LED, moving lights and conventional fixtures and is easy to learn and straightforward to use, delivering huge flexibility and multiple features at an affordable price. FLX S48 has double the power of FLX S24, offering intuitive and hands-on control of up to 96 fixtures, and a touch monitor output for quick access to palettes / show overview. The quantity of available playbacks, groups and palettes are all also doubled.

Both FLX S24 and S48 are ultimately portable, powerful controllers with a small footprint and free apps available for wireless

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monitoring of the lighting rig, plus support for a range of networking accessories.

Enthusiasm for the FLX S24 and FLX S48 consoles has been fantastic worldwide, across all Zero 88’s usual markets, and in other new regions including Japan, Australia and the US! There has been impressive uptake over multiple sectors, including TV and corporate events, fringe and experimental theatre.

Several large UK rental companies have invested in FLX S to service a diversity of work – notably Adlib, SLX and Hawthorn - and the number of active ZerOS* (the software architecture running on all Zero 88 consoles) users has doubled in a year.

PLASA gave visitors the chance to talk to the team about becoming part of the active “ZerOS” show lighting software family; joining the thousands of existing users and venues around the globe using their Zero 88 lighting desks to

design multiple productions in an affordable, easy and fun way.

The team provided hands-on demos of the complete FLX range - The FLX S24 and FLX S48 consoles, the original FLX and the ZerOS Wing and showcasing additions to the ever-expanding ZerOS software platform - including multiple advances in networking, improvements to Effects and increases in Universe Count.

The well-known “RigSync” demo can also be experienced - to understand why it won a PLASA Innovation Award! This incredibly useful feature automatically keeps the console synchronized with the lighting rig throughout all programming changes and it even fixes mistakes!

A range of other cool and innovative Zero 88 products were also on display, including Chilli Pro Bypass dimmers, a selection of networking and backup devices and power relays. www.zero88.co.uk

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

Above: Unfazed Productions makes floral experience blossom with Chauvet Professional.

UNFAZED PRODUCTIONS BLOSSOMS WITH CHAUVET PROFESSIONAL FIXTURES The quote “there is no limit to creativity,” appears several times on Heike Haywood’s business website and Facebook page. She and her team at Fleur Le Cordier demonstrated this truism in colourful and fragrant fashion at its floral experience workshop.

Drawing on South Africa’s rich botanical diversity (the country is the indigenous home of many world-famous flowers), the team at Unfazed Productions created a dazzling array of floral arrangements to be worn, draped over furniture and admired as centerpiece works of art.

Creativity was taken to an even higher level at the end of its 3-day event, when one of the rooms at the elegant Argyle function venue in Cape Town was transformed into a floral dining cove. Guests who entered the grotto-like area were immersed in a tunnel of flowers in every imaginable shape and colour. Accenting the flowery panorama were soft pastel washes

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created by Unfazed Productions, using Chauvet Professional Rogue R2 Wash fixtures.

“This was just a very enjoyable project to be involved in from a creative standpoint,” said JP Willson from Unfazed Productions. “The room was turned into this spectacular floral setting in the afternoon before the gala dinner at the end of the event, so the guests who entered for dinner were completely surprised by the transformation. Even the food served was related to flowers in some way or another. Chef Johnny Hamman from Slippery Spoon Kitchen prepared the dishes and included flowers in many of them.”

Unfazed Productions was given a great deal of creative freedom to light the floriated dining area. Divon van der Heyde and Kyle Arendse from Unfazed Productions set up and programmed all the lighting for this event. When guests first entered, they used Chauvet Professional RGBW Rogue R2 Wash fixtures to create subtle colour

changes for dramatic effect. They also called on the fixture’s 5 zones of control to add extra flourishes to the room’s lighting. For accenting specific flowers in the expansive arrangement, they deployed Chauvet DJ EZpar and EZpin IRC fixtures.

At the start of each course, the Chauvet Professional Rogue fixtures were used to create special looks signaling the arrival of the dinner’s next serving. Each course of the dinner had a specific look, with both strong, and subtle colour washes to suit the course being served. During the meal itself, the lights were toned down to a subtle warm white wash for the guests to enjoy the ambience.

“It was extraordinarily fun and rewarding to orchestrate lighting with this unique and immersive floral arrangement,” he said. “As a designer, you always value colour and beauty, and what can be more beautiful than flowers?” www.chauvetlighting.com

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‘FUTURISTIC’ ELATION LIGHTING FOR O&L GROUP ROADSHOW IN NAMIBIA

Above: dB Audio Namibia uses Elation Professional ACL 360 Bar to give employee engagement roadshow more modern look.

For the past 14 years, the O&L Group has connected with 6,000 employees across Namibia through a special outreach, the Mwenyopaleka Employee Engagement Roadshow. Rental company dB Audio Namibia, a stalwart of the technical events industry in Namibia, has been associated with the roadshow for years. In 2018, the team turned to Elation Professional’s dynamic ACL 360 Bar effect to give the show a more modern, futuristic look.

“The Mwenyopaleka roadshow aims to remind all employees that regardless of the operating company they work for, they all belong to the greater O&L family,” explained Ernst Steynberg, Corporate Communication Manager at dB Audio Namibia. “It’s all about personal realisation and development and how that translates into professional growth.”

O&L is Namibia’s largest private employer and operates companies that span industries from food production to retail trade to leisure and more.

The name of the O&L employee road show,

Mwenyopaleka, means ‘revitalisation’ in the local Oshiwambo language so it was only fitting that the event be renewed with more up-to-date lighting. The roadshow, with employees from across the company’s 12 operating companies taking part, combined content facilitation and industrial theatre with competitions and music as a perfect blend of infotainment.

During its latest rendition, dB Audio Namibia was responsible for the technical translation and realisation of the roadshow concept and event content. The addition of Chauvet Professional ACL 360 Bars provided the setup with the futurist look required as briefed by the event producer.

