Events of any kind live or die by how successfully each individual element of supply and production comes together to create a product that becomes greater than the sum of its parts. This ethos is one that the team at sound reduction specialist -45dB buys into wholeheartedly. Not content with developing a patented sound reduction product that boasts myriad advantages over existing alternatives, the company is on a mission to ensure that its offerings cater to a wide variety of industry needs, ultimately adding value and improving any event they are deployed on.
“As well as offering unrivalled sound reduction qualities, our products are created with the industry in mind,” commented -45dB Managing Director, Jon Noonan. “The most important consideration for us is how our products interact with other parts of the industry; they are built to slot into the events ecosystem seamlessly, catering to the needs of other suppliers and contributing to the success of the event as a whole.”
As the owner of UK-based event and exhibition furniture supplier Thorns Group, which has been in business for more than 75 years and is regularly on site at high-profile events such as F1 Grand Prix, Royal Ascot and Chelsea Flower Show, Noonan has a wealth of experience in the sector. He made the decision to launch -45dB more than six years ago, after he identified a significant gap in the market for effective, eco-friendly sound reduction solutions. “We had so many clients coming to us to ask if we could supply a high-quality solution for sound reduction and we realised that what people were asking for simply didn’t exist,” he recalled.
With a groundswell of demand, Noonan and his team began developing their own sound reduction solution around six years ago, finally bringing it to market in the UK and Europe in early 2024. “The appetite we’ve seen in the UK and Europe since launch has been incredible, and we’ve grown exponentially since we launched,” he reported.
Following the early success of the company, the next logical step for Noonan was to introduce the product into the Middle East. “I’ve always found the UAE and wider GCC market to be an attractive one, and I believe there are major opportunities to be had in the region over the next decade,” he commented. “We’ve been in the region a lot over the past two years, and during that time we have built up a strong network, gained valuable feedback, and identified a definite demand for our offerings.”
After launching formally in the region during the Middle East Event Show in June 2025, -45dB has taken the plunge with a large-scale manufacturing, warehousing and demo facility in Dubai Industrial City and a full-time UAE-based team, including Regional Director, Jack Wilson, and Operations Director Middle East, Andrew Cooper. “The Middle East is all about growth and collaboration, and we recognised the importance of being here in the region full-time,” Noonan stated. “We have big plans for the Middle East, and our team will continue to grow here accordingly.”
‘We’re innovating constantly’
At its core, -45dB’s solution is an encapsulated, hermetically sealed panel, which is made up of various blockers, absorbers and air gaps, which has a patent granted in the UK and is patent pending in India, UAE, Europe, and the United States. However, according to Noonan, the aside from the “clever bit of kit” at the core of the company, it’s the full package that makes -45dB really unique. “It would be very easy to just build a space that caters to the basic requirements of sound reduction, but the real challenge comes around how other suppliers interact with the product,” he explained. “How do AV companies work in our spaces? How do branding companies integrate with them? These are all questions we had to answer with the development of the product.”
The company’s noise-cancelling structures have a raft of features that are tailormade for the events industry – from dual commando power sockets located at both the top at bottom of the structures (to cater to both the exhibitions and events markets), to internal rigging points that can accommodate any AV requirements, to integrated air-conditioning and even a bespoke media wall panel.
Sustainability is built into -45dB’s offering, with the company’s products independently assessed by Green Circle Solutions and found to be 80% more sustainable than its closest competitors. “The assessment came to this conclusion due to the materials used in our products, the potential for reuse and the huge reduction in time and labour on site that our products bring,” Noonan explained.
The company has already attracted significant interest in the region, with many top agencies and venues in ongoing discussions ahead of the busy Q4 – some of which started while wake-surfing around Dubai Marina. “We have found this is a great way to break the ice,” Noonan laughed, as he welcomed TPiMEA to a session of what is fast becoming a trademark meeting activity for the -45dB team. “It’s great when people step outside of their comfort zone – and it’s certainly a lot more fun than sitting inside a boardroom somewhere!”
While the business starts to roll in, the -45dB team are already on the lookout for the next development. “We’re innovating constantly,” Noonan stated, also revealing that an outdoor product “with the potential to change the dynamic again in the GCC” is soon to be released.
“We’re specialists in sound-reduced spaces – from small pods up to large structures – but we’re always driving new IP and advancing our offerings,” Noonan concluded. “In their most basic form, our products are a really effective sound reduction tool, but they bring so many more benefits than that. We’re at the beginning of the journey, and there’s a lot to come.”
Photos: -45dB
