TPMEA #022 - Jan/Feb 2020

JANUARY / FEBRUARY • ISSUE 022

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THE KILLERS

BRINGING INDIE ROCK ’N’ ROLL TO THE ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX DIRIYAH MUSIC FESTIVAL • EMINEM • CLASH ON THE DUNES • COMPANY PROFILE: N&M DUBAI • JOBURG THEATRE

TPMEA

WELCOME...

TO TPMEA

The best is yet to come...

As we move into a new year and, in fact, a new decade, it’s as good a time as any to speculate on what might be in store for the next 10 years. One thing that seems inevitable is that the 2020s will be the decade that sees the Middle East’s live events industry become truly world class.

Saudi Arabia’s well-publicised emergence onto the global entertainment scene is a massive factor – not just for the country, but for the entire region. It even has the potential to turn the Middle East into a fixture on the touring circuit, with A-list artists regularly bringing their full touring production to perform multiple dates in the region.

This is an idea that Jim Digby, Senior Producer for the Diriyah Music Festival, floated during a conversation we had about the event. “There’s easily the potential to play three or four cities inside Saudi alone,” he told me. “While artists might struggle to justify playing a one-off concert… being able to offer five or six shows in close proximity suddenly becomes a lot more interesting.” And if the sheer scale of the event in question is anything to go by, Digby might well be right. Read our write-up on page 34.

Also set for big decade are our cover stars, The Killers. With a new album on the way and a sold-out UK and Ireland stadium tour coming this summer, the Las Vegas natives are well and truly on top of their game. We were in Abu Dhabi to see the band play the headline slot at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yasalam After-Race Concerts and catch up with the crew that made it happen (p24).

Elsewhere in the issue, Simon Ransom, Group Director Middle East for PSAV and eclipse, explains what PSAV’s much talked-about acquisition of eclipse means for both companies (p6); we profile the first ever World Heavyweight Title fight to take place in the Middle East (p14); ADI’s Dave Crowther talks about the company’s supply at the 2019 Formula E Diriyah E-Prix (p22); and we round-up the latest news from Africa (p52).

Looking ahead, don’t forget that the TPMEA Awards 2020 in association with EFM Global Logistics is set to take place at Dubai’s Hard Rock Cafe on 21 April. Keep an eye on our social media for details on nominations, voting and tickets.

Enjoy the issue.

Peter Iantorno Editor

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

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS MIDDLE EAST 06 – FIRST LOOK: SIMON RANSOM

Group Director Middle East for PSAV and eclipse sheds light on the region’s most anticipated deal.

10 – REGIONAL ROUND-UP

The latest news from the Middle East, including Coldplay’s Jordan show and Clash On The Dunes.

22 – INTERVIEW: DAVE CROWTHER ADI’s Head of Operations takes the hot seat to discuss the company’s delivery at the 2019 Formula E Diriyah E-Prix.

24 – THE KILLERS

One of the biggest rock ’n’ roll bands on the planet headlines the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yasalam After-Race Concerts.

34 – DIRIYAH MUSIC FESTIVAL

Imagine Dragons, Lil Wayne, Calvin Harris and Swedish House Mafia are among the acts appearing at the massive Saudi Arabian event.

SPECIALISED T ECH N I C A L SOLUTIONS

42 – EMINEM

The real Slim Shady delivers a hip-hop masterclass at Abu Dhabi’s du Arena.

48 – COMPANY PROFILE: N&M DUBAI TPMEA visits the German company’s Dubai base as it celebrates 15 years in the Middle East.

EXHIBITIONS

AFRICA CONFERENCES

52 – REGIONAL ROUND-UP

The latest news from Africa, including Jack and the Beanstalk at Joburg Theatre, Noot vir Noot and Mosaïek Teatro’s KLANG 3D IEMs investment.

FESTIVALS

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

CONTRIBUTING EDITOR Stew 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)161 476 8352 Mobile:+44 (0)7592 679612 e-mail: j.waite@mondiale.co.uk

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

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

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

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

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

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

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY The Killers by Rob Loud

MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh

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

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

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CONCERTS

OPENING CEREMONIES

AWARD CEREMONIES

CORPORATE GALAS

PRODUCT LAUNCHES

See back cover for more productiontec.com

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

SIMON RANSOM, GROUP DIRECTOR MIDDLE EAST, PSAV AND ECLIPSE FOLLOWING PSAV’S MUCH TALKED-ABOUT ACQUISITION OF ECLIPSE, SIMON RANSOM, NOW GROUP DIRECTOR MIDDLE EAST FOR PSAV, REFLECTS ON THE HISTORY OF THE COMPANY, REVEALS HOW THE DEAL CAME ABOUT AND EXPLAINS WHAT IT MEANS FOR BOTH COMPANIES MOVING FORWARD.

eclipse was set up by Mark Brown in 2003. I worked with Mark and eclipse as a vendor on various projects throughout the Middle East over the years and eventually, in 2010, he convinced me to join the team. The main objective at that time was to help Mark structure the business so that he could eventually put the company up for sale.

An ambitous five-year plan was put in place and, after growing the management team with the addition of Martin Lubach as the GM of the core eclipse Staging Services business, the definition and implementation of structured policies and procedures for the business operations contributed to moving the plan forward.

The objectives of that plan were fulfilled within three years and, as Mark was having so much fun, the selling of the business became less of a priority for him. Instead, he decided to continue growing the business; setting up eclipse Venue Services with Sacha Morazain as the GM, making some strategic acquisitions and generally investing to grow the business even further.

The company grew very quickly thanks to the capable team that Mark assembled around him and the skills and professionalism that each of them brought to the party. Strategic investment in central functions such as finance, HR, HSE, IT and marketing all lead to leaps forward in efficiencies as leaders in each area were added to the core team and they too then contributed to the growth of the company as a whole.

Then, in November 2016, unfortunately Mark was diagnosed with cancer, and just 22 days later, he passed away. From a corporate point of view, not much changed – the company was already structured in such a way that his sudden passing didn’t pose many problems, but obviously it was a massive shock to the system. Mark was an absolutely massive part of the business – he built it from scratch – and his influence is still present with all of us.

Some of my discussions with Mark during his last couple of weeks with us were about the plan for eventually taking the business to a sale. The process was all about finding the right buyer, at the right time and the right price. That time was not immediately after Mark passed; the best thing for the business at that point was to stabilise. The management team kept everybody together and we helped people understand that although this was a big loss to us

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

“The first time it felt that everything was 100% correct was when the conversation with PSAV started in early 2019. This eventually led to the deal, which was finally signed on 6 November, 2019.”

Simon Ransom, Group Director Middle East, PSAV & eclipse

personally and for the business, it was not the end of the business.

A year after Mark’s passing, supported by the senior mangement, I started the process of finding the right buyer. This was far from simple and we went through multiple iterations of this process. We got close to selling twice, and for various reasons – whether it was because the price wasn’t quite right, or we didn’t feel it was the right fit – the deal didn’t happen. In fact, the first time it felt that everything was 100% correct was when the conversation with PSAV started in early 2019. This eventually led to the deal, which was finally signed on 6 November, 2019.

The interesting thing about the process is that, from day one, there was a big overlap in the

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values that we carry as businesses and in the way we deal with our people – both very important elements of what eclipse has always been about. eclipse is a family of 150 people; PSAV is a family of around 14,000. So, we’re part of a much bigger family now and, from everything I’ve seen and understood, we share the same core values, which makes integration simple.

What is important to note is that eclipse is eclipse, and we continue to operate in exactly the same way that we did before the acquisition.

Similarly, PSAV UAE remains PSAV UAE; the only difference being that the PSAV UAE team will now report into our venue services structure, but it remains PSAV UAE as a brand. In terms of servicing our clients, again, nothing changes. Our

venue services teams will continue to deliver in our hotels as, for the foreseeable future, we continue running as two separate brands.

If you look at previous PSAV acquisitions around the world, such as most recently Encore Event Technologies, and in previous years, KFP, Hawthorn and AVC Live, it’s clear that the company has been looking for businesses like eclipse; businesses that have both a venue services and a production component.

PSAV has a clear vision of expanding its production business worldwide, and eclipse fits into that strategy perfectly.

The acquisition brings opportunities not only for everyone in the eclipse family, but also for the business as a whole – we can now grow the

FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

business in a different way. Up until now we’ve been reliant purely on the cashflow that we generated to grow the business – since Mark’s passing there had been no external investment and, in a challenging market, that can be tough to sustain. We now find ourselves in a place where we have an owner that has access to resources that we simply didn’t have previously.

We’re certainly not planning on standing still.

We are now the largest hotel AV venue services provider in the Middle East. We’re in 38 venues and expecting to be in another four to six within the next six months.

We’re also growing the staging services business with our expansion into Saudi Arabia.

This expansion was already underway before the acquisition and being driven forward by Martin Lubach as primarily a Staging Services operation, but now with PSAV behind us, we have a different view on how to take advantage of what is going

on in the Kingdom. We’re still looking at all of the available options, but we may well see some significant investment in that area to expand our business faster.

There’s already a multimillion-dollar investment in equipment that is specifically for Saudi Arabia, and we have also positioned some of our assets from Dubai into the Riyadh operation. The really good thing is that there is plenty of work to go around. The Staging Services team delivered several significant projects over there in 2019 and we’re already looking at projects for early this year. We’re going for quality instead of quantity.

With that being said, the team haven’t taken their eye off the ball when it comes to our UAE customers. With so many local vendors concentrating on what’s going on in Saudi Arabia, the opportunities in the UAE market are very interesting at the moment. Historically, the UAE

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has been the launching point for everything that’s happened in the region and it’s still a massive market for us. We’re now positioned in 15 of the top 16 hotels in Dubai and, with Expo coming up, 2020 is going to be an extremely busy year.

Looking to the future, education is incredibly important to us. It was a very big thing for Mark and it remains very important for us. Over the years, we’ve had many interns come through the eclipse doors and we’re incredibly proud of what they have gone on to achieve. Bringing through the next generation of technicians, engineers, lighting designers – whatever discipline they choose to follow – is incredibly important to us. We need to attract more people to join our industry. It’s a constant evolution of getting youngsters involved and excited at what we do.

Photos: eclipse www.eclipse.ae www.psav.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

COLDPLAY STREAMS JORDAN SHOW FOLLOWING THE RELEASE OF THE BAND’S NEW ALBUM, THE BRITISH FOUR-PIECE PERFORMS TWO SETS IN AMMAN CITADEL AND LIVE STREAMS THEM AROUND THE WORLD.

Having decided not to conduct the traditional touring routine for their album Everyday Life, Coldplay opted for an alternative way to debut the release – two shows in Jordan that were streamed on YouTube.

“We wanted to pick somewhere in the middle of the world where we normally don’t get to play,” lead singer Chris Martin told the BBC, while explaining why the country was the ideal location.

In the run up to the shows, Tony Smith, Coldplay’s Audio Designer, FOH Tech and Crew Chief, liaised with Toby Alington, Broadcast Sound Engineer extraordinaire, to find a solution for the Amman broadcast mix. Alington in turn approached Dirk Sykora to discuss a Lawo console solution through SR Films.

During the performance, Alington mixed the two sets live in Amman with the help of Coldplay’s trusted Producer and Sound Engineer, Rik Simpson, alongside FOH Engineer, Dan Green. According to Sykora, who configured

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and programmed the Lawo mc²56 console, a total of 192 inputs were recorded on three separate DAW machines and mixed live on the console for stereo broadcast.

Both the band and the technical crew arrived in Amman one week prior, rehearsing the new material at a theatre in Downtown Amman to allow the crew to oversee all the technical requirements for the performance, program the console and tweak countless parameters to perfection. After the rehearsals and live recordings at the theatre, the gear was carried uphill and set up in tents close to the location where the band performed.

Alington asserted that the two events were, in every sense, “proper” live gigs. He elaborated: “It certainly wasn’t an event filmed to playback.

