It’s no secret that d&b audiotechnik has major plans for the Middle East, with the company making a series of strategic moves aiming to increase its presence in the region. In the latest impressive move for the German audio manufacturer, TPiMEA can exclusively reveal that UK-headquartered technical event production company and global d&b Soundscape specialist Southby Productions has been appointed as a new Sales Partner for d&b in the GCC. The deal will see Southby bring its world-leading London Soho d&b Soundscape facility philosophy to the Saudi Arabian capital in the coming months, offering not only a Soundscape pre-production facility…
Author: Peter Iantorno
An award-winning lighting and production designer and the Founder and Managing Director of one of the most well-respected and longstanding production companies in the UAE, Terry Miranda is a name that will no doubt be familiar with the vast majority of TPiMEA readers. Born and raised in the UAE, Miranda cut his teeth in the industry working on shows for the likes of Bon Jovi, Bryan Adams, and Def Leppard before taking the plunge and setting up Lighthouse Productions (LHP) in 2004. Now 20 years on from its foundation, LHP is one of the region’s best regarded multidisciplinary production design…
Business Innovation Gate (BIG) Holding, a Saudi-based conglomerate of companies leading in events, leisure, and entertainment sectors, will be officially launched in Saudi Arabia with the opening of two offices in Riyadh and Jeddah. Founded and led by co-chairmen Hassan Ghazzawi and Pierre-Alexandre Dentant, the Group comprises: 3DB, All Events Services (AES), GAG Company, High and Wired KSA, Ogma Safety, and Royal Tent. “The launch of BIG Holding marks a significant milestone for the events, leisure, and entertainment sectors in Saudi Arabia, as it represents a beacon of collaboration and innovation,” commented Ghazzawi. “The Group has successfully brought together a…
If you attended MDLBEAST Soundstorm in December, there’s a good chance that you will have noticed the unusual sight of a certain superstar DJ hurtling along a zipline running above the festival site. “Having Steve Aoki ride the line and pose for a few photos with the crew was a surreal moment,” recalled Shane Manning, Managing Director of High and Wired – the company behind the installation. “We have been back and forth with the MDLBEAST management team in the USA and UK on this zipline concept for a few years, so to see come to fruition at what is…
MDLBEAST Soundstorm is known for top-shelf acts, and the lineup for the 2023 festival took things to the next level, with metal icons Metallica headlining the BIG BEAST stage on opening night. With limited time and logistical challenges to overcome, the band’s video team was looking for an alternative method of running the show that would make the most of the epic production values on the BIG BEAST stage. “This is not a regular festival when it concerns production values and scale,” noted Media Server Programmer and Engineer, Tom Denney. “Unfortunately, due to logistical limitations, our regular media server system wasn’t…
NMK Group has announced significant leadership changes, aimed at strengthening its core leadership team. Alex Kemanes assumes the role of Regional Director for the Middle East, Dino Drimakis takes on the title of Strategic Development Director, while Nicolas Cox has been promoted to Managing Director of NMK in the UAE. Charged with the oversight of the group’s activities in the region, Kemanes’ primary focus will be on organic growth across various business sectors and geographical territories while evaluating strategic acquisition opportunities. His new position also sees him take on the responsibilities of Managing Director at Midwich Ignite, signalling the inauguration…
With the Middle East’s live events industry developing faster than ever before, training is becoming increasingly important to ensure that professionals in the region are equipped with the skills and knowledge to keep pace with the speed of growth. Aiming to cater to this flourishing demand is JAM Training, which provides a diverse range of general and event-specific courses available in the GCC for the first time, catering to both individuals and organisations. Launched in February 2024 by JAM Event Services, JAM Training is the third arm of the growing JAM empire, which started in the UK in 2014 before…
Dubai is a city that is expanding constantly, and with this growth comes the need for ever further reaching and more integrated transport infrastructure. The latest project in the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan is the expansion of the Dubai Metro, with the launch of the Blue Line. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) tasked experiential agency, The Hanging House, with producing a fitting celebration to mark the announcement, and the company embarked on a journey to craft an event that would transcend mere celebration. The event unfolded across four distinct zones, with each offering unique and immersive effects and…
As anyone who has seen a Foo Fighters show will know, Dave Grohl has two catchphrases that tend to crop up multiple times during every performance. While one includes an expletive that we couldn’t possibly print in TPiMEA, the other is a callout to the band’s long-time Lighting Designer, Dan Hadley. “It’s important to Dave that he can see the audience throughout the show and that means that ‘light ’em up, Dan’ is a common call throughout the night,” Hadley commented, joking that despite this callout being such a regular feature of the shows, the band’s touring rig doesn’t currently…
Established in the UAE in 1996 by Katie Veira, Managing Partner, HQWS has built a stellar reputation over the best part of three decades as a world-class creative house that offers much more than your run-of-the-mill events agency. However, despite the company’s storied legacy, enviable client list and extensive portfolio of high-profile events, HQWS is not a brand that is splashed all over social media. “We’re a very quiet company. You won’t find a great deal about us online and that’s done for a reason,” explained Chief Operating Officer, Tim Jacobs. “We do a lot of work for governments and…
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…
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…
