TPMEA #036 - June/July 2022

JUNE / JULY • ISSUE 036

F1 SAUDI ARABIAN GP AFTER-RACE CONCERTS

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A STAR-STUDDED WEEKEND AT JEDDAH CORNICHE CIRCUIT I

DUBAI WORLD CUP • TALAL ALBAHITI, MDLBEAST • TPMEA AWARDS 2022 WINNERS • WILM IN AFRICA

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TPMEA

WELCOME...

TO TPMEA

Mad May I remember sitting with the rest of the team at Mondiale Media at the start of the year and discussing the “mad May” that was in store. With Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt, ISE in Barcelona, SLS Expo in Riyadh, TPMEA Awards in Dubai, and TPi Awards in London all taking place a matter of weeks apart, we all knew how hectic our schedules were going to become. Sure enough, the anticipated craziness did indeed ensue, and it’s fair to say that everyone is still recovering from it.

Don’t get me wrong… this is not a complaint – far from it. As well as the fun and frolics that come with both the TPMEA and TPi Awards, the fact that I was able to head over to Riyadh for the first time was a huge bonus and something I’ve been keen to tick off since we started covering some of the amazing events that have been happening in Saudi Arabia over the past few years.

Many of the biggest and best events to take place in the Kingdom are down in no small part to the work of MDLBEAST – the homegrown Saudi company behind the wildly popular Soundstorm festival. In three short years, the business has grown exponentially, positioning itself at the cutting edge of the burgeoning KSA live events industry. We spoke to the company’s Chief Operating Officer and Head of Talent Booking and Events, Talal Albahiti, to find out how the brand was built and what might be in store for the future.

Read the in-depth interview on page 6.

Our cover story comes from another MDLBEAST-led project – the Formula One Saudi Arabian Grand Prix After-Race Concerts (page 30) – which saw a catalogue of suppliers come together to deliver a star-studded weekend of shows at Jeddah Corniche Circuit.

We also have a Tech Profile of the Dubai World Cup After-Race Concerts (page 40), Company Profiles of Stage One (page 48) and JAM Events Services (page 56), as well an interview with Encore’s Simon Ransom (page 52). Plus, turn to page 24 to see who came out on top at the TPMEA Awards 2022. Congratulations to all this year’s winners.

Enjoy the issue.

Peter Iantorno Editorial Director

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

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CONTENTS

CONTENTS 06 – FIRST LOOK: TALAL ALBAHITI

The MDLBEAST Chief Operating Officer and Head of Talent Booking gives a full and frank interview, exploring everything from Saudi rave culture to the challenges in booking AAA artists in KSA.

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14 – MIDDLE EAST NEWS

The latest news from the Middle East, including a report from the SLS Expo in Riyadh, Live Nation partnering with Emirates Nature-WWF, and a gala dinner with a difference from Protec.

24 – TPMEA AWARDS 2022

This year’s worthy winners are crowned.

30 – FORMULA 1 SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX AFTER-RACE CONCERTS F1 makes a dazzling return to Saudi Arabia.

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48

40 – DUBAI WORLD CUP

Dubai’s heritage event gets a modern makeover.

48 – COMPANY PROFILE: STAGE ONE A company that enjoys engineering the unusual.

52 – INTERVIEW: SIMON RANSOM

Encore Group Director, Middle East discusses the latest goings-on at the company.

56 – COMPANY PROFILE: JAM

TPMEA catches up with the JAM Event Services team after a whirlwind six months.

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60 – AFRICA NEWS

The latest from Africa, including Women in Live Music’s collaboration with Music in Africa, and a new investment for Ghana’s Highend Production.

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR 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

CONTRIBUTING ASSISTANT EDITOR Jacob Waite Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8352 Mobile: +44 (0)7592 679612 e-mail: j.waite@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

SENIOR ACCOUNT MANAGER Fran Begaj Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7852 336728 e-mail: f.begaj@mondiale.co.uk

ACCOUNT MANAGER Matilda Matthews Tel: +44 (0)161 476 8360 Mobile: +44 (0)7413 555978 e-mail: m.matthews@mondiale.co.uk

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

GRAPHIC DESIGN & PRODUCTION Dan Seaton: d.seaton@mondiale.co.uk Mel Capper: m.capper@mondiale.co.uk

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

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY F1 KSA by MDLBEAST

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MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMAN Damian Walsh

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

TALAL ALBAHITI, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER AND HEAD OF TALENT BOOKING AND EVENTS, MDLBEAST A CULTURAL CATALYST FOR SAUDI YOUTH, MDLBEAST IS AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE KINGDOM’S BURGEONING ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY.

From the outside looking in, many would assume that Saudi Arabia’s history of public entertainment events is a relatively short one, with the country’s General Entertainment Authority only established in 2016. However, behind closed doors, the scene has been thriving for far longer than that, with a youthful generation of creatives doing everything in their power to express their passion for music for the best part of two decades.

Talal Albahiti is very much part of that generation, and when the veil was lifted and live events were suddenly permitted in the country, he and the founders of MDLBEAST leapt to the challenge, positioning the company at the cutting edge of the rapidly expanding Saudi Arabian entertainment industry.

Here, the Chief Operating Officer and Head of Talent Booking and Events talks to TPMEA about the origins of the company, the importance of championing up-and-coming Saudi talent and what the future might hold for its wildly successful festival, Soundstorm.

What were the original intentions when MDLBEAST was started back in 2019?

Saudi is changing quickly, and we – as the founders of MDLBEAST – wanted to be part of that change. We come from a culture that loves to party all night but would have to be very private about that fact, and since the country started to open up, we decided to build a local entertainment brand that speaks to and resonates with the youth. We had plans for it to become more of a lifestyle brand that the youth in Saudi and the broader MENA region could affiliate themselves with – hence the name, MDLBEAST. We launched our first festival in 2019, and since then, we have started focusing on other initiatives, such as our record label, MDLBEAST Records, and XP Music Futures, which is a music conference helping shape the music industry and infrastructure in the country.

We’ve also launched different brands including Frequencies, which is our always-on online radio station, and Freqways, which is an online experience where we visit different places and film DJ sets in iconic locations.

Today, whenever anyone wants to produce a large event in Saudi, we’re part of the conversation. We have produced the music concerts for Formula One in Jeddah, as well as Formula E and we’re now handling artist bookings for parts of the Saudi Seasons. We started quickly and we gained a lot of momentum, which has been recognised by many people locally and a lot of entities who we call clients today.

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

Was it always the intention to grow into a multifaceted lifestyle brand?

Our vision is to become more of a lifestyle brand, so we always knew it was going to be a BEAST with multiple offerings. We started with the festival intentionally because that is the crown jewel that we can always anchor everything around and base everything on – it has also helped us connect with our community. We’re already planning and drawing different IPs to add to our offering.

Will Soundstorm always be in Riyadh, or would you consider doing other editions elsewhere in the region?

We have been thinking about this idea for some time. Riyadh is home to 8 million people and that alone is a big reason for us to continue to stay there. We see Soundstorm like how Tomorrowland is synonymous with Belgium – and we want the same thing for Riyadh. That’s not to say that we can’t have smaller versions of

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the festival in different locations, but the biggest one will always be here.

What are the goals of XP Music Futures?

Our focus at MDLBEAST is always the talent – finding fresh talent, developing them and making sure that there is a proper career path for them to grow. We want to be involved in policy making and ensuring that we connect the dots with regulators in the country, so we’re pushing a lot of these creatives to be able to make a career out of it.

XP is a three-day music industry conference.

It is our vehicle to support talent and build the infrastructure of the music industry in the region through grassroots initiatives, sparking conversation through thought leadership and dynamic programming with some of the biggest names in the game. It happens the week of Soundstorm. We’re labelling it as ‘the loudest week in Riyadh’ – three days of XP and three days of Soundstorm.

How much of a role can MDLBEAST play in championing underrepresented groups?

It can play a huge role. We look at our brand as championing the minority. As partygoers in Saudi, we were the minority, hiding underground until recently. We look at these groups as the people who we are working for.

Local artists comprise the majority of our line-up and we do everything we can to give them a platform to shine. All our brands and initiatives are focusing on creating platforms for local and regional talent.

How important is it that MDLBEAST events have the very best technical production?

It’s vital, because we are in Saudi and our audience expects the best. Our customers have incredibly high expectations, and we understand that to please them we need to aim high and create the world’s biggest and best production.

With this type of show and these production values, we’re getting the right sort of attention.

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

“Our intention was always to leapfrog into the industry, rather than building it slowly from the ground up. We wanted to hit the ground running and start from where other countries already are.”

Talal Albahiti, COO and Head of Talent Booking and Events, MDLBEAST

Our intention was always to leapfrog into the industry, rather than building it slowly from the ground up. We wanted to hit the ground running and start from where other countries already are.

With this level of production, it jolts us towards the front internationally.

How do you select the suppliers you work with to achieve these high levels of production?

We look at which companies and people are in the country and have a capability of delivering where we are.

There’s still a lot of necessary equipment that isn’t available in Saudi and must be flown or shipped in, which comes at a cost, and we have to find ways of working around that to become more sustainable.

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How pleasing is it to see international companies beginning to set up in Saudi Arabia to service the shows you produce?

That is extremely satisfying and one of our strategic objectives in terms of lowering prices and creating a more sustainable model.

The demand is here now, with Saudi Seasons creating a year-round demand for events. We are very pleased to be part of the reason why companies are moving to Saudi – it’s something we’ve been working towards from the start, not only to lower prices but also to ignite the local industry. It means that these companies will hire more local people, there will be a flood of young talent given opportunities who otherwise wouldn’t have been given a chance. In 2019, 16,000 direct and indirect jobs were created as

a result of our festival. The industry is maturing, and these, I believe, are all healthy signs.

What are the biggest challenges the organisation faces?

The biggest challenge we are facing now – for talent booking specifically – is diversifying our artist offering in terms of genre. We started in 2019 with DJs specifically because they were easier to reach, quicker to book and tended to not have any issues coming to Saudi to perform.

When it comes to AAA live performers, they are much more difficult to deal with because there are so many people in the middle. It’s very hard to reach the artist and explain to them the vision, the mission, how we’re helping the youth and changing the culture in Saudi. Without having

FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

these conversations, it’s an uphill task to show artists what we are all about.

Getting our message out there is another challenge. We’re constantly working on it.

We have just launched a new version of our website and we are producing more content, showing the world the team behind the brand – there are real people behind this brand who have been working for years to let out that creative energy. If artists could see that and hear us out, we feel even more would be happy to come and support this cause.

Is there a hunger for other genres in Saudi?

Absolutely. Hip-hop is huge in Saudi – probably the most listened to. I personally love rock ’n’ roll, too, and would love to get some rock bands on our bill.

We need to be careful in terms of the selection of music and ensure that parents are still on our side, because they are the ones who allow their children to attend. We want to first prove ourselves that we are the best at producing events, and that parents are happy knowing that their children are in good hands and in a safe space at our festivals rather than having to travel for such experiences.

