Founded in 1991, Showforce provides crew services worldwide with offices in the UK, Qatar, and UAE. Now the company has added to its global footprint, opening a branch in Saudi Arabia, with Business Development Manager Zachariah Smith relocating to Riyadh to spearhead the operation. While this is Showforce’s first KSA office, it’s far from the company’s first foray into the country, with projects dating back to 1994, such as providing crew for the Royal wedding in Jeddah. In more recent years, with the Kingdom’s events industry growing at an astounding rate, the company has contributed to the success of events…
Author: Peter Iantorno
GLP has appointed Dubai-based Provision AVL as its distributor for the entire Middle East region. “We are pleased to add GLP’s world-class product range to our portfolio and offer it to our customers,” stated Kevin Boujikian, General Manager of Provision AVL. “As one of the leading brands in the industry, GLP’s products are recognised by professionals for their technology and quality. We are confident that this partnership will be a great success. Our customers look forward to having access to the latest lighting solutions from GLP at all times. We look forward to working closely together and building a strong…
In a live events industry saturated with ‘one-stop shops’, there’s something to be said for specialising in an individual discipline and carving a niche in the market. While some clients will favour the ease of dealing with a single company for every element of an event, for some more complicated, high-profile productions, there’s a need for each discipline to be handled by an expert in their field. One company that is perfectly positioned to serve this demand is Agora, which has quickly become a major player in the region’s sound reinforcement space, offering its specialist approach to audio to some…
With a long history stretching back beyond the 15th Century, Istanbul’s Maiden’s Tower is one of the city’s most iconic and important buildings, and the subject of many stories and fables. With the building in need of a complete renovation, the Turkish Ministry of Culture and Tourism commissioned contractors ASTEL to conduct an international competition for a light show not only to highlight the beauty of the tower but also to be visible from far and wide, which was to run fully automated every night. The contract was won by Martin Kuhn of Berlin-based MKLD Lighting Design & Consulting, who…
While live events tend to take a backseat during summer in the Middle East, the quiet period provides a valuable opportunity to pursue training and travel that the busy events season often leaves little time for. This summer, ES:ME Entertainment Services CEO, Alex Wuerfel used the time to embark on a trip to Africa to provide training support for one of the company’s AV Alliance partners, Rwanda Events. The idea for the trip came about after an AV Alliance gathering in Dubai where Wuerfel met Rwanda Events CEO, Christian Gakwaya and discovered that there were ample opportunities for knowledge exchange…
Since it opened in 2019, Coca-Cola Arena has provided a much-needed elite indoor facility in Dubai, catering to numerous incoming A-list artists and world-class productions. Ahead of the new events season, the venue took delivery of a state-of-the-art audio control package, overseen by Director of Technical and Production Malcolm Giles, to further enhance the event experience for incoming productions and audiences alike. General Manager Mark Jan Kar detailed the new investment. “We have purchased a fully packaged control package to compliment the Arena’s JBL PA System,” he began. “It consists of DiGiCo Quantum 5 and 338 consoles, Shure PSM 1000…
Creative Technology (CT) has become the first in the Middle East to invest in ROE Visual Vanish V8T LED. “We are thrilled to be the first in the Middle East to introduce the ROE Vanish V8T to our clients with a substantial investment of 720 sq m,” commented Andy Reardon, CTME’s Managing Director. “This investment underscores our commitment to providing our clients with the latest and most innovative solutions in event technology.” With its remarkable 50% transparency, the cutting-edge LED panel marks a significant advancement in outdoor display technology. Designed with ease of use and transport in mind, the V8T…
While football has been popular in Saudi Arabia for a long time, it’s only in the past year that the Saudi Pro League has captured the attention of football fans outside the country, thanks to an unprecedented slew of incoming big-name transfers, including Cristiano Ronaldo, Sadio Mané, Karim Benzema, Riyad Mahrez, Jordan Henderson, and many, many others. One of the largest jewels in the league’s newly bedazzled crown is Brazilian superstar Neymar, who left Paris Saint Germain for Riyadh-based Al Hilal for a reported $100m. To mark Neymar’s arrival, SELA produced a spectacular drone and firework show, working in collaboration…
Carved from the rock of the Sahkir desert, the spectacular Al Dana Amphitheatre is a one-of-a-kind 10,000-capacity venue that has hosted some of the world’s biggest A-list stars since it opened in late 2021 – including Backstreet Boys, Bruno Mars, Imagine Dragons, Post Malone, Kings of Leon, and Eric Clapton to name just a few. With the Bahrain live events scene growing at pace, Al Dana Amphitheatre is perfectly positioned to serve this rapid development and bring new experiences to regional music fans as well as attract new audiences to the Kingdom. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpimea44_digitallr/48 Photos: Al Dana Amphitheatre www.aldana.com.bh
In May, Abu Dhabi Motorsports Management and Flash Entertainment merged to form Ethara – a new powerhouse operation destined to have a massive impact on the region’s live events scene. Just a few months later, the company announced a landmark joint venture with the world’s biggest arena operator, Oak View Group (OVG), signalling OVG’s long-awaited expansion into the Middle East. “The Middle East is home to some of the world’s fastest growing economies and live entertainment markets, so our new offering in the region is a natural step for OVG to take,” said Tim Leiweke, Chief Executive Officer of Oak…
It’s fair to say that when it comes to live and corporate events and even permanent installations in the Middle East, bigger, bolder, and brighter is generally considered better. With the ability to display pretty much any content onto almost any size and shape of surface, projection mapping has proved to be the ideal solution for many of the region’s event organisers and building developers in recent years, with ever larger and more elaborate projects pushing the boundaries of the technology. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpimea44_digitallr/66 Photos: CTME, Digital Projection, Maxin10sity, MPME www.ct-group.com www.digitalprojection.com www.lasersaga.com www.maxin10sity.net www.martinpro-me.com
With global megastar performers and legions of devoted fans the world over, K-pop is a genre that is experiencing a rapid increase in popularity that extends far outside of its South Korean origins. One country that has developed a particular affinity with the genre is Saudi Arabia, with the Kingdom welcoming several high-profile acts including the likes of BTS and BLACKPINK, and even hosting conventions and festivals devoted entirely to K-pop culture. Experiential agency sweetwater KSA has been the driving force behind many of Saudi Arabia’s most successful K-pop shows – including last year’s Saranghae KSA (TPMEA #38) – and…