“The aim was to create a futuristic and modern look and feel for the event,” said Steynberg, who noted that lighting design for the roadshow was by Geraldo Papo supported

by Gillroy Barmann. “The designers turned to the high-output narrow-beam LED effect light to achieve the look. The ACL 360 Bars were spaced close together and being a bar Geraldo could create different shapes and create cutting-edge beam effects on stage. The positioning of the

fixtures in different configurations kept the stage dynamic for the different scenes.” On the market for three years now, the color-changing RGBW batten with continuous rotation has proven a diverse fixture that looks great as a blade effect, eye candy effect or even as a single LED pinspot and can add an element of dynamism to any show.

The first Mwenyopaleka Employee Engagement Roadshow of 2018 took place on April 10th in Walvis Bay with the final event held on 23 June 2018 in Mariental. The roadshow ran a total of 17 times in 7 different towns with a combined team of 24 personnel traveling more than 4000 kilometers. After 14 years, it was the final year that O+L has used the innovative edutainment format to keep its employees connected to the O&L purpose. “dB Audio Namibia has been privileged to share most of this journey with O&L and we excitedly look forward to what the future holds in store,” Ernst Steynberg concluded. www.dbaudio.com.na www.elationlighting.com

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

Above: Pro Audio Managing Directors Joss Pack and David Myers.

AUDIO-TECHNICA EXPANDS INTO SOUTH AFRICA WITH PRO AUDIO DISTRIBUTION DEAL Audio-Technica welcomes new distributor Pro Audio for both its consumer and professional audio products in South Africa.

Joining Audio-Technica’s network of distribution partners across EMEA; the company’s current portfolio includes Turbosound, TC Electronic, HK Audio and Klark Teknik.

Audio-Technica Export Sales Manager Dre Klaassen commented: “We’re delighted to welcome Pro Audio to the Audio-Technica family.

We are very confident that it is the right company to build Audio-Technica’s profile in both the pro and consumer markets in South Africa.

The company’s wide experience and drive in

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distribution are unique in the territory and I very much look forward to working with them in the future.”

Neil Schofield, Audio-Technica’s Export Sales Manager for consumer products added: “Pro Audio joins as distribution partner at an exciting time, with many new consumer products being released to the EMEA market – I’m looking forward to developing the brand together in South Africa.”

Pro Audio’s Managing Director David Myers explained: “I am extremely excited and proud of Pro Audio’s appointment as distributor for AudioTechnica.

“As a truly world-renowned brand, it will be a great complement to the current portfolio of brands we provide to the pro and consumer markets. With the addition of Audio-Technica, we can now offer a complete pro solution for installation, touring, retail, MI stores, studio, delegate and solution-based corporate installs.

“This brand really pushes our company to the next level and will ensure our continued growth and success in all the markets we represent.” www.eu.audio-technica.com www.proaudio.co.za

VL10 BeamWash creates the new dynamics

The VL10 BeamWash packs class-leading power, dynamics and personality into a compact, fast-moving body. Producing 28,000 lumens it’s brighter, lighter and more versatile than any comparable fixture.

The new VL*FX animation wheel system creates dynamic new projected and mid-air effects. An internal frost softens effects, and a heavy frost creates strong, even washes.

Book a VL10 BeamWash demonstration at entertainment.europe@philips.com

VL10_A4_03.indd 1

25/9/18 09:03:18

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

INSPIRING 350 TEENAGERS It was a privilege for the SOS Charity Fund, an initiative by DWR Distribution, to support the 2-day Inspired2Unite Mega Masterclass Bootcamp, hosted at the GrandWest casino on 2 and 3 July 2018 where over 350 teens were mentored and attended a programme presented by industry professionals.

Karen Burt of Planet Productions and Gavin Taylor, Group Technical Events and Entertainment Manager of GrandWest Casino and Entertainment World, founded Inspired Stages in 2014. It’s easy enough to start a project, but these 2 have not backed down, and there latest Bootcamp had the aim of preparing youngsters for both the stage and for life. “The jam-packed days ultimately worked on building

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self-esteem, self-belief and self-worth to survive both on and off stage,” said Burt.

A counselling and mentorship project saw girls and guys over the age of 19, who themselves had been through the Inspired Stages programme over the years, now reach out to display leadership and role model qualities to those attending the bootcamp.

SOS’s donation of R10 000 was given to these volunteers.

Workshops were presented by special guests and artists in South Africa. The list, amongst others, included Rudi Smit, international Jazz Funk / Hip Hop choreographer and dancer from Cape Town, talented pianist Garth Tavares, performer Sophia Vorster, Cape

Flats saxophonist, Donveno Prins, life coach Tarryn Tomlinson, Signature SA and many others.

In typically Inspired Stages style, the programme was a combination of transformational life coaching and life lessons, alongside performance masterclass workshops in music, vocals and dance.

DWR have been involved with the project since its inception, and it was great to reach out with the SOS this year. “Thank you to Karen and Gavin for involving us and enabling us to give back,” said Duncan Riley of DWR. www.dwrdistribution.co.za

Buy Verto now at the new low price rates and start saving on production time tomorrow.

Verto Truss

Incredible fast connection by a simple flick of your wrist

www.prolyte.com

The Verto truss is a new revolutionairy system, it brings a totally new perspective on truss assembly and is described as a game changer in our industry. Due to it’s safe, fast and silent assembly, you’re able to create special workfloor benefits.

Find out more on www.prolyte.com/verto

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

Above: Philips Strand Lighting gives winning movie performance with #LANDoftheBRAVEfilm.

PHILIPS STRAND LIGHTING FIXTURES PUTS THE SPOTLIGHT ON NAMIBIAN FILM SHOOT Philips Strand Lighting studio and location fixtures have delivered practical and performance benefits to the production of an independent Namibian movie, the working title of which is #LANDoftheBRAVEfilm.