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Are there any specific areas that you’re looking to develop for the next Soundstorm?

Soundstorm keeps getting bigger – and better – every year at a rapid pace, which is scary and at the same time makes you understand the hunger for it. We’re growing exponentially.

The first version had around 400,000 people; second version was over 700,000; and there’s every chance that this year could top 1 million. We’re trying to calculate that in terms of the space we have, how much we need to expand the venue, and what stages we have.

I don’t want to throw in a bunch of stages simply to carry extra people, but I want to incorporate stages that make sense for the overall theme of the event and the experience of the patrons. Currently, the biggest challenge is facilitating growth while maintaining high quality of experience.

What kind of split are you seeing in your audiences between Saudis and non-Saudis?

The majority will always be Saudi. KSA is different from the UAE, for example, where a lot of the events are targeted solely towards expats, with very few locals attending. Here,

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FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST

“We understand the music industry abroad very well and we’re trying to create a version of that, taking only the best parts.”

Talal Albahiti, COO and Head of Talent Booking and Events, MDLBEAST

the locals vastly outnumber expats – I’d estimate around 90% local and 10% international, including people from the region.

This year, we’re targeting countries that the government has made eligible for eVisas or visa on arrival. It’s so easy to get a visa now and come see us in Saudi. We’re in the middle of the world geographically and easy to get to. Given the FIFA World Cup is in Qatar this year, we’re anticipating a lot of international footfall into the region. We moved our dates earlier into December so we can target some of the traffic heading to Qatar.

All that said, our main target audience is and always will be Saudis.

What have been your proudest achievements so far?

One of our biggest achievements is ripping off the band aid in terms of having mixed crowds.

We’ve had mixed crowds before, but to have men and women dancing together as if no-one is watching is a massive achievement. It means people feel safe and comfortable at our events.

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Another one is highlighting local talents. I’m discussing a lot of label work and music releases with international artists, and they will now ask about the likes of Baloo and Cosmicat, naming them as people who they want to collaborate with. That’s one of my favourite achievements.

What are the plans for the future?

Short term, I want to get Soundstorm to a place where we can sell out without even dropping a single artist name. As for the company, we’re trying to position it in a place where whenever any international artist is looking to work with the region, they will think MDLBEAST, and viceversa – when any established local artist wants to collaborate or connect with the music world, they would also think MDLBEAST. We always wanted to be that connector and the window for creativity. We understand the industry abroad very well and we’re trying to create a version of that, taking only the best parts. Every time I speak to people in the industry, they tell me about the problems with

it, and we don’t want to copy and paste that into our infrastructure when we have an opportunity to build it how we want it to be for the long term. We want to take the wins but still tailor something that will speak to the locals.

Long term, we’re spinning off many IPs and we have a lot of ideas for different countries.

We’re looking at BEASTFM, our radio station that we’re developing here in Saudi.

Radio is still young in the Middle East and still relevant – much more so than somewhere like the US. Radio has still got a heart here and it’s still pumping. Having good coverage in the Middle East and even as far as North Africa would mean we have a footprint in those territories, and we can market our events to those audiences quickly and synchronise our messages across the region. MDLBEAST is capable of crossing borders and boundaries because it unites people who all speak the same language of music.

Photos: MDLBEAST www.mdlbeast.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

Below: NMK Electronics’ Dino Drimakis; the ES:ME stand; the GMC Events team; the SLS Summit; Crystal’s Ysabel Vangrudenberg.

Facing page: Elation Professional’s Jonas Stenvinkel and Venuetech’s Ismat Assafiri; MediaPro International KSA’s Jose Fali; ER Productions’ Ryan Hagan and Marc Webber; TPMEA’s Peter Iantorno with the Seratonin Technologies team; the Dronisos team; the SLS Production team; the PixMob team; Kevin Boujikan and Paul Hadfield of Provision AVL and Area Four Industries Middle East; Michal Šimkovič and Martin Gabco of Kvant Show Production.

SHOW REPORT: SLS EXPO, RIYADH RIYADH INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION & EXHIBITION CENTRE HOSTS THE KINGDOM’S FIRST DEDICATED EVENT FOR PROFESSIONAL LIGHT AND SOUND. It’s been a long break from tradeshows, but hot on the heels of Prolight + Sound in Frankfurt and ISE in Barcelona, the Middle East got in on the act with SLS Expo taking place at the Riyadh International Convention & Exhibition Centre from 16-18 May. TPMEA was on site and witnessed a buzzing tradeshow floor filled with a mixture of old

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industry friends and new contacts from the burgeoning Saudi Arabian market.

The show was also punctuated with interesting insights from the SLS Summit, which included talks from the likes of Area Four Industries Middle East’s Paul Hadfield, the Founder and CEO of PixMob, Vincent Leclerc, as well as a laser and special effects presentation

from ER Productions’ Marc Webber and Dan Mott, and lighting designer, Durham Marenghi.

It was a huge pleasure to be back out and about meeting people face-to-face again, and learning more about the incredibly exciting developments planned in KSA. Photos: TPMEA www.saudilightandsoundexpo.com

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

FIFA WORLD CUP QATAR 2022 COUNTDOWN CLOCK REVEAL ES:ME ENTERTAINMENT SERVICES SUPPLIES A RANGE OF ELATION PROFESSIONAL FIXTURES AS ANTICIPATION BUILDS FOR THE WORLD’S TOP FOOTBALL TOURNAMENT. With just a few months to go until the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022, expectation is building ahead of the opening game at Al Bayt Stadium on 21 November. For those in Doha, the countdown has quite literally begun, with the revealing of the Official Countdown Clock at the picturesque Corniche Fishing Spot.

Working for client fischerAppelt Qatar, ES:ME Entertainment Services handled lighting, rigging and audio for the reveal event, including hanging of a translucent screen and technical support.

Lighting design meanwhile was by Germanybased visual design and technology company, bright! studios. ES:ME has worked on many of

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fischerAppelt’s large events over the past 10 years, and for the Countdown Clock reveal, the company supplied a show lighting package of 22 Elation Professional Proteus Maximus, 28 Proteus Hybrid and 31 Rayzor 760 fixtures.

“I like to use Elation, especially the Proteus Maximus and Proteus Hybrid with their marinegrade specification because they work great in Qatar’s harsh environment,” stated CEO of ES:ME Entertainment Services, Alexander Wuerfel, who noted that the company began investing in Elation lighting three years ago. “Although it’s a hot and often humid climate that lies directly on the sea, I can rely on these products.” As the

production was streamed live so that football fans worldwide could watch the milestone virtually, it was key to both light the participants and fill the camera with beams and colour.

The Proteus Maximus were used to provide key light while beams from the Proteus Hybrid, some at ground positions behind the projection, filled the camera. The compact Rayzor 760 wash lights with their seven oversized front lenses, as well as other fixtures, provided ambient, eyecandy looks for the camera.

Photos: Elation Professional www.elationlighting.com www.es-me.net

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INFILED POWERS FRACTAL STUDIO DUBAI-BASED XR STUDIO INVESTS IN INFILED GXII LED PANELS. LED manufacturer INFiLED supplied a 24m by 5m LED customised wall for Fractal Studio in Dubai. The fledgling studio is committed to the field of extended reality (XR) and virtual reality (VR), and it deemed INFiLED GXII LED panels as the ideal choice to support its wide range of visual effects.

“Customisation is key to the whole XR process,” stated Olivier Gheysen, Technical Director, Fractal Studio. “This technology is so new that there is no buyable for it. It’s very experimental,” he added.

To meet Fractal Studio’s expectations for the screen, INFiLED built 560 ultra-precision GX II cabinets, which were assembled into a 120

sq m LED screen in Dubai, with a pixel pitch of 2.5mm and a 192° curvature. The result was a giant screen capable of 8k real-time rendering and optimised for some specific colour spectra that are unavailable in off-the-shelf LED panels – another important requirement from the studio.

The LED also boasts high brightness, and the luminance can be adjusted according to the scene requirements, which is of great benefit to XR-related projects. Finally, the screen’s adjustable angle allows Fractal Studio to make alterations quickly and easily.

Photo: INFiLED www.infiled.com www.fractalstudio.ae

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

FLASH ART ILLUMINATES BAHRAIN GRAND PRIX THE FIREWORKS AND PYROTECHNICS SPECIALIST PROVIDES AN EXPLOSIVE FINALE TO THE FORMULA ONE GRAND PRIX AT BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT. The first race on the Formula One calendar, the Bahrain Grand Prix always treats racegoers to fireworks both on and off the track. Taking care of the off-track variety was Flash Art Dubai, which returned to supply fireworks and pyrotechnics to celebrate the conclusion of the race for the sixth year running, having first been commissioned for the event in 2017.

“Formula One is one of the most exciting global series of events from many perspectives, and we are delighted to be able to add an extra tier of emotion to these events with the provision of powerful firework performances,” stated Managing Partner, Jakub Michalik.

“We have been chosen to regularly provide fireworks and pyrotechnics for not only Bahrain, but also Abu Dhabi and Singapore,” he added.

“With this, we can finely tune and tailor the performances to suit the brand, audience location, media and each circuit with everincreasing efficiency and innovative creative ideas. In-depth knowledge of the circuit, client expectations and local legislations are essential to a successful performance.” According to Michalik,

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Bahrain International Circuit is very well suited to accommodate fireworks on a large scale. “The aim is to always achieve maximum visual impact throughout the circuit,” he noted. “With this in mind, we work closely with our client and other stakeholders from the outset to ensure that the display can be seen perfectly from multiple camera angles, grandstands and various other audience locations.”

Flash Art deployed a range of large aerial shell sites stretching approximately 2.2km around the circuit, resulting in a stunning four-minute firework display. “The nature of these shell locations does not restrict the calibre or type of effects we can use safely,” Michalik explained.

“Nine large towers were also utilised adjacent to the grandstands with smaller effects to bring the display to the audience and tie it all together. This year, we were very pleased to be able to exhibit some of the highest quality shells and pyrotechnics from a handful of the top manufacturers in Spain and Italy.”

Any large-scale fireworks show is bound to bring its fair share of challenges. However, due to

Flash Art’s “robust and longstanding” relationship with its client (Pico International, Bahrain) as well as local authorities, these challenges have become few and far between.

“The critical challenge is the cueing of the pyrotechnics that mark the race winner crossing the finish line,” the Managing Partner asserted.

“The speed of the cars on the final straight is phenomenal and we must communicate very closely throughout the final stages of the race with the race directors to ensure that this crucial moment is coordinated with an accuracy of fractions of a second to ensure a perfect moment as the winner crosses the finish line.”

The weather in Bahrain can also be unpredictable, with high winds and rain not uncommon during race weekend. “Our team must be prepared for all eventualities. Additional time, equipment and personnel on standby are essential to ensure that the display can go ahead safely and exactly as planned,” Michalik concluded.