We really needed those 192 audio channels, and additionally rigged an array of ambience mics around the Citadel to capture Amman’s live ‘atmosphere’ at dawn and dusk. The whole project was magic – everything fell into place

snugly.” Sykora concurred: “Coldplay’s Sunrise and Sunset gigs at Amman Citadel are among the absolute highlights of my professional career,” he commented.

After the two shows, the band and its crew flew to London for the live gig at the Natural History Museum. With FOH mixed by Dan Green, the performance was also recorded and mixed by Toby Alington and Rik Simpson using the Floating Earth OB truck – again with a Lawo mc²56 console based on the settings Sykora had prepared and saved in Amman and later transferred to the console in the OB truck.

Simpson and Alington were extremely satisfied with the equipment supplied by Dutch company SR Films and the pristine sound quality of Lawo’s mc²56 console. “This console works the way my brains works,” Alington concluded. “It sounds superb.”

Photo: Lawo www.coldplay.com www.lawo.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

ABSEN DUBAI CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY LED MANUFACTURER MARKS THE OCCASION WITH EVENT ATTENDED BY MORE THAN 100 AV INDUSTRY GUESTS. Over 100 guests, including key partners and Absen customers throughout the industry descended on the Emerald Palace Kempinski Dubai to celebrate the fifth anniversary of Absen Middle East.

Following speeches about the company’s global and regional strategic plans, the Absen Dubai team shared updates related to multiple product lines, giving attendees a hands-on experience with the Aries and Absenicon series’ as well as a new transparent mesh LED display.

“Over the past five years, the sales of Absen’s Middle East branch have increased rapidly, and the performance is definitely a bright spot,” Eric Chen, Absen Asia General Manager told TPMEA.

“In addition, the team members have grown greatly and will continue to grow. The progress that we have made in both sales performance and our service network development is remarkable.” The Middle East was the location

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for Absen’s first overseas project back in 2005, with the company building its reputation in the region for a decade before making Absen Dubai the eighth international subsidiary among its 14 domestic and overseas companies. Since the establishment of Absen Middle East DMCC in 2015, Absen has delivered over 800 projects in more than 20 regions throughout the territory.

Describing how the company has grown during its time in the Middle East, Chen described Absen’s product management as “more systematic and divided”. He commented: “We have different professional teams managing different product lines including commercial display, rental and staging, data visualisation and DOOH. Our sales teams are professionals who know the LED market well, and many of them have been working in the LED industry for seven, eight or even 10 years. We know the market better, understand the clients better and are able

to cooperate with customers and support them in a timely manner.”

Chen went on to describe Absen’s localised repair service, which means that instead of customers having to send products to China for repair, the company sends its engineers to local project sites in the region. “It guarantees fast and efficient services for local customers,” he commented.

In conclusion, Chen looked towards the company’s future plans. “Absen will continue to strengthen service localisation,” he stated.

“The company used to rely on Dubai to radiate throughout entire Middle East. Moving forward, Absen will establish its own offices in some major countries in the region, with the Absen-trained engineers and sales professionals, to truly serve customers more closely and seek more output.”

Photo: Absen www.absen.com

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As the first fixture to incorporate Mar tin’s P3 control, pixel mapping and pixelated beams can be controlled via standard protocol or switching to P3 at any moment during the show.

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

CLASH ON THE DUNES FROM THE ASTONISHING CONSTRUCTION OF THE PURPOSE-BUILT ARENA, TO THE AMBITIOUS PRODUCTION VALUES ON FIGHT NIGHT, EVERYTHING ABOUT THIS WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT TITLE FIGHT IS IMPRESSIVE. Ever since Andy Ruiz knocked out Anthony Joshua to cause one of the biggest upsets in boxing history, speculation was rife as to when and, more importantly, where, the rematch would take place. As soon as it was announced that Diriyah, Saudi Arabia, had beaten both New York’s Madison Square Garden and Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium to the rights to host the event, the race was on to ensure that everything would be in place for the first ever World Heavyweight Title fight to take place in the Middle East.

In order to do justice to the momentous event, it was decided that an entirely new

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purpose-built arena would be constructed especially for the occasion. With just a six-week lead time, international event solutions company, Arena, completed the mammoth task of designing and installing the 15,000-seat Diriyah Arena and hospitality structure – all in time for fight night on 7 December.

“We had just two weeks to develop the design concept before production started,” commented Elaine O’Dwyer, Design Director.

“This meant that we had to really rely on our extensive knowledge of local material finishes and supplier capability in order to ensure that we were designing something that was

realistically deliverable in procurement and production timeframes.”

O’Dwyer explained that, despite the tight deadline, Arena’s close relationship with the client made everything run smoothly. “Luckily, the client was aligned with our aesthetic and trusted our judgement, so we were on the same page regarding the finishes from the beginning,” she said. “There are a lot of detailed decisions to be made on a design and build project like this, so we worked very closely with suppliers to keep on top of that.”

While Arena’s original role was the construction of the stadium and the build of the

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

hospitality structure, due to a third-party design supplier pulling out of the project, the company also completed a total redesign of the interiors of the hospitality structure. Maram Al Dagher, Account Manager at Arena, explained how the team rose to the challenge.

“Initially, the majority of the Arena team was based in Dubai, so we spent a significant amount of time travelling back and forth to Saudi,” she began. “After receiving confirmation of the project, the amount of time that we spent on site in Saudi increased significantly, and I more or less relocated for the duration.”

As well as supporting the appointed groundworks supplier in order to ensure that the works were completed “to a high enough standard to support our structures”, Arena also “undertook multiple meetings with each of the different suppliers to ensure that the client’s requirements were being accommodated”.

Al Dagher explained how the team dealt with last-minute requests for “two structures to house the athletes and the media”. She commented: “The 20m by 55m athletes’ structure included showers, bathrooms, changing rooms, offices and

full fit-out including furniture. The 20m by 75m media structure comprised a press room and working space. We also supported the client with supplementary structures such as prayer tents, offices and staff catering tents.”

Also, in addition to the usual health and safety requirements, Arena had to ensure that the work was signed off by the Royal Guard, due to an expected visit from Saudi’s Crown Prince, Mohammad bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud.

Logistically, the project represented a huge challenge, as not only did Arena have to transport 8,000 of its proprietary Clearview seats from Dubai, but it also had to bring over the remaining 7,000 seats and special kit from the UK. Terry Smith, Managing Director, Seating, was delighted at how the teams worked together to meet the deadline. “I’m thrilled that our international teams worked so well together,” he told TPMEA. “This was a real team effort between Arena Middle East & Asia and Arena UK.”

Paul Barger, CEO of Arena Middle East & Asia, was equally enthusiastic. “It’s incredible what we’ve managed to achieve in such a short space of time,” he commented. “We are really proud

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of our UK and Middle East divisions, who have spent the past six weeks working with a team of 175 people to deliver a project of such scale and specification.”

He added: “We are one of the few companies that can offer a full turnkey solution for events of this size – from design and construction through to the luxurious high-quality interiors – the solution we have delivered has been described as utterly breathtaking.”

Smith was also delighted at the positive media coverage of the event, pointing out “the fact that there was so much emphasis placed on the whole venue being a temporary build in Saudi – something never done before”.

He enthused: “We have received a huge amount of positive feedback.”

O’Dwyer concurred: “We have received the most tremendous response,” she commented.

“This event has captured the attention of the media and sports fans worldwide and the client is very appreciative of what we achieved in a very challenging timeframe. We are very happy to have been part of the team putting KSA on the international sporting map.”

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

With the arena in place, Blink Experience, on behalf of Saudi Arabia’s General Sports Authority, called upon Creative Technology (CT) to deliver the eye-catching video elements of the event.

The extensive video requirements saw CT deliver more than 750 sq m of LED for the groundbreaking event. The impressive over-ring display consisted of four 63 sq m outdoor LED screens and was designed to ensure that all spectators never missed a second of the action, creating a 360° visual spectacular that was visible from anywhere within the arena.

To further enhance the spectator experience, 336 sq m of LED was used to wrap around the truss tower legs, with each tower leg making up 84 sq m of outdoor LED. The content interacted with the over-ring LED and displayed sponsorship logos, rounds and point scores.

Front row and VIP attendees had the luxury of seeing four 36 sq m LED screens, which were situated inside the over-ring LED, showing live content throughout the event. CT also supplied 13 sq m of LED and four 84in Samsung TVs for the media centre, as well as 43, 43in TVs for the premium hospitality area.

CT utilised two active and two back-up Green Hippo Boreal media servers for content management and playback. Control was managed

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from a linked Barco E2 and S3 system. Dhyaan Parikh, CT’s Project Manager, explained the system: “Barco E2 and S3 were used due to the reliable screen management interface,” he commented. “The whole workflow was in 4K, which consisted of our Lightware UBEX 4K fibre, Lightware 2.0 matrix, Novastar 4K LED processors and 2.1km of quad core fibre.”

Head of Technical onsite commented: “CT did a fantastic job and should be exceptionally proud of their efforts. There was never an issue with the changing scope and last-minute additions, and CT were always on hand to assist and get stuck in – even if it wasn’t within their remit.”

The lighting, audio, trussing and rigging elements of the event were handled by MediaPro International. The main lighting rig comprised 60 Claypaky Mythos 2s and 36 Claypaky Sharpys, 60 Robe Spiiders, 70 SGM P10s and 30 SGM P5s. An MA Lighting grandMA2 full size was used for control, with two NPUs. On the audio front, MediaPro supplied 24 L-Acoustics Karas accompanied by 16 SB18s.

MediaPro’s COO, Shaam Pudaruth, described the show as “a great success”. He commented: “The client, Blink Experience, and their end client, were extremely pleased with the overall delivery.

This event was televised to millions live on TV,

and we were really proud to be part of such a high-profile and huge production.”

Pudaruth was keen to pay tribute to the hardworking “team of professionals” who “delivered flawlessly yet again”. Project Manager, Sheldon Alphonso; Senior Audio System Engineer, Nithin Simone; Senior Lighting Operator/Crew Chief, Gregory Angelo; Senior Rigger, Brian Salvana; and MediaPro International Head of Department Rigging, Colin Silvers were all key to the delivery of the event.

Rainy conditions in the build-up to fight night presented something of a test, but Pudaruth commended his crew on overcoming the challenge. “Our team is used to handling such situations,” he assured. “Client expectations are always met 100%.”

On the subject of client relations, Pudaruth noted that MediaPro’s relationship with Blink Experience has always been a positive one. “We have been working with Blink Experience for quite some time now, and it’s always a real pleasure interacting with their whole team.”

Photos: Arena Group MediaPro International/CT www.arenagroup.com www.ct-group.com www.mediapro-av.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

BARCO SHINES AT JOY FORUM UDX-W40 PROJECTORS PUT ON SPECTACULAR SHOW AT MAJOR ENTERTAINMENT AND TOURISM FORUM IN RIYADH. Established by The Saudi General Entertainment Authority, the Joy Entertainment Industry Forum was created to highlight Saudi Arabia’s developing entertainment sector.

Taking place in Riyadh in November 2019, the two-day event brought together leading global entertainment pioneers interested in investment and growth opportunities in the Kingdom’s entertainment sector.

With top names in international entertainment including the likes of Jackie Chan, Shah Rukh Khan and Jason Momoa, along with global businesses like Cirque du Soleil, MUVI Cinemas and Six Flags in attendance, the event was held at the Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh. Greeting attendees as they entered the building was an impressive animated projection that was mapped onto the façade of the entire building, using 26 Barco UDX-W40s, housed in stacks of 13.

With projection mapping a trending technology in Saudi Arabia’s event industry, Maestro Group, which handled the full production of the Joy Forum, conducted comprehensive technology research about which projection system could be a reliable addition to its rental fleet. The company also checked the track record of projector performance in similar projects in Saudi Arabia and local after sales support, before opting for Barco.

“In recent years, local availability of assets and resources in the Saudi Entertainment market hasn’t been able to catch up with turbo fast growth of the demand,” Bilal Assidi, Sales

Manager, Martin Professional commented.