A range of Philips Strand Lighting’s latest LED instruments were supplied to Collective Productions for the filming of the compelling crime thriller by DWR Distribution, Signify’s Entertainment Lighting sales partner in South Africa.

The equipment included Studio Panel MkII, 150S and 300S Softlights, and LEDhead Daylight fixtures.

During principal photography in July and August 2018, gaffer Hein van Zijl and assistant Tangi Kamukwatange used the fixtures in a range of locations, including close interiors and challenging exterior settings, from

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riverbeds to roadsides. Throughout the shoot they appreciated the equipment’s portability, well-engineered accessories, selectable colour temperature presets and high-quality light output.

Van Zijl praised the Studio Panel MkII for its compact portability and high quality 5600 K color temperature light output, while of the LEDhead, he said: “The LEDhead unit is useful for interior, or for close-up exterior photography.

Its onboard dimmers are user-friendly and its three colour temperature options cover our most commonly-used balances. It’s compact, with really good packaging for travel, and the accessories are great - compact, sturdy stands, and excellent diffuser filters and barndoors which slide in in seconds.”

The softlight fixtures he also praised: “The 150S and the 300S both give a really good 5600 K

light and are easily portable for their output.

The 150S is useful as a soft fill for indoor scenes or closer outdoor set-ups, while the bigger 300S is an excellent fill or key light for even the biggest set-ups, indoors or out, day or night. The menu is really accessible with great features, and the barndoor system is of excellent quality, helping us to reliably shape and guide the light where we need it.”

#LANDoftheBRAVEfilm, written and directed

by Tim Huebschle and produced by David Benade, is due for release in 2019.

Signify Entertainment Lighting comprises the Philips Vari-Lite, Philips Strand Lighting and Philips Selecon brands, as well as the Philips Showline range of LED stage luminaires. www.signify.com www.strandlighting.com www.lighting.philips.com

C R E AT I N G A S P E CTAC U L A R WORLD ER Productions - supplying Laser & SFX solutions worldwide.

We are Laser and SFX providers delivering a wide range of unique and innovative Laser and Special Effects packages for some of the world’s largest shows this year.

Amongst other projects this summer, ER Productions supported seven artists across six stages at Parklife Festival, UK, and are on world tours with One Republic, Backstreet Boys, Faith Hill & Tim McGraw and Shania Twain.

For more information or a demonstration contact: info@er-productions.com UK +44 1322 293 135 USA +1 214 2700665 AUSTRALIA +61 403 703 731 SPAIN +34 938 000291

www.er-productions.com

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

VECTORWORKS APPOINTS DWR DISTRIBUTION IN SOUTH AFRICA

Above: Vectorworks training at DWR Distribution’s South African headquarters.

The demands of the entertainment industry are constantly evolving, and access to state-of-theart technology is more critical than ever.

In response to this, global design and BIM software solutions provider Vectorworks has confirmed the appointment of DWR Distribution as an official distributor for Vectorworks Spotlight, Braceworks and Vision software in South Africa.

“DWR has demonstrated a strong commitment to Vectorworks and has deep roots in the entertainment industry, and it was a natural progression to have them officially join the Vectorworks family as a distributor,” said Tara Grant, director of channel operations at Vectorworks.

“As the demand for our solutions grows and Vectorworks continues to expand, we are looking for strong distribution partners like DWR to provide local support in markets around the world.”

Since 2013, DWR Distribution has sold software to the entertainment industry and offered extensive training at its office over the years. This new agreement will further benefit customers by allowing greater technical and sales support with direct access to the team at Vectorworks.

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“It’s an honor to be able to distribute a brand like Vectorworks, and we are very excited about the partnership,” said Duncan Riley, owner of DWR Distribution.

“We believe that the close collaboration between MA Lighting and Vectorworks, to assist lighting designers on workflow, will be a game changer. On DWR’s side, we have a passionate team supporting the brand. We see Vectorworks as a 360-degree entertainment design solution for the country, providing professionals and students with a tool that will make their lives easier.”

DWR Distribution’s Dylan Jones will manage all Vectorworks sales and support. “It’s exciting to be working directly with the Vectorworks team.”

He continued: “We are looking forward to providing educational and network licenses to the industry. The training Vectorworks provides their distributors has already helped us improve the quality of our technical support, and with direct access to their order process, we are now able to deliver licenses more quickly to our customers.”

DWR Distribution will continue to offer training sessions presented by Francois van der Merwe, who has been using Vectorworks for 14

years.

For more information about Vectorworks for entertainment in South Africa, contact DWR. Or, visit the Vectorworks website to learn more about becoming a Vectorworks distributor or to find a local distributor in your region. www.vectorworks.net www.dwrdistribution.co.za

Above: DWR Distribution’s Dylan Jones and Duncan Riley

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REGIONAL ROUND UP

BASS MECHANICS EXPANDS ITS GROWING L-ACOUSTICS ARSENAL

As the technical supplier to most international Bollywood Productions performing in South Africa, rental company Bass Mechanics have invested in additional L-Acoustics equipment to complement its existing systems. Besides new LA8 and LA12X amplified controllers, the company have also purchased L-Acoustics KS28, ARCS Wide and ARCS Focus from native distributor DWR Distribution.

What started off as a mobile disco company run by 16-year-old Sushil Patidar in 1997, has grown as he has persistently invested back into his company to offer professional gear and service to the entertainment industry.

“I was in standard seven (grade 9) when I started,” Patidar fondly recalled. “We were all turning 16, so my friends were having birthday parties.” Before long he was doing his friends’ 18th birthday parties, 21sts and so it continued with him making a name in Lenasia, the neighbourhood where he grew up.

