eclipse Staging Services delivered an elite line of technical equipment for the 44th edition of WorldSkills Competition, the world’s leading technical and vocational skills event organised by Abu Dhabi Centre for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (ACTVET) and EmiratesSkills.
The world championship, hosted by the Middle East for the first time, welcomed more than 10,000 attendees from over 70 countries, including contestants, experts and local dignitaries. The platform’s mission is to distinguish, celebrate and support the excellent work that skilled youngsters do to promote education and training through developing their knowledge and skills.
eclipse Staging Services supplied lighting and rigging production in both the opening and closing ceremonies for the event. Taking place at the du Arena stadium in Abu Dhabi, the build began 2 weeks in the lead up to the opening ceremony.
eclipse provided over 800 fixtures including Clay Paky Alpha Series Moving Lights, Vari*Lite VL3500 Wash FXs, Clay Paky Mythos, Sharpys, Sharpy Washes and Stormys, SGM P5s as well as an array of conventional fixtures, all run over an Avolites diming system, an MA Grand MA2 Lighting network and Fiber Backbone.
Senior Project Manager, Tom Warneke, commented: “We also had a large scenic element covering one end of the stadium known as the weave which featured strips of cloth backlit by hundreds of Chauvet LED battens. Added to this was the floor package and atmospherics, stadium work light and show blues as well as lighting for the pre-function area.
“An event of this scale is always something of a challenge but with the expert team we have here at eclipse alongside a methodical and thought-out pre-production process, we’re able to counter most logistical challenges before they arise. For this event, due to the scale, we thought long and hard about how we would transport and rig everything to fit in with competing schedules for tower cranes and our fellow suppliers. The other challenge being the weather – on the tail end of summer, du Arena’s humidity levels go through the roof, making maintenance and reliability a challenge, however, this is managed through our experience in these elements as well as routine, preventative maintenance,” Warneke explained.
eclipse Staging Services’ General Manager, Martin Lubach, concluded: “Whether it’s providing the best in equipment or most reliable and consistent service, meeting project requirements in terms of quality and overall performance are critical values that we assure in our projects. We are honored to extend our services for such an important initiative that focusses on providing the very latest updates into cutting-edge techniques and showcasing young students’ talents which will significantly boost their employment prospects locally and internationally. The eclipse team’s ability really shone through, highlighting that we can provide technical support for large-scale events to the highest standards. With all this commitment, I am extremely proud of the entire team and the hard work we have been doing.”
