REGIONAL ROUND-UP

Martin Professional Middle East’s Nabil Assidi; GSL Professional names Ruby Habib as Managing Director; Masstech’s Will Pitt; Qvest Media’s Philipp Glänzel and Peter Nöthen; AVIXA announces the results of its 2021 Board of Directors and LSC elections.

INDUSTRY APPOINTMENTS

THE LATEST MOVERS AND SHAKERS ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST.

AVIXA has announced the results of its 2021 Board of Directors and Leaders Search Committee (LSC) elections. Martin Saul, CEO of ICAP Global, has been elected as Secretary Treasurer of the Board. Also elected are Jatan Shah, Executive Vice President, Chief Operating and Technology Officer, QSC, and Brad Sousa, CTO, AVI Systems.

The LSC also appointed Tobias Lang, CEO of LANG AG, and Alexandra Rosen, Director of Venture Forward for GoDaddy, to AVIXA’s Board of Directors and reappointed Cathryn Lai, Senior VP and General Manager of the US, Scientific Games, Digital.

“AVIXA’s Board of Directors bring their diverse talent and perspectives from around the world to shape the vision of the association and pro AV industry at large,” commented David Labuskes, CTS, CAE, RCDD, Chief Executive Officer of AVIXA.

GSL Professional has named Ruby Habib as its new Managing Director. The appointment comes after the sad and unexpected death of former Managing Director, Adrian Curtis. Having worked for the Dubai-based distributor for the past three years, Habib brings extensive sales experience to the role.

GSL Professional President, Faegh Fowzi, hailed Curtis as “extraordinary at what he did during his tenure at GSL” and sent his thoughts and prayers to Curtis’ family. Fowzi also expressed his confidence that Habib will be able to step up to the role and continue Curtis’ legacy.

Martin Professional Middle East has appointed Nabil Assidi to the role of Maintenance Engineer. “I share my excitement to be part of Martin Pro-ME and I hope the coming days will show my enthusiasm and thrill to contribute to the success of this group of companies,” Assidi said. Assidi brings nearly 15 years of experience in electrical engineering to his new role.

Masstech has appointed Will Pitt as Head of Sales for EMEA. “In sales, you have a unique opportunity, and a responsibility, to open new doors and influence and deliver new outcomes – this is what excites me,” commented Pitt. “We work in one of the most exciting and progressive industries in the world and I feel privileged to be a part of it.”

Qvest Media has appointed Philipp Glänzel as General Manager and CTO for its Dubai office. Glänzel joins the team alongside General Manager and CSO, Ahmad Al Kayal, who will continue to lead the company’s sales activities as a longstanding manager. “With our constantly growing key role as a technology specialist, we are in demand to strengthen our management team at all levels,” commented Peter Nöthen, CEO of the Qvest Media Group. “With Philipp Glänzel’s know-how, we are opening up new potentials and further expanding the degree of innovation and local expertise in the MENA region.” www.tpmeamagazine.com

AL ARABIYA INVESTS IN BRAND NEW STUDIO

NEW STUDIO FEATURES 140 SQ M OF BARCO LED TILES, AS WELL AS A RANGE OF ETC LIGHTING SOLUTIONS.

Al Arabiya Network has unveiled its sleek new broadcast studio and newsroom. Launched in March as the world was going into lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the state-ofthe-art studio incorporates three separate curved video walls made up of some 140 sq m of Barco LED panels.

“In our new studio, it is all about the graphics,” commented Fadi Radi, Director of Creative at Al Arabiya. “You can see a video wall in practically any studio shot with a presenter. Certainly, in times when people have become used to hyper-realistic imagery, the video wall image quality will make or break the show. That’s why we only wanted the best of the best.”

The Director of Creative went on to describe the process of bringing perfect on-screen image quality to such a unique space, which is equipped with 13 robotic cameras that travel dynamically between two concave and convex video walls.