Photo: Flash Art Dubai www.flashart.com

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

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LIVE NATION PARTNERS WITH EMIRATES NATURE-WWF THE NEW INITIATIVE AIMS TO ENHANCE THE SUSTAINABILITY OF CONCERT TOURING. Live Nation Middle East and Emirates Nature–WWF have launched a new initiative developing guidance and best practice to enhance the sustainability of concert tours. Based on Live Nation’s Green Touring Programme, the initiative will look at all aspects of event production, including flights, ground transportation, hotel accommodations, merchandise, venue operations, and more.

The effort kick-offed with the Maroon 5 show at Etihad Arena on 6 May. Once the baseline data is collected from the study, a science-based guideline will be created to

inform upcoming concerts and influence sustainable touring practices moving forward.

“We are very excited to be making this announcement with Emirates Nature–WWF and couldn’t be happier that Maroon 5 will be the first show in our study,” commented James Craven, President Live Nation Middle East. “With concerns around climate change never more at the forefront of our minds, it is crucial that we all look at where we can make an impact.”.

Photo: Etihad Arena www.livenation.me www.emiratesnaturewwf.ae

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

PROTEC SUPPORTS IADC GALA DINNER THE COMPANY DELIVERS AN ARENA-SIZED AUDIO, LIGHTING AND RIGGING PACKAGE FOR A LARGER-THAN-LIFE GALA EVENT. Protec proudly supported its client Gulf Arena in delivering an elevated gala dinner experience at Emirates Hills Golf Club. Set outside on the lawn, the event included live performances and a 10-minute multimedia show including fireworks, lasers, and a timecoded light show.

Protec provided a 12-leg ground support, comprehensive rigging solutions, an impressive 273-fixture lighting package, a full audio setup and backline support.

“This was an arena-sized stage and an arenasized gig,” stated Project Manager, Mark Battle.

“It was a great show to be involved with and we had a lot of fun doing it. The acts, Rocket Man [an Elton John tribute band] and Gorgeous George [the house cover band], were excellent and the event was a great success. We are proud to have been a part of it. Well done to our client, David Patrick, and the other suppliers.”

With lighting a key part of the brief, Protec chose Lighting Designer, Steve Shipman to design and operate the show. “The brief from the client was to create maximum ‘wow factor’ and also fulfil some corporate requirements,”

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Shipman explained. “The show had multiple elements to light. I needed to consider speeches and formalities, Rocket Man, Gorgeous George, a 10-minute multimedia experience which included timecoded lights, lasers, and fireworks, as well as general audience ambience lighting.”

Shipman’s lighting solution included a variety of Protec’s lighting inventory. The main workhorse fixtures were from Claypaky, with Sharpy Plus and Super Sharpy placed throughout the rig, mainly for air effects, and Scenius Unico placed behind the stage performance area.

Shipman deployed K20 wash and A.leda B-EYE K20, as well as GLP impression for stage wash. SGM Q-7 and P-10 were placed around the audience for ambience and wash effects. Protec supplied an MA Lighting grandMA3 full size and a grandMA3 light for control.

“We didn’t have any major challenges,” Shipman reported. “This event had plenty of planning time and I was given the freedom to get the lighting how I wanted it. The only minor challenge was working long distance with Rocket Man. I needed to program a one-hour show to

timecode. I knew we would have limited time on site, so the band sent me a live show recording and a timecode click-track. I did the programming in MA3D before we started on site,” he explained.

“Overall, this was a fun project to be involved with as a lighting designer. The client was very open and onside in terms of understanding what it takes to make a great light show, and they wanted a light show with maximum ‘bling’!”

Protec’s rigging solution included a 12-leg ground support, which took a team of 18 crew took two days to install. Each leg was ballasted by one-tonne anchor blocks and four two-tonne blocks were placed at the back. Qasir Ali, Protec’s rigging supervisor, explained the challenges.

“We were working on an uneven grass surface in front of Emirates Golf Club. After safety, the most important thing is to ensure we get things right the first time to avoid any damage to the lawn.

Positioning the anchor blocks correctly the first time was key, and there were a lot!

“Protec has a large amount of trussing inhouse, and we utilised a variety of shapes in the design, which made it visually interesting. We

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

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G R E AT T HI N G S R E ALLY C AN C O M E I N

also provided all the rigging points for the video suppliers. Overall, the show build and de-rig went very smoothly and we were loaded out very quickly. The crew pulled together very well as a team.”

George Forsyth, Protec’s Head of Audio – and winner of the Corporate Audio Engineer of the Year at the TPMEA Awards 2022 – filled us in on the audio solution. “We deployed two hangs of nine L-Acoustics K2 with eight SB28 in a cardioid configuration, with KARA front and side fills,” he described.

FOH Engineer, Romario Fernando operated a DiGiCo SD10, while monitors came in the form of L-Acoustics X15 with Sennheiser IEMs, controlled by a DiGiCo SD9. “We provided a comprehensive microphone package including AKG 414s, Shure Axient AD2 with Beta 87A capsules, DPA 4099 on the piano and a selection of Shure and Sennheiser mics for backline with Radial DI boxes for keys and pads,” Forsyth added. “Our RF receivers were Shure AD4Qs with AD2 Handheld Transmitters on each vocal. We also supported the bands with backline solutions. This show was a lot of fun to deliver. Both bands were very professional and delivered great performances. I must compliment my team as they did a great job and worked really well with other departments.”

Mark Battle shared similar feedback on the event delivery.

“Protec’s amazing team effort must be acknowledged. All the drivers, warehouse staff, office staff, upstairs and downstairs, and everyone from all the departments that worked on this show all pulled together and worked as an amazing team,” he concluded. “This was especially noticed by our client who was overjoyed with the performance of the Protec team and commented that in the 20 years he has been putting this show on, this one was the best yet. We’d like to offer a sincere thank you to our client, David Patrick from Gulf Arena, for trusting in Protec to deliver this fantastic and memorable event and giving us such positive feedback.”

Photos: Gulf Arena www.productiontec.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

IFMA MUAY THAI WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS OPENING CEREMONY ENERGIE ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCES A SHOW-STOPPING OPENING CEREMONY, COMPLETE WITH SPECIAL EFFECTS, ACROBATS AND EVEN A PERFORMING HORSE. When the IFMA Muay Thai World Championships rolled into Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre (ADNEC), the organiser was looking for an opening ceremony fit for the elite level of competition that was to come.

Energie Entertainment was entrusted with the task, and it’s safe to say the agency more than met expectations.

Energie’s CEO, Tyler-Davis Smith, explained how the brief grew as the project progressed.

“Our scope of work increased from an initial 10-minute show to directing the entire 30-minute Opening Ceremony, which included a parade of over 150 international athletes, numerous high-profile speakers, as well as an oath declaration ceremony,” he described.

“The client wanted something that would ‘wow’ the audience, but we also had to remain respectful while the UAE is still in its mourning period following the passing of His Highness

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Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.” Given the brief, Energie’s creative team immediately got to work to incorporate all the required elements of the show. “We made sure that we had those ‘wow’ moments, including performers flying through the air, a horse and special effects,” Davis-Smith recalled.

The team came up with the concept of travelling through the historic sands of the UAE, using different fabrics to fill the large space of the ADNEC for the horse to journey through, as if an Arabian traveller of days gone by. “We then moved to the seas of the UAE, bringing reference to pearl diving using aerialists to represent the pearl divers and dancers on the ground with sea fabrics, a sea skirt, and LED pearls,” he said.

“Finally, we moved on to the finale, where we welcomed the guests to Abu Dhabi and to the Muay Thai tournament. The tempo quickened and we introduced acrobatic tumbling, aerial

straps, as well as confetti cannons and sparkulars.

Throughout the performance, it was enhanced by incredible cinematic screen content produced by our client, which has an in-house studio.”

Alongside working on the creative, Producer, Davis-Smith also set about pulling together the team and subcontractors required to make an event of this scale a success. “On a project like this, it is crucial that you have all the right people in the right roles, and I was lucky to get my first choice of team,” he stated.

That “dream team” included: Producer’s Assistants, Kathryn Lowe, and Lisa Pearson; Creative Director and Choreographer, Amy le Roux; Show Caller, Hayden Russ; Lighting Designer, Aaron Russ; Stage Management, Poppy Ballon, Leonora Pacini, and Donna Stratton; Athletes Parade Choreographer, Louisa Allen; Head of Wardrobe, Oxana Rausch; Production Coordinators, Jason ‘Jaja’ Arzadon, and Edgardo

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

Esplana; Dance Captains, Marriane Prinelle, and Kirsty Reeves; Performer Flying and Automation, TECS Event Services; Horse Show Team, Z7 Show Horses; and Special Effects, Matrix Laser.

According to Davis-Smith, one of the biggest challenges was the size of the venue – and the fact that there was a Muay Thai ring in the centre of it. “It was a large space that we couldn’t replicate in rehearsals, so it meant a lot of reblocking on site, but the team did excellently in adapting,” he reported. “Due to the size of the venue, we added several fabric options to fill the space, making the performance seem full yet in keeping with the theme. We utilised the ring in the performance with an aerialist flying above it and dancers performing in and around the ring.”

Time was also a factor, adding an extra challenge to ensuring that all the production elements were ready. “However, we were lucky to bring on board Oxana Rausch as our Head of

Wardrobe, who had tailors working through the night in order to have everything ready in time for our dress rehearsal,” Davis Smith recalled.

There was also the element of jeopardy that working with live animals brings to any show.

“Working with a horse brings a lot of challenges,” he laughed. “It takes time to integrate the horse into the performance – we had to take things slowly to ensure that there were no surprises on the day, building up the horse’s performance, first introducing it to the space, then adding performers, then fabrics, then music, lighting and mock audience cheering. This was an integral part of the process so the horse would perform well on the day.”

Davis-Smith was proud of what the team achieved. “I was incredibly happy with the entire performance,” he reflected. “The team worked very hard with multiple things happening at once and pulled off an incredible show that was well

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received by the audience in the room and on the livestream and broadcast.”

He added: “I am pleased to showcase that Energie is not just a talent booking agency but can deliver as a full production house, from start-to-finish – concept, costume, choreography, completion. We are one of the few talent agencies based in Dubai that can achieve something like this, integrating the performance and production teams, meaning it is easy for clients to give full control of a show to us.

“In just 18 months of being open as a company, we can say we are now creating ceremonies and delivering the absolute highest of standards possible. It is a big step forward in the right direction, where we will fulfil our ambitions as a company to deliver the biggest and best shows in the region.”

Photos: Energie Entertainment www.weareenergie.com

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The TPMEA Awards sponsored by Even2 made a triumphant return on 19 May, as over 400 people gathered at Dubai’s Hard Rock Cafe Festival City.

