SENSATIONDUBAI

DECEMBER 2015 bull ISSUE 002

THE UAErsquoS DAZZLING LIVE EVENT EXTRAVAGANZA

Hello readers

Irsquom pleased to report that our last issue of TPMEA met with a great reception which in turn has seen various members of the team return to the Middle East over the last few months As this issue is going to print Ste is gearing up to attend the Yasalam After-Race Concerts at Abu Dhabirsquos du Arena and Justin will soon make another visit to Dubai for various meetings Then come the new year myself and Hannah will be taking an Emirates flight to catch up on the latest news and live event stories Basically yoursquore going to be seeing a lot more of us Amidst the international travels we undertake for

our core magazine itrsquos been really eye-opening speaking to crews and key decison makers about bringing their teams to the UAE The general consensus is that people from lsquoour worldrsquo have had many a memorable experience in the region helped along by the generous hospitality and expert technical support they recieve Itrsquos this environment that allows us as trade media to thrive within the industry Already wersquove established some relationships that will no doubt flourish further as time goes on (my social diary for Januaryrsquos visit is looking healthy) Special thanks must go to Barry Pavic Managing Director of Envie Events - the masterminds behind Sensation Our current cover story reveals the technical infastructure and creative design behind the scenes of this dance phenonenon We also talked to the companies and individuals who worked on Bon Jovi and Take Thatrsquos concerts in Abu Dhabi and Dubai respectively Quite a start to the season Meanwhile the African live event scene delivered a truly lovely story I was lucky enough to speak to Everybody Love Everybody the team behind Beats In The Bush about organising an event that solely aims to raise money for charity as people enjoy the music In the end isnrsquot that the experience we all want

WELCOME TO TPMEA

TPMEA 03

wwwtpimagazinecom | wwwtpiawardscom

CONTENTS04

EDITORKelly MurrayTel +44 (0)161 476 8360Mobile +44 (0)7738 154689e-mail kmurraymondialecouk

ASSISTANT EDITORSte DurhamTel +44 (0)161 476 8385Mobile +44 (0)7891 679742e-mail sdurhammondialecouk

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTStewart HumeTel +44 (0)161 476 8360Mobile +44 (0)7712 607419e-mail shumemondialecouk

GENERAL MANAGER - TPi MAGAZINE amp AWARDSHannah EakinsTel +44 (0)161 476 8360Mobile +44 (0)7760 485230e-mail heakinsmondialecouk

ADVERTISING SALESCharlotte GoodlassTel +44 (0)161 476 9126Mobile +44 (0)788 0208 226e-mail cgoodlassmondialecouk

EVENT MANAGER - TPi AWARDSMo NaeemTel +44 (0)161 476 8360Mobile +44 (0)775 9272 313e-mail mnaeemmondialecouk

GRAPHIC DESIGN amp PRODUCTION Dan Seaton dseatonmondialecoukZoe Willcox zwillcoxmondialecouk

ACCOUNTS Donna Barlow Sarah Miller armondialecouk

CHIEF EXECUTIVEJustin Gawne

MONDIALE GROUP CHAIRMANDamian Walsh

COVER PHOTOGRAPHY Sensation - Meydan Racecourse courtesy of Jorn Baars Sensation

PRINTED BYBuxton Press bull wwwbuxpresscouk

wwwtpimagazinecom

wwwtpiawardscom

tpimagazine

facebookcomTPiMagazine

CONTENTSMIDDLE EAST06 - FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EASTSetting Up Shop in the Middle East James Wheelwright of JampC Joel talks about the companyrsquos services in Dubai

08 - REGIONAL ROUND UP NEWSUBSTANCE d3 Technologies Wicked and more feature in our news update

18 - TECH PROFILESensation Meydan Racecourse hosts worldwide dance phenomenon

24 - TECH PROFILEBon Jovi The Abu Dhabi concert season kicks off in style with US rock royalty

30 - TECH PROFILETake That The UK pop veterans play their first ever Dubai show at the Media City Amphitheatre

AFRICA36 - REGIONAL ROUND UPThe latest news from Africa including SGM ETC and Gearhouse

38 - TECH PROFILEBeats in the Bush TPMEA uncovers ELErsquos South African charity fundraiser

42 - PROJECT FOCUSQueen of Flanders A first look at Madame Zingararsquos new home

6 8

3018

4238

Established in 1978 in the UK JampC Joel founded its business as a supplier of black wool serge providing the theatrical world with backdrops before progressing to manufacturing drapes

Over the years the business has diversified and now encompasses engineers flooring fabrics and drapes and shapes Today we have a global presence with offices across the world and a highly skilled team Our export market has always been very strong we export to over 75 countries worldwide and one of our strongest markets is the Middle East