“Therefore, Maestro’s investment on a decent number of high-end projectors like Barco UDX is a significant contributor to the efficiency of supply chain of video equipment in the market.”

The UDX platform was chosen as it is a compact projector that produces excellent colour performance at 40,000 lumens. Barco’s partner Martin Professional demonstrated a strong local support with a local inventory of spare parts in

Saudi Arabia guaranteeing minimum turnaround time. Therefore, Maestro decided to invest in 26 UDX W40 projectors, forming one of the largest fleets of UDX-W40s in the region.

Haitham Dghaili, Director of Events, Maestro Group, concluded: “The projection mapping on the façade of the hotel was the key technology performance of the event.”

Photo: Barco www.barco.com

PROTEC BOLSTERS INVENTORY THE COMPANY INCREASES ITS STOCK OF LED SCREENS AND UPGRADES AUDIO AND LIGHTING CAPABILITIES. Protec has purchased Absen PL2.5mm indoor panels and PL3.9mm W outdoor panels for all branches in Saudi Arabia, UAE and the UK. These screens have an innovative side lock design, which means they can be installed flat or with a curve. The company has also invested in NovaStar NovaPro UHD Jr All-in-One Controllers and NovaStar VX6s control boxes.

The recent investment is in addition to the 350 Claypaky Xtylos and 48 Sharpy Plus the lighting department has received. Meanwhile, the audio team has become the first in the region to adopt the ‘world’s most advanced’ Outline Newton 16 + 8 processor.

Protec has also invested in the Waves SoundGrid Extreme Server, more Shure Axient

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gear with Showlink capabilities and increased its stock of Rednet Dante A8R, D16s, Luminex 16XTs, L-Acoustics Syva, L-Acoustics X15s and L-Acoustics X8s, ADX1 Shure beltpacks and Sennheiser 2050 in-ear monitors.

Elsewhere, Protec has appointed Robert Handley, former Senior Project Manager at Protec Dubai (pictured, right), to the role of General Manager of the Protec KSA branch, based in Riyadh.

Two key players on Handley’s team are Arabic-speaking Saudi nationals, Fatma AlGhamdi and Abdulkareem AlKhungi, who are focused on strengthening existing client relationships and welcoming new clients into the Protec group.

Photo: Protec www.productiontec.com

DESIGNED & ENGINEERED IN GERMANY LD Systems® is a registered brand of the Adam Hall Group.

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

VENUETECH APPOINTS RGBLINK AS DISTRIBUTOR THE MOVE IS IN RESPONSE TO THE RAPIDLY GROWING DEMAND FOR VIDEO PROCESSING IN THE MIDDLE EAST. RGBlink has appointed Venuetech as its exclusive distributor in the Middle East.

“We are very pleased to welcome Venuetech as a Middle East exclusive RGBLink distributor and we look forward to the forthcoming success of both companies,” began RGBlink CEO, Ben Hu. He continued: “Venuetech has a great commitment to the market and to supporting clients locally from their excellent facilities.”

The move comes as both companies aim to develop the rapidly expanding Middle East market for video processing solutions. Well known for its innovative high-performance video processing, RGBlink has found Venuetech to be a reliable partner with a complimentary distribution portfolio and wide experience

servicing integration and entertainment markets.

Venuetech and RGBlink held their first joint RGBlink Academy training sessions in their training centre in Dubai in December 2019, with the event well attended.

Nour Assafiri, Venuetech CEO, said: “We have been impressed with the features and capabilities of RGBLink’s processors. We see a lot of market potential in the Middle East for RGBlink solutions. The strong feedback we have had from the training has been excellent. We look forward to doing a lot more and introducing RGBlink solutions to our wide range of partners.”

Photo: RGBlink www.venuetech.ae www.rgblink.com

CT BECOMES L-ACOUSTICS CALIBRATION CERTIFIED PROVIDER MIDDLE EAST COMPANY BECOMES ONE OF ONLY THREE CERTIFIED PROVIDERS FOR THE PA MANUFACTURER.

Creative Technology has been confirmed as an L-Acoustics Calibration Certified Provider.

Designed to strengthen the technical partnership between L-Acoustics and its Certified Providers (CPs), the creation of Authorised Calibration Centres allows providers to deliver a greater level of system configuration

and calibration expertise at a local level for small to medium-sized installations.

One of only three companies to have this privilege, CT is able to offer its customers a service level – from design to commissioning to calibration – that is identical to that provided

by L-Acoustics. This will extend L-Acoustics’ proximity to end-users while guaranteeing the same in-house level of the PA manufacturer.

“Being an Authorised Calibration Centre allows us to provide a greater level of service, knowledge and support to our clients, both from within our technical engineering teams and having direct access to L-Acoustics development and support management,” said Andy Reardon, Middle East Managing Director.

“We pride ourselves on delivering solutions based on engineering and from the ground up. The Authorised Calibration Centre gives us greater

levels of understanding of L-Acoustics systems, processors and procedures. It’s a pleasure to be appointed as one of the first Authorised Calibration Centres globally and it represents the next step in our relationship with L Acoustics.”

Arnaud Delorme, Applications Engineer for L-Acoustics, added: “The partnership with our CPs is extremely important to us. We maintain a very close two-way relationship with them, keeping them up to date on innovations at L-Acoustics while also constantly seeing their field experience and feedback. This new level of partnership will ultimately be rolled out with all our partners where technical relations are already well established and who wish to go even further with their L-Acoustics systems.”

Photo: Creative Technology www.ct-group.com www.l-acoustics.com

JOECO EXPANDS INTO GCC WITH PROVISION AVL THE DEAL ENSURES MANUFACTURER’S PRODUCTS ARE AVAILABLE ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST. JoeCo has agreed a new distribution relationship with Provision AVL. The Dubaibased distributor will now represent the brand across the GCC.

“We had been looking to find the right partners for JoeCo in Middle Eastern territories,” explained Graham Murray, Business Development at JoeCo. “Provision AVL can provide the facility to support local customers and effectively promote JoeCo solutions to the Middle Eastern markets.”

Kevin Boujikian, General Manager at Provision AVL, added: “JoeCo is one of the leading multitrack recorder and player manufacturers.

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With its award-winning BLACKBOX range, we felt that it would complement the audio brands that we already represent.”

Murray concluded: “Having Provision AVL on board will expand and strengthen our presence throughout the GCC. They will provide greater exposure of the solutions JoeCo can offer to GCC customers, in addition to proactively targeting some of our key market sectors – all of which will help JoeCo’s business in the GCC.” Photo: JoeCo www.joeco.com www.provisionavl.com

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

ECLIPSE EXTENDS INTERNATIONAL CERTIFICATIONS

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

ETC Dubai – The Studio

THE COMPANY NOW HOLDS THE ISO 9001:2015 QUALITY MANAGEMENT SYSTEM CERTIFICATION. eclipse Staging Services and eclipse Venue Services have received the ISO 9001:2015 Quality Management System certification – the internationally recognised standard that assures uniformity in the quality of products and services to fulfil customer requirements through an effective quality management system. For eclipse, this means adherence to maintaining a quality service, enhanced customer satisfaction and increased efficiency in resources.

This quality control standard ensures that best practices are utilised within the Group in line with the ISO 9001:2015 requirements. eclipse was audited by United Registrar of Systems and presented with the certificates in December 2019.

“We are pleased to have passed the rigorous company-wide external audit and achieved the well-regarded ISO 9001:2015 certification through our management’s commitment to QHSE programmes in close cooperation with all our staff,” Manu Abraham, Group HSE Manager at eclipse, commented.

“This is a great achievement for us. We’re continuously working to ensure the standards of our work remain industry leading, and this accreditation reflects our commitment to excellence. This is an essential part of our continual improvement process in assessing the effectiveness of our quality, health, safety and environmental standards.”

In addition to the new ISO 9001:2015 quality certification, eclipse has confirmed its continued efforts towards raising HSE standards through the successful renewal of its ISO 14001:2015 and ISO 45001:2018 management system certifications.

“Our ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 certifications provide assurance to our customers, partners and all our stakeholders that eclipse is committed to delivering the leading event technology solutions, and the ongoing certification is a recognition of our enduring dedication to maintain the highest level of quality, health, safety and environmental performance,” concluded Simon Ransom, Group Director, Middle East.

Photo: eclipse www.eclipse.com

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

etcconnect.com highend.com

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INSIDE LOOK

DAVE CROWTHER, ADI OFF THE BACK OF THE COMPANY’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE 2019 FORMULA E DIRIYAH E-PRIX, ADI’S HEAD OF OPERATIONS, DAVE CROWTHER, TALKS TPMEA THROUGH THE PROJECT AND SHARES HIS INSIGHT ON WHAT 2020 HAS IN STORE FOR THE REGION.

How did you find the event?

The event built on the success of 2018’s inaugural Diriyah E-Prix, with the staging of a globally significant sporting and cultural occasion that delivered extraordinary production values.

Creating a fully functioning race circuit – along with fan zones, hospitality suites, gaming arena and concert stage – where there isn’t one

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existing is a huge achievement, especially given the challenging terrain and UNESCO World Heritage status of Diriyah.

ADI is a supplier that has worked with Formula E since Season One in 2014/15, so over the years, we’ve tailored our approach and technical solution for the Championship; ensuring it incorporates the latest and most innovative

LED products, while being robust enough for deployment across multiple locations around the world.

What did ADI deliver for this year’s Formula E? ADI delivered all LED screen requirements at the circuit, which were installed trackside, in the E-Village, Emotion Club and Gaming Arena

INSIDE LOOK

– totalling 22 screens. We also provided a fully digital 4mm podium that features at every E-Prix to activate event partners. Beyond LED hardware, we created a fibre network to all screen locations, taking a feed from the host broadcaster and distributing to all areas of the track. Within the video distribution, we provided extra flexibility for the client, with the ability to zone specific feeds to separate areas of the event, with central control from the on-site television compound.

What were the main challenges of the event from your point of view?

Diriyah was more challenging to operate in this year, with other large event builds happening in close proximity – bringing increases in traffic and contractors. That being said, it’s hugely positive to see the calibre of live sport and events coming to the area.

Other challenges can arise from working on a site of this terrain and typography, and the unpredictable weather conditions, which can be managed but not controlled. There will always be some structural or signal issues on

such a large site with so many screens and event infrastructure, but with a skilled 30-strong team we can overcome them quickly without causing any delay to the overall build.

How did the 2019 event compare to the previous year?

This year’s event was on a larger scale than in 2018. Across the whole event delivery and spectator experience, you could see how it has evolved and developed. Unique entertainment acts, an epic concert stage design and interactive activations ensure that the Diriyah E-Prix remains a flagship event for both the Formula E World Championship and the region.

How has Saudi Vision 2030 affected the way you work?

Most people in the events industry are aware of what the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia are looking to achieve as part of Saudi Vision 2030, with huge investment, drive and ambition to form a thriving live events and entertainment sector.

We’re one of the few organisations lucky enough

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to have been involved since the start of the boom through our work with Formula E, and it stands us in good stead for continuing to work with leading sports federations, festivals and brands in the region. We’re looking to expand our operations across KSA and the UAE, with investment in people and products to help us facilitate an increasing number of event screen projects in the Middle East.

What’s next for ADI? This year is set to be a huge one for ADI and the wider industry because of a packed events calendar with massive international sports fixtures, specifically UEFA Euro 2020 and the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

With an increasing number of screen rental requests around Europe and a large number of annual contracts to fulfil, we have invested in more high-resolution modular kit, and built new iCONIC mobile LED screens to join our 56-strong fleet.