With over 900 people nominated across all categories, and more than 4,000 votes collected in total, the industry turned out in force to celebrate the achievements of the best and brightest in the sector

during the past year. Expertly hosted by Flo Akinbiyi, the evening featured entertainment from Greg Pearson and Chady courtesy of Sennheiser, with DJ Red Wyne providing the soundtrack for the after-party celebrations.

A total of 22 awards were given out on the night, with the coveted Outstanding Production of the Year being awarded to Expo 2020

Opening Ceremony, and the TPMEA AV Industry Recognition Award going to HQ Worldwide Shows Managing Partner and Chief Creative Officer, Katie Veira.

Congratulations to all the winners, and we look forward to seeing you all next year for the TPMEA Awards 2023!

Photos: Oz Newcombe www.tpmeaawards.com

THE 2022 WINNERS PRODUCTION MANAGER OF THE YEAR

LIGHTING ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

LIGHTING DESIGNER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by

NADINE MANNING

DARION GARISH

SAM CONNOLLY

LIVE AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

CORPORATE AUDIO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

VIDEO ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

Sponsored by

DANA BEAUDIN

GEORGE FORSYTH

SCOTT WALKER

VIDEO CREATIVE / DESIGNER OF THE YEAR

RIGGER OF THE YEAR

SFX ENGINEER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

SIMONE SALAMANCA

AV PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR

Sponsored by

ARTEM SCHNEIDER

Sponsored by

JAKUB MICHALIK

SYSTEMS INTEGRATION PROJECT HYBRID/VIRTUAL EVENTS SPECIALIST OF THE YEAR MANAGER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by

JAMIE O’BRIEN

MARKUS SCHMIDT

RUDI BUCHNER

THE NIGEL BEATON STAGE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

EVENT COORDINATOR OF THE YEAR

SITE INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGER OF THE YEAR

EBAAD ALI PASCHA

ABIGAIL PIDO

NATHAN MANNING

TEMPORARY STRUCTURE TEMPORARY POWER SUPPLY PROJECT MANAGER THE YEAR ENGINEER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by

MIRZA SILJEGOVIC

AARON BROWN

EVENT PROJECT MANAGER OF THE YEAR Sponsored by

STEPHANIE BULLER

ENTERTAINMENT OUTSTANDING EVENT THE TPMEA EVENTS & AV MANAGER OF THE YEAR PRODUCTION OF THE YEAR INDUSTRY RECOGNITION AWARD Sponsored by Sponsored by

SHELLEY FROST

EXPO 2020 OPENING CEREMONY

KATIE VEIRA

THE EINO BACKSTAGE AWARD

JODIE PEARSON

THANKS TO ALL OUR SPONSORS AND SUPPORTERS

SPONSORED BY

BAR SPONSOR

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TECH PROFILE

FORMULA ONE SAUDI ARABIAN GRAND PRIX AFTER-RACE CONCERTS AS FORMULA ONE RETURNS TO SAUDI ARABIA, MDLBEAST PRESENTS CURATES A STAR-STUDDED WEEKEND OF CONCERTS AT JEDDAH CORNICHE CIRCUIT. TPMEA SPEAKS TO SOME OF THE SUPPLIERS BEHIND THE PROJECT TO FIND OUT HOW THIS DAZZLING EVENT WAS PRODUCED.

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Following the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in 2021, Formula One returned to the Kingdom’s Jeddah Corniche Circuit in March for the second year running, bringing with it another stellar line-up of artists to wow crowds at the traditional After-Race Concerts. While last year’s shows featured the likes of Justin Bieber and David Guetta, the 2022 edition stepped up a notch, with a packed weekend of concerts from Mohamed Ramadan, Wiz Khalifa, and DJ Axwell, as well as Chris Brown, Black Eyed Peas, and R3hab.

Curated once again by MDLBEAST Presents, MDLBEAST’s arm for talent booking and event production, which was ably supported by productionglue (A TAIT Company), the project called upon a variety of suppliers, including: All Events Services (AES), which provided the stage and VIP platform; PRG, which supplied audio, video, lighting and rigging; ER Productions for lasers, SFX and pyro; Colour Sound Experiment, which supplied environmental video and lighting; Aggreko for power; Byrne Equipment Rental and OPS for cabins and containers; Rock City and Gulf Crewing Company (GCC) for crewing and labour; and MTD for water.

US-based productionglue has been working on an array of projects in the Middle East since

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2018 and partnered with MDLBEAST in 2020 to help take MDLBEAST’s popular Soundstorm festival to the next level, building an immersive festival village that drew interest from around the globe. The companies have worked together on many occasions since, with productionglue supporting MDLBEAST with core planning across all aspects of the Formula One AfterRace Concerts, including oversight of the VIP programme, drafting and technical direction, food and beverage, and event logistics.

“For the Formula One After-Race Concerts, we transformed a green field site into an outdoor concert venue, building it out from scratch to support both front and back of house and a crowd of 50,000 attendees,” described productionglue’s Senior Technical Director, Zach Wright. “We constructed walling, food and beverage kiosks, along with a 7,700-person capacity VIP viewing platform.”

Held at a purpose-built venue beside Jeddah Corniche Circuit, the centrepiece of the concert was a massive stage, built by AES, which had a scenic trapezoidal façade that was projectionmapped to enhance the live performances. The mammoth stage was one of AES’s largest steel stage systems – the Mega Roof, which offers a performance area of 26.9m by 21.5m, a clearance

height of 18m and a weight loading capacity of 60,000kg equally distributed.

For the purposes of the After-Race Concerts, the standard stage wings were extended by 37.5m either side of the house using Layher scaffold, creating an imposing total façade length of 100m and a projection surface of 2,400 sq m.

The wing extensions were designed to support LED screens as well as the surrounding geometrically shaped sheet metal façade, which was painted with a special solution to create a perfect finish to display the projection-mapped content. “The product we would usually use to prepare a surface for projection-mapping wasn’t available locally, so we came up with a contingency plan to find something else that would work just as well,” explained JJ Trichardt, Founder and Managing Partner, AES. “The solution looked even better than we hoped.”

AES originally built the stage for the inaugural Saudi Arabian Grand Prix After Race Concerts in October 2021 and designed it in such a way that the façade could be removed, leaving the base structure in place in between the two concert dates. This cut build times significantly for the March event, with the AES team reassembling the façade in just a week, rather than the two weeks it took to complete the original build. Further

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smart design solutions were incorporated into the way the LED equipment was loaded in and out of the stage.

“Due to the high demand for equipment in the Kingdom, the LED screens had to be derigged and sent to another job within 48 hours of the end of the first show,” revealed AES’s Andy Buist, Project Manager. To facilitate this, AES designed a ‘pocket system’, which essentially pushed the LEDs downstage by around 1m, allowing them to be removed quickly without affecting the façade.

“We had some long nights in R&D trying to come up with the solution, but it paid off, as it worked exactly as planned,” he added.

As always, the weather provided its fair share of challenges. “We couldn’t do any work on the façade during high winds, so whenever it was windy, we had to reassign the team to other tasks to make sure that the build was completed on schedule,” Buist reported, noting that most of the work on the façade was done in the mornings “before the wind picked up”.

While all eyes were on the stage, that was only part of the project for AES, which also provided four delay/spot towers, two projector towers, two FOH towers and a colossal 160m-wide tiered VIP deck complete with royal boxes and capacity for more than 7,700 spectators. “We also provided a turnkey solution

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for the VIP deck including décor, furniture, and VIP bathrooms with contactless technology,” Trichardt added.

Giving his final thoughts on the delivery, Trichardt commented: “Given its hunger for entertainment, a production of this magnitude is just what the Kingdom deserves. We’ve been working with MDLBEAST since the first Soundstorm in 2019 and we’ve seen the progress and the success growing. We’re extremely grateful work on the biggest and best projects in Saudi Arabia and to have the opportunity to show what we can bring to the party.”

‘A WELCOME SHOT IN THE ARM’ Audio, lighting, video, and rigging came from PRG. The audio supply comprised an L-Acoustics PA system made up of K1, K1-SB, K2, SB28 and KARA loudspeakers. The lighting rig meanwhile included numerous GLP fixtures including impression X4 L, X4 Bar 20, and JDC1, as well as Claypaky Scenius Unico and Sharpy Beam, PRG Icon EDGE and GroundControl Bad Boy, two-, four- and eight-light molefays, and 4K Spots.

The video package comprised 680 sq m of ROE Visual MC-7H 7.5mm LED in the wings of the stage, as well as 200 sq m of 5mm P5 LED as USC screen and a further 80 sq m of 5mm P5 for the delay screen. A total of 72 Active 30k laser

projectors projection-mapped content onto the stage’s scenic façade, with content captured by six Sony HSC3004 cameras and four Panasonic AW-HE120 Robocams.

Rock City provided 20 multiskilled crew and five forklift drivers for the duration of the event, including load-in and load-out. Crew Chief, Toby Short explained his team’s role on the project: “We were called in to supply a multiskilled crew to organise and manage the local labour on the production load-ins and outs,” he began.

“However, our primary role was to run the stage between acts, supplying climbers, spotlight operators, forklift operators, alongside rigging, lighting, sound, video and set stage crew, aiding PRG’s team from start to end.”

With total crew numbers in excess of 60 running up to show day, the schedule was planned to perfection with not a moment wasted. “The show finished around 4am and the next day’s artists needed to be set for sound checks in the morning, so the crew was split into two distinct teams over the show weekend to give us complete coverage,” Short explained.

“Scheduling between racing and prayers was new to us, but thanks to MDLBEAST’s technical production team, run by Andy Head, everything worked smoothly.” Despite high temperatures during the build, the Crew Chief was pleased

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TECH PROFILE

Top right: Crew Chief, Toby Short, along with Dan Edwards, Tom Davies, Mike Taylor, Adam Beaton and Ethan Murt. Bottom left: A member of the MTD team.

to report that the team pulled together to deliver safely and on time. “Heat was a problem – especially in metal containers loading and unloading – but good management, rotation and plenty of water helped,” he recalled. “We started early, worked in the shade during the hottest part of the day and rotated crews.”

Summing up his experience, Short praised the event for helping to contribute to the developing industry in Saudi Arabia. “The country is changing and needs events like this to take it along the path of change,” he concluded. “After two years of COVID-19, this work was a welcome shot in the arm for us and we hope to be back again in the future.”

‘A REAL TEAM EFFORT’ ER Productions was brought in to handle the laser, special effects and pyro requirements. “We were given all the riders for the artists and we then designed a system that would incorporate as much of each as possible,” explained Creative Director, Ryan Hagan. “It’s simply not practical to

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have different laser, SFX and pyro riders for each artist on the same stage,” he added.

The laser package included 12 ER Productions-designed AT-30 Laser Heads – described by Hagan as “a powerful RGB diode head” – as well as 20 ER Productions-designed BB4 units, with 10 on the upstage truss and 10 on the downstage edge. Also on the downstage edge were 10 Cryo-Jets and 10 Sparxstars.