Word of mouth had Patidar keeping crowds on the dance floor, and he completed an Audio

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Engineering Course and worked a stint at another rental company. His real break into the corporate realm came in 2004 when he was asked to be the service provider at a Bridal Fair in Lenasia, by his now wife Dimple Patidar. “That’s when we took the step to invest a decent amount of money into professional equipment and from there on it grew.”

At the time, Duncan Riley from DWR Distribution worked at Electrosonic, and Patidar purchased Martin by Harman moving head spots from him. JBL SRX 700s were supplied by Wild and Marr.

Bass Mechanics cover 90% of international Bollywood Productions visiting South Africa – about 4-8 shows per year. While the productions are a huge affair, the budgets are not so.

“We make big investments into professional gear,” Patidar elaborated. “But it’s also the service you get, knowing there is the necessary back-up when needed. We may not see our return as quickly as we want to, but know we’re getting a reliable product.”

Owning professional gear also means meeting the specs on technical riders.

Patidar was introduced to L-Acoustics when buying a pre-used Kudo System from Strike Productions when the company closed some years ago. “I didn’t mind buying the product, but I needed to know who the agents were and what spares and service would be available.” Richard Smith represented the L-Acoustics brand, met up with Sushil and assured him of his continued support.

“Ever since, although we stock other audio brands, L-Acoustics has become something very different for us,” said Patidar. At the time, a small network of L-Acoustics users was born with companies like Bass Mechanics, Gearhouse, Sound Stylists, Afrika Audio and AJR doing a lot of cross rentals. Slowly the name grew.

More recently, when it was time for Sushil to upgrade his amplifiers, he made an L-Acoustics LA8 amplified controller purchase from DWR Distribution who were appointed earlier this year as the L-Acoustics agents in Africa and where

REGIONAL ROUND UP

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Above: The Bass Mechanics crew; Sushil and Dimple Patidar; Nikhil Magan from Bass Mechanics with DWR Distribution’s Chris Pugh, Jaco Beukes & Richard Smith.

Richard Smith is now based. Bass Mechanics also invested in L-Acoustics ARCS Wide, ARCS Focus, LA12X amplified controllers and KS28 subwoofers. Patidar hopes to continue building the brand.

The L-Acoustics LA12X relies on a proprietary switch mode power supply (SMPS) equipped with a DSP-controlled PFC, capable of delivering 12,000 W regardless of mains voltages (from 240 V down to 100 V.) The PFC offers high immunity to unstable mains and lowers typical power consumption by up to 40% for the same usage conditions i.e., more power is available to the output stages from a given circuit (16 A at 230 V mains, 30 A at 120 V mains).

The L-Acoustics ARCS Wide and Focus

system – Bass Mechanics have purchased four Wide and 8 Focus - are based on 2 constant curvature enclosures holding distinct directivity pattern and SPL capabilities. Intended for medium-throw applications in rental productions and fixed installations, these line sources deliver remarkable acoustic properties and unmatched versatility for many applications, including FOH L/R systems, central clusters, side-fill monitors, distributed systems and complementary fills.

DWR first starting dealing with Bass Mechanics in 2008, selling Robe fixtures just before the World Cup. “It has been a good relationship since then,” said Robert Izzett of DWR. “I’ve always said that Sushil is one of the best companies to do business with. He always

does what he says and that’s rare.”

Patidar is very grateful to have the support from his family and awesome crew, who are curious, open to learning, are courageous and motivate him. “I enjoy the humor they bring to my challenges and I appreciate how they challenge and grow themselves. They make me want to do what I enjoy the most.”

One thing he will never do is forget his roots.

“We started with a small community who have taken us to where we are today. To be honest with you, in those days we used to do weddings at five hundred bucks an event… we can’t forget those days.” www.bassmechanics.co.za www.l-acoustics.com

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TECH PROFILE

WOMEN WALK TOGETHER (WWT) – THE GLOBAL COMMUNITY NETWORK THAT BRINGS INDIVIDUALS AND ORGANISATIONS TOGETHER, IN SUPPORT AND CELEBRATION OF WOMEN IN EVENT PRODUCTION. TPMEA SPEAKS TO RACHEL HAUGHEY.

On 18 July 2018, the world celebrated 100 years of Nelson Mandela, and in honour and gratitude to his legacy, and in support of the Elders 10th Anniversary Walk Together Campaign, the Women Walk Together community united to produce the very first global female production showcase event.

The core event was held in Johannesburg, South Africa, with connecting events in India, United Kingdom, Guinea and Brazil.

Born of a combination of Rachel Haughey’s production experience, and her work with YPN and international communities since 2010 – impressive feats made possible due to the legacy of Nelson Mandela.

Set as an annual event moving forwards, the WWT global showcase will give opportunity to women on the frontline all over the world to demonstrate their incredible talents and connect with other inspirational women for support and understanding; ensuring suffering ends.

THE LEGACY In June 2010, directly in response to the influence of Mandela, the World Cup was hosted in Africa

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for the very first time. To mark this historic occasion, a unique World Cup Kick Off Concert was set up by FIFA and Control Room, designed to celebrate and share inspiration from South Africa to the world.

For this reason, the artist and audience allocation were designed to include both local and international communities, and the location was specifically chosen as Orlando Stadium in Soweto Township, Johannesburg.

When Rachel Haughey landed as part of the global production team, she was informed that the build schedule had been halved at the last minute due to the unexpected South African success in reaching the Super 14 Final - Blue Bulls v Stormers, as the team now required a stadium to host the grand finale.

As all other stadiums were being prepared for the World Cup, it was decided that this would be held, for the very first time, in Orlando Stadium, Soweto Township. She told TPMEA: “We attended the game with a view to observe and collect vital information as we experienced the stadium for the first time at full capacity use.”

On arrival, the enormity of this historic

occasion was immediately clear, with the majority of the white rugby audience having never been to Soweto Township before. Every conversation throughout the stadium reflected this in a positive way.

