Since bursting onto the scene in 2019, MDLBEAST Soundstorm has quickly solidified its status as the region’s biggest live music festival, welcoming hundreds of thousands of young Saudi music fans to its ever-expanding, purpose-built site in Banban. The festival has grown year on year, attracting ever higher-profile artists and expanding its offerings across multiple genres, and for its 2023 edition, this growth reached a whole new level as heavy metal icons Metallica made their first ever appearance in Saudi Arabia, gracing Soundstorm’s new and improved BIG BEAST stage. According to MDLBEAST’s Executive Director of Events, Michael ‘Curly’ Jobson, the prospect…
Author: Peter Iantorno
Hosted by the Red Sea Film Foundation, an independent, non-profit organisation created to support the film industry in Saudi Arabia, Red Sea International Film Festival was a 10-day film extravaganza, welcoming some of the world’s biggest stars – from Johnny Depp and Will Smith to Halle Berry and Gwyneth Paltrow – to Jeddah’s Ritz Carlton Hotel. With the festival now into its third year, the remit for Director of Festival Operations Matthias Maurer was to bring the event to “a whole new level”. He commented: “As well as creating a showpiece event that supports the rapidly growing film industry in…
Back for its third year, Noor Riyadh Light Art Festival in its short lifetime has quickly become the world’s largest light festival. Throughout December, the entire city is transformed into a giant canvas for some of the world’s leading lighting designers. This year, the event coincided with the announcement that Riyadh would also be hosting Expo 2030. With even more reason to celebrate, the Royal Commission for Riyadh City was keen to up the ante. One of this year’s most eye-catching installations was named DIALOGUE, which saw two of the dominating icons of the Riyadh skyline – Al Faisaliah Tower…
UAE Union Day is always a special occasion for the nation, and with this year’s celebrations coinciding with the country’s landmark role as host of COP28, the eyes of the world were well and truly on the UAE. Tasked by the National Projects Office with producing a ceremony that illustrated the UAE’s sustainability story and shared a message of hope and optimism, the Organising Committee of the 52nd Union Day Celebrations once again brought together an all-star cast of collaborators, including Creative Director and Designer, Es Devlin, and Lead Producer, People. Catching up with TPiMEA after the dust had settled,…
Due to an overwhelmingly positive market response following the launch of ROE Visual’s Outdoor LED solution, Vanish ST, the company is now introducing its latest outdoor LED product on a global scale. Initially launched in the European and UK markets, the VST Series has received praise for its brightness and contrast ratio a well as its integrated folding frames, making it wind-load resistant up to 20m/sec. The Vanish ST Series is fully compatible with the transparent Vanish V8T LED panel. The VST Series is available in a solid panel, measuring 1,000 by 1,000mm, and comes in pixel pitches of 4mm…
Coming to market in March 2022 and founded by Dave Green, Trey Harrison, and Mark Calvert – long-term collaborators in the field of high-performance video control and performance – HIVE was launched to meet a need for affordable and versatile media server control solutions that take their inspiration from the deep-rooted ecosystems and intelligent networks of interconnectivity that exist in the environment. “We are inspired by nature,” Calvert told TPiMEA. “This principle exists in the foundation of HIVE – the ability for a video system to exist on a scalable network. Our technology is light, flexible, scalable, better for the…
AED Group has announced the opening of its new offices and warehouse in Dubai, marking a significant milestone in its commitment to serving the Middle Eastern market. Located in Dubai Investment Park, the new facility carries an extensive stock of pro AV equipment available on a dry hire basis. “AED selected Dubai Investment Park (DIP2) for its central location in Dubai, due to its easy accessibility and proximity to numerous AV production companies,” stated International PR & Communications Manager, Filip Van Vlem. “We sought a brand-new warehouse and office space that we could tailor to our needs and organise according…
Operating in the Middle East since 1999, Protec has undoubtedly played an integral part in the rapid development of the region’s live events scene, becoming a mainstay of the industry over the past 20-plus years. While the death of the company’s pioneering founder, Stephen Lakin – an industry titan and one of the earliest backers of TPiMEA – left a gaping void in the community, when it came to the continued day-to-day running of Protec, Lakin left the company in extremely capable hands. “Steve gave me carte blanche to do things how I saw fit and bring in the people…
PRG has promoted Harry Lister to the role of Director of Account Management, marking a significant milestone following the company’s robust expansion in the Middle East. In this pivotal role, Lister is set to spearhead the strategic growth of key accounts across the region, fortifying the client portfolio and elevating PRG’s presence within the live events sector. Lister joined PRG in 2019 and has been instrumental in steering some of the most prestigious projects in the Middle East, including the 2022 Qatar World Cup, diverse sporting events in Saudi Arabia, and several high-profile opening ceremonies and National Day celebrations. “PRG’s…
Encore Middle East recently enhanced its lighting inventory by adding 96 CHAUVET Professional Ovation E-260 fixtures and 11 ChamSys MagicQ MQ50 consoles from NMK Electronics. “We are thrilled that Encore trusts us and our brands,” commented NMK Electronics’ Jesse Dullabh. “We have always enjoyed doing business with them, and this latest collaboration with CHAUVET and ChamSys further solidifies our strong relationship. It’s gratifying to see our products being used to create spectacular events across the UAE.” With Encore’s Venues branch servicing over 40 hotels across the UAE, the company selected the Ovation E-260 for its exceptional light output and natural…
Powersoft has appointed Dutco Tennant as its newest distributor. The company will join historical Dubai-based distributor, Pro Lab, and Saudi Arabia based aDawliah in representing the manufacturer in the GCC. Established four decades ago, Dutco Tennant LLC has built a strong reputation in providing a wide range of products and services, providing audio, video and UCC (unified communications and collaboration) solutions in the GCC. “We pick and choose our partners carefully after extensive research and Powersoft will play a vital role in our audio portfolio,” stated Julie Thomas, Product Manager at Dutco Tennant. Jacob Thomas, General Manager – Business Technology…
One hundred years is a milestone that deserves to be marked with something special, and if previous productions from the Municipality of Istanbul are anything to go by, the city’s largest 100 Years Celebration event was always bound to be spectacular. Tasked once again with producing a production worthy of the momentous occasion was Imagina Productions – the company behind many of Istanbul’s largest and most impressive shows in living memory. With our previous coverage of Imagina’s projects being restricted to remote reporting, we jumped at the opportunity to travel to Istanbul to witness the company’s biggest show to date…
