First held in 1996, the Dubai World Cup is a UAE institution. With 2021 being the 25th anniversary of the famous horseracing event, organisers Dubai Racing Club wanted a truly remarkable show to mark the illustrious milestone. The company that was chosen to step up to the challenge was HQ Worldwide Shows (HQWS) – winning the tender with a pitch for an aerial spectacular, complete with aerobatics, pyrotechnic drones, fireworks and a Guinness World Record-breaking laser show. However, just three days before the event, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Minister of Finance and Deputy Ruler of…
Author: Peter Iantorno
From star-studded concerts and elite sporting events, to innovative green initiatives and even new megacities, the Saudi Vision 2030 has achieved a huge amount since it was launched five years ago. Part of this ambitious vision for the future is Riyadh Art, which was launched by King Salman in 2019. Comprising more than 1,000 public art installations and supported by 10 programmes and two annual festivals, the initiative is the first of its kind in the Kingdom, with the aim of transforming Riyadh into an open-air gallery. One of the two festivals is Noor Riyadh – a citywide celebration of…
Taking place at Al Ain’s Hazza bin Zayed Stadium, The President’s Cup Final saw the long-awaited return of fans to UAE stadiums, with around 1,000 socially distant supporters being treated to a spectacular show – both on and off the pitch. While the on-field action saw Shabab Al Ahli run out 2-1 winners over rivals Al Nasr thanks to two contentious penalty decisions, the impressive pre- and post-match celebrations came thanks to a huge team of live events professionals. Event Producer Done+Dusted assembled a team of trusted suppliers, with a mixture of international and local companies coming together to deliver…
To say that 2020 was a roller-coaster year for the live events industry would be something of an understatement. Like many others in the sector, Stuart Andrews saw his role as General Manager of Johannesburg-based technical production company Sound Stylists disappear overnight due to the catastrophic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The main difference in Andrews’ situation, however, was that he had only joined the company less than three weeks prior. “I took up that position in March 2020 and then COVID-19 hit. I was laid off after just 17 days on the job,” he recalled. “It was through no…
3Monkeys has never professed to be an AV rental company, but with the company’s recent investment in NewTek’s TriCaster 2 Elite video production platform, Managing Partner, Rudi Buchner, increasingly finds himself fielding the question, ‘is the company planning to reposition itself?’ “The answer is no!” Buchner stated simply. “With more and more jobs being produced as hybrid events, we saw that it is not efficient to recreate our control room on site for each production – it requires too much setup and integration time with a huge staff and equipment footprint on the ground.” Citing what he calls ‘the Monkey…
Back in March 2020, PSAV announced that it would be rebranding, along with its family of companies, as Encore – the name of the business it acquired in early 2019. By January 2021, the majority of the PSAV family had done exactly that, with the likes of Hawthorn, AVC Live, KFP and PSAV itself uniting under the Encore brand. However, for fellow PSAV company, eclipse, the quirks of the UAE’s legal and regulatory system meant that the company has continued to operate under its original name… until now. “We are delighted to announce that from 6 June, eclipse has rebranded…
Creative Technology (CT) Middle East has added Carlos Aguilar to its live events video engineering division. With over 11 years working in the live events and broadcast industries, Aguilar brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to the team. “Carlos is a highly qualified professional with a bachelor’s degree in TV and Video Production, a certified Barco Switcher Operator and a disguise specialist with expert knowledge in projection mapping, creative programming and server workflows,” the company stated. Over the years, Aguilar has worked on multiple high-profile events in North America and Middle East, leading a team of video engineers across…
Jeddah provided the start and finish lines for the 2021 Dakar Rally, while its King Abdullah Sports City Stadium – 30km north of the bustling port city – was the venue for the Opening and Closing Ceremonies, which included a special show complete with soundtracks by Daft Punk, other cultural performance segments and a host of media events and live broadcasts including the winner presentations. Each of the two events comprised around 10 hours of consecutive airtime in total. French creative lighting practice Concept K was invited by Paris-based Leap Creative Studio and Blink Experience’s Dubai office to create a…
An L-Acoustics line array system was deployed by Alchemy Dream Studio for the recent National Museum of Egyptian Civilisation (NMEC) parade in Cairo. Held to mark the opening of the new-built museum, the epic opening ceremony, which was supervised, directed and organised by Media Hub Saadi-Gohar Company, combined marching bands, cheering children, synchronised lighting, and a line-up of famous Egyptian actors and singers. The centrepiece of the production was the transfer of the mummies of the ancient kings and queens of Egypt from their previous resting place in the Egyptian Museum to their new home. Twenty-two mummies in chronological order…
Stage Audio Works (SAW) has provided a comprehensive audio-visual solution for the brand-new Capital City Church International (3Ci) in Pretoria, South Africa. Involved in the process from the early stages, SAW played a large part in the planning and execution of the project – delivering a comprehensive PA system based on state-of-the-art d&b audiotechnik line array speakers, as well as a turnkey house lighting system and building-wide BGM and control. One of the primary considerations was audio clarity in the main auditorium, a large space with a maximum capacity of 2,500. Naturally, ensuring sound constancy in such a large space proved…
Venuetech has partnered with Panasonic to distribute its professional AV and broadcast solutions in Egypt, Qatar and Saudi Arabia. “We are pleased to partner with Venuetech and believe that this partnership will support Panasonic in expanding its reach in the region,” commented Hidetoshi Kaneko, Director of System Solutions and Communication Division, Panasonic Marketing Middle East & Africa FZE. “With Venuetech’s service excellence and industry experience, we are sure customers will receive the highest quality solutions, which aligns with our brand’s motto.” By adding Panasonic’s new offering – which includes the latest KAIROS IP/AV video distribution and processing systems – to…
On Saturday 27 March, the 25th edition of the Dubai World Cup took place at Meydan Racecourse, bringing talented racers from all over the world to Dubai. Due to His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Rashid Al Maktoum’s untimely passing, the original closing ceremony was fittingly changed to a tribute in honour of the late Deputy Ruler of Dubai and UAE Minister of Finance. Creative Technology (CT) was commissioned by HQ Worldwide Shows and Dubai Racing Club, to deliver a complete camera package, video playback solutions, communications and audio transport infrastructure. Due to size of the main grandstand and track area, CT…