Furthermore, beyond the stadium, the majority white rugby audience filled every street and bar around the area, and the air was filled with vuvuzelas and joyful celebration - echoing the continuation of Nelson Mandela’s pioneering work with the Springboks in 1995.

“The drastically reduced onsite build time, consequently placed enormous pressure on the global production team and we had to immediately redesign 24 hour overnight load in schedules and significant extra crew. My role was to assist the production director, manage all backstage areas and support the full production build. I urgently needed help, but there was little additional resource to facilitate this. I proposed that as this was the first World Cup in South Africa, that there must be thousands of young people who would be interested in joining me on a work experience basis, and I would train them on site to help me as part of my team.

TECH PROFILE

“We took on over 40 young people from Soweto and other townships with limited or no production experience, who came and joined the global production team. Tebogo Modisane was the first to arrive on site, and she became my right-hand support as the Global Production Office Manager, assisting in managing and training the local teams. The teams were split up to support the different areas, including stage crew, lighting, sound and a full production office team, which supported the entire stadium build.

In addition, full media pass access was arranged for a team of young trainee photographers and filmmakers from Soweto, under the innovative Wembley to Soweto Project, a joint initiative by David Westhead, John Cole and Kweku Mandela, Nelson Mandela’s grandson.

“The show rehearsals were extremely challenging, and my position changed from backstage to side of stage, and my responsibility was to ensure that all artists and presenters were delivered on time to the stage production.

This included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, who I escorted up the stage ramp, and to the stage drape entrance behind his lectern position.

“I will never forget the feeling as I guided him through, remaining behind the drapes, feeling the full blast of the stadium audience roar in appreciation as he stood forward on this historic global stage in Soweto, leading the world tribute

calling “Viva…..Madiba!”. Marking the finale of our intensive 3 hour live global performance, the final pyrotechnic explosions released to a packed stage and stadium singing together, broadcast to a billion people all over the world.”

The only reason this was possible, was because Tebogo and the Soweto teams were running the backstage production so well, that it enabled Haughey to completely focus on her responsibility to the stage team.

She continued: “Without the underlying support by the local township training teams, the World Cup Kick Off Concert global broadcast backstage production simply would not have happened. So, inspired by the incredible Soweto trainees, I set up the Youth Production Network to help connect and support the teams worldwide – YPN is now connected to over 45 countries and has helped thousands of young people gain experience in event production since the World Cup Kick Off Concert. The international YPN crews are now working to support youth communities all over the world.”

In response to the experience of this international platform, and despite many on-going challenges, according to Haughey, a number of the trainee teams continued on to become inspirational production leaders: Tebogo continued to develop as a highly successful show producer, working extensively across Africa.

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Fast-forward 2 years, South Africa was hosting the Africa Cup of Nations, and 2 of the World Cup production van runners, Martin and Toby, were back onsite. This time, at Soccer City stadium (90,000 capacity), working on the opening and closing ceremonies: Martin as part of the sound team installing the full stadium system, and Toby, part of 3 site managers responsible for the entire production build and breakdown.

The Wembley to Soweto film produced

by Wiseman went on to win the British Film Institute audience award, at the United Nations Association We The People film festival in London.

All the photographers are now working globally, and training new generations of young people in other townships and favela’s. Despite his international fame, Thapelo continues inspiring the young people of Soweto, as head of photography for the Umuzi photoclub. Another trainee photographer, Siyabonga, was able to eloquently tell his story to a billion people worldwide on BBC World Service.

“We were also asked to present our story of positive engagement at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime e-lecture “Sports, violence and crime prevention” which was viewed by 4000 delegates worldwide.”

“When I therefore received the call to

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TECH PROFILE

“Freedom cannot be achieved unless women have been emancipated from all forms of oppression” Nelson Mandela

produce the Elders Walk Together Campaign Launch in Cape Town last year, the opportunity of continuing the legacy of Nelson Mandela was immediately clear. The launch event included a walk with the Elders and local community groups from the Grand Parade (where Mandela delivered his freedom speech on his release), to a concert at the Cape Town Convention Centre, with powerful messaging from the Elders and live performances, including one of the last from the late Hugh Masekala.

“I engaged Tebogo Modisane as Assistant Producer, and Lydia Molele as our Technical Stage Manager, and as 3 women at the head of the production team, we broke the mould and set a new way of working together. We also set up an onsite YPN crew, including over 30 young people from local townships and colleges, to join the team onsite with supportive training many of which were girls with little production experience. From the Wembley to Soweto Team Thapelo (head photographer) and Wiseman (head film maker) also joined the team. The World Cup trainees, became the team leaders supporting

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and inspiring a whole new generation onsite.”

After the Elders event, the team discussed how different the experience had been, not only working on the project itself, but working together as women in a supported way, with a woman directing and calling the show comms (traditionally lead by white male production show callers).

Tebogo Modisane, Assistant Producer - The Elders 10th Anniversary Walk Together Campaign Launch evet – stated: “For me, working with Rachel and Lydia during the 2017 #WalkTogether campaign in Cape Town was beyond historic and extremely reaffirming that the time for women to stand together and execute the work we know so well, had come. I didn’t feel like I was out to prove my ability, and instead felt extremely empowered to take the lead and even direct a male heavy team because we knew all the production elements, how to execute them well, and ensure all attending had the best walk and show production experience.”

From the international platform created by Nelson Mandela, the World Cup trainees were

able to shine, and inspire new generations in the event production industry. Through the Elders Launch event, this powerfully continued, as the opportunity was created to give further platform to these inspirational women from Soweto Township. They, in turn, are now developing production support projects to inspire young black female communities in Soweto and other townships across South Africa.

“Furthermore, inspired by the women in Soweto, we see the legacy continue to support women all over the world, and it was in honour of the legacy of Nelson Mandela and the Elders, the community was named, Women Walk Together (WWT).” Concluded Haughey.