The flame offering comprised 12 16m Stadium Flames, four Five-Finger Arena Flames, 10 G-Flames, 10 Waveflames, and six Flamaniacs.

“The different flame requests meant that we had to reload overnight after the first show,” Hagan noted. Pyro positions included on the downstage edge and four 18m scissor lifts upstage for the high-altitude hits.

“From the 14 locations, we fired almost a tonne of pyro products across the two nights of the festival,” he added.

Lasers were controlled from FOH using a Beyond Ultimate Control system, while SFX was triggered from an MA Lighting grandMA3 stage

right, and pyro was controlled by ER Productions’ new G2 firing system.

Hagan talked TPMEA through the process, from planning to load-in and show day. “Once we got all the riders, we mapped out the space we had allocated with SFX positions,” he began. “We needed to check that every artist was happy with the rig, but also ensure that the audience got something different from artist to artist.”

With the positions locked in, the team then created renders with Syncronorm Depence².

“We sent these renders out to each artist’s production, so they knew exactly what they were getting. If artists had requested pyro, we also submitted these through Finale software so they could get an accurate visualisation of every hit and sign off before we even arrived on site.”

Once the artist teams were happy, cue sheets and consumables needed to be mapped out. “This is essential for the crew on site, so they know exactly what is required for each performance,” Hagan commented. The preparation for this show took three days, with

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four technicians from ER Productions’ Riyadh warehouse ensuring all equipment was in perfect working order and ready to be sent onto site. The equipment was then transported to Jeddah using two 40ft trucks – a journey that took a further two days to complete.

According to Hagan, the main challenge his company is facing currently is surrounding the import and storage of dangerous goods into Saudi Arabia. “There are some very strict rules around their use and how they are transported, which we aren’t familiar with, but the team is dealing with them very well,” he reported.

“Patience and good communication are key.”

The Creative Director was particularly pleased with the use of lasers. “I like using lasers so they look like they’re bouncing off each other, when in fact it’s just one laser hitting another,” he shared. “This was the design behind the BB4, where 10 of the units were rigged on the upstage truss, hitting 10 more on the downstage edge.

You can create some striking effects this way.”

He was also happy with the pyro delivery.

“I will always be proud when we see the pyro go up. It’s a challenge, but we get through it every time,” he beamed. “The design this time around was excellent, with a lot of product used.

From the designers to the programmers to the operators, this was a real team effort.”

‘SUSTAINABLE AND EFFICIENT’ Aggreko provided a full temporary power and air-conditioning solution. “The client requested a failproof power solution for the concert stage, as well as power spread throughout the event site to cover VIP and site power needs,” described Events Project Manager, John Devine. “They also requested some small air-conditioning solutions within a few tents,” he added.

The supply included a variety of generators ranging from 125kva to 350kva, located within separate generator farms and delivering power to the main stage and back of house, as well as the VIP and various food and beverage areas, while the air-conditioning solution comprised fivetonne split units spread throughout the site.

“We had to use frequencies of 50Hz and 60Hz to manage the different technical requests,” Devine noted. Secondary power meanwhile consisted of specialised event distribution units connected with industrial, heavy-duty, oilresistant and flame retardant HO7RN-F cable and heavy-duty ramp protection. “The enquiry from the client was quite detailed, which meant we

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were able to create an accurate kit list and design when pitching for the project,” Devine explained.

“Once we were awarded the project, we carried out a site visit, which uncovered some additional needs requiring a supplementary kit list.”

The load-in was carried out through an agreed schedule which was managed by Antony Sackstein, Aggreko’s site project lead. “Antony arranged all the equipment arrival, labour and crew times, and the daily works,” Devine said.

“Our install was flawless and had been fully tested a few days before show day, however our team remained on standby for any additional requests or to react to any issues as they arose,” he added, noting that no such issues occurred.

Aggreko has worked with MDLBEAST and productionglue numerous times over the past year, which meant there was a strong working relationship already in place.

“The client is a loyal customer of ours who we have had many dealings with over the past 12 months, so we could hit the ground running with everyone aware of their responsibilities,” Devine commented. “We also had existing relationships with the other suppliers on site, which made life easier for everyone.” As ever, logistics posed a challenge, with the proximity of the Formula

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One track and ever-changing site design changes keeping the Aggreko team on its toes. However, Devine was delighted with the overall result. “The team pulled together to make this event a truly spectacular one,” he concluded. The relationship was fantastic and the support we received was great. The project was a pleasure to work on.”

Byrne Equipment Rental KSA supplied over 100 temporary building units for both the December and March concerts, supporting all back of house operations including offices for the site and event management crew with a back of house artist village for dressing rooms and prep areas. “We also supplied all the front of house offices, ticketing welfare units inclusive of ablution units for all concert patrons with an added focus on VIP hospitality and people of determination,” revealed Byrne Equipment Rental KSA’s Praveen Kumar.

With the December concert taking place just 10 days before MDLBEAST Soundstorm, the Byrne team had to work at capacity to ensure that the equipment would be available for both events.

“We deployed multiple teams who were on site 24/7 at both locations as well as additional HSE supervision to ensure the utmost safety and wellbeing of our crew,” Kumar recalled.

“We also stationed our logistics team to both sites to minimise coordination and communication delays. Overall, our team executed both events successfully and moved

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over 100 temporary building units in a record time frame of 10 days, inclusive of de-rig and re-rig at the new location. The team at Byrne KSA were proud to achieve this new milestone.”

He added: “I am particularly pleased at how the event organiser made changes to their schedule at both the Jeddah and the Riyadh events so that such a feat could be accomplished. The Byrne KSA team pushed boundaries much further than ever before and the combined efforts from the wider team including the event organisers made the event one to remember.”

Temporary water infrastructure for the event was provided by MTD. Having provided its services for the first edition of the event in 2021, the company returned to handle the supply and storage of drinking water and wastewater at the venue. An international team designed and built the water infrastructure, taking care of all public and backstage areas’ water needs including five toilet clusters, three food and beverage areas, all VIP restrooms, artist trailers, and kitchens. A local lab tested the water, guaranteeing the quality.

“Due to MTD’s intelligent systems, innovations, and highly responsive service, the venue was independently supplied with water during the event in the most sustainable and efficient way, contributing to the initiative to save water, improve the water balance and reduce the CO2 footprint,” stated Managing Director, Hans

Verhoeven. “MTD is recognised as a true water partner, undertaking 1,500 projects per year, from the events, expo, and industrial markets.”

The family-owned global company with its HQ in Tilburg, the Netherlands, is investing in expanding its business in the Middle East and is about to open its second office in the region, after establishing an office in Qatar in 2021. productionglue’s Wright concluded by pondering the future, which looks set to include plenty more events in the region. “When you are setting Guinness World Records for your festivals, how do you improve year after year?” he posed.

“We have been working with MDLBEAST to up the ante, producing next-level, never-beendone-before live entertainment experiences that will keep audiences coming back to the region to see what’s in store.

“It’s amazing to see the incredible audience dancing and celebrating in these immersive entertainment experiences,” he concluded. “It is an exciting time for the region, and we are thrilled to be part of this growing industry.”

Photos: Courtesy of MDLBEAST www.mdlbeast.com www.productionglue.com www.rockcitycrew.com www.er-productions.com www.aggreko.com www.mtd.net www.byrnerental.com

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DUBAI WORLD CUP AFTER-RACE CONCERTS AS MEYDAN RACECOURSE SEES ITS FIRST CAPACITY CROWD SINCE THE ONSET OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, CONCERTS RETURN TO THE DUBAI WORLD CUP FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2019….

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Ever since its inaugural race in 1996, Dubai World Cup has been a mainstay on the emirate’s live events calendar. For many years, the ‘world’s richest horse race’ has been accompanied by an after-race concert, with the likes of Seal, Jennifer Lopez, Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson, Sia and Gwen Stefani among the A-list acts to appear at the famous Meydan Racecourse venue.

Unbeknownst to many concertgoers at the time, Gwen Stefani’s 2019 show was the last time the event included a concert, with subsequent Dubai World Cups favouring a firework display before sending punters on their way to party elsewhere in the city. However, with a capacity crowd returning to Meydan for the first time following the COVID-19 pandemic, Dubai Racing Club decided to bring back the much-loved concert element of the evening, welcoming the likes of Rudimental, Sigala and headliner Becky

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Hill for an action-packed two-hour show. Looking to bring a fresh perspective to the heritage event, Dubai Racing Club appointed That Dubai Girl (TDG) – an events agency and platform to support women and champion local businesses – to produce not only the concerts, but also the food and beverage throughout the day as well as the Style Stakes competition, which this year was hosted by Scottish-born tailoring brand, Suited and Booted Dubai.

TDG Founder, Kirsty Campbell, talked TPMEA through the partnership with Dubai Racing Club.

“The Dubai World Cup is one of the most iconic horse races in the world, and the organisers were looking for someone to come in and put a new spin on the event,” she began. “People go to the races because it’s an opportunity to get dressed up to the nines and have a great day out, and while it was important to retain those elements of formality and tradition, we wanted to bring in

more elements of fun and make the event appeal to a younger demographic.”

According to Campbell, the younger target audience played a large part in the artist selection. “Previous years have had some amazing heritage acts, but this year we wanted to attract a different generation,” she noted. “We were also mindful of the budget and wanted to go for artists who would have a big impact but without the insane costs to go with it.”

A former teacher with a bachelor’s degree in psychology, Campbell is still relatively new to the world of live events, and the TDG Founder wasn’t shy in admitting that the Dubai World Cup was the biggest break for the company so far.

“Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the biggest undertaking in the history of the company,” she admitted. “It was all new to us, but we brought that enthusiasm and a fresh eye, and I think people appreciated that.” With

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a tight turnaround time of just 20 days to put the concert together from start to finish, it was essential to get the support of partners with extensive industry experience to call upon – and that is exactly what happened, with Neumann&Müller (N&M) Middle East responsible for technical AV, Snap providing special effects, and All Events Services (AES), which built the stage.

“I’m big on vibe,” Campbell revealed, talking about the process of appointing partners. “The industry is still very male dominated and as a woman in my early 30s, I find some people don’t tend to take me seriously, so, the people who treat me with respect and bring good ideas and positivity are the ones who I will give an opportunity to, and I’d like to work with.”

With so many moving parts for the TDG team to keep abreast of, Campbell identified logistics as the biggest challenge of the project. “We had to coordinate with 19 different F&B suppliers, while managing the build and running of the Style Stakes – and

that’s before even thinking about the concert,” she recalled. “Working with so many different suppliers and juggling the needs of each was not easy, but we had a great crew around us, and everything came together in the end.”

This year was the first of a threeyear collaboration between TDG and Dubai Racing Club, which will see the agency aim to utilise Meydan Racecourse as an events space throughout the year, rather than just when Dubai World Cup rolls into town.