Photos: ADI www.adi.tv

CHOOSE ADI FOR YOUR

LIVE EVENT SCREENS ADI SPECIALISE IN GLOBAL LED SOLUTIONS, SUPPLYING WORLD-LEADING BRANDS, VENUES AND EVENTS WITH SPECTACULAR SCREENS adi.tv are currently recruiting for a number of roles in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE): • Senior and Junior Video/LED Technicians • Senior and Junior Project Managers • Account Managers • Sales & Operational Support Please forward any questions and CV’s, along with an outline of your suitability for a particular role to middleeast@adi.tv

www.adi.tv

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THE KILLERS AS THE KILLERS JET INTO ABU DHABI TO PLAY THEIR FINAL SHOW OF 2019 – THE HEADLINE SLOT AT THE ABU DHABI GRAND PRIX YASALAM AFTER-RACE CONCERTS – PETER IANTORNO IS ON SITE AT THE DU ARENA TO MEET THE TEAM BEHIND ONE OF THE BIGGEST ROCK BANDS OF THE CENTURY.

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With a string of five successive UK number one studio albums, a record for the longest-charting single in UK history with Mr Brightside and a slew of international award nominations and victories along the way, wherever The Killers go, success follows.

Yet while the Las Vegas natives have found fame and fortune through their mastery in the studio, it’s on stage where the band’s brilliance really comes into focus, as they have brought their iconic pop rock show to some of the world’s most iconic venues, including Madison Square Garden, Wembley Stadium and Glastonbury Festival over the years.

Days after announcing a massive 2020 UK and Ireland stadium tour in support of their forthcoming album, Imploding The Mirage, the band were in Abu Dhabi for their final show of the year – the headline slot at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix Yasalam 2019 After-Race Concerts by du Live. Produced by Flash Entertainment, the four-night event saw superstar acts including Marshmello, Future, Gucci Mane and Lana Del Rey, perform at the du Arena. Ahead of The Killers’ Sunday evening show, we caught up with

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Production Manager, Michael Oberg, who has been working with the band full-time for the past 12 years.

The PM explained how his relationship with The Killers began when the band toured Australia for the first time in 2004. “A very good friend of mine – Australian music promoter, Michael Gudinski – asked if I could take care of a young band from Las Vegas. It was my job to make sure that they had a great time, and I guess I must have done that,” he began. After working with the band on each of their subsequent tours Down Under, Oberg joined The Killers team full-time in 2007. “I thought initially that I was going to the States to do a six-week stint,” he recalled. “That was 12 years ago, and I’ve been with them ever since.”

While touring is very much the bread and butter for The Killers, Oberg explained that oneoff shows like the Yasalam After-Race Concert are equally important – and just as enjoyable.

“We really like doing this kind of show,” he stated.

“We’ve done a few of the Formula One After Show Concerts before and they have always gone down very well. The audiences who come

to these shows often buy the ticket just as much for the music as the racing.”

PRG supplied a full service audio, lighting, video and rigging package for the entire event, and it’s safe to say that Oberg was impressed with the set-up. “We like to travel as light as we can. Of course, we aren’t carrying all of our own kit; we would be rocking up with 10 or 12 trucks for our full touring package and that doesn’t make any sense – especially when the local suppliers can provide such excellent kit.

“It’s great to be able to walk into a really professional production like this and get on with our jobs,” he continued. “Everything is set up and, with PRG, you know that you’re going to get top-class equipment and highly skilled people.

You’ve got the best of both worlds. You can do an extremely high-standard show with a small touring package.”

READ MY MIND One such highly skilled person who was onsite throughout the four-day event was PRG’s Project Manager, Artur Kurowski. For him, the most challenging part of the job came in pre-

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Video Media Server Technician, Dale Rehbein; Video Director, David Horscroft; Production Manager, Michael Oberg; Monitor Engineer, Marty Beath; FOH Engineer, Kenny Kaiser; Tour Manager, Jeremy Bates; Lighting Designer, Steven Douglas.

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production well before the show started. “We communicated with all the artists who were playing over the four nights and supplied a system that met all of their needs,” he began.

“It was about finding a balance that could work for everyone. Each artist has certain expectations and we know how to deliver the kind of set-up that they want, so by the time we reach the day of the show, most of the hard work is already done.”

In addition to PRG’s audio supply, The Killers brought along their own FOH and monitor consoles, backline and mics. According to Kurowski, it “made sense” for The Killers to bring some of their own kit, due to its specialised nature. “The Killers were really self-sufficient,” he said. The production also brought custombuilt covers for their monitors, which made them easier to stand on – something lead singer Brandon Flowers is famous for.

“It’s not always easy to supply something like this,” Kurowski added. “It means the artists feel comfortable, at home and can give their best performance on any stage.” PRGdeltasound

provided a full L-Acoustics K-Series PA system, which The Killers’ FOH Engineer, Kenny Kaiser, described as “a big ol’ K1 and K2 rig”. He commented: “There are 48 SB28s on the ground and two delay towers of K2s behind that. There’s a lot of horsepower.”

Having been in The Killers’ FOH hot seat since the start of the Battle Born World Tour in 2012, Kaiser was very clear about the kind of mix he tries to produce for the band. “A good one!”

He continued to outline the simple rules he was taught from early on in his career that guide his mix. “If you can’t hear the vocals, you’ve lost,” he explained. “Also, if you can see somebody playing something on stage but you can’t really hear it, you lost again. These are very simple rules, but they work. Then of course you start to work on tonality and fine-tuning after that, but those rules are the basis for any good mix.”

For control, there was only one choice for Kaiser – the Solid State Logic L550. “I’ve been on that thing since it came out and I absolutely love it,” he noted. “It sounds great, it’s an easy workflow for me and it’s rock solid. I haven’t had

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any serious issues, and for the minor issues I have had, I can pick up the phone and I get a call right back within minutes telling me what’s wrong and how to fix it. Come on, you can’t beat that!”

Kaiser went on to commend the quality of service the team has received from PRGdeltasound. “They have been awesome,” he said. “I worked with Al Woods [Director of Projects at PRGdeltasound] years ago on another tour, so it was good to work together again.”

Moving the conversation towards monitor world, Kaiser introduced TPMEA to Monitor Engineer, Marty Beath, who was sitting behind a console of his own. A big fan of the SSL L550, Beath explained why he started using it.

“I love this thing. There’s a depth that no other digital consoles have,” he said of the console. The Engineer explained that he used to be on the DiGiCo SD7, but when Kaiser changed to the SSL, the tour package size became “ridiculously large”. He commented: “I needed SD racks and he needed the 32 preamps – so in order to reduce our environmental footprint, I decided to change consoles. We’re very

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conscious of the environmental side of things; we try to save space and weight wherever we can.”

With 16 stems of in-ears, 16 stems of wedges on stage, plus all the broadcast stems to handle, the set-up certainly tests Beath and his L550 to the max. “It’s not quite maxed out, but it’s certainly busy,” he commented.

The change of console has streamlined the entire audio operation. “Now we just share the preamps,” Beath commented. “We’ve also changed all our keyboard inputs to digital inputs on a MADI stream. The noise floor of MADI is amazing – it really cleans up the sound output.”

In-ear monitors were used widely on the show, with every member of the band on IEMs apart from one notable exception: “Brandon – he likes it loud!” And when Beath said “loud”, he meant it. “Everything you see here is for Brandon,” he commented as he walked us through the extensive on-stage monitor set-up, which included d&b audiotechnik V8 flown side

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fills, M2 wedges across the front of the stage and B22 subs each side. “It can get up to 114dB on stage,” he added. “It’s pretty cool.”

The biggest challenge for Beath is competing with low-end pollution from FOH. “It can be crazy,” he noted. “People with in-ears don’t really have to consider it anymore, but with wedges, I’m always right on the edge.”

Beath explained that his main focus during the show is keeping track of Flowers, who is known for his animated performing style, which often sees him delivering big set-piece moments in the show from a position standing on top of the wedges. “My finger is always on Brandon’s vocal fader,” Beath revealed.

“If Brandon leans over or comes towards the side fill, I bring it down a bit. He’s pretty lively up on stage so you’ve got to watch him like a hawk.

Obviously if anyone else has any issues then I’ll fix that for them, but I always have to have an eye on what Brandon is doing.” Communication is key

for Beath and, as he explained, there’s certainly no issue in that regard. “If Brandon isn’t happy with the mix then I’ll get to know about it pretty quickly,” he laughed. “I soon get the picture.”

MR BRIGHTSIDE Providing visual flair, as always, was Lighting Designer, Steven Douglas. Fresh from winning a 2019 KOI-USA Award for his work on Hozier’s Wasteland, Baby! Tour, the Irish LD explained the fortuitous circumstances that led him to start working with The Killers nearly 15 years ago.

“I used to work at a theatre in Dublin and I was covering a night for a friend; they told me it would be some American band ‘The Killers’, who didn’t have an LD so should be an easy day,” he began. “I busked the show, they liked it and they asked if I would go on tour with them. I’ve been working with them ever since.”

Having spent the previous night at the venue programming, the LD was pleased with how

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everything had gone. “The guys from PRG have been great,” he stated. “We loaded in the night before the show and everything was up and running quickly, which gave me plenty of time to programme throughout the night.”

Four followspots were positioned at FOH to ensure the band were clearly visible on stage.

“Most of the band are fairly static, apart from Brandon, obviously,” Douglas laughed. “He’s got two spots on him at all times, then I have a second that does guitar solos stage right for Ted [Sablay], and another that does pickup between Ronnie [Vannucci Jr, drummer] and Jake [Blanton] on bass.”

At one point during the show, Flowers invited a young fan up on stage to play the drums during Reasons Unknown. Since this has happened before, Douglas was prepared. “If we have a guest drummer then Ronnie will generally get down off the kit and play guitar for the song, so I just make sure that I’ve got all bases covered,” he added.

Describing himself as a “control freak”, Douglas explained why he doesn’t use any timecode for The Killers. “Everything is live,” he began. “I’ve worked on timecoded shows before and it has its place, but it doesn’t suit the band so there’s no way I’d use it for them. They like to drop in extra bars and extended guitar solos every now and again, so you’ve got to be ready to follow along.”

While Douglas added that the band are “usually pretty good about making their mind up in advance”, he admitted that there are times when “they will drop something in unexpectedly”. He added: “I have lots of stuff that I can busk over the top with so I can always find something that will work.”

The Lighting Designer explained that the show has a lot of variation in terms of visuals.

“Some songs have five cues in them, while others have more than 400.” For some songs, Douglas described the stage as “really bright”, while in others it was “really dark and moody”.

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He commented: “There’s a big variation throughout the show – it’s all about the journey.”

Special effects including lasers, confetti blasts and pyro were vital to some of the key set pieces of the show. In what has become something of a tradition for the production, confetti blasts showered the pit during The Man and All These Things I’ve Done, while a pyro ‘waterfall’ poured over the stage’s rear LED screen during When You Were Young, and lasers were used extensively throughout Human and the final song of the encore, Mr Brightside.

“It’s a massive part of the show,” Douglas commented. “We’ve been doing it for years and we’ve come to the point now where if you don’t do a certain gag, the fans will be disappointed. ” SHOT AT THE NIGHT For video, PRG supplied ROE Visual CB5 LED screens for both the central upstage wall and the left and right IMAGs. PM Kurowski commented:

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“We designed the video, as well as the lighting, to meet the needs of all the artists. We made small changes to the stage packages in between each night.” For example, Marshmello had a large curved screen in front of the DJ riser; Gucci Mane had some small LED screens in front of risers; Lana Del Rey had quite a lot of on-stage lighting; and The Killers had totems upstage.

While Kurowski paid tribute to the likes of Al Woods, as well as PRG’s Head of Video, Matt Holmes and Head of Lighting, Marcell Wahl, for their roles on the project, he was keen to point out that it was a collaborative effort that wouldn’t have been possible without the hard work of his entire crew.

“Our guys work incredibly hard,” he said.

“We’re not just rock ’n’ roll – we’re working on corporate jobs and conferences from Sunday to Thursday then huge gigs at the weekend. The amount of work they do, not just on site but also in pre-production, is absolutely amazing.

Everybody is working so hard as a team to make sure that we are delivering constantly. It’s great to see. Everyone has done an outstanding job.”