Robyn D’Alessandro (Marketing Manager Gearhouse Group) added: “From the FIFA World Cup and the Kickoff Concert where we first encountered Rachel to following her progress with the YPN and most recently working with her on the Women Walk Together event at the Market Theatre, Gearhouse has recognised a kindred spirit in Rachel’s passion for the industry and her use of the Live event industry as a vehicle for

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positive change and empowerment.

“Gearhouse’s own Kentse Mpahlwa Academy trains learners from underserved communities returning around 45 work-ready graduates back into the Live Event industry annually. Wherever possible our students work alongside visiting internationals and the best of our local production talent to gain experience and mentorship. However, WWT SA was the first all-women production that our young female students have been able to work on. Their experience of the support of a global community of female production practitioners has been a milestone to be remembered and inspired by.”

THE LOW DOWN: A Q&A WITH RACHEL HAUGHEY On the 18 July 2018, in celebration of 100 years of Nelson Mandela and in support of the Elders #WalkTogether Campaign, the first ever global showcase for women in the event production industry took place, #WomenWalkTogether (#WWT).

A total of 3 #WWT events in 5 countries were be led by female production showcase teams, including South Africa (Johannesburg), India (Bangalore), UK (London), Guinea (Boke) and Brazil (Sao Paolo). All events were connected on the day, creating a groundbreaking and powerful global platform to support visibility and

inspiration for female technicians on the frontline of the industry.

What are your main objectives with this project?

To acknowledge and end the mistreatment if women within the event production industry, and provide a global platform to showcase the incredible world class female production talent that exists all over the world.

The heart of WWT is based on working with respect, and its foundation has been built due to Mandela’s legacy and mandate – as a result, not only are we supported by the event production industry, but also global humanitarian organisations such as the United Nations Association, Mandela Foundation, and Kin of Kush (Kofi Annan’s daughter in law, Shanthi Annan’s global initiative encouraging young Africans worldwide, to engage in community regeneration, bring people together and strengthen the idea of a global family.)

The WWT gig was a world first. What was the premises and how well did it go?

WWT was inspired by tragic situations that had happened to so many amazing women that we knew around the world. The idea was to create a global space for grass roots communities,

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for support and inspiration, and to provide a space to learn and showcase their skills. The 5 locations were chosen, because they were existing grassroots communities that I knew and had been working with over the years. In many of the countries including South Africa, India and Guinea, the WWT gatherings were the first ever all female run events, and we really didn’t know how they were going to be received.

Around the world the training teams did a truly incredible job – We had a small family gathering in Guinea, and 4 linked live events and studio sessions from South Africa, India, UK and Brazil.

Despite the many challenges that we faced, I am incredibly proud of every single WWT crew member, each showing focused determination to pull off their very first broadcast event. It was an honour to experience the teams in a supportive showcase environment to see how well they worked together. After the event, one of the South African Kliptown crew commented “It made us realise we had wings!”.

We have had incredible response from both the global production industry and humanitarian agencies. Most of all, has been the inspiration that has spread from the new WWT crews across their local communities, with all manner of projects now springing up worldwide

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TECH PROFILE

During the 4-country-concert, you were in Africa. What did you learn from being on site on the continent with the team?

Since the 2010 SA World Cup, I have worked with local communities in Johannesburg through YPN, and have seen the ongoing challenges that are faced by the crew. Despite the progress pioneered by Mandela, there is still a long way to go to address the unequal opportunities and mistreatment of key community groups. As black women living in Soweto, many of my dear friends and production colleagues suffer great challenges on a day to day basis. From lack of access to training and work opportunities, to the day to day struggle of living – with power systems that are dangerous and constantly going down, to ongoing issues of safety, and transport challenges especially after dark, to name but a few.

There are sadly still some production companies, that consider the women as second class, and I saw time and again, situations of bullying, of taking the women’s work and presenting as their own, whilst constantly making them feel that they were not good enough. Many of these women are single mothers, and it was utterly heartbreaking to see the daily challenges that some of them have to deal with.

I knew that it was going to be tough on the ground, so I relocated myself onsite in Johannesburg 6 weeks prior to the event – so I could be right on the frontline to support, work and train with the local SA female communities. I aimed to connect existing SA female production crew, and focus on outreach production training work in the township communities – who are bursting with incredible, inspirational and dedicated crew.

In addition to personally knowing so many talented individuals that live in the townships, when you walk around, you realise that there are also actually many similarities in infrastructure to festival sites.

If you live in a temporary build township and have shared communal toilets, these will commonly be rows of polyjons situated around the community, for example. The temporary building structures, the fencing, crew camp style set ups and the power systems – in this case that cause daily accidents and death – you can guarantee that anyone living in a township will know more about the set up, and the dangers of power systems than any single young person living in the UK.

I started running production open meetings for any women that were interested, and we began with discussions and inspirational sessions together. After talking about their skills and life experience living in the townships – it was clear to me, that the women I met would not only be fantastic onsite crew, but would in fact be over qualified as a starting basis to work on a production site!

Who was working on the African event & in what roles - ages / professions / students?

Against this extremely tough and challenging background, I was absolutely blown away by the incredible crew that came through for both the experienced team leaders, and the trainees. We were also incredibly proud and grateful to be supported by our global and SA production partners.