“We’re looking at Meydan Grandstand as a whole space and exploring the options of what we can do with it the rest of the time when the Dubai World Cup isn’t on,” Campbell confirmed. “It’s an amazing space with wonderful facilities, but it is barely used to its potential throughout the season.

This is year one of a three-year plan, and we’ve got even bigger and better things planned for the following years.”

With a range of other work in the pipeline in addition to the Dubai Racing Club tie-up, it’s an exciting time for

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Kirsty Campbell, Founder, That Dubai Girl.

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TECH PROFILE

Above: Duncan Shortt and other members of the production team.

Campbell and the TDG team. “We want to give a platform to the undiscovered, whoever that may be. We want the underdog to become the leader because we’re still an underdog ourselves,” she stated. “The ballerina Misty Copeland said that anything is possible with the right people there to support you – and we use that mantra in everything we do.”

‘A STRONG IMPRESSION’ AES was appointed to supply the main stage, as well as mojo barriers, artist village fencing and FOH structure. “The client wanted something

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different from the normal ‘box’ stage you might expect to see at an event such as this,” explained Jacques Steyn, Senior Project Manager, AES, discussing the unusual stage design. The company specified its Harmony stage, which features several ‘spines’ that arch over the performance area. “Each spine is supported by strong steel columns,” Steyn added. “These slim pillars have been designed to maximise the view of the backdrop – be it LED screens on stage, scenic environments or architectural settings.”

The stage was customised to fit the venue, measuring 30.4m by 17m, including the two 6m

by 8m video walls either side. Also customised was the stage deck height, which started at 2.3m and finished at 3.4m to accommodate the slope at the venue. “Behind the stage was a hedge, followed by a large drop-off, so we built a bridge over this to create a 20m by 6m production area, allowing the crew to load in and work from this area easily,” recalled Steyn.

“This required around five times the amount of material than would be needed for working on a perfectly level site.”

Each spine has a weight loading capacity of 200kg, and the entire stage can be covered

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with a weatherproof vinyl skin covering available in a range of colours – including clear to keep the backdrop visible. While the clear skin option was considered for this project, ultimately it was decided to leave the roof open, based on the good weather forecast and desired look of the stage. “The client was very pleased with the final effect and said that they would be happy to use the stage again on future projects,” Steyn said. “It looked unique and created a strong impression.”

While Steyn reported a “relaxed” build schedule, with a four-day setup and two days to dismantle, he recalled some scheduling challenges due to the unique location. “There were horses training on the track during the build phase, so we had to make sure to keep any noisy work to times when the track was not in use to avoid disturbing them,” he revealed. The most pleasing thing for Steyn was how well the AES team worked with the client, venue, and other suppliers. “Everybody worked very well together, and the result speaks for itself,” he commented. “It’s always satisfying to work on projects where everyone comes together to work towards the same goal.”

‘THERE WAS A GREAT VIBE’ N&M Middle East was appointed to design and deliver the overall technical for the concert, including audio, lighting, and video. N&M’s Production Manager, Duncan Shortt was brought in for the project.

“The first thing I did was put together some previsualisation on wysiwyg,” Shortt began. “It was a quick turnaround, so we needed to focus on the basics, gaining an understanding of what the stage could support and then working with the client to give them an idea of how the show would look.” A d&b audiotechnik PA system was specified, comprising J Series as mains, with V Series as outfills, along with B6-SUBs, all running on D80 amplifiers. Simon Steltz was at FOH mixing on a Yamaha CL5. “The audio was superb,” Shortt said when asked which aspect of the show he was most satisfied with. “d&b always delivers crisp, high-quality sound and Simon’s mix was spot-on.”

The video department was headed-up by Paulo Alves, who oversaw two 6m by 3.5m IMAG screens made from 3.9mm InnScreen LED. A further 25 sq m of 4.8mm LED was also positioned

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in strips across the back of the stage. The lighting rig consisted of Martin by Harman MAC Viper Performance, Claypaky Sharpy, GLP impression X4 Bar 20, SGM P2 and Robe Patt 2013 fixtures, with the show programmed and operated by Rhys Hagberg on an MA Lighting grandMA2 light.

Without a roof, Shortt’s only real option to hang fixtures from was the seven ‘arms’, which arched over from the back of the stage and pointed towards the audience.

“We were limited in what we could fly, so we went for high-impact fixtures like the Martin by Harman MAC Viper Performance on the end of each arm,” he described. These doubled as front light and fired into the audience on occasions.

GLP X4 Bar 20s were used extensively to draw attention to the stage structure. “They are awesome fixtures,” Shortt said. “They created really eye-catching looks and did exactly what we wanted them to.”

According to Shortt, the biggest challenge was fitting everything required for the variety of acts on the stage. “We had around 6m from the back of the stage to the front, so to squeeze in a

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TECH PROFILE

DJ riser, monitors and stage wedges and still have space for the performers to move around wasn’t easy,” he recalled. “However, we were in constant communication with AES to ensure that what they were building was going to work with the design. They were very easy to work with and it made the whole operation nice and smooth.”

Looking back on the show, Shortt – who has worked on previous Dubai World Cup concerts featuring Kylie Minogue, Janet Jackson and Sia – felt this year’s edition was a huge success.

“This year it felt like the busiest Dubai World Cup After-Race Concerts I’ve ever seen – there was a great vibe down there,” he recalled.

“Kirsty and the That Dubai Girl team had a huge undertaking and when you consider this was the first time that they had ever done something like this and the huge amount of work on their plate, I think they did a fantastic job.”

‘EVERYTHING RAN EXACTLY AS PLANNED’ Snap provided a special effects package, including pyro, CO2 jets, and lasers. “We were approached by our client to put together a package that would meet the rider requirements of all three incoming artists – Rudimental, Sigala

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and Becky Hill,” stated Project Manager, Shila Jazayeri. “The package needed to work for the venue space as well as our stock remit,” she added. The package comprised a total of six 30W mixed diode RGB lasers (four along the front edge of the stage and one each on both truss uprights by the DJ), which were operated using a Pangolin control system. Also along the front of the stage were eight C02 jets, with three Circle Flamers XF 1800 positioned above each IMAG screen.

“Some acts wanted to fire their own cues, so we utilised two Road Hog 4 desks with HogNet,” Jazayeri revealed. “They were positioned at FOH and left of stage and were programmed to control every aspect of the SFX, linked with 300m of optical fibre with VLAN switches to the lasers so that they could be controlled from stage. Arc Net channels were also set up directly to the Pangolin outputs so that the lasers could be switched on and off from the stage.”

The placement of the flame units required careful consideration, with the initial idea being to position them along the front of the stage.

“However, upon closer review, we didn’t have the clearance for the flames to be deployed there as they would be too close to the public and

the performing artists,” Jazayeri recalled. “The solution was to position them on top of the outer IMAG and PA stacks.”

The positioning of the lasers also posed a challenge due to the location of the stage in front of Meydan Grandstand. “Achieving equal-looking laser zones was difficult because there was a grandstand in front of the stage and, of course, a hotel with occupied rooms nearby, so there was a limitation on where the lasers could scan to,” said Jazayeri. “We remedied this by creating zones with balconies and dead space.”

Jazayeri and the Snap team were pleased with the delivery. “The cues were perfectly on time in relation to the artists’ performances and everything ran exactly as planned,” she concluded. And the proof was clearly in the pudding, as Snap has recently been appointed for another SFX project on the strength of its Dubai World Cup showing.

Photos: N&M Middle East www.dubairacingclub.com www.thatdubaigirl.com www.neumannmueller.com www.snap.ae www.aes.ae

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COMPANY PROFILE

COMPANY PROFILE: STAGE ONE A COMPANY THAT SPECIALISES IN ENGINEERING THE UNUSUAL, STAGE ONE HAS PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN A RANGE OF HIGH-PROFILE EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD – INCLUDING SEVERAL OF THE UAE’S MOST ICONIC PROJECTS. HERE, MANAGING DIRECTOR, TIM LEIGH REFLECTS ON SOME OF THE COMPANY’S MOST SPECTACULAR ACHIEVEMENTS AND SHARES HIS VISION FOR GROWTH IN THE REGION.

From its extravagant National Day celebrations to ‘the world’s greatest show’, Expo 2020, the UAE has a well-earned reputation for pulling off some of the most remarkable showpiece events anywhere on the planet. These gargantuan projects invariably incorporate massive, bespoke staging and scenic elements, which often feature highly specialised kinetic components – an area where UK-based Stage One excels.

When there’s a large-scale show to put on with kinetic elements that require our lifts, winches, and specialist engineering, that’s where we really come into our own,” explained

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Managing Director, Tim Leigh. “These projects are difficult, and many other countries wouldn’t even dream of attempting them, but their audacious nature is attractive to us – it gives us a thrill.”

Stage One was incorporated back in 1996, specialising in building scenery and sets. A small and youthful organisation, the fledgling enterprise experienced a successful yet admittedly lowprofile first few years, with most of its work coming from regional theatre productions, exhibitions, and corporate events. However, all that changed in 2004, when the company won the right to work on the Opening and Closing Ceremonies at the Olympic Games in Athens.

“We put a cable net above the stadium and built a giant Cycladic head, which exploded across the field of play,” Leigh recalled. “It was a real landmark moment for the company, which allowed us to step up from doing complex yet low-profile work, to major international projects where the whole world was watching.”

Since then, Stage One has been involved in the opening and/or closing ceremonies for most of the following Olympic Games – both summer and winter – with its large, complex creations taking centre stage on productions witnessed by millions around the world. “We’ve been good at being brave. In many respects, we are ambivalent

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Stage One Managing Director, Tim Leigh.

about what the creative is. We let the creative directors, designers and architects dream up their most ambitious ideas, and it’s our job to turn them into a reality,” Leigh reflected. “When we first get these schemes, we often look at one another and think this is crazy and we’ve no idea how we’re going to do it, but we take on the job because we have the right people in place to come up with the right solutions. Our real skills are in engineering the unusual and finding a way to deliver against the artistic intent, within budget, on time and making sure that we don’t try to bend the laws of physics.”

Headquartered in the UK, just outside of York, the organisation operates out of a 14,000 sq m facility, which includes three cavernous hangars that provide the space to innovate, experiment and manufacture the imaginative creations the company has become known for. With around 120 individuals employed full time and a bulging contacts book containing the names of some of the world’s most talented freelancers, the company is set up to ‘flex’ to meet demand.

“We flex in size using freelancers, depending on the demand for our services,” Leigh explained.

“Many of our freelancers are with us for the long term and very much part of the team – they know our systems and processes.” According to the Managing Director, the company’s strong

operational board is key to its success. “There can sometimes be creative tension around the table, because the board comprises people with different skillsets ,” he revealed. “However, I don’t want to surround myself with people who are just going to agree with me, otherwise we’d be bound to miss a trick somewhere. So, we’ve got strong engineers, automation experts, a great sales team, very good production, technical and engineering directors, commercial management…

It’s not just about delivering projects but making sure that we deliver them in an efficient way from a corporate point of view. One thing we’ve gained in the past two or three years is becoming a bit more ‘grown up’. We don’t want to lose the spirit of Stage One, which is all about rolling your sleeves up and getting stuck in, but when you’re delivering very difficult projects, you need some checks and balances and procedure that helps you deliver what needs to be done.”