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Making best use of the set-up provided by the PRG crew was Video Director, David Horscroft.

“He always calls the show,” PM Oberg said, as we walked towards a temporary cabin backstage that housed video world. “He knows the band and the show well and, importantly, he knows when Brandon is going to throw his arms in the air, so he always gets the best shots.”

A fellow Aussie, Horscroft started working with The Killers in 2017, after being introduced by Oberg. “I’ve worked with Michael for many years on shows back at home, so when The Killers had a need for more video in their shows, he was very kind in recommending me.”

From the very first show, Horscroft realised that the arrangement was going to work out.

“I think they liked what we did,” he commented.

Horscroft explained that The Killers had never had a video director before he started working on the tour. “As big and successful as they were, they were just riding the music and performance on-stage, but as technology changes, I think having a video director is an increasingly important part of touring. I got

that lucky chance to be the first person in, and thankfully I haven’t stuffed it up yet!”

The Video Director explained his ethos when it comes to calling the shots. “I think the most important thing is simply putting on the screens what is being played,” he began. “Obviously, Brandon is the frontman, but musically there might be a guitar riff or a drum roll, and I want people to see what they hear. I’ve found over the years that people in the crowd say ‘oh, I never actually realised that particular instrument was doing anything at that time in the song’, so the more I can help with that, the better.”

Horscroft added that making video and lighting work together was also extremely important. “It’s something that Steven is really good at, so it makes my job easier,” he said.

The Director went on to explain how he looks for certain “special moments” that capture “the flair of the performance”. He commented: “The combination of showing music as it’s being played and also showing the showmanship of the performance is what I focus on. Brandon is the ideal frontman for a video director to work with

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– his on-stage presence is just electric. I’ve done around 100 shows with the band now, and that’s more than enough for me to know roughly when the biggest, most important moments will be, and I try my best to capture them. I find them an absolutely amazing band to work with.”

Continuing the conversation was Video Media Server Technician, Dale Rehbein. Another Aussie in The Killers’ multinational crew, Rehbein brought TPMEA up to speed with how he found himself working with the band.

“It was pure fluke to be honest,” he opened.

“David and I were working for Big Picture and we were lucky enough to win the job for the band’s 2017 world tour. After programming that world tour, I had resigned from my position in the office at Big Picture and the opportunity presented itself to come back out on the road with these guys.

Now, it’s become my regular gig.”

The Technician described himself as “the integrator between lighting and video”. He quipped: “That means I have two people shouting at me throughout the show! I run a few queues in the background to take some pressure off the LD. For example, I have master control of the camera cut so he doesn’t need to worry about that.”

Rehbein walked us through the set-up for the Abu Dhabi show. “We’re currently in our festival configuration,” he said. “We’re using one main and one spare machine of disguise, where we have an adapted show file from our main arena run from the 2017 Wonderful Wonderful World Tour.”

Art-Net controls come from FOH to control some of the timelines. Rehbein explained the setup: “We have also got cameras coming in and are using disguise to cover some of the things that we would normally do on the switcher, since

we’re not carrying our normal video switcher for this show.”

Rehbein added that he used disguise for “little things” like turning the content black and white. He commented: “The band really like that black and white look with a filmic grain. We also need to keep frame delay as minimal as possible to make sure that everyone at the front gets an enjoyable experience.”

Having made disguise a staple in his wheelhouse around five years ago, the Technician has taken great pleasure in watching the system grow over the years. “I’ve always found it to be the most stable system,” he stated. “Technology, innovation and stability within the system has always been key. The fact that I can go anywhere in the world, cross-hire rental machines and still know exactly what I’m getting on any given day is great. If anything ever goes wrong then I usually know exactly what it is. The support is absolutely phenomenal as well. If I ever need to do anything slightly out of the box, the support has always been there for me.”

INDIE ROCK ’N’ ROLL The next and final member of The Killers’ key crew to be introduced to TPMEA was Tour Manager, Jeremy Bates. Having worked with the band since the early days, Bates recalled how we spotted The Killers’ potential from the moment he saw them play.

“I had been tour managing for five years or so for other bands, and the first time I saw The Killers was when they supported British Sea Power at the end of 2003, then on their second tour they opened for Stellastarr. I could see quite clearly that they were better than the bands they were

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supporting, so I made my move. Thankfully, it worked out well.”

Bates described how the fact that the crew has grown organically with the band has helped foster a “family atmosphere”. As the band has grown and its needs have increased, the crew has grown too. “Nearly everyone who we’ve added over the years is still with us today. Most of our crew have been with us for 10 years or more,” he continued. “We know everyone’s nuances; we know what everyone likes and what everyone doesn’t like, and we know who we want to spend time with. Generally, everyone wants to be with everyone – it’s like a family.”

At that juncture, as if to prove his own point, Bates called over to the band’s drummer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr, who was walking past with a few crewmembers on his way to have a ride on the world’s fastest rollercoaster, Formula Rossa, which just so happened to be conveniently located a stone’s throw away from the du Arena. “Have fun and be safe!” he shouted, before admitting that he wouldn’t want to have a go for himself. “I have more smarts than that! If something happened to me, then who is going to take care of the band?”

The Abu Dhabi show was a masterclass in indie rock ’n’ roll, with The Killers delivering a relentless set of wall-to-wall hits, to the delight of the du Arena crowd. With a new album on the way and a sold-out stadium tour to look forward to, 2020 promises to be yet another ground-breaking year for a band that has already conquered all that lay before it.

Photos: Rob Loud & TPMEA www.thekillers.com www.prg.com www.flashentertainment.com

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DIRIYAH MUSIC FESTIVAL WITH A PLETHORA OF INTERNATIONAL ACTS STARRING OVER FOUR WEEKENDS, DIRIYAH MUSIC FESTIVAL REPRESENTS ANOTHER HUGE STEP FORWARD FOR SAUDI ARABIA’S AMBITIOUS DEVELOPMENT PLANS.

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We’re witnessing historic times for Saudi Arabia. With the country throwing open its doors to the world, 2019 saw a packed schedule of high-profile events throughout the year – all contributing towards the ultimate goal of fulfilling the ambitious Saudi Vision 2030.

Amongst the many events to take place, Diriyah Season – and specifically Diriyah Music Festival – was one of the most attention-grabbing.

Imagine Dragons, Clean Bandit, Maluma, Marshmello, Pitbull, Shaggy, Lil Wayne, Future, Usher, Akon, Calvin Harris, Major Lazer and Swedish House Mafia were just a few of the A-list acts who were brought in by Live Nation Middle East for the event, which took place over four weekends from 22 November to 14 December.

Taking on the mammoth task of managing the various and far-reaching requirements of such an extensive roaster of talent was Senior Producer, Jim Digby, and a team of incredibly talented festival event specialists.

Having already worked on several projects in the Kingdom, including 2018’s Diriyah Season as

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well as Riyadh Season and the gigantic show from Korean boy band BTS in October 2019, Digby is well aware of what it takes to mount ambitious events in Saudi Arabia and create success.

“While the region is still gaining its reputation as an international concerts destination, it’s important for the incoming artists to know that we can support the most technically complex shows, and that many of the people facilitating them will be familiar names and faces,” he began.

“This helps to inspire confidence for those who have not yet had the pleasure of performing here, and it means that we are prepared to handle the most sophisticated A-list artists.

As well as the high levels of competency on the ground in Saudi, Digby was keen to draw attention to the Kingdom’s technical capabilities, which are as sophisticated and capable as they are anywhere in the world.

To fulfil the technical requirements for the Swedish House Mafia show, the producers enlisted the help of MediaPro International to deliver complete technical production, with Al

Laith taking care of the main scaffolding works, Stageco building the cantilever stage and ER Productions providing lasers, in addition to support from Grucci. Digby was again impressed with the suppliers. “The technical delivery of the shows was absolutely outstanding,” he beamed.

“In a country still relatively new to the industry, the shows were delivered with just the same quality and competency as they would be in London, New York or any other major market that’s been doing shows like these for decades.”

And the incoming artist crews’ reactions to the scale and quality of the production were nothing short of amazement. “We are always looking to put a variety of artists on stage in Saudi, and the feedback we got from them was universally positive,” Digby commented. “Some of them couldn’t believe what they were seeing.”

QUALITY AND COMPETENCY Each of the shows throughout the Diriyah Season were performed to the stunning backdrop of a colossal stage, designed by PHNTM Labs. Digby

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revealed that the original concept for the stage is from a sketch by James Craven, Live Nation Middle East President.

“We were juggling ideas about the kind of delivery that would have a great impact on that site, and James sketched out a vision that was instantly viable,” he recalled. PHNTM Labs and AES were able to turn that rough idea into the stage and MediaPro then layered in the technical audio visual delivery. “Credit must also be shared with Agrekko, FlashArt, Stage FX, Reidel, and EFM,” he added.

Digby explained why PHNTM Labs’ Founder, Gabe Fraboni, was vital to the success of the production. “There was great potential for synergy within PHNTM Labs and the type of artists being targeted for the season,” he said.

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“Gabe’s history as Creative Director for Martin Garrix was a good fit for the 2019 potential artist line-ups, and it was evident that we would be aided by someone with significant reach into the EDM world.”

Digby’s previous experience with Fraboni during a Linkin Park album cycle informed his decision to enlist PHNTM Labs to handle the creative. “This, in-turn, helped uplift confidence for the potential artists”.

A TEAM EFFORT Led by Production Manager, Stephan Vorster, and Special Projects Director, Hugh Turner, MediaPro’s technical supply was extensive to say the least.

Nitin Kurup, Senior Technical Director Audio, oversaw the install of the main PA, which was

made up of L-Acoustics K Series, with 40 K1s, 16 K2s, 12 K1SBs and 40 KS28s utilised. Delays came courtesy of 32 V-DOSCs, while 24 Karas were purposed for front fills.

Due to the wide variety of artists who performed throughout the four weekends, a series of consoles were provided for control; among them were two DiGiCo SD7 Quantums, two DiGiCo SD5s and two DiGiCo SD10s, as well as two Avid S6Ls and two in-house Yamaha CL5s.

The overall video canvas was created using 400 sq m of 4.81mm and 450 sq m of 8.33mm LED screens. Video Operator, Omar Zaid, oversaw the output, which comprised 4K @60hz content through two disguise 4x4pro media servers, with two Barco E2 Tri-Combos and a Barco EC-210 event controller. MediaPro’s Senior Lighting

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Operator, Marno Snyman worked with Turner and Fraboni to specify an extensive main lighting rig, which comprised 176 Robe MegaPointes, 40 BMFL Blades, 38 Spiiders 20 Claypaky Scenius Profiles, 202 CHAUVET Professional Rogue R3 LED beams, 124 SGM Q-7s, 178 ORB300 LED blinders and 150 Color Imagination PIX ARC LED battens. Four Robe BMFL LTs were also used for followspots, with four RoboSpot controllers. Control came courtesy of two MA Lighting grandMA2s and one grandMA2 Light for the stage.

The network ran on Luminex, with a GigaCore 16-RFO, two 14Rs and three LumiNode 12s. Colin Silvers, MediaPro’s Head of Rigging and Trussing, brought in 123 EXE Technology D8+ 1,000kg hoists and 50 CM Lodestar 500kg hoists, along with eight CM D8+ 2,000kg hoists for the main PA hang. Around 600m of Litec QD30 truss were used for subhangs.

Speaking after the event, MediaPro’s COO, Shaam Pudaruth, said that the quality of the production “spoke for itself”. He commented: “We were delighted with how the stage came alive once all the technical elements were incorporated into the massive structure. Each

and every technical element had its place in the design, and the visuals were absolutely stunning.”

Pudaruth explained that MediaPro has a long and successful relationship with many of the parties involved. “Working with Live Nation is always a real pleasure,” he commented.

“The level of understanding is great, and it led to the delivery being met with 100% satisfaction. Jim and Gabe are consummate professionals and brilliant at what they do.