“We wanted consistent, high-contrast and saturated colours for our graphics across the entire studio design, and we needed them to be presented in the best possible resolution,” Radi recalled. “An additional challenge was the fact that our studio allows daylight to come in, so we needed colours that were equally stunning at night as during the day. Barco certainly has made this possible.”

The technology is driven by Barco’s Infinipix image processing platform, which is well integrated with Vizrt’s video playout platform. In addition, with Barco’s E2 screen management tool, the Al Arabiya production team can develop an almost unlimited number of content templates to cater for the network’s 24/7 programming schedule.

“Barco technology offers us so many creative options,” Radi commented. “One technique that

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we like to use, for example, is the virtual window – a moving camera with graphics that move in the same direction of the camera, based on optical tracking. Thanks to Barco’s image processing, this can all be done in perfect resolution, and with no sign of jittering or glitching.”

As always, Barco’s local partner, Intertech was the preferred partner for design, installation, testing and commissioning. In their combined history, Barco and Intertech have completed more than 20 studio installations. “The excellent service and fast support we have experienced in these years have strengthened us in our belief that the Intertech/Barco partnership is our best guarantee to keep our video walls up and running 24/7, without interruption,” commented Safwan Harcouss, Lighting Manager at Al Arabiya.

The new studio also benefitted from a range of ETC lighting solutions, including a Sensor3 Power Control system, a Gio @5 Eos-family control console, Response Mk2 DMX Gateways and DataTrack Backbone system – which were supplied by ETC dealer, Oasis Enterprises. “Having worked successfully with ETC products in the past, we are confident that the new additions will perform well,” Harcouss commented.

Lighting Systems Manager at Oasis Enterprises, Karim Abdel Massih, added: “We have worked closely with Al Arabiya for many years and they already have experience of the high quality that ETC products bring. We know that these new additions to their latest TV studios will work well, and we look forward to seeing new ETC product releases.” Photos: Al Arabiya Network www.alarabiya.net www.barco.com www.etcconnect.com etcconnect.com highend.com

EATS & BEATS AT THE BEACH

3DB DEPLOYS A GIANT BOOMBOX AND HUGE PAIR OF HEADPHONES TO KICK-START THE ATMOSPHERE AS THE BEACH OPPOSITE JBR WELCOMES BACK GUESTS AFTER A LONG, HOT SUMMER.

As the Dubai weather cooled and the city began to emerge from the restrictions imposed due to the global pandemic, The Beach Opposite JBR was looking for a way to kick-start the vibe at the beachfront destination.

Enter, 3DB; the event services company worked with The Beach to create Eats & Beats At The Beach – a bespoke temporary installation that not only caught the eye, but also boosted the atmosphere as Dubai residents began to venture out again after a period of lockdown.

In place from 16-31 October, the activation saw live DJs play every weekend, while the development’s retail and dining outlets ran special promotions and gave away more than AED50,000 in prizes. “The brief from The Beach was to come up with something that would complement their ‘kids eat free’ offer and prize giveaways, and create a bit of a buzz,” began Adam Griffiths, Director of Marketing & Events at 3DB. “They showed us some mood boards, gave us some parameters and then we worked with them to finalise the concept.”

With the idea in place, the 3DB team used 3DS Max to create renders of the giant boombox and headphones that would be installed on the beach. “The client loved it straight away,” Griffiths commented. “The end result was remarkably close to what we had rendered. We posted a rendering-to-reality video on our social media and the likeness is excellent.” As well as designing and manufacturing the boombox and headphones installations, 3DB supplied a d&b audiotechnik Q1, Q7, B2, B12 line array.

“Everything was built by us in house,” Griffiths confirmed. “The aim of the project was more about helping to generate a vibe and an ambiance down at The Beach, rather than something that you would expect to see at a typical music festival.”

Griffiths explained that being COVID-19 compliant was of the utmost importance, with numerous health and safety measures being put into practice. “Everything was sanitised regularly, the hosts were given rigorous briefing on how

they should interact with the public and we had extra security around the boombox and the DJ booth at weekends to ensure that large crowds didn’t gather,” he recalled. “Thankfully, everyone has been very receptive to the regulations and we haven’t had any incidents.”