‘STEP UP TO THE PLATE’ Every company had its own way of reacting to the COVID-19 pandemic, and for Stage One, there was a very clear mandate. “We didn’t want to get involved in a race to the bottom,” Leigh explained. “There were a handful of gigs going on during the pandemic and everybody was so desperate to get those jobs that they

were dropping prices and it suddenly became a buyer’s market. Strategically, we decided not to get involved in delivering work at cost – it’s not a good strategy. So, we made the decision to compete only for the very challenging jobs.”

This strategy meant that while the company worked on fewer jobs, the projects it took on were large, complex, and high-profile, with iconic installations at both the 49th and 50th UAE National Days as well as the stage engineering in Expo 2020’s Al Wasl Plaza being successfully delivered throughout the time of the pandemic. “It means that each tender takes up much more time and resources, but it also erodes competition, because there aren’t many companies out there that are capable of building a 17m rotating cube to be installed in the sea, or a 19m rotating disc in the middle of Hatta Dam.” While the likes of the UAE have continued to host ambitious events throughout the pandemic and the industry is also bouncing back in other regions, Leigh admitted that there are still areas of the sector that are facing major issues – none more so than supply chain. “Pricing for raw materials is very dynamic,” he commented. “We use a lot of steel and plywood, and it can be difficult to find a reliable supply. The steel supply has been doubly cursed by the pandemic and the conflict in Europe. Some of the larger steel

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COMPANY PROFILE

“We know the ambition of the region will continue and there will always be scope to push the limits even further; we want to be a part of the most exciting projects in the region, and we must stay on our game to do that.”

Tim Leigh, Managing Director, Stage One

machinery products had been coming out of Mariupol and in certain instances we’re seeing a 700% increase in prices. Previously a quote would be good for a fortnight, whereas now prices are only valid for 24 hours. If you don’t order it that day, the price could change, simply because the supply is so volatile.”

If there’s a silver lining to these supply chain issues, it’s that the whole industry is now being forced to think of ways of becoming more sustainable. “We’re not an inherently sustainable industry, but when it’s so difficult to get products, you’ve got to start thinking about alternatives and reuse of materials to fulfil our raw material requirement,” Leigh stated, adding that the most effective method in his opinion is re-use, rather than recycling.

“For me, re-use is much better than pure recycling, because there is an energy cost to sending raw materials for reprocessing,” he explained. “All the steel on last year’s Serpentine Pavilion, for example, was material that had been used on previous projects. We’re getting better and better and as an industry, we all need to

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continue to improve.” While Stage One has pulled off high-profile projects all over the world – in 46 countries at last count – the company has found an extremely happy hunting ground in the Middle East, especially the UAE. “The country has massive ambition and we’re very fond of being able to step up to the plate and help them deliver on that ambition,” Leigh reflected. “There are some technical considerations to working in a region where the climate is generally dry, hot, and dusty, which can be detrimental to our technology. However, our experience of working in the UAE has been good and the quality of life for our crew is also great.

Some of our guys have been living there for a year working on Expo and they have loved it.

“It’s hard to uncover a territory when you first arrive there,” he added. “It can feel impenetrable at first, but the longer you stay in a territory, the more you build the right relationships and supply chain partners and, for the most part, it’s worked very well.” Among those partners are the likes of VK Exhibition and Al Laith as well as Abu Dhabibased People. “These are fantastic companies

and working with them gives us good local capacity,” Leigh noted.

Looking ahead, Leigh is keen to build on the good reputation the company has earned in the region. “Our reputation is growing, but we’re not resting on our laurels,” he said.

“We know the ambition of the region will continue and there will always be scope to push the limits even further; we want to be a part of the most exciting projects going on in the region, and we must stay on our game to do that.

We’re going to continue doing more and more audacious and engineering-led projects – that’s where you can make a name for yourself and raise your profile.

He concluded: “Longer term, we want to continue doing interesting work and building partnerships with like-minded companies around the world. We know that we will never grow to be a giant company, but we will partner with the right people so that collectively we can be stronger than the sum of our parts.”

Photos: Stage One www.stageone.co.uk

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INTERVIEW

SIMON RANSOM, GROUP DIRECTOR MIDDLE EAST, ENCORE A YEAR ON FROM THE COMPANY’S REBRAND TO ENCORE, TPMEA CATCHES UP WITH SIMON RANSOM, GROUP DIRECTOR MIDDLE EAST, TO SEE HOW THE BUSINESS HAS PROGRESSED.

What position is the company in compared to where it was before the COVID-19 pandemic?

We are back up to around 75% of the team we had before, but we’re matching our pre-COVID-19 levels of revenue because we’ve organised better.

We took the opportunity to look at how our technical structure was as a whole and we’re now working in a much more joined-up way – not just here in the Middle East but across the entire global network.

Here in Dubai, we’ve still got the two sides of the business – venues and staging services – but

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we work in a much more integrated way. There’s now a central team and all the resources now come out of one warehouse. Lee Worthington has been promoted into that role looking after the warehouse and logistics side of the business, and we’re now a much slicker, smoother operation as a result.

The fact that every freelancer, labour, and sub-hire requirement is all managed out of one office brings us increased efficiencies. For example, where previously we would have had two project managers on separate sides of the

business working independently and not being aware of the details of each other’s project requirements, now everything is combined, we can allocate resources in a more efficient way.

How did you hit upon this more efficient way of working?

We knew that the venues and staging services business would end up as one team, but we just needed to find a way to do it that worked for us.

We had many discussions with our colleagues in the US as well as EMEA, and we took all the best

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Left: The Ramadan tent at Madinat Jumeirah, Dubai. Right: Simon Ransom, Group Director Middle East, Encore.

parts of those working practices and rolled them out to find a model that works for everybody.

Recently, for example, we had 15 production jobs all on the same day. Previously this would have been very difficult to achieve, but because the pre-production had been done in such an efficient way, it enabled us to do all those jobs, with people and kit moving between seamlessly – and all without people having to do crazy hours like they once would.

Have you seen other benefits from being a part of the wider Encore family?

Being part of the Encore family has enabled us to look at things differently. The industry is in the middle of a resources challenge in terms of both people and equipment.

In terms of equipment, we’re seeing long lead times on new orders. However, the size and scale of the company means we’re able to make that long-term commitment and place an order now with the knowledge that when the equipment is delivered in nine months or

so, we’ll be in a position to make best use of it.

In terms of people, we’re still a little bit below where we wanted to be from a headcount point of view. However, we hope to be back to our pre-pandemic numbers by around the end of the year, which is faster than we had predicted.

There is still a shortage of freelancers, which creates further resource challenges. We’ve lent on our international partners for resources during our busy season and this summer will see some of our team head to the UK during the busy festival season over there. It’s all about making best use of the resources we have across the global family.

How are you working on bringing new blood into the industry?

We have expanded our outreach programme across Europe, so we’re all working together as one to offer people who are interested in getting into the industry a taste of the Encore organisation not only in their home country. It shows people that there are opportunities in

places other than where they grew up or studied.

One of the great things about our industry is that you don’t necessarily need a university degree or even a high-school certificate to work in it.

Of course, it often helps, but if someone has the right mindset, enthusiasm and capacity for learning, this industry is open, and they have every chance of doing well in it.

We need to be open and to build the diversity of the organisation. Here in the Middle East, we’re one of the most diverse globally, which reflects Dubai in general. We’re at 27 nationalities out of around 150 staff, and that multicultural, multinational team creates an engaging and positive working environment where everyone can learn from each other.

How has the UAE market reacted to the end of Expo 2020?

We anticipated that Expo 2020 would see a spike in revenue for the venues side of the business, and that certainly happened as predicted. Since Expo finished at the end of March, we’ve seen a

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INTERVIEW

“There’s no doubt that Saudi is growing massively and that’s a good thing for everyone. History tells us that if we’re all working, the industry is stronger. Let’s all rejoice in that – especially after the COVID-19 years.”

Simon Ransom, Group Director Middle East, Encore

steady continuation of growth, with no drop-off at all – we even made a profit during Ramadan, which is not easy to do.

The freelance market remains a challenging one, as many of the freelancers who were busy working on Expo have either moved back to their home countries or taken up roles in Saudi Arabia – a market that is growing at pace thanks to the huge scale and number of events taking place there throughout the year.

What’s the outlook for Encore in Saudi Arabia?

We’ve done a few projects in Saudi Arabia but that hasn’t been our focus. Lots of companies from the UAE have switched their attentions to Saudi and left an open market here, and we are very happy to service this market where we’ve built a reputation over many years.

There’s no doubt that Saudi is growing massively and that’s a good thing for everyone.

History tells us that if we’re all working, the industry is stronger. Let’s all rejoice in that –

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especially after the COVID-19 years. We’re still looking at our options of how we’re going to proceed. We’re not going to go crazy investing in the country in the next year, but with the number of venues that will open in Saudi during the next two or three years, it’s inevitable that our brand partners will want us to be there, so we must be sure that we can service that demand.

with some of the biggest hotel brands, which is driving growth of additional venues here.

There is also growth potential in our production and staging offering. We have clients we’re already working for who we could be doing more work for, and we have international arrangements with clients that will now start being applied to this region.

What is the split between the venues and staging services sides of the business, and where do you see the biggest potential growth?

Our staging business has historically been bigger than our venues business, but it’s now around equal. The staging side of the business is still growing, but venues is showing a significant uptick – partially down to the Expo 2020 effect.

We’re still the dominant player in the venues space, with 37 hotels in the UAE, while our nearest competitor is in two or three. Extend that to the global network and we’re in 2,000plus hotels worldwide, with global contracts

What are you plans in the short and long term?

Short term, we aim to use the resources we have available to continue to build the markets we already know well. Longer term, we’ll be looking to extend our presence across the region in a more structured way, whether that is Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, Oman or further – anything is possible. That’s one of the good things about being part of Encore. We’re allowed to dream and think on a large, global scale.

Photos: Nathan Gonzales – Encore, Greg Dufton – Creative Noise and Tim Derry – Think Events www.encore-emea.com

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COMPANY PROFILE

COMPANY PROFILE: JAM EVENT SERVICES AFTER A WHIRLWIND SIX MONTHS OF ACTIVITY ACROSS THE MIDDLE EAST, TPMEA CHECKS IN WITH THE JAM EVENT SERVICES TEAM TO FIND OUT THE LATEST GOINGS-ON AT THE COMPANY AND WHAT IS PLANNED FOR THE REST OF THE YEAR.

