COMPANY PROFILE: iRIG

ENTRUSTED WITH HANDLING SOME OF THE MOST ICONIC PRODUCTIONS ACROSS THE UAE AND THE MIDDLE EAST, IRIG HAS BUILT A REPUTATION AS A COMPANY THAT RIGS THE BIG STUFF.

While dazzling light shows, massive LED screens and booming immersive audio systems so often take centre stage on major productions, without the rigging infrastructure – the key element from which everything else is based – there would simply be no show at all. So, with rigging such a vital aspect of any show, it makes sense that the most talented freelancers are highly sought-after.

This was most certainly true of former freelance riggers, Ryan D’Cunha and Mathias Wilke. “We were, without doubt, the go-to rigging freelancers for all of the larger companies in the UAE,” D’Cunha stated confidently. “If they could get one of us, great; if they could get both of us on the same gig, even better. However, that was a rare occurrence because we were both so busy.”

So, with packed calendars, in 2015, the pair decided to join forces and form their own company in order to combine their skillsets and offer clients the kind of bespoke service that was in extremely high demand. “And that’s how iRIG was born.”

The company made a promising start, with business flowing in steadily for the first six months or so. However, when iRIG was awarded the contract for Montiongate Dubai, the business went to another level, with another major job – the major scenic rigging for La Perle – following soon after. “Those two large-scale projects immediately threw us into the mix as the go-to rigging company in the country,” D’Cunha reflected. “While we might have been fresh-faced as a brand, we had 30-odd years of combined experience before we even joined forces, so I think that gave clients confidence in us.”

Nowadays, iRIG is known for its work on large-scale and specialised productions, with the UAE 49th National Day installation at the Museum of the Future as well as the KISS 2020 Goodbye New Year’s Eve show among some of its most recent high-profile projects.

“We always like to rig the big stuff!” D’Cunha laughed. “We love doing the large, out-of-theordinary projects because, on top of the rigging

Facing page: iRIG’s Ryan D’Cunha, Nadim Muhammad, Sergio Barcon, Mathias Wilke and Rowel Aguilar.

services we offer, we provide a bespoke design and fabrication service, so you can dream up something wacky and we will find a way to make it work.”

This bespoke service is where Wilke’s talents really come to the fore. “What Mathias does is extremely specialised; his attention to detail and ability is probably what sets us apart from the companies that turn down the jobs that look like a crazy idea,” revealed D’Cunha. “He runs everything from the initial meetings to operational and project management, design, drawings, calculations and certification, right up to fabrication. I tend to come into it more during the on-site element of the job, although obviously both of us can do both disciplines.”

Despite the range of total service providers in the UAE offering their own rigging services, the pair don’t see this as direct competition. “There are plenty of companies that do everything and, yes, some of them have very good rigging departments,” Wilke admitted. “However, when jobs become more specialised or difficult, that’s when you need to bring in a specialist and we have all the specialisms in-house to be able to take on those more out-of-the-box projects.”

D’Cunha added: “It’s a good thing that nowadays most companies are being sensible and using specialists like us, which then allows them to focus on the video, lighting, sound – whatever they do best. It’s nice to see that the mindset has changed in that sense; just in the same way that we wouldn’t do lighting, video or audio if we were asked to.”

‘AN OPPORTUNITY WE COULDN’T REFUSE’ Like just about every company in the live events sector, 2020 has been an extremely challenging year for iRIG. “The real extent of the COVID-19 pandemic didn’t hit home at first because we hadn’t had a break in so long,” admitted Wilke.

However, the grim reality of the situation soon set in as all events began to vanish from the calendar. “We realised that this wasn’t going to go away any time soon, so we decided that we needed to get our team home safe back with their families,” D’Cunha recalled. Acutely aware of the effect a complete loss of income would have on the families of their employees, the iRIG Co-Founders took the decision to continue to pay their team while they spent five months at home unable to work.

“We are lucky that the company has relatively low overheads, so we were able to do that,” said D’Cunha. “The knock-on effect of us not being able to work and earn money isn’t just with our team, but also with their whole families, who rely on their income to live, so we have got a duty of care to them. We didn’t do that for any reason other than we value and appreciate them and their efforts.”

While 2020 was tough year, one highlight for D’Cunha was winning Rigger of the Year at the TPMEA Awards. “This award gives me recognition for all the effort it takes to successfully, safely and consistently provide the best possible

“We’re looking forward to opening a Saudi operation... Anyone who isn’t looking closely at the opportunities in Saudi Arabia must be mad.” iRIG Founder, Ryan D’Cunha.

rigging solutions,” he said. “It’s an honour to have my industry peers and colleagues publicly acknowledge my work. We do it because we love it; you can’t be in this industry half hearted.”

Perhaps going against the grain during this uncertain period for the industry, iRIG has grown its footprint recently – doubling the storage space at its facility in DIP. “We’ve taken the warehouse next door and knocked through,” revealed Wilke. “We are holding much more stock now, so we needed the extra space. It was an opportunity we couldn’t refuse.”

A major reason for the increase in stock is that iRIG was recently appointed as the distributor for the Middle East and Africa for GIS Swiss Lifting Solutions to distribute the company’s electric chain hoists. “That was part of the reason for the expansion,” Wilke revealed. “We needed a services department for that and also somewhere to hold stock. We’re offering a service that nobody else in the region offers. We can go into venues and make it bespoke for that venue with no excess. It’s a really great add-on to have. It’s the first distribution deal we’ve done, but if it goes well, who knows, there’d be no reason to stop that expansion.”

And iRIG’s ambitions don’t end at the UAE border, as the company is also in advanced planning to open a branch in Saudi Arabia. “We’re looking forward to opening a Saudi operation,” D’Cunha shared. “We were close to completing it before lockdown, but it’s certainly on the cards for some point in 2021. Anyone who isn’t looking closely at the opportunities in Saudi Arabia must be mad. The volume of work and the need for specialised skillsets is huge.” Looking back at the history of the company, D’Cunha recalled a number of landmark projects such as La Perle, the Pope’s visit, UAE National Day and the Founders Memorial, however, as a big boxing fan, there were none he enjoyed more on a personal level than December 2019’s Clash on the Dunes in Saudi Arabia. “To build that big roof and to be able to be ringside watching Anthony Joshua fight was huge,” he reminisced.

As far as future plans go, aside from the upcoming Saudi expansion and the GIS distribution deal, the motivations for the iRIG team are clear and simple: “For us, it’s all about finding a solution when everyone else says that it can’t be done. It can always be done and there is always a solution.” Photos: iRIG www.irigevent.com