UAE-based STARAS Electronic Equipment Rental has expanded its rental inventory with a major investment in more than 400 Martin Professional entertainment lighting fixtures. The substantial order strengthens STARAS’ rental inventory and technical capabilities to support live events, touring productions, corporate experiences and entertainment projects throughout the UAE and the broader Middle East region. The investment includes a significant portfolio of Martin Professional fixtures, including the MAC One and MAC One Beam, the MAC Aura PXL, and Atomic 3000 LED fixtures. Together, these products significantly increase STARAS’ stock profile with one of the region’s more notable commitments to high performance rental…
Author: Peter Iantorno
The celebration for the opening of Abu Dhabi’s stunning new Zayed National Museum was a hugely prestigious event, and for multiple reasons. MA Lighting’s grandMA3 control system played a central role, in the experienced hands of programmers Max Narula and Aria Hailey, in achieving the spectacular vision of lighting designer Bruno Poet. A Triple Celebration The Zayed National Museum, designed by Foster + Partners and named in memory of the UAE’s founding father Sheikh Zayed, is a spectacular edifice in its own right. With its five distinctive ‘sails’ – each a solar thermal tower designed to draw cool air through…
The Mediatech Africa expo returned to Johannesburg, South Africa, for the first time since 2019, generating massive interest as the region demonstrated its huge enthusiasm for the world of entertainment technology and hunger for knowledge about the related technologies. Robe lighting fully embraced the positive energy at Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, showing a range of exciting new products presented by a large international team on their booth in the ‘DWR Village’ area of the expo. DWR is Robe’s very proactive distributor for southern Africa. Other Robe Group businesses and brands represented included architectural LED lighting manufacturer Anolis, lighting and visual…
Dubai’s Coca-Cola Arena has undertaken a significant upgrade of its resident audio infrastructure, bringing in DirectOut PRODIGY.MP. The investment in DirectOut came as part of the venue’s major overhaul of its audio system, including a brand-new d&b audiotechnik loudspeaker system, unveiled in September 2025. For Julian A Chetty, Head of Technical Services at Coca-Cola Arena, PRODIGY.MP felt like the natural choice when it came to upgrading the system. “Malcolm Giles, our Senior Director Venue Management, and Mark Jan Kar, General Manager of Coca-Cola Arena, have a strong understanding of new technologies and how quickly the industry evolves, so they were…
Venuetech successfully hosted its highly anticipated AUDAC Day at the state-of-the-art Venuetech Experience Centre. The exclusive event brought together leading system integrators, AV consultants, and industry stakeholders from across the region to explore the next generation of professional audio solutions. The primary objective of the event was to demystify complex audio networking and provide a comprehensive, 360° look at the AUDAC product portfolio. Attendees were introduced to real-world applications of the brand’s commercial audio solutions, with a focus on demonstrating the simplicity of configuring complete, end-to-end audio systems within the unified AUDAC ecosystem. Moving away from traditional, slide-heavy presentations, AUDAC…
The Saudi Light and Sound (SLS) and Saudi Entertainment and Amusement (SEA) Expos have been postponed. Having already been moved to the end of August from their original May date, organisers have now announced that the events will not be taking place this year. The next edition will now take place on 1-3 June 2027, with the shows once again co-located at Riyadh Front Exhibition and Conference Centre. “This move allows us to strengthen the proposition for you, with a higher-quality audience, a strong international reach, and improved commercial opportunities,” stated Event Director, Mohammad Faisal. “The new dates also create…
Disguise has confirmed its commitment to the Middle East, announcing a range of new developments, including new business entities, strategic partnerships and key regional hires. The company is establishing a new business entity in Saudi Arabia later this year, with plans to open another in the United Arab Emirates in 2027. It is also partnering with advisory firm Tanmiya and production consultancy A Loud Minority, with the aim of better supporting customers and partners across the region. “The Middle East has been an important market for Disguise. For years, we have worked with some of the UAE’s most innovative venues,…
Creative Technology Middle East (CTME) was the sole technical supplier for G42 Supercharged, G42’s flagship event, held in the ADNEC ICC Halls in Abu Dhabi. The event brought together the very latest in technology from across the entire brand and delivered an inspiring a day of debate on an AI enabled future. With such pioneering technology being discussed and displayed, nothing less than DirectOut’s PRODIGY.MP could offer CTME the stability and reliability required to keep the event on track. G42 SuperCharged hosted over 2,400 guests and benefitted from over 150 meters of LED screens, plus the largest d&b Soundscape system…
Amid the catalogue of cancellations due to the regional conflict, the successful running of Dubai World Cup stood as a ray of light and a powerful demonstration of the resilience, teamwork and belief present among the UAE’s live events industry. Given just two weeks to completely overhaul the concept for the Opening Ceremony, the Alsayegh team created, planned and delivered the production in a revised format from the usual drone- and firework-filled celebration, utilising well-known Emirati songs played by the UAE Philharmonic Orchestra and sung by Amanda Maalouf, and including AR drones for broadcast, which was viewed by millions around…
Like many leaders in the live events industry, Al Woods is not someone who grew up with designs on climbing the corporate ladder and conquering the business world. However, through a career built on hard work, loyalty and dedication, this self-confessed failed musician turned audio engineer now finds himself in a position of seniority in a global organisation, leading the UAE location of Clair Global, and working very closely with its KSA team. “Back when I was loading my drum kit into my dad’s car for my first gigs all those years ago, I could never have imagined that I’d…
The live events industry can be volatile at the best of times, with any number of factors – from crew shortages and supply chain issues to geopolitical unrest and extreme weather – all having the potential to throw the sector into disarray at a moment’s notice. This volatility has been put into stark relief for those in the Middle East over the past few months since the onset of the Iran conflict, which has led to the widespread postponement or cancellation of events throughout the region – including our very own TPiMEA Awards, which will now take place on 10…
After nearly a decade away, Mediatech Africa is back and, according to Simon Robinson, it’s not simply a continuation of what came before. Instead, the 2026 edition represents something closer to a reset – a recalibration shaped by years spent working across distribution, production, and the wider technology ecosystem. During the long gap, driven largely by market shifts and the pandemic, fundamental changes have taken place not just at the event but throughout the industry. Where Mediatech once centred heavily on broadcast and film production, today’s show reflects a much broader landscape. Live events and AV integration have surged to…