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WWT SA CREW CREDITS Preproduction: Show Producers:

Tebogo Modisane Motlalepula Makhate Lydia Molele Rachel Haughey

In house Venue Manager: In house Lighting Designer: Technical Production Manager: Technical Project Manager:

Motlalepula Makhate Nomvula M Melony Eksteen Helen Surgeson @ Splitbeam

Gearhouse Learners Heads of tech department: Sound/Lighting/AV/LED Supporting Crew: SARA Crew (South African Roadies Association) Soweto Kliptown Youth Crew Assistant Production Co-ordinator: Nicolene Yende (38yrs) Amukelani Khoza: AV/LED support (27yrs) Jabulile Mbhele: Sound Support (33yrs) Meise Molefe: Lighting Support (54yrs) Makhosazana Yende: (Make Up Artist) (19yrs) Photographer: Basetsana Maluleka (Shutterbug diaries) Umuzi Photoclub SARA Crew names: Lebohang Tekane (20yrs - Camera operator) Promise Khuzwayo (26yrs - Assistant Lighting and stage manager) Happiness Sibanda (21years - Audio) Thembakazi Zabemhlola (32yrs - Audio) Gearhouse Learners Sound/Lighting/AV/LED Heads of tech department: Nhlanhla Ntshilinga, (1st year Gearhouse Kentse Mpahlwa Academy) Dorothy Lumka Songela, (1st year Gearhouse Kentse Mpahlwa Academy) Katlego Dire, (2nd year Gearhouse Kentse Mpahlwa Academy) Nozithelo Ncube, (2nd year Gearhouse Kentse Mpahlwa Academy) Thabang Khaile, (2nd year Gearhouse Kentse Mpahlwa Academy) Nosphephelo Mbuyeleni, (1st year Gearhouse Kentse Mpahlwa Academy) Global WWT Partners: Show Production and Accountancy support: Four Corners of the World Ltd Global training support and onsite opportunities: Youth Production Network cic The Elders Global community support:

United Nations Association Westminster

Mandela Foundation

Kin of Kush ( Shanti Annan)

Global link communications: Marshall Amps

Global Media Partner: TPI Magazine WWT SA Partners: Venue and inhouse production: Market Theatre Foundation Show Technical Production Equipment and global streaming: Gearhouse SA/Splitbeam Lobby Technical Production Equipment: DWR Rehearsal and Presenter Support: Olive Tree Theatre, Alexandra Township Bluoranje media Video Editing and production: Crew and Presenter Support: Unlimited Shades Entertainment Agency Crew Catering: Alfred Mokeona, Hloni Lerou, Nosipho Mdakane

TECH PROFILE

There are now some early inspirational South African production companies and organisations that are beginning to recognise the challenges for women and to offer support and guidance.

The role of these pioneering organisations are extremely important, and lead a positive example for others to follow.

The WWT SA team comprised of female production experts from a variety of sources including, the original World Cup and Elders Crew, Market Theatre inhouse production team, Project Manager and technical support from Gearhouse SA and DWR, all of whom came together to lead and support the technical and stage crews from the South African Roadies Association and the Soweto Kliptown Youth (SKY).

Nothing like this has ever been done before, so what inspired you?

From a difficult beginning as a woman in the technical production industry, experiencing bullying and non-recognition on many levels, I now have over 20 years experience as an international show producer for live concerts – including arena shows, tours and festivals. I have produced shows in Wembley Arena, O2, Royal Albert Hall, most arenas across the UK and many parts of the world. In addition to the World Cup Kick Off Concert and the Elders Launch event in South Africa, I have worked on iconic events such as the Led Zeppelin reunion concert, Pavarotti tribute concert in Petra, across London, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks, and tours including Andrea Bocelli. I also wrote, directed, produced and show called the Big 4 Olympic Torch Relay Concerts (10-50k capacity) and the Hyde Park Finale (80k capacity) for the London Olympics in 2012.

Being one of a small handful of women at this production level, I recognise that I can

transform my negative experience into benefit and help support new generations coming through. I see every show I produce, as an opportunity to both include YPN training teams and offer key positions to inspirational crews that would not normally be considered.

Over the last 10 years, and through my work with YPN, I have seen incredible positive evolution of women across all departments in the UK and some areas of the world, both in ability and respect within the industry. I fully believe in positive change, and that through persistence and determination, we can transform out-dated and disrespectful ways of working. As we continue to work with women in teams on the frontline all over the world, we can share this positive experience to support and inspire those who are suffering.

After years of sharing stories of mistreatment with my fellow female colleagues, in 2017, I was devastated to hear that a 27 year pioneering women from Guinea called Mariame M’Baye Bangoura that I had been working with, had died due to the struggles of being a woman in an unforgiving environment. Something snapped inside, and it was clear that it was time to take action – to work to ensure that tragedies like that, never happen again. I realised some time ago, that the basis of WWT is not actually about women, but about respectful relating at work. I believe that the reason the global response has been so overwhelming, is because everyone can connect to that and the world is ready to begin a new way of working together.

Do you feel as though you left Africa with a sense of achievement? What was the feedback / aftermath for your production team?

Absolutely – to see women pulling together with

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such focus and determination, despite enormous challenges, was truly inspiring. We had crews travelling in from miles away just to come and join in the load in training. Over the three training days which we conducted onsite (load in/show/ load out), all of the township trainee crews immediately confirmed that they wanted to do all sections – and they absolutely smashed it!

Not only have the WWT SA been inspired to launch many local community projects, but we have also already been approached for a number of significant WWT production bookings from world recognised organisations who want to support. In addition, it was beautiful to see the Gearhouse Learner team, who were further advanced on technical training, instinctively step up to become the new generation of female production leaders, inspiring and leading the new teams throughout their time on site.

What’s next for you in Africa?

We will be developing further outreach work with Gearhouse SA and our WWT partners, and are preparing for our official WWT announcement and launch of the next showcase. There are so many new global communities that are connecting, and we will be announcing our new projects very soon!

As a final word on the SA Crews: The intense level of challenges that WWT SA women face on a daily basis, only serve to highlight the powerful and unshakeable spirit that these women bring to each production. I am proud to work alongside such an inspirational group, who would be a huge asset to any production team in the world. Watch out world – the SA women are coming! www.ypn.international www.womenwalktogether.org

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TECH FOCUS

OPPIKOPPI FESTIVAL ONE OF SOUTH AFRICA’S BEST LOVED MUSIC FESTIVALS GETS LIT BY ROBE...