It really was a team effort and, without everyone working together, there’s no way that it would have been possible.”

A HUGE WIN While the standard set up throughout the month was far from simple, for Swedish House Mafia’s performance on 14 December, the production pulled out all the stops to recreate the DJs’ full touring rig, complete with floating stage and the signature three giant rings of lighting, symbolising the three members: Steve Angello, Axwell, and Sebastian Ingrosso.

The main backdrop for the stage was a massive 56m by 15m Unilumin ULS 5.95mm LED

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screen, onto which the stunning Swedish House Mafia visuals were showcased, all controlled by four disguise 4x4pro media servers and an Analog Way Aquilon RS4 with four 4K 60hz outputs.

The distinctive rings were made from three 5m-diameter circular trusses, automated by 12 Kinesys 1,000kg hoists and three Kinesys 500kg hoists, with LibraCELL control operated through Kinesys Vector Motion Control System software.

The rings were loaded with 157 GLP impression X4 Bar 10s and 50 GLP impression X4 Bar 20s, with 56 TMB Solaris Flares. A further 102 EK Lights Color Ranger Q27s added to the effect.

The main rig comprised 91 Robe Mega Pointes on the top edge of the LED screen, with 10 Claypaky Sharpy Wash 330s lighting the three DJs and 16 Claypaky Scenius Profiles as floor package and hung for backlight. The touring LDs specified two MA Lighting grandMA2s and one grandMA2 Light for control.

The crowning glory to what had already been a spectacular line up of events, the Swedish House Mafia show was one that Digby was extremely proud of. “It was absolutely phenomenal,” he praised. “For us to be able

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to pull off their full touring set up, please the client and stakeholders and give the audience the full Swedish House Mafia experience in Saudi Arabia was a huge win. It was very much a collaboration – team play, with everybody positively understanding the challenges, was vital to the success of the production.”

A THREAD THROUGH THE FABRIC OF SOCIETY Of course, with such an ambitious production taking place in a country that is still relatively new to the mainstream live events industry, there were bound to be challenges.

“There remain some challenges with the immigration and customs processes, but these are being addressed with great priority”, highlighted Digby. “The nature of these needs coupled with the very short lead times make the customs and immigration process one of the few standout challenges.”

However, notwithstanding the occasional hiccups with supply chain, Digby explained that the audience reaction made all the hard

work worthwhile, and the support from the government is robust.

“There are so many firsts happening in the Kingdom. Last year’s Diriyah Season was the first time men and women could could attend an event like this together, enjoying international music in the same space,” he saidd. “We saw on display as vibrant a joy as you would see anywhere else in the world, coming purely from the music, which was extremely touching.

Digby described the production as “emotional to behold”, commenting that it was impossible to miss “the absolute joy that the audience was sharing with the artists on stage”.

He added: “We ended last year feeling that we just might have helped pull a new thread through the fabric of society. We must have – this year brought even larger audiences, an expanded season of shows and a greater variety of artists.”

In addition to bringing great events to the country, productions like these help to ensure the necessary infrastructure is becoming available in the Kingdom. “We are attempting,

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wherever possible, to enlist support from Saudi companies,” he said. “It’s important that we demonstrate our desire to see the Kingdom, it’s people and the available skills flourish. If we can align these things, then we can help create sustainability and demonstrate that the investment is in the long game.

Looking to the future, Digby has lofty aspirations for the Saudi live events scene. “One long-term vision is, with a lot of effort, Saudi Arabia and the Middle East may end up on the regular touring circuit,” he said. “There’s easily the potential to play three or four cities inside Saudi alone. And while artists might struggle to justify playing a one-off concert, being able to offer five or six shows in close proximity suddenly becomes a lot more interesting. With luck, the future holds major A-list artists here, regularly able to deliver their full touring show.”

Photos: Ob Panakal www.livenation.me www.phntmlabs.com www.mediapro-av.com

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EMINEM FRESH FROM HIS TOUR OF AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND, THE AMERICAN RAPPER HEADS TO ABU DHABI’S DU ARENA TO DELIVER A HIP-HOP MASTERCLASS.

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More than 20 years since he found mainstream success with the development of his iconic Slim Shady alter ego, Marshall Mathers – better known as Eminem – is now widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential rappers of all time. A winner of no fewer than 15 GRAMMY Awards with more than 230 million records sold globally, it was no surprise that when the star brought his inimitable brand of hip hop to Abu Dhabi’s du Arena, there wasn’t a spare seat in the house.

Produced by Flash Entertainment and presented by du Live, the concert was a rare chance for Eminem’s Middle East fans to catch their idol in the region, with the rapper’s last

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UAE performance coming in 2012 at the Yasalam After-Race Concerts at that year’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. And the 30,000-capacity crowd was not disappointed, as the rapper delivered a stellar performance, combining classic tracks from the 1990s and 2000s including Like Toy Soldiers, The Real Slim Shady and Lose Yourself, with modern hits such as The Greatest, Lucky You, and Nice Guy. Fans were also treated to a guest appearance from American singer-songwriter Skylar Gray, who joined Eminem on stage to perform memorable renditions of Walk on Water and Love the Way You Lie.

Flash Entertainment has been shaping the future of live events in not only the UAE but also

the Middle East and has grown over the past decade into a name that is synonymous with the UAE’s entertainment industry, having won more than 60 industry awards for events including national celebrations, concerts, global sporting events, community and cultural events.

“Having the Academy Award-winning legend Eminem performing to a full house of spectators at du Arena further cements our legacy of providing unmissable moments to our fans,” John Lickrish, CEO of Flash Entertainment, commented on the event.

“We continue to drive industry standards across the region to meet global benchmarks of bringing international artists to the UAE.”

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Audio: Ethan Curry; Video: Carlos Aguilar; Cameras: Matthew Holmes; Senior Project Manager: Artur Kurowski.

Haidar Shukry, Vice President of Operations at Flash Entertainment, added: “The UAE has gone through some remarkable changes over the decade. Over the years, the UAE has moved from being an unknown on the touring circuit to a key destination for pop stars and innovative acts.”

He continued: “Since launching in 2008, we have staged more than 300 major concerts, across thousands of event days, including Beyoncé, Coldplay, The Rolling Stones, Prince and Rihanna to name just a few, and we are continually developing new ways to create an unmissable experience for our fans.”

Tasked with providing technical support for the event was PRG, who delivered a full audio,

lighting, video, camera and rigging package.

Continuing a longstanding relationship with Flash Entertainment that dates back over a decade, the company was the natural choice for Eminem.

“We’ve been working with Flash Entertainment for more than a decade and we have a great relationship,” opened Senior Project Manager, Artur Kurowski. “Both Flash Entertainment and Eminem’s team were really happy, so that helps cultivate a healthy working environment.”

Kurowski went on to explain how the name PRG brings a “level of comfort”, for large international productions such as Eminem’s.

“Concert touring accounts for a huge portion of our work all over the world, so as soon as an

international crew sees that we are involved, they know that quality equipment and a highly skilled team are assured.”

The PRG team knows the du Arena well, having worked on countless shows at the Abu Dhabi venue over the years and, as Kurowski explained, thanks to the team’s familiarity with the venue as well as the extensive amount of pre-production that was done, delivery of the show was incredibly smooth. “There was plenty of lead time and everything worked like a well-oiled machine,” he recalled. “We delivered a seamless install on schedule; no changes were needed when we arrived on site, so we could get straight to programming and rehearsal.”

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SING FOR THE MOMENT When it came to audio, PRGdeltasound used its familiarity with the venue to make the install simple and extremely effective. “We are very familiar with the configuration of the audio setups at the venue,” commented Audio Engineer, Ethan Curry. “This helped solidify the confidence from the crew and our team.”

For the main PA, Curry went with a “classic mix” of L-Acoustics K1s, K2s, K1-SBs and SB28s.

He noted: “56 SB28s on the ground and 16 K1-SBs in the air gave the system the low-end response, headroom and pattern control required for the genre.” Audio was controlled by a DiGiCo SD7 with two Meyer Sound Galileo Galaxy processors at FOH running AES and analogue back-up, while monitor world was equipped with a DiGiCo SD5.

Project Manager Kurowski was similarly pleased with the audio setup. “The L-Acoustics system we used was essential for this kind of artist,” he commented.

“There are lots of great systems about but, in my opinion, L-Acoustics is the best among them. I’ve never heard a system that sounds

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better.” The PM also noted that, due to du Arena’s location away from any residential buildings, they were able to really crank up the sound without falling foul of any regulations.

“Some venues in the region are surrounded by residential buildings, so the flexibility with sound levels isn’t always there,” he commented.

“Obviously, we always make certain that our audio is at safe levels, but at du Arena, with a total of 56 subs, the power really blew the crowd away. Every one of the 30,000 people in the venue loved it.”

The Eminem show was something of a landmark for PRG Middle East, as it represented the first large Flash Entertainment concert that the company has worked on since PRG acquired Delta Sound in April 2019. “We have always worked side-by-side as friends, but now we are one team, that relationship is even closer,” added Kurowski.

Head of Lighting, Marcell Wahl detailed the lighting package. “There were two main components,” he began. “First off, we had the overhead flown package, which consisted of six

lighting trusses and two IMAG lighting trusses.

We also had the floor package, which was well designed and simple to install.”

The extensive lighting rig comprised 80 Claypaky Mythos’, 22 Robe BMFL Blades, 23 Robe BMFL Wash Beams, 24 Robe Spikies, 24 GLP impression X4 Bar 20s, 62 GLP JDC1s, 18 4cel blinders, as well as a range of Core Lighting StripPoint LED Battens. Followspots came in the form of four Robert Juliat Lancelots.

While he was impressed by the rig as a whole, Wahl paid particular tribute to the GLP JDC1s, which he described as “unbelievable”.

He commented: “They were definitely the LD’s favourite – they had a massive impact on the show.” PM Kurowski added: “Everything was timecoded, prepared to perfection and every single beat was accented with punchy lighting.”

LOSE YOURSELF The video team, led by Carlos Aguilar, installed 18m by 9m and 9m by 9m IMAGs, as well as onstage columns using ROE Visual CB5. Aguilar commented: “We installed everything in record

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time, giving more than enough time for the touring crew to settle into their rehearsals.” According to Aguilar, the combination of Barco E2 screen management, Brompton LED processing and disguise vx 4 servers meant that video workflow was “flawless”.

Kurowski noted that the setup speed and efficiency was increased yet further by the touring frames that were used, which meant that the ROE Visual screens could be “clicked in”, making setup “incredibly fast”.

He commented: “They are transported on dollies; we joined the dollies together then picked up full rows of screens on the truss. It cut the install time in half. You can’t always use this system because you need to have a level surface where you can join the dollies, but the in du Arena there’s absolutely no problem with that.”

Dennis Karsten was PRG’s man on the ground when it came to rigging. Working with Dubai-based staging company AES, Karsten’s team installed some 290m of trussing and 86 motor points in just 24 hours. “The rigging design came from the client, and all planning of the points and weight loads in the roof were planned by us to accommodate the client’s needs to make sure everything was in place and safe,” he said. “We didn’t experience any major challenges on site, and our great crew made for a smooth operation all round.”

Kurowski was delighted at the overall result. “It was a really good job to work on,” he summed up. “Our team worked extremely well together; we loved working with the touring crew, and they were very pleased with everything we provided. The show was unbelievable – 30,000 singing every word to every song!”

Photos: Flash Entertainment & TPMEA www.prg.com www.flashentertainment.com

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N&M CELEBRATES 15 YEARS IN THE UAE NEUMANN&MÜLLER EVENT TECHNOLOGY MARKS 15 YEARS OF BUSINESS IN THE MIDDLE EAST, WITH ITS SIGHTS SET ON EVEN MORE REGIONAL SUCCESS IN THE FUTURE.

Established in Germany in 1981 by engineering students Jürgen Neumann and Eberhard Müller, Neumann&Müller Event Technology began in a humble office and warehouse in Düsseldorf, providing PA systems for outdoor radio productions and equipment rental.

