Coca-Cola Arena has long been a flagship indoor venue for Dubai, hosting a variety of live music, comedy, sport and corporate events since it opened in 2019. While the venue has always been busy and popular with promoters and punters alike, it’s no secret that the in-house audio system didn’t quite live up to the high standards of the facilities elsewhere in the venue, resulting in most shows opting to bring in audio from elsewhere. However, this all changed over the summer, as Coca-Cola Arena completed a major upgrade to its audio offering, including the purchase of a brand-new d&b audiotechnik PA system.
“We inherited a system that didn’t match our ambitions, so making this change was always high on the agenda,” stated Coca-Cola Arena General Manager, Mark Jan Kar, explaining the reasons behind the investment. “This was not something that’s happened overnight; we made a very conscious effort to undertake a thorough education process so that all stakeholders could understand the impact of the audio delivery at the Coca-Cola Arena. We’re delighted to now have a world-leading audio system at our disposal, which brings a raft of new opportunities to us as a venue.”
The new system has been put straight to work, with three outings in its first week, culminating in the reason TPiMEA was in town: to hear it deployed in an in-the-round configuration for AP Dhillon’s huge, sold-out show. As we sat with Jan Kar just an hour before doors opened, the sense of excitement was palpable. “It’s a big moment for us,” he beamed. “It’s fantastic to have AP Dhillon returning to the Coca-Cola Arena after his first visit last year and, with our new audio system in place, I now know that every single person – irrespective of what ticket they have or where in the arena they see the show from – will walk out of this building at the end of the night having been amazed and entertained.”
Photos: Diego Kao, Coca-Cola Arena, Team Innovation, Flair Event Production