Known for its incredibly chilled vibes, cosmopolitan community, diverse culture and lively mix of genres embracing rock, electronic, jazz, world and acoustic sounds. It’s also attractive for its location in the heart of the bushland and arid beauty of Limpopo province, near the dusty mining town of Northam.

Pretoria based rental company Stage Effects, run by Theo Papenfus, has been involved in OppoKoppi for several years. Papenfus first worked as a tech on the event, and since 1999 Stage Effects has been a supplier. This year they provided site-wide lighting and visuals for 5 production stages.

Production lighting for the Main Stage (the James Phillips Stage – after composer, musician, bandleader and voice / conscience of a generation of white South Africans) was designed

by Erik de Bruin, who this year was delighted to be able to use Stage Effects’ new Robe MegaPointes to wow the crowds.

He also used 12 Robe Pointes, plus some

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other fixtures including LED washes, LED battens and 4-cell blinders.

OppiKoppi 2018 was only the second time de Bruin had used MegaPointes – supplied to Stage Effects earlier in the year by Robe’s South African distributor DWR. The first was a daylight show for rockers Seether in Johannesburg, where he was impressed with the brightness which still registered in the sunshine, allowing beamwork and some serious depth to be added to the artists onstage, which made a real difference.

With OppiKoppi and the opportunity of running several dynamic shows after dark, he declared: “I am seriously impressed with what I’m seeing”. He particularly likes the zoom and the prism effects as well as the incredibly compact size of the MegaPointe and its nifty 22kg weight.

The James Phillips Stage is a permanent thatched structure on the OppiKoppi site with an apex roof, limited height, no flying facilities and a cosy performance space. It’s been used as the main stage before but not in the event’s

most recent years, so with it returning to its roots and hosting the largest headliners this year, Theo decided to spec more lights than ever before.

It’s also a quirky space to light with lots of wooden structural pillars carrying the roof that must be negotiated. The lighting angles are very narrow, so depth is scarce, and the stage structure by default is the starting point for any production design.

A total of 3 trussing goalpost structures were installed to maximise the space. A larger one square-on upstage, flanked by 2 smaller and slightly angled ones left and right, to give side lighting positions.

The Robe MegaPointes were all rigged on the cross members of these goalposts, 6 along the back and 3 on each side.

A total of 8 Robe Pointes were placed along the front lip of the stage and the other 4 were squeezed in upstage together with a small LED screen fully utilising what was a very tight space by the time any band’s backline was onstage! (for

THE NEW REFERENCE POINT

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TECH FOCUS

DJ’s they had a little more room to play with!)

With these 24 Robe fixtures de Bruin created some fantastic structural framework looks utilising the beams, and when these shot past the ceiling rafters and pierced the pitch-black night sky, they could be spotted from across the site and far beyond.

de Bruin lit all the bands on the main stage that didn’t bring their own LD / operator, and comments that the challenge, as always in festival scenarios, was to give everyone their ‘own show’ and use some unique effects to make their performances visually distinctive.

With 12 Robe MegaPointes and 12 Robe Pointes on the rig, he certainly didn’t run out of options for creating new and different colours, styles and effects.

Lighting control was an MA Lighting grandMA2 console.

One visiting lighting designer who was very pleased to see Robe on the James Phillips rig was Jonathan Bandli, from Bad Weather Productions, who rocked up with Cape Town based indie rockers Grassy Spark.

Bandli has used and specified Robe extensively in his design work since he started Bad Weather, 5 and a half years ago, including on several Rockin’ the Daisies events for which he is the festival’s technical production designer.

However, this was also his first time using Robe

MegaPointes.

He had this to say: “The optics and zoom range of this fixture are great! A bright and punchy unit with CMY colour mixing, what more do you need? I can’t wait to try them on one of the many EDM events we design.”

Bandli’s favourite Robe fixture right now is the Spiider LED wash beam, and BMFLs are his go-to fixtures as they “offer multiple options that work in any context”. He thinks the overall build and design quality of Robe products is “excellent” and they are “ideal for the South African market, where being well priced is essential!” he exclaimed.

Both he and de Bruin comment on the “amazing’ tech support from DWR as another good reason to invest in Robe.

Stage Effects has been a DWR customer for some time, although they already had a large stock of competitor moving light products. More recently they have started looking at Robe as it is being repeatedly requested on riders and tech specs.

de Bruin, like everyone working on the event, loves OppiKoppi for the general ambience and the outstanding line-ups that tend to attract hardcore music fans and a nice infusion of craziness and eccentricity. He became involved in lighting whilst studying theology in Pretoria and started working as a freelance, including

for Theo. After 6 years at college and 3 as a practicing minister, he decided that there were other ways to bring ‘The Light’ into people’s lives and took up stage lighting full time. He’s now been with Stage Effects for 5 fears and discovered that enthusiasm and passion for what you do, creativity and excellent communication skills were all perfectly transferable between 2 very different worlds!

OppiKoppi - sloppy Afrikaans for ‘on the hill’, referring to what is now the ‘Small Bar’ and the original venue for the friends and family gettogether performances that started it all 24 years ago - is also famous for its dust!

It’s spawned the hashtag “In dust we trust”, and this is another area where using Robe fixtures proved resilient as they can stay functional even in the most exacting environmental conditions.

de Bruin and 8 crew from Stage Effects started work on site on Sunday to be ready for the event which opened the following Thursday.

Everything ran on generator power, and being in the middle of the bush, the prep had to be meticulous, as it wasn’t a case of ‘just nipping back to the warehouse’ to get any bits that might have been left off the truck!

Photos: Louise Stickland www.oppikoppi.co.za www.stageeffects.co.za

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