Soon, the company was working on sound and event technology planning for international corporations, medium-sized enterprises and agencies, covering all aspects of first-class event technology for clients in Germany, Europe and the rest of the world.

Then in 2005, the company made its move into the Middle East, opting to open an office in Dubai to cater to the fast-growing market. “The company recognised the incredible potential

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that the Middle East offered,” Jens Gießler, Senior Business Partner and General Manager reflected.

“Clients in 2005 expected creative event solutions on a big scale, and there were very few companies in the Middle East producing that service at the quality we could – and still do – offer,” he continued. “Over the years, we’ve been incredibly fortunate to work on amazing projects in the region, partnering with international agencies and hiring the world’s best crews.”

Bringing a European business to the Middle East was not without its challenges. “We started in a tiny office, then a small warehouse then, in 2018, we moved to our larger, existing warehouse near Dubai’s Expo 2020 site,” Gießler recalled.

“Being one of the few international event

technology companies in Dubai when we arrived, finding the right partners for logistics, stagehands and other specialists was challenging, and we had to pour a lot of time and effort into system integration and technology for events.

And it wasn’t just the human resources that required some hard work; the unique geography of the region also presented a challenge.

“Working in a market with a strong seasonal focus on the complete opposite end of the spectrum to Europe in terms of temperature was also something we had to get used to,” he commented. “Our teams adapted events to the landscape incredibly well – especially considering many of them had never worked in the region before at the time.” Of course, working in the

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Jens Gießler, Senior Business Partner and General Manager, N&M.

event technology industry in a new country with new customs, culture and weather, the N&M team had some memorable moments – especially at the start.

“When two of our then production managers, Bill Pugh, and Klaus Ostermayer, did their first Dubai site visit for special rigging on the roof of a building in DIFC in the middle of July, they were absolutely soaked in sweat within 10 minutes,” Gießler smiled. “They had never experienced heat and sun like that in their lives.”

However, once they had become accustomed to the climate, the N&M team was quick to leverage its established European expertise in the UAE.

“Being a German company, we had a strong engineering background and standardised service protocols for our equipment, which really helped us stand out as experts in the market,” Gießler reflected.

“We were fortunate that we already had a great network in Germany and internationally, as well as vast experience working as creative partners for agencies. We really wanted to be involved in the creative processes with our

Middle Eastern clients, and our experience helped us motivate them to offer us greater freedom when in taking on their events.”

AMBITION ON A GRAND SCALE Dubai was the perfect spot for N&M to set up shop thanks to the emirate’s excellent infrastructure, great global positioning, the fact that English is spoken widely, and – perhaps most importantly – “because of its ambition and the grand scale at which its leadership and companies want to showcase their events,”

Gießler noted. “This offered inspiring and appealing challenges that we couldn’t refuse. We loved the idea of being able to really push the envelope and create events that had never been seen before.”

Among the many highlights over the years, Gießler reminisced about one of the first N&M Dubai projects in 2005: the inauguration of DIFC.

“We came to work on this project through our partner event management agency, HQ Worldwide Shows (HQWS), formerly called HQ Creative,” he recalled. “Because the client liked the result of our combined efforts, N&M ended

up providing the technical support to HQWS for DIFC’s anniversary celebrations for the three consecutive years. In 2013, we also helped realise the New Year’s Eve celebrations at the Burj Khalifa by providing the video elements. This was one of the most impressive events we’ve ever taken care of.”

Gießler also pointed to the Nu Skin Greater China Gala Dinner Show, showcased in Dubai in 2014, describing it as one of the company’s “most challenging yet rewarding” events.

He commented: “It represented the largest party of travellers ever to visit the emirate – specifically 16,000 of Nu Skin’s Asian sales staff.

The event was situated in the middle of the desert, with no firm surface, and – being in April – temperature fluctuations of up to 40°, as well as freak thick fog and storms.”

N&M was hired to realise the lighting and video concepts as well as the entire communication system. Gießler recalled that a highlight of the multimedia show was “two concentrically arranged ellipses supported by an 85m-wide truss arch spanning the entire stage”. He continued: “We designed the two 27m

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and 19m-wide screens so that they could be moved with a chain hoist during the show, and seven projectors per screen could display their images symmetrically from the east and west side, from where the audience was watching the production. They witnessed the impressive images, which we projected onto three curtains of water.”

The 44th UAE National Day event, held for Dubai’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, was also particularly memorable.

Gießler commented: “For the event, we transformed a part of the Dubai Creek in the Design District into an illuminated wonderland.”

Thanks to the finely attuned light design, N&M was able to seamlessly integrate the 120m by 50m show area into the breathtaking surroundings. Gießler continued: “It was designed so that the 4,000-plus audience could follow the 45-minute show in and on the water from a 100m-wide grandstand with a view of the Burj Khalifa, with our team protecting our equipment against the moisture – above the lights – with specifically designed ‘air domes’. ”

Gießler added that the show not only featured Dubai’s traditional wooden dhow boats in light form, but also LED-adorned flyboards powered by jet ski. “There were 400 international

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artists, as well as a herd of thoroughbred horses galloping over a stage installed under the surface of the water, giving the appearance that they were running on the water.”

PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES N&M Dubai must be doing something right, because the company has received several awards since arriving in the UAE, including Supplier of the Year in 2018 and Best Employer of the Year from the Middle East Events Awards, and Best Event Technology Provider in 2017 as well as Interactive Communication Product of the Year, come2interact, at the UAE Business Awards.

Today, the N&M team continues to work on pioneering, international events that push the boundaries in event technology. “We’re incredibly fortunate to have loyal clients and fantastic events that we can continue to exercise our creativity and technical skills with,” Gießler said.

Speaking about how the events industry has changed over the past 15 years, and where it’s going, Gießler remarked: “Hybrid event formats (RSI), on-site and remote events are trending right now, with clients looking for more complex productions that require teams to really have a good grasp of information and communications technology knowledge and be exceptionally

organised so they can manage events on time and budget.” While the UAE continues to be a key market for N&M, Gießler added that there is scope for movement into the rest of the region – most notably into one territory in particular.

“Saudi Arabia is a promising space, and we’re fortunate that – because we’re internationally positioned – we already have a team that can dedicate itself to projects there,” he commented.

“Having said that, our current focus is definitely in Dubai, especially with Expo 2020 around the corner, which will also feature events that we are really looking forward to working on.”

Looking to the future, Gießler noted that N&M clients can continue to expect the world’s best events. “We’re continually training our people and hiring the best in the business to ensure we deliver the quality that our clients expect,” he said. “We’re actively working on elevating our service in all areas, from IT to planning and new developments, like tracking, RSI and ICT. In 2020, thanks to an increase in the number of events we’ll be working on, we’ll also be hiring more project managers, and continuing to nurture our relationships with our client agencies to ensure success for all stakeholders.”

Photos: Ralph Larmann for Nu Skin & N&M Dubai www.neumannmueller.com

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JACK AND THE BEANSTALK DWR DISTRIBUTION PROVIDES LIGHTING DESIGNER, GRAHAM MCLUSKY, WITH A RANGE OF FIXTURES TO ENHANCE THE POPULAR SOUTH AFRICAN HOLIDAY PANTOMIME AT JOBURG THEATRE.

For more than 17 years, British Lighting Designer Graham McLusky has travelled to South Africa to light the annual pantomime, and this season’s Jack and the Beanstalk was no different.

Presented at the Joburg Theatre in November and December 2019, McLusky underscored his decades of technical expertise by utilising a range of the historic theatre’s brand-new lighting arsenal, supplied by DWR Distribution.

McLusky’s history with the production dates back to when Director, Janice Honeyman, and Producer, Bernard Jay, required an established lighting designer to launch their new production.

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Having consulted with UK pantomime producers Qdos, which creates and maintains spectacular stage sets and more than 100,000 costumes for an enormous portfolio of shows, Qdos put forward the LD. “I had never been to Johannesburg before,” McLusky recounted.

“It seemed like a fabulous idea from the off.”

Over the years, Honeyman and Jay adapted their craft of devising well-established and successful pantos to convey a distinctly South African flavour. Honeyman weaved in aspects of South Africa’s multicultural and multilingual society that keep audiences entranced and coming back for more. McLusky sent his lighting

plans for the season’s panto before arriving on site, making South Africa his home for two weeks during production.

“The crew had the entire week to set up the rig before the show moved into the theatre; they stripped out most of the theatre’s permanent rig to accommodate my design.”

The team at Joburg Theatre were familiar with McLusky’s methods. “The rig is always similar to the previous year, as it needs to fit the layout of scenery, but with lots of new and current lighting toys this time,” McLusky pointed out.

As pantomime typically involves a lot of scenery compacted into the available space,

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Below right: Graham McLusky with DWR Distribution’s Duncan Riley.

cloths, hard scenery and ornate portals, there was a limit to how many lights the LD could squeeze in. “There are many lighting units in these pantos, each with a specific job to do. Joburg Theatre normally has a saturated permanent rig… until it’s panto time,” he explained. “Apparently, I’m the only lighting designer for whom they strip out most of the permanent rig. I appreciate all the amazing effort taken. You just can’t really light a panto successfully any other way.”

Jack and the Beanstalk marked the first time McLusky had a chance to use the theatre’s new lighting gear, which included 12 Claypaky Sharpy Plus fixtures, 20 Vari-Lite VL2600 Spots and four Robert Juliat Cyrano followspots, recently purchased from DWR Distribution.

“I’ve never used a Sharpy before, though other lighting designers have said I ought to try them,” he said. “When I discovered that the Sharpy Plus units have gobos and an effects wheel, I thought I’d incorporate them into the show. We also used them as special pick-ups on the stage as well as for throwing beam shapes and patterns over the audience.”

McLusky was also pleased with the Vari-Lite 2600s. “They’re fabulous, with an LED source,

which gives them plenty of edge. We used a lot of gobos for the show – mainly the standard ones – and the colours are excellent. I very much like the quality of the colour mixing.”

He dubbed the Robert Juliat followspots as “fantastic”. He furthered: “The RJs are so bright that the guys were trying to reduce them down to a lower intensity. I suggested that we used them at full brightness, and they worked extremely well.”

Long-standing Technical Manager at the Joburg Theatre, Enos Ramoroko, explained that the venue had been relying on some fairly outdated fixtures to serve as followspots for a number of years.

“The followspots that we have been working with at Joburg Theatre are well past their prime.

We were running six units – two of which were 30 years old, another two 20 years old, and the newest are already a decade old. As a result, we had different outputs on all six of them and it was a huge challenge to try to balance them out.”

Ramoroko had the opportunity to see the Robert Juliat Cyrano in action at Mediatech 2019, held at the Ticketpro Dome in July. “When I saw the units in action and got to experience them

for myself, I knew that we had found the right solution,” he said.

“Our followspot operators tell me that they are really enjoying working with the Cyrano followspots, especially because they are able to achieve much smoother fading and they don’t have to deal with problems like stuck irises.”

Utilising all four units, in addition to two older models, achieved uniformity without having to stress about balancing individual fixtures. “When you buy a world-renowned brand like Robert Juliat, you know that your fixtures will serve you for years to come. This ensures that the theatre will get a solid return on their investment,” Ramoroko commented.

McLusky concluded: “Over the years, the Joburg Theatre has been incredibly accommodating. Everybody has been marvellous, and I am welcomed back every time with open arms. I’m here so often that when I do come back, it seems like I’ve only been gone a day!”

Photos: Joburg Theatre www.claypaky.it www.vari-lite.com www.robertjuliat.com www.dwrdistribution.co.za

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ROBE LIGHTS SOUTH AFRICA’S LONGEST RUNNING QUIZ SHOW BLOND PRODUCTIONS SPECIFIES AN EXTENSIVE ROBE LIGHTING RIG, PROVIDING FLEXIBILITY, VERSATILITY AND EASE AND SPEED OF PROGRAMMING, FOR NOOT VIR NOOT. The latest series of popular Afrikaans language music quiz Noot vir Noot saw Ryan Lombard, H.O.D of show lighting for Blond Productions, specify Robe moving lights spanning the entirety of the lighting rig.

