British composer Sami Yusuf and the Fons Sophiae Collective brought Rooted in Concert to Ankara and Istanbul in September 2026, with Auditoria providing live audio design, mixing and a recording and post-production workflow developed specifically for the performances. Working with client Astiana and Sami Yusuf’s music production team, Auditoria’s involvement extended beyond the sold-out concerts. A key part of the project was preparing recordings from the live performances for studio mixing, with a deliberately focussed two-day period available after the final concert to begin mixing selected songs ready for release. The concerts featured a wide range of traditional instruments, each…
Author: Peter Iantorno
The Sennheiser Group hosted an exclusive meeting titled “A Sound Discussion with Daniel Sennheiser” last week at The Dressing Room, New Covent Garden Theatre, Mall of the Emirates, Dubai. The gathering brought together guests to explore the company’s strategic direction, the future of professional audio and emerging opportunities across the Middle East and Africa. The meeting was led by Daniel Sennheiser, the grandson of company founder Fritz Sennheiser. Representing the third generation of the family-owned business, Daniel served as Co-CEO alongside his brother, Dr. Andreas Sennheiser, for 12 years, before assuming the position of Chairman of the Board of Directors…
When it comes to line array systems, aside from the obvious requirement for high power, versatility, scalability and digital steerability are characteristics that can truly set a solution apart. According to Pavel Shemiakin, Managing Director of UAE-based Renkus-Heinz distributor, AVAIL MEA, the company’s IC Live X Series possesses all these qualities and more. “The IC Live X Series serves as a high-output alternative to traditional mid-size line arrays, bridging the gap between pointsource, vertical array, and beam-steering products, which is why the company refers to the ‘X’ as a crossover,” he explained. “It is a product that meets the requirements…
Gearhouse South Africa has taken delivery of two new DiGiCo Quantum 338 digital mixing consoles, supplied by DWR Distribution, bringing its total stock to four within the group. The latest units have gone straight to the Cape Town team, strengthening the branch’s audio department and accommodating international technical riders. “I’m absolutely excited about the new DiGiCos and our patience has been rewarded,” said Jonathan Mathese, Audio and Audio Visual Operations Manager at Gearhouse South Africa’s Cape Town branch. “I was always pushing for DiGiCo because of its functionality and the importance of standardising across the Gearhouse South Africa branches. We…
Discussions of immersive experiences often begin with the technologies that make them possible. At Dubai-based creative studio Artnovi, however, even the most advanced tools have always been seen as a means of realising an artistic vision, rather than the starting point. Co-founded in 2015 by Maria Tkachenko, Creative Director, and Sergey Tkachenko, CEO, the studio is known for large-scale ceremonies, live productions, cultural projects and installations that bring music, movement, light, imagery and space together into a unified experience. “I have always been fascinated by the idea of bringing different art forms together,” Maria explained, recalling how the company began.…
The technology that powers live events is advancing at an incredible rate, with the festivals and tours of today boasting a level of technical wizardry that would have been considered impossible just a few years ago. However, one area that has tended to lag behind somewhat is back of house operations, with the entire innerworkings of an event often left at the mercy of an irregularly updated spreadsheet. “This is exactly why we decided to develop AccredTix,” stated The Event Verse’s Alex Wiseman, introducing the company’s new free-to-use platform for accreditation and back of house operations. “The idea is that…
Carved into Jordan’s sandstone cliffs more than 2,300 years ago, the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra doesn’t naturally lend itself to being a venue for live music. However, for one night only in early July, the iconic site was transformed into a high-tech production environment fit to host a performance from Swiss electronic music duo, Adriatique. Tasked with finding the balance between delivering a world-class concert experience while respecting the sanctity of the ancient site, RB Event Technology served as technical production partner for the event, delivering the complete audio and lighting infrastructure. “Our scope included technical planning, system…
Trade shows and industry events are great for catching up with a large number of contacts in a short space of time, but when it comes to truly showcasing a company’s capabilities or connecting with people on a deeper level than simply swapping pleasantries, they aren’t the optimal environment. “Visitors may only spend a few minutes on a stand before moving on, and I felt there was an opportunity to create something far more immersive,” said Andy Reardon, President of Creative Technology Middle East (CTME), who created the first CONNECTME event in 2024. “My vision was to bring customers, partners,…
Having spent the past 18 years working in public relations, I’ve seen firsthand that when it comes to making events a success, good PR is just as important as strong overall planning and execution. I know this might sound like a bold claim to many organisers who pour their hearts and souls into every event, but before you write me off as a self-serving PR person, allow me to make a case for why public relations should play more than just a supporting role in the world of events. Using communications to inform, influence and persuade has existed for centuries,…
From Glastonbury’s iconic Pyramid Stage to the ancient monument-inspired Consciencia stage at Tomorrowland, some of the world’s best festival stages take their design cues from the great architecture of the past. This year’s Istanbul Festival also followed this trend, with the design for the main stage taking its inspirations from the geometric principles found in the work of legendary chief Ottoman architect and engineer of the 1500s, Mimar Sinan. “We were particularly interested in how different spans, proportions and repeated forms come together to create a coherent architectural language,” explained İbrahim Kandemir, whose design studio was tasked with both stage…
The TPiMEA Awards entered a new era in 2026, with a spectacular showcase of the Middle East’s best and brightest industry talent, held for the first time at Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena. With the new arena setting providing a significant step up in size, scale and prestige from previous years, expectations were understandably high and the pressure to deliver an event befitting the occasion was very much on. “We knew that we wanted to create something special this year and bringing in strategic and experienced partners to help us deliver the event was essential to its success,” commented Fran Begaj, Commercial…
It’s often said that ‘mother knows best’, but for Angela Selkirk, the first time her colleagues dubbed her ‘the mother of events industry’, her reaction was less than enthusiastic. “I didn’t know how I felt about this,” she recalled, discussing the incident, which happened earlier in her career before she even had her own children. “I’m so proud of being one of the few women in a leadership position in the region, and it felt like that achievement was being minimised.” Yet while the wording may have missed the mark initially, Selkirk later realised that the comment was not meant…
