TSS Formula E

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TECH FOCUS

THE EVENT SAFETY SHOP REFLECTS ON FORMULA E

CULTURAL BOUNDARIES EXPAND ACROSS THREE NIGHTS OF GROUNDBREAKING MUSIC IN SUPPORT OF THE INAUGURAL FORMULA E RACE IN RIYAD, SAUDI ARABIA. DIRECTOR TIM ROBERTS OF THE EVENT SAFETY SHOP TALKS TO TPMEA ABOUT ITS ROLE IN THE PRODUCTION...

The Saudi General Sporting Administration (GSA) commissioned the inaugural Saudi Ad Diriya E Prix Festival celebration, featuring three nights of concerts running alongside the Formula E track and eVillage offering. This was a multiple first time event - in that it was Saudi Arabia’s first large outdoor multi-day concert, and more so. The GSA and higher Saudi authorities were determined to provide a concert spectacle with mixed audience and full cultural content.

The Event Safety Shop (TESS) has supplied qualified health and safety professionals across the globe to sports, music and cultural events since 2000. This event highlighted how its service has expanded, becoming interwoven into the

production fabric and cultural wellbeing of an event, to ensure its success. Director Tim Roberts was the company’s lead on this event. “This was the first race of 2019 season and the first time Formula E had been to Saudi,” he told TPMEA. “It featured a new course, new car designs and new sponsors, which all brought additional complexities for the race organisers, such as the new street-race track waiting for motorsports’ governing body, the FIA, to authorise while we were undertaking the production build.

“That was a considerable congregation of firsts, all part of the cultural progression being encouraged by the Crown Prince to liberalise the country, which is particularly relevant against

the current international backdrop of political scrutiny. Bringing electric cars to oil rich Saudi reflects suggests leaders looking to the postcarbon economy. To complement the circuit action, we supported the local promoters and helped create an arena for 22,000, with extensive technical production for an event that had no predecessor in the country.”

TESS was contracted to provide a range of event health safety and production assistance services, working very closely with Jim Digby of US company Show Makers – the overall show producer, looking after artists and technical production. Roberts continued: “Jim is a stakeholder in TESS USA, so we are used to

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TECH FOCUS 25

Hannah Charlton, Matt Norman, Joe Skarz, Jimmy Chan, Chalki White, Missy Algood, Justin Argent, Tim Roberts, Jim Digby, Irfan Shukat, Adam Blaxter, Doug Bruce.

working together. There were many uncertain factors around this kind of event and our role, role evolved over three main phases; the preplanning, the production build (and derig) and the operational delivery of the event.” TESS’s Adam Blaxter spent several weeks on site in advance of the event looking at the bigger strategic picture as a part of the main team covering a wide range of logistics, safety and production activities. “He saw the site literally grow out of bare earth to tarmac to stage to show,” joked Roberts.

With the lack of an established live events sector in Saudi, TESS was one of many international companies bringing its event expertise to the country, with most of the production hardware coming from Dubai. PRG supplied lights and screens, Delta the sound, AES the staging, Aggreko the power and GCC the crew. Roberts described the team’s professionalism: “Working practices across the board were exemplary, and all the vendors stepped up to provide a first-class service. Preplanning with the local promoter and Jim Digby had gone really well, but we had no idea how the crowd would behave, having the first large-scale outdoor rock and roll show. We were really aware of the need for effective crowd management

and the ability to respond to anything that might come up. Luckily we had the benefit of Mark Logan bringing a team of Showsec’s finest to help with planning, contingency and artist security. The Showsec team acted as mentors to local security and provided a huge degree of assurance with their quiet professionalism.

“We had literally no idea how the crowds would behave – or if they’d even turn up to all three nights, be early, be late, quiet or boisterous. I made sure I was out in the arena when we first opened, and everyone came in very orderly and stood around quietly. Then pretty much as soon as the first act came on there was an instant transformation from quiet anticipation to joyous. The reception was stunning each night.”

The first night featured Enrique Iglesias and Jason Derulo, then came the Black Eyed Peas and Egypt’s Amr Diab. Finally to close out the evening it was the turn of One Republic and David Guetta.

Roberts added: “There was a new visa system just put in place in Saudi Arabai to promote easier access for tourists and foreign visitors, Jim (Digby) and Adam were amongst the first to use the print-at-home visa!”

Blaxter continued: “The new fast-track visa system was another uncertainty in this project but it worked very well, which even the local

officials seemed relieved at. “Once on the ground, our first task was to build relationships, common understanding and bridges between the Formula E, GSA and Blink Experience, the overall site principal contractor. Then it was to assess the lay of the land and find out how things work as you would in any new territory not used to hosting this kind of event.

The event also had local security on site for the build. “We were aware there was a good opportunity to skill share and up-skill them during the build,” commented Blaxter. “Mark (Logan) and his team did very well – and they were quickly on the ball – telling us all to put on Hi Viz as we came in through the production gate. As with most shows there were curve balls, such as swapping out main LED screens just a day or two before the show, and generators giving grief just as the doors opened. But it all got sorted, in the nick of time.”

In the end a ground-breaking show was delivered to an ecstatic audience. There was not one moment of trouble or unruly behaviour and people seemed genuinely delighted to have a concert industry developing in their own territory. Photos: TESS www.the-eventsafetyshop.co.uk

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