In terms of talent, 3DB engaged Energie Entertainment to provide the artists. “We offered a wide selection of DJs, including eight-year-old DJ Michelle, as a star attraction, which the client loved,” commented Tyler Davis-Smith, Energie Entertainment’s Founder and CEO. “Michelle was a big hit both in person and on social media.”

Looking back on the project, Griffiths was pleased to report that the feedback has been “incredibly positive”. He concluded: “The retailers especially were really happy. The main aim of this event was to create a vibe for the area, get people down to The Beach and help the retailers thrive. This was a simple and safe way to do it.” Photos: 3DB www.3db.com www.thebeach.ae www.weareenergie.com

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MAI DUBAI CITY HALF MARATHON

CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY MIDDLE EAST PROVIDES COMMUNICATIONS TO SUPPORT EVENT ORGANISERS ACROSS THE 21KM SITE.

Creative Technology (CT) was this year’s official communications partner for the Mai Dubai City Half Marathon, which took place on 23 October at Dubai International Financial District (DIFC). The event, which saw more than 400 runners from over 40 countries take part, was the first mass-running event to take place in the UAE since the start of the pandemic in March.

With a range of innovative measures in place to ensure the safety of all participants, this year’s marathon was able to have three different race categories: 5km, 10km and 21km.

Adding to the event’s safety protocols, CT provided site-wide communication to support the event organisers across the 21km site. “As physical events start back up, we are seeing an increase in demand for communication systems. What once was an afterthought on an event is now at the forefront of everyone’s mind as people become more conscious to carefully manage people’s movements,” commented CT Middle East’s Integrated Networks Technical Manager, Rob Turner.

“Our communication systems are helping clients provide a safe solution for event crew and delegates to communicate while adhering to social distancing guidelines.”

Shaun Ollier, PSM event organiser, added: “Promoseven sports marketing (PSM) extends an acknowledgement of our appreciation for the professional support given by Creative Technology in providing communication services at the highest level in compliance with the social distancing parameters in place to stage the Mai Dubai City Half Marathon.”

“As the UAE government makes tentative steps to legally allow live events to take place in a safe and controlled environment, it is essential now more than ever to set an example and show the world that live events can be safe,” Turner concluded. “The Mai Dubai City Half Marathon organisers have done precisely that; with support from Dubai Sports Council, Dubai Police and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), they have organised and produced a successful, safe live sporting event.” Photo: CT Middle East www.ct-group.com

NMK ADDS XTEN-AV TO ITS PORTFOLIO

DUBAI-BASED COMPANY BECOMES XTEN-AV’S FIRST INTERNATIONAL DISTRIBUTOR.

NMK Electronics has taken GCC distribution of AV design project platform XTEN-AV.

“We were simply blown away by XTEN-AV’s technical advancement, design, application and ease of use right from the day they officially launched back in 2018,” commented Dino Drimakis, Business Development Manager at NMK Electronics. “As a company, they have really heard what the market needs and have reacted to build a spot-on solution steering towards the future of AV design.”

The award-winning product is a cloud-based software platform with artificial intelligence and machine learning to develop a complete AV system design based on AVIXA published standards and design guidelines.

“We are glad to have partnered with NMK Electronics for the GCC Region,” said Vibhav Singh and Sahil Dhingra, Co-Founders of XTEN-AV. “In collaboration with NMK Electronics, we hope to deepen our relationship with our GCC customers and prospects. NMK Electronics’ wide reach and relationships in the region along with their experience of distributing some of the best AV brands will bring a lot of exposure to XTEN-AV. This is our first appointment of an international distributor and we could not have partnered with a better organisation. We are really looking forward to this.”

With a promise to enable AV integrators to move away from the legacy methods of project design, this platform recommends the best products, assists in comparisons, creates automated diagrams, bills of materials and endcustomer proposals within minutes, thereby increasing productivity tenfold. The built-in CRM and analytical dashboard help integrators to be on top of their projects and accounts.

