When High Scream’s Romain Pissenem heard about David Guetta’s plan of producing a New Year’s Eve livestream from the Louvre Abi Dhabi, he was neither surprised, nor disappointed. “As soon as David’s team told me about the project, I thought ‘nothing could make more sense than this’,” he reminisced. The world-renowned DJ is fast becoming the UAE’s favourite artist, with a string of high-profile performances in the country, including a breath-taking livestream from the helipad of the Burj Al Arab [TPMEA #29]. He also has a history with the Louvre, after performing a New Year’s Eve show from the Paris…
Author: Peter Iantorno
Back in December 2019, MDLBEAST burst onto the region’s festival scene, bringing one of the largest EDM events on the planet to Saudi Arabia. Two years later, with the world recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, MDLBEAST returned with Soundstorm – one of the biggest music festivals to take place in 2021, with over 200 global and regional acts, including Steve Aoki, David Guetta, Tiësto and DJ Snake, as well as Nancy Ajram, Tamer Hosny, Amr Diab and Elissa. The event attracted 730,000 visitors across eight stages and four days, and even gained a new Guinness World Record for the ‘tallest…
For 30 years, Groupe F has been designing and realising open-air pyrotechnic shows and theatrical works. With an ability to bring together multidisciplinary teams of the highest artistic and technical level, the company is constantly striving to find new, creative ways of delivering “once-in-a-lifetime” moments to audiences all over the world. Here, CEO and Creative Director, Christophe Berthonneau reveals some of the methods behind the magic and looks back on some recent notable projects from the Middle East. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpmea34_digitallr/6 Photos: Hervé Hôte, Nicolas Chavance, Groupe F www.groupef.com
With an extensive and ever-evolving stock of intelligent lighting and LED, Colour Sound Experiment has become a mainstay of the industry in the 33 years since it began in 1989. In recent years, the UK-based company has seen demand for its services skyrocket in the Middle East, with Saudi Arabia in particular proving a fruitful market. “The volume of shows we were being asked to look at in the country was astounding,” commented Managing Director, Haydn Cruickshank. To service this sustained demand in the country, the company has opened a brand-new office in Jeddah. A 30,000 sq ft facility, the…
Pyrojunkies has become part of the ER Productions Group. “Dan [Mott, Pyrojunkies Founder] and his team were aware that we had started working with SFX with the goal of bringing it to the same standard as our laser offering, so it seemed like a great move to bring Pyrojunkies into the group due to their experience in this field,” stated Ryan Hagan, Co-Founder of ER Productions. “We know the team at Pyrojunkies and had even worked on numerous shows together.” The new team has already been out in the field in the Middle East, supplying a complete SFX and laser…
Two curved INFiLED DB3.4mm LED displays with a total size of 104 sq m have been installed at the Finland Pavilion at Expo 2020. JKMM Architects engaged DXB Live for the setup and integration of the system, and the two companies worked together to create a cutting-edge, seamless curved LED solution that fits to perfection the theme, technical specifications, and overall impressive design of the pavilion. “To achieve and ensure the requested seamless curve, our R&D team customised our standard DB cabinets to eight different curving angles including the hanging bars,” commented INFiLED Regional Sales Manager – Middle East, Samer…
With the aim of ‘connecting minds and creating the future through sustainability, mobility and opportunity’, the remit for Expo 2020 Dubai is both ambitious and far-reaching. As well as original and innovative pavilions offering immersive cultural experiences from each of the 192 participating nations, the Expo site is also flush with events and entertainment areas, showcasing everything from opera and theatre to national day celebrations, parades, and concerts from A-list stars. The main performance areas on the Expo site are Al Wasl Plaza, which hosted the Opening Ceremony; the Jubilee Stage, which is tailored towards music-based shows or festivals; and the Dubai Millennium Amphitheatre (DMA), which is geared towards theatre and dance performances. When it came…
Riyadh Season kicked off in style with a grand Opening Ceremony featuring an eclectic line-up including Cuban-American rapper, Pitbull and WWE star, The Undertaker, as well as an extravagant opening parade – complete with a display of more than 2,760 drones – witnessed by a bumper in-person audience. MediaPro International was appointed by SELA to deliver a full turnkey production for the main stage, as well as the overall technical AV production elements of the parade route. The first task of the delivery revolved around the main stage, which will be active for the duration of Riyadh Season, hosting multiple international performances and remaining in situ until February 2022. https://issuu.com/mondiale/docs/tpmea33_digitallr/40 Photos: MediaPro…
Dubai has a new landmark and, in typical UAE fashion, it’s another record-breaker. Standing at a staggering 250m tall, Ain Dubai is the world’s largest and tallest observation wheel. Located on Bluewaters Island – a feat of engineering in its own right, having been built from reclaimed land off the coast of JBR – Ain Dubai opened its doors to the public to much fanfare on 21 October. Y Solutions – the event management team behind Yas Marina Circuit – was entrusted with the delivery of the opening weekend, which included a dazzling light and fireworks show, as well as…
Having worked with some of the biggest artists in the world including Metallica, Kylie Minogue, Muse, Katy Perry, and many more, ER Productions is a well-known name within the live events sphere, specialising in lasers and special effects. It’s a name that most from the Middle East will also be familiar with, with the company working on numerous large-scale events in the region, including the Dubai Canal Opening, The Dubai World Cup and MDL Beast in Saudi Arabia. Seeking to cement its presence in the region, the company has now put down roots, opening a permanent base in Riyadh, Saudi…
Historically, the live events industry in the Middle East has not been known for its wealth of homegrown talent, with incoming international acts and even locally based production houses hitherto tending to employ technical crew who learned their craft elsewhere. However, looking to change that is Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) – the only dedicated performing arts academy of its kind in the Middle East, aiming to produce the next generation of talent, both on stage and behind the scenes. SPAA offers a range of undergraduate courses, including BA Production Arts – a four-year programme that aims to prepare the…
Hosting more than 3,000 performances over six months, the events and entertainment spaces at Expo 2020 are built to withstand the kind of rigorous schedule that would put even the world’s busiest arenas to shame. As well as a state-of-the-art technical setup and support from some of the best suppliers in the business, the purpose-built spaces benefit from an expert in-house technical team, charged with providing outstanding facilities and support to enable world-class shows to take place at Expo 2020 day after day. Tareq Ghosheh, Chief Events and Entertainment Officer at Expo 2020, is the man charged with overseeing all these elements and more. Here, he shares some insights from his journey so far, talks about the inner workings of Expo’s…