We have been doing business in the region for over 15 years but after recognising the future potential and identifying ways we can serve our customers better we opened our JCJ Middle East office in Dubai in 2009 which has allowed us to fulfil the regional needs of our customers much more effectively

One thing that can be said about the market here is that it is fast-paced and customers want

things turned round quickly We needed to ensure that we could respond rapidly and provide customers with what they need Frequently we deal with last minute requests so we like to be prepared

Entertainment and events are a big thing in the Middle East and we have worked on some innovative and impressive projects from working with interior designers decorating various internal events theatres clubs and weddings to more recently theme parks Festivals conferences and various awards ceremonies are also becoming significant

Over the years we have supported our customers in achieving their aspirations and have delivered lots of innovative and spectacular events in the UAE An example of this is where we worked on an engineering project for the club Pascha where we installed chain tracks and a four-point hoist for a show allowing dancers to perform their acts safely Another recent project we have just completed was for Evolution which involved creating cloud-shaped structures giving the appearance of lsquolight and fluffyrsquo clouds hanging above peoplersquos heads while taking in the views of Dubairsquos skyline

We are now in one of the busiest months of the year with the lead up to National Day celebrating the 44-year union between the Emirates

Our team in the Middle East has gone from strength to strength We currently now employ 11 highly-skilled professionals in our Dubai office enabling us to offer our Middle Eastern clients regionally-based expertise Lynzi Spindley heads up the sales team for the region with further support from Ben Richardson-Owen who oversees our projects department

SETTING UP SHOP IN THE MIDDLE EAST

FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST06

ME

JAMES WHEELWRIGHT CEO JampC JOEL LTD

JampC JOEL IS ONE OF THE WORLDrsquoS LEADING MANUFACTURERS AND SUPPLIERS OF FLAME RETARDANT FABRICS FLOORING DRAPERY AND STAGE ENGINEERING TRUSTED GLOBALLY AS A SUPPLIER TO THE EVENT AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY THE CEO REVEALS BUSINESS IS GOOD

FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST 07

All images courtesy of JampC Joel

ME

Dubai Music Week saw eclipse take full advantage of its new warehouse conducting as much in-house prep as possible to make sure that all time spent on site was about delivering the show ldquoThe biggest logistical challenge was dealing with back-to-back touring parties who all had limited windows of opportunity for sound checkrdquo commented eclipsersquos Technical Project Manager Duncan Shortt As there was a show-specific floor package for each artist and a curbed time allowance for sound check this meant a lot of early starts for the crew since the complete set-up needed to be ready before 3pm each day The eclipse audio department was poised and ready to handle the eventrsquos large requirement of kit following rapid expansion to the department over the past 18 months as well as a more recent purchase of a significant amount of high-end audio equipment The key items for this project included two 96-channel Avid Profiles desks a large selection

of Professional Wireless RF systems various compressors and effects units and a 56 channel three way split Audio control came courtesy of a DiGiCo SD10 and two SD9rsquos John Parkhouse Head of Audio said ldquoI couldnrsquot have asked for more out of the crew or the kit it was delivered impeccablyrdquo This was the first time eclipsersquos dampb audiotechnik PA inventory - which the company had built up over 12 months - had been used on a show of this size Shortt commented ldquoI think the result really took a few people by surpriserdquo

Joe Harling Ellie Goludingrsquos FOH Engineer commented ldquoI was very impressed with the service that eclipse provided to be presented with a fully ArrayProcessed J-Series system running on the new D80 amps was a joy

It is also clear that eclipse has done the sensible thing and invested heavily in all the non-glamorous things like a good quality line system and microphone stands which is so often what lets us down on these fly-in gigs John and his team were a pleasure to work with at all

timesrdquo The video team once again supplied a top notch service providing a range of equipment such as a ROE 9 mm 12 metre by six metre USC Screen ROE 9 mm 72 metre by 36 metre IMAGs and Clear-Com five Way Camera Comms Systems On the lighting side the festival required a large selection of versatile equipment for all three contrasting shows such as Clay Paky Sharpys Martin Professional MAC Vipers Philips Vari-Lite 3500 Wash FX and Lycian 4k Followspots Shortt commented ldquoAddressing all the lighting fixtures as part of the warehouse prep phase turns a big project into what you could essentially describe as little more than a plug-and-play affair Itrsquos always nice to receive a firm hand shake and sincere thanks from incoming engineers following a show which happened at both FOH and on stagerdquo concluded Parkhouse wwweclipseae wwwdubaimusicweekae