Broadcast on South Africa’s SABC2 channel, the programme is the longest continually running TV game show in the country – first broadcast in 1991 and presented for the last 28 years by Johan Stemmet. Having stepped down in January this year to focus on other projects including producing Noot vir Noot through his company, Stemmburg Television.

Actor and singer, Emo Adams was revealed as the fresh new face of the show. Lombard and Blond Productions, tasked with delivered lighting,

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audio and LED screens, had already clocked up at least 10 years on the series.

After starting as a followspot operator in 2008, Lombard recalled using 12 Robe ColorSpot 250s and six ColorWash 700E ATs for the show all those years ago. “The production has just continued growing organically, with more lighting each series,” he reminisced.

For the latest incarnation, the producers wanted a complete revamp for the show, so Blond Productions’ owner and founder, Christiaan Ballot and Lombard designed a new, visually striking set concept.

With the whole series being shot in a week, Lombard wanted a lighting rig that was hugely flexible, versatile, quick and easy to programme

– as well as looking amazing. Robe luminaires ticked all those boxes, so he integrated 72 Robe fixtures in the design, in the form of 24 LEDWash 300s, 12 miniPointes, 12 CycFX 4s, 12 MMX Spots and 12 600E Beams.

The LEDWash 300s were located throughout the studio, used as primary rear lighting on the band – the shows also all included a live performance – with fixtures focused on four contestants. In addition, a live DJ fired musical stings and bumpers. The LEDWashes were positioned in such a way that they could also illuminate the audience.

The MMXs Spots were ensconced in the set walls, used for beam work, gobo texturing and distinctive looks. Robe miniPointes were rigged

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Senior RF/Sound Technician, Riaan Rademan; Blond Productions owner, Christiaan Ballot; Technical Assistant, Donavon Blomerus; Lighting and AV Designer/Operator, Ryan Lombardt.

towards the back of the set, playing to the front with beams and effects. Described by Lombard as “fantastic for the small size and what they do”, the fixtures were an impressive addition.

The CycFX 4s were placed in the roof above the set panels behind the contestant booths and the 600E Beams were also in the roof, supporting the MMX Spots and miniPointes with more beams and lively colourful effects.

There were no lights on the floor as the intention was to keep it clean and clear of clutter – a departure from the previous series, where floor lighting was a very prominent element of the show. Lombard used lighting to build the looks and create colours that matched with and related to the graphics appearing on the LED wall, working in conjunction with Alistair Richards, who took care of all the white light elements, while Lombard added the moving light razzamatazz.

Lombard ran the show on an MA Lighting grandMA2 light console, while Richards ran the white lights on an onPC. For strategic moments – such as when contestants answered questions – the LED changed colour, and specific lighting cues were also triggered via a MIDI signal sent to both Lombard’s MA Lighting grandMA2 light console and Richards’ onPC. Sitting on the same network was a VPU for graphics to the LED screens.

“This season, the look was clean, precise and tight, very high tech and contemporary,” Lombard concluded.

Photos: Mike Schmucker/Studio88 Photography www.robe.cz

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MOSAÏEK TEATRO INVESTS IN KLANG 3D IN-EAR MONITOR TECHNOLOGY THE HISTORIC VENUE BECOMES THE FIRST IN SOUTH AFRICA TO TAKE STOCK OF THE IN-EAR SOLUTION.

The Mosaïek Teatro, a large-capacity venue that forms part of the Mosaïek Church in Fairlands, Johannesburg, has become the first venue in South Africa to invest in KLANG’s 3D in-ear monitoring system to complement its new DiGiCo SD5 mixing consoles.

In October 2019, Technical Manager at the Mosaïek Teatro, Estian Els and his team took delivery of two DiGiCo SD5s, purchased from DWR Distribution.

“When the time came for us to invest in new consoles for the Mosaïek Teatro, we decided to go with two DiGiCo SD5s.”

While the team was happy with their DiGiCo consoles, they also experienced a few challenges with musician’s in-ear monitor mixes. Els commented: “In the past, musicians were able to log on to our console remotely and arrange their own in-ear monitors mixes ahead of Sunday morning worship services.

“This was no longer possible once we adopted the DiGiCo platform, which created a lot of pressure on our monitor engineer ahead of Sunday services. Our worship band has limited

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time to rehearse ahead of services, and we only have 15 minutes to try and accommodate everyone before we have to go live.”

DiGiCo Product Manager at DWR Distribution, Kyle Robson suggested KLANG’s 3D in-ear monitoring solution as a possible answer.

Els recalled: “We looked at a number of products from a range of manufacturers. However, most of them are network-based, and therefore require additional network cables and switchers to run, which was not ideal in our setting. Kyle provided us with a KLANG:fabrik demo unit to see if it would work for us – and it was an instant success with artists and technicians alike.”

KLANG:fabrik’s professional personal monitoring system allowed the musicians to adjust their in-ear monitor mix to fit their preference using an app that runs on any smart device and integrates seamlessly with the DiGiCo SD consoles.

Robson said: “What sets KLANG apart from any other product on the market is the fact that, unlike traditional solutions, KLANG makes use of 3D audio technology rather than the

traditional stereo mix.” In a regular stereo mix, Robson explained, “transparency is achieved by cutting frequencies, which means the guitars get thinner and keys and pads lose some presence,” whereas KLANG:fabrik achieves transparency and separates channels in a 3D space.

He surmised: “You have more options in comparison to the traditional left, right and louder controls. With KLANG, you have vertical, forward and back, left and right and volume controls to create separation between channels.”

The technology allows for far better transparency in a mix than the team has ever been able to achieve in the past, according to Els.

“We have a number of very skilled and prolific musicians performing at the Mosaïek, and the response to KLANG has been overwhelmingly positive,” he commented. “In fact, some have said that they actually hate it, because they feel that they have been spoiled and never want to work without it again!”

Photos: DWR Distribution www.klang.com www.dwrdistribution.co.za

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IN PROFILE: PETER ABRAHAMSE TPMEA SITS DOWN WITH GEARHOUSE SOUTH AFRICA’S PETER ABRAHAMSE TO REVIEW HIS PROFESSIONAL JOURNEY AS ONE OF THE MAJOR PLAYERS IN THE REGION’S BURGEONING LIVE EVENTS SECTOR…

As a Senior Lighting Crew Boss at Gearhouse South Africa, Peter Abrahamse has witnessed first-hand the evolution of live events in the region, playing a key role as a driving force in the expansion of South Africa’s live touring calendar during his 17 years at the company.

A hardened touring veteran, Abrahamse has become Gearhouse’s go-to guy when it comes to putting together the nuts, bolts and faces behind South African live events.

“There’s no greater reward than working really hard to prepare for a stadium concert and then watching 80,000 people enjoying the show, knowing that you’ve played a part in it,” he shared.

“When I was in school, we did not have theatre as a subject, and I never knew an industry like this existed. I actually studied to be a draftsman and finished my qualifications in 1999, but there just wasn’t any work.”

His drafting training course took place when a pencil, paper and a drawing board were standard, but by the time students entered the workplace, companies were converting to computers. To keep ahead of his game, Abrahamse completed a CAD course which, unbeknownst to him, stood him in good stead for the career he was about to discover.

“I was doing a few odd jobs, but I wasn’t happy,” he recalled. “My girlfriend at the time – the daughter of industry legend Michael Lehr, who was then based at Gearhouse – got me an interview at Gearhouse’s Cape Town branch.”

The interview was with Dale Strydom, Head of Lighting, but he actually had sufficient lighting

crew at the time. “Just as I was about to leave, I was approached by Keith May, the ‘power guy’ at Gearhouse.” May invited Abrahamse to work a trial shift in his workshop. Coincidently, Abrahamse’s father was an electrician and shared his knowledge with his two sons – the trio even once rewired their family home – and thanks to this knowledge, May offered him a job.

After working at Gearhouse for three months, Abrahamse was moved to the lighting department and appointed as a ‘rack man’, responsible for plugging up the rig and making sure everything worked.

Fast-forward eight years, in October 2011, Stuart Andrews took over the lighting department at Gearhouse Johannesburg. “Many of the senior crew had moved on, and Stuart was looking for new guys,” said Abrahamse.

“I was brought up from Cape Town and offered an opportunity to work in the lighting department in Johannesburg on a trial basis.

Stuart was absolutely amazing to work with and, by February 2012, he gave me a permanent contract. A year later, Stuart was sending me on jobs, making sure our team delivered. I realised that the skills I learnt in Cape Town as a rack man prepared me well to be a crew boss.”

Working on large-scale shows from 2012 to 2016, Abrahamse’s life on the road came to a sudden halt while on tour with UB40 in South Africa. “I somehow managed to knock the ceramic soap holder off the wall in the shower, and the sharp piece of ceramic landed on my big toe and severed the tendon.” By this time, Stuart Andrews had taken on the role of Operations

Manager, and Adrian Skinner had taken over the lighting department. Abrahamse said: “I was hobbling around on crutches when Adrian asked if I would help him as Workshop Manager.”

Having accepted the post, Abrahamse still went out on select gigs, particularly high-profile clients or big deliveries. That said, he missed being out on the road permanently and, at the end of 2019, asked to be reinstated as a crew boss. “Gearhouse understood my passion and supported me wholeheartedly.”

There are always challenges on any event and, according to Abrahamse, extensive preparation and communication are key to ensure that shows run smoothly. While most factors on-site can be controlled by a competent and committed crew, the weather is not one of them – especially as so many events in Johannesburg are hosted outdoors.

“Thankfully, a couple of years ago, we invested in SelbyGuard rain roofs and air domes purchased from DWR Distribution, and this has made life a lot easier. Over New Years’ Eve, we had three big events, and all needed the rain protection covers. It cuts out the need to have crew climbing up wet scaffolding to put bags over lighting fixtures and has really made a positive difference.”

With so many fantastic shows behind him, Abrahamse looked back fondly on some of his personal highlights. “Top of my list is Neil Diamond,” he reminisced. “We toured the country, visiting four cities. We couldn’t organise a flight between Durban and Port Elizabeth, so we ended up travelling on a charter plane with

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Neil Diamond and his crew. They were wonderful people – an accomplished crew who could set up the rig in no time. We had an absolutely brilliant time with them.”

A close second on his list was his time spent on a Bruce Springsteen concert at the FNB Stadium, Johannesburg. “There was a long thrust, which came off the main stage. It started raining about two hours into the concert, at which point Bruce took an acoustic guitar, walked out into the rain and performed for another hour and a half. It was a goosebump-inducing experience.”

He also noted the 2018 Global Citizen Festival as a highlight both for him and the region. “As gruelling as it was, it was a highlight,” he said. “We had the Global Citizen rig in at the FNB Stadium. We then had one night to take it out and put the entire Guns N’ Roses rig in, and then after a night, took that out and put Global’s rig back in. I’d never done anything to that scale before.”

In an era where people switch jobs frequently, Abrahamse has enjoyed 17 years at Gearhouse. “I really do love the company,” he explained. “I’ve grown here; I have never felt the need to move on.

With the learnership programme Gearhouse offers students, I get to spend a lot of time with the youngsters.”

Now approaching 40, Abrahamse acknowledged that there may be a time when he can’t continue to take on the physicality of live touring, so he sees mentoring the next generation as crucial.

“When I see them prepping something in the workshop, I’ll point out if there’s a chance that it’s not going to work for them on site.

Many are very grateful because instead of having to bump their heads, they get to learn the easy way,” he commented. “If I can train the students, I will empower them.”

Photos: Gearhouse South Africa www.gearhouse.co.za

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As the first fixture to incorporate Mar tin’s P3 control, pixel mapping and pixelated beams can be controlled via standard protocol or switching to P3 at any moment during the show.

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