SPOTLIGHT
FEBRUARY 2021
Sennheiser Confident in 2021 Uptick for Middle East Live Events Industry
Successful Breakout DXB landmark event sets new health and safety benchmarks for conducting live events in the post-COVID world With governments in the UAE and other Middle East countries taking commendable actions to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, confidence is gradually returning to the market, which in turn is paving the way for live events – which were conspicuously absent for the significant portion of last year – to make a comeback. In line with its #DontStopTheMusic initiative, Sennheiser was quick to extend its support, expertise, and equipment to Breakout DXB, the highly successful two-day live music festival held at the Rove Downtown in Dubai, UAE in the last quarter of 2020. The brainchild of the Dan Bolton Creative Management Agency and Lobito Brigante , this event featured an impressive roster of local talent including Dubai-based R&B artist, Layla Kardan; Saudi hip-hop star, Big Hass; and Emirati artist, Hamdan Al Abri. Events production company, 3DB, provided all the equipment for the show which included 32 channels of wireless mics from the Sennheiser 300 and 500 series as well as 12 channels of in-ear monitors (IEMs). In addition to precise and faithful audio reproduction, the wireless nature of this system ensured all performers could conveniently follow the safety precautions that the organizers had meticulously crafted and implemented. COVID-19 Safety Measures Take Center Stage Special consideration was taken to ensure social distancing could be maintained. Key to keeping artists safe was ensuring that any
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equipment, they touched was thoroughly sterilized. Microphone sanitization was conducted through a UV sanitation process, which 3DB expects will become standard practice. The company has invested in two complete UVR sanitization systems which include flight cases, each with three draws and a timer. The 360-degree sanitization of a rack can be carried out in under 5 minutes. “It was fantastic to see an event such as this go ahead in what has been such a challenging period for the whole industry. It was a superb weekend, and the organisers, suppliers and artists deserve a great deal of credit for that. We hope this is just the start of the industry getting back to where it needs to be,” said Steve Kearney of Gallowglass. “It was great to offer the level of expert support that Gallowglass was able to provide. Our team strives always to be helpful, offering an extra pair of hands and ensuring that everything and everybody felt that they were in a safe and measured environment. The backup and reassurance that Gallowglass provided meant that pretty much every possible scenario had been thought about and planned for,” he added. "Social distancing, mask wearing, sanitization – things like these are all challenging to what we would normally associate with a festival and they can lead to the environment feeling a bit stale and clinical
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