“The past six months has been non-stop across the GCC region,” began James Mistry, Managing Director of JAM Event Services, catching up with TPMEA after a busy events season. “We have continued to support our clients in KSA and UAE but have now started delivering services in Qatar and Bahrain due to the uplift in demand.”

It’s an exciting time for JAM, with expansion into new territories coming thick and fast.

However, for Mistry, long-term success is the

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name of the game. “As with many in the region, Qatar is a large focus, and we have numerous projects running there, but we are not forgetting the countries we already deliver in,” he stated.

“It’s not about chasing the circus around, rather establishing lasting business relationships and maintaining them.”

JAM has experienced huge growth during the past 12 months as the company navigated its way through the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic,

with one area of the business proving particularly successful: providing event staffing professionals.

According to Mistry, this was mainly due to the Expo 2020 effect and JAM’s strong roots and continued delivery in Saudi Arabia. “Since we set up the KSA branch, we have seen agencies lean on us further and further to assist them with local and international professional resources to assist in event delivery,” he explained. “As those relationships grow, we see agencies asking us to

COMPANY PROFILE

assist in more, such as event permits. We have the local knowledge and resources – it’s natural that existing companies entering a new market space will need support with professionals with the local knowledge that some of the UAE or international companies don’t have.”

On the other side of the business, event safety and crowd management, JAM has been busy growing its team and focusing on client retention. “In the past six months, we have worked with some of the best agencies to deliver large-scale sporting events, concerts, festivals, and elite-level motorsports events,” said Mistry.

“We have seen the length and breadth of events

widen for us, and the scale of projects grow. It’s the large-scale events that really excite the HSE team, providing teams with specialist skill sets on difficult projects.”

Among the many companies JAM has worked alongside during the past year is Balich Wonder Studio (BWS KSA). “It’s an honour to work with BWS KSA on projects such as the AlUla Season,” Mistry said. “Their creativity shines through in their delivery, and a collaborative approach of ‘how do we make this happen’ ensures they stay at the forefront of pushing the boundaries.”

On the crowd-management side, the team has been kept busy with events such as the

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Emirates Airline Dubai Rugby Sevens, Dubai Run and Ride, and MOTN, for which JAM also provided the set up and operations of the JOC. To continue the event safety growth in KSA, JAM now has Senior Event Safety Advisors based in Jeddah and Riyadh. “The demand is there – it’s key we can offer our clients quick access to our team,” Mistry noted. “What we have learned is that we have to be ready 24/7 to support our clients; we are now able to meet the quick demands that our clients expect.”

In preparation to scale further, the company has made several key appointments, including Irina Baros, who has re-joined to head up the

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COMPANY PROFILE

“You can’t replicate the experiences and learning we as a company have been through during the past five years, and we draw upon it every day to ensure our level and quality of service continues to meet the high standards we have already set.”

James Mistry, Managing Director, JAM Event Services

staffing operations and Conor Rainey, who has moved in office to oversee event safety and crowd management operations. Both have account management teams below them to keep client servicing at a premium.

“The success of our restructure was proved when we delivered event safety, crowd management and JOC setup and control for a large motorsport event, while at the same time we were assisting in the delivery of another project across the GCC. This didn’t impact our day-to-day operations due to how we now manage the large projects,” Mistry recalled.

At the start of the year, as part of the restructure and continued growth, a team of senior consultants was brought in to help take

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the company to the next level. This involved reviewing all company processes and procedures and implementing an integrated management system – ISO45001, ISO14001 & ISO9001. “We had been looking at ISO certification for a few years, and it was the right time,” Rainey said. “As the company grew rapidly, we needed to ensure the quality and deliverables stayed the same. If quality and servicing drops, we lose everything we have worked so hard to achieve – it destroys five years’ worth of work,” Rainey said.

“The rest of the year is looking fruitful for us,” Baros added. “The industry knows that Q4 is going to be massive with the FIFA World Cup and all the subsidiary events around this across the GCC. Not only this, but there are some large-scale

deliveries being planned in KSA and UAE and the yearly events that we continue to support also.”

With rapid and continuous growth and plans to scale up to meet increased demand throughout the region, there’s no doubt that the future looks bright for the JAM team – something Mistry is incredibly proud of. “It’s taken five years to get to this point,” he concluded.

“You can’t replicate the experiences and learning we as a company have been through during the past five years, and we draw upon it every day to ensure our level and quality of service continues to meet the high standards we have already set.”

Photos: JAM Event Services www.jameventservices.com

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

WOMEN IN LIVE MUSIC TEAMS UP WITH MUSIC IN AFRICA MUSIC IN AFRICA COLLABORATES WITH WOMEN IN LIVE MUSIC TO BOLSTER ITS GENDER@WORK TRAINING PROGRAMME. TPMEA CATCHES UP WITH THE HEADS OF BOTH ORGANISATIONS, CARINE TREDGOLD AND MALLE KAAS, TO FIND OUT MORE… The African music sector has not had an easy ride in recent years, with the COVID-19 pandemic having a particularly devastating effect on the industry. However, there is still plenty of hope for the future of the sector, thanks to schemes such as Music in Africa Gender@Work. A training programme aimed at upskilling and increasing the participation of female professionals in the industry, which culminates in the participants working on the annual ACCESS festival, the initiative provides a much-needed way into the industry for talented and driven women throughout the African continent.

For its latest edition, the programme added another string to its bow, with the support of Women in Live Music (WILM) – a European platform and online community for women working backstage in live music. Malle Kaas, CEO

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of WILM, made the journey to South Africa to help deliver the course to this year’s budding intake. Music in Africa’s Carine Tredgold explained to TPMEA how the collaboration became a reality.

“I heard about what Malle and WILM are doing for women in the industry after she was on a panel at WOMEX in Portugal,” she began. “As soon as I heard about it, I was really excited about the fact that they have this organisation that is strong and does so much for women in the European music industry, and I thought we could learn a lot from WILM’s experience of creating a safe space for women in the industry.”

Kaas elaborated: “Carine saw that WILM is experienced in providing workshops through our Safe Learning Environment programme, and she asked how we were doing it and if we could share some knowledge,” she explained. “I then offered that WILM could come to South Africa and

support the training – and that was the beginning of the collaboration.”

With a strong background in stage management, Tredgold offers the students insights based on her years of experience in the industry. However, the addition of audio engineer Kaas broadened the scope of the course even further. “Malle has the perfect skills to help us,” Tredgold commented. “I’m not an expert in the technical field, but the collaboration gave the women on the course a larger range of information and the opportunity to broaden their skills within the training.”

The latest intake comprised 11 women aged between 23 and 37, who all shared the common goal of breaking into the production or technical side of the live music industry. The women underwent a weeklong programme that touched upon everything from stage management and

REGIONAL ROUND-UP

artist liaison, to audio and lighting, before they became part of the crew at ACCESS festival – a three-day showcase that combines music and conference, with some of the biggest talents from all over the African continent in attendance.

“I was expecting to meet shy, introverted young women, and it was the complete opposite,” Kaas reported. “They were so alive, always taking initiative, eager to learn more, explore and try new things.”

And the surprises kept on coming, as by the time the students arrived at the festival to start working, they quickly gained the respect of the rest of the crew and, in some cases, almost took over. “My expectation was that the girls would have a hard time and not be allowed to do much, but again the opposite happened – they were dominating by the end of it,” Kaas beamed.

Of course, there is still work to be done in changing the attitudes of some in the industry – a fact that the audio engineer experienced firsthand, when she was ignored by one of the white male Afrikaans engineers working on the festival.

“It was outrageous,” she recalled.

“I was standing next to a black African audio engineer at the time, and he just looked at me and said, ‘welcome to my world’. There’s clearly

still plenty of room for improvement.” Tredgold concurred: “In terms of our history and a woman’s place in Africa, live music and events is a very difficult industry to get into if you’re a woman – especially a young woman,” she said.

“However, with all the training I’ve done in the past, the introduction of women into the stage dynamic changes the attitude of everyone in the end,” she added. “It might be an adjustment in the beginning, and some are still threatened by young women coming into the space and being put into a role of power, but in almost every single case, in the end, all the men have said that this was the most amazing experience and they gained so much from it.”

According to Kaas, the more the network grows, the stronger it will be. “If we can utilise this community where we build each other up instead of knocking each other down, that is helpful in the long run,” she said. “With this programme, where the women are introduced not just to the industry but also to each other, they can build small groups and communities where they can support each other.”

Tredgold added: “It’s been empowering, and it needs to be done more because there are some very talented and dedicated people out there,

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and if we can just give them the safe space and get them to interact with crews that have been doing it for a long time, everyone will come to see the benefit of that.”

With the lines of communication now very much open, this seems to be just the start of the cooperation between MIAF and WILM. “I would love to come down again. It was hugely inspiring to work with Carine and the young women,” Kaas revealed. “We’re not just giving the girls a chance to see the industry, but this has the potential to be a life changer for them. They learned skills and something about themselves that they could do more than they first thought. It’s a chance to experience themselves and how much power they have.

“It was a huge pleasure to be part of this project,” the WILM CEO concluded. “The programme that Carine has been developing is amazing and full of so much information and detail. It’s great to have this exchange between Africa and Europe, to extend our respective networks and get to know each other’s backgrounds, stories and industry experience.”

Photos: WILM www.womeninlivemusic.eu www.musicinafrica.net

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REGIONAL ROUND-UP

HIGHEND PRODUCTION INVESTS IN GRANDMA3 LIGHT GHANA-BASED LIGHTING, TRUSSING AND SFX SPECIALIST JOINS THE MA LIGHTING FAMILY. Sampson Oppong of Ghana-based Highend Production has taken ownership of an MA Lighting grandMA3 light console, supplied by DWR Distribution.

Oppong became familiar with the brand when he attended a training session at DWR Distribution in 2018, before joining MA Lighting’s free E-learning platform in 2021. He soon saw the benefits and approached DWR to supply him with a grandMA3 light, which he took delivery of in April.

“The future is grandMA3,” Oppong stated, when asked the reasons for his purchase. With the console still very new to him, his favourite feature so far, is the 3D window showing a 3D visualisation of the virtual space where fixtures can be positioned and rotated. The fixtures project a light beam that moves and changes colour when the values for the fixtures are changed. All the fixtures and other stage objects can be positioned and rotated in the Patch, Live Patch, or using this window.

“This is a big deal,” beamed Duncan Riley of DWR Distribution. “Sampson has worked hard at his craft, and his creativity and determination is inspiring. MA Lighting’s grandMA3 is an investment and Sampson has chosen gear that will walk the road with him. DWR is just a phone call away for any support and we look forward

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to our journey together. Thank you, Sampson, for this opportunity.”

As with every other country, Ghana’s events industry took a knock due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, Oppong is starting to see productions return, and he is ready with his newly acquired kit. “Working in this industry has always been my passion,” he concluded. “Taking ownership of a grandMA3 is a proud moment for me and, yes, dreams do come true!”

Photos: DWR Distribution www.dwrdistribution.co.za

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