“It is interesting how XTEN-AV has taken a traditional way of design and solution and made it much more cost effective for clients, enabling them to save time and energy – not to forgetting bringing efficiency to our industry as a whole from a design perspective,” added Drimakis. Photo: NMK Electronics www.nmkelectronics.com www.xtenav.com

ARAMCO SAUDI LADIES INTERNATIONAL 2020

ARENA MIDDLE EAST PROVIDES EXTENSIVE INFRASTRUCTURE FOR THE FIRST EVER WOMEN’S GOLF TOURNAMENT IN THE KINGDOM OF SAUDI ARABIA.

Saudi Arabia celebrated another ‘first’, as the country welcomed top players from women’s golf to compete in the Kingdom for the very first time. Presented by Public Investment Fund and held at the Royal Green Golf & Country Club in King Abdullah Economic City, North of Jeddah, the Aramco Saudi Ladies International 2020 took place from 12-15 November.

Tasked with providing infrastructure for the event was Arena Middle East. The extensive supply included the main hospitality structure on the 18th hole, the viewing platform on the 16th hole, some 623 sq m of on-course tents, various COVID-19 facilities, as well as hoarding walls, media support screens and camera towers.

For the 18th hole hospitality structure, Arena supplied the entrance façade, interior and exterior fitouts, furniture, cooling units, toilet facilities and catering areas. A separate entrance and dedicated Royal Majlis area bubble were also created for VIPs.

“Overall, we are extremely pleased with the exceptional standard of finish that we’ve delivered for the main hospitality structure on the 18th hole,” commented Richard Lucking, Senior Project Manager and Health & Safety Officer. “Particularly given the challenging working environment that our team has had to deal with.”

Lucking was also “particularly pleased” with the viewing platform on the 16th hole. For this aspect of the project, Arena deployed wooden decking, barasti handrails and furniture to create a spectacular viewing platform looking out over the Red Sea. “The stunning view has to be seen to be believed!”

Unsurprisingly, the main challenges of the project were related to COVID-19. “Ensuring that all Arena staff, sub-contractors and suppliers remained in compliance with Arena’s strict COVID-19 working policy and Health and Safety measures added an extra layer of complexity to the project,” Lucking explained. “However, I’m pleased to report that everyone involved came together and we handed over on schedule, and without incident.”

Lucking also described how the Arena team dealt with the geographic challenges of moving people and kit from their Middle East base in Dubai to Saudi Arabia, during a period of lockdown and travel restrictions. “Delivering an

“Our focus for 2021 will be on the Saudi Arabian event market… With this focus, we’re also looking at our business as whole in the Kingdom and are exploring our options for a permanent presence there.” James Burgess, Director of Operations, Arena Middle East

event of this scale in Saudi Arabia presented us with a unique set of challenges,” he conceded. “However, with careful operational planning, we were able to identify and mitigate any potential issues before they arose.”

The project came as a boost to the Arena team which, like the rest of the industry, has felt the effects of the global pandemic. “Like everyone in the events industry, the pandemic has been extremely challenging for Arena,” stated James Burgess, Director of Operations. “We have been lucky in that we have been able to deliver a whole range of COVID-19 relief structures throughout the business globally. However, clearly the loss of practically all event-based revenue has been a massive blow.”

It’s not all doom and gloom, though as, according to Burgess, Arena is already seeing some signs of life in the industry – “particularly in the Middle East, which has been a major boost,” he reported. “We’re cautiously hopeful for what the next few months will bring.”

He added: “While we’re not expecting a ‘return to normal’ for quite some time yet, we are hopeful that we will start to see the events business start to pick up slowly through the first half of next year. Our focus for 2021 will be on the Saudi Arabian event market, along with several major non-event semi-permanent projects that we’re currently working on. With this focus, we’re also looking at our business as whole in the Kingdom and are exploring our options for a permanent presence there… Watch this space!” Photos: Arena Middle East www.arenamea.com www.golfsaudi.com