ECLIPSE PROVIDES ITS SERVICES FOR DUBAI MUSIC WEEKWITH A FULL TECHNICAL PRODUCTION NEEDED FOR THE THREE-DAY EVENT ECLIPSE OFFERED A TURNKEY SOLUTION FOR THIS YEARrsquoS DMW WHICH WAS HELD AT DUBAIrsquoS WORLD TRADE CENTRE

ME

REGIONAL ROUND UP08

FIRST LOOK MIDDLE EAST 07

All images courtesy of JampC Joel

ME

Dubai Music Week saw eclipse take full advantage of its new warehouse conducting as much in-house prep as possible to make sure that all time spent on site was about delivering the show ldquoThe biggest logistical challenge was dealing with back-to-back touring parties who all had limited windows of opportunity for sound checkrdquo commented eclipsersquos Technical Project Manager Duncan Shortt As there was a show-specific floor package for each artist and a curbed time allowance for sound check this meant a lot of early starts for the crew since the complete set-up needed to be ready before 3pm each day The eclipse audio department was poised and ready to handle the eventrsquos large requirement of kit following rapid expansion to the department over the past 18 months as well as a more recent purchase of a significant amount of high-end audio equipment The key items for this project included two 96-channel Avid Profiles desks a large selection

of Professional Wireless RF systems various compressors and effects units and a 56 channel three way split Audio control came courtesy of a DiGiCo SD10 and two SD9rsquos John Parkhouse Head of Audio said ldquoI couldnrsquot have asked for more out of the crew or the kit it was delivered impeccablyrdquo This was the first time eclipsersquos dampb audiotechnik PA inventory - which the company had built up over 12 months - had been used on a show of this size Shortt commented ldquoI think the result really took a few people by surpriserdquo

Joe Harling Ellie Goludingrsquos FOH Engineer commented ldquoI was very impressed with the service that eclipse provided to be presented with a fully ArrayProcessed J-Series system running on the new D80 amps was a joy

It is also clear that eclipse has done the sensible thing and invested heavily in all the non-glamorous things like a good quality line system and microphone stands which is so often what lets us down on these fly-in gigs John and his team were a pleasure to work with at all

timesrdquo The video team once again supplied a top notch service providing a range of equipment such as a ROE 9 mm 12 metre by six metre USC Screen ROE 9 mm 72 metre by 36 metre IMAGs and Clear-Com five Way Camera Comms Systems On the lighting side the festival required a large selection of versatile equipment for all three contrasting shows such as Clay Paky Sharpys Martin Professional MAC Vipers Philips Vari-Lite 3500 Wash FX and Lycian 4k Followspots Shortt commented ldquoAddressing all the lighting fixtures as part of the warehouse prep phase turns a big project into what you could essentially describe as little more than a plug-and-play affair Itrsquos always nice to receive a firm hand shake and sincere thanks from incoming engineers following a show which happened at both FOH and on stagerdquo concluded Parkhouse wwweclipseae wwwdubaimusicweekae

ECLIPSE PROVIDES ITS SERVICES FOR DUBAI MUSIC WEEKWITH A FULL TECHNICAL PRODUCTION NEEDED FOR THE THREE-DAY EVENT ECLIPSE OFFERED A TURNKEY SOLUTION FOR THIS YEARrsquoS DMW WHICH WAS HELD AT DUBAIrsquoS WORLD TRADE CENTRE

ME

REGIONAL ROUND UP08

Dubai Music Week saw eclipse take full advantage of its new warehouse conducting as much in-house prep as possible to make sure that all time spent on site was about delivering the show ldquoThe biggest logistical challenge was dealing with back-to-back touring parties who all had limited windows of opportunity for sound checkrdquo commented eclipsersquos Technical Project Manager Duncan Shortt As there was a show-specific floor package for each artist and a curbed time allowance for sound check this meant a lot of early starts for the crew since the complete set-up needed to be ready before 3pm each day The eclipse audio department was poised and ready to handle the eventrsquos large requirement of kit following rapid expansion to the department over the past 18 months as well as a more recent purchase of a significant amount of high-end audio equipment The key items for this project included two 96-channel Avid Profiles desks a large selection

of Professional Wireless RF systems various compressors and effects units and a 56 channel three way split Audio control came courtesy of a DiGiCo SD10 and two SD9rsquos John Parkhouse Head of Audio said ldquoI couldnrsquot have asked for more out of the crew or the kit it was delivered impeccablyrdquo This was the first time eclipsersquos dampb audiotechnik PA inventory - which the company had built up over 12 months - had been used on a show of this size Shortt commented ldquoI think the result really took a few people by surpriserdquo

Joe Harling Ellie Goludingrsquos FOH Engineer commented ldquoI was very impressed with the service that eclipse provided to be presented with a fully ArrayProcessed J-Series system running on the new D80 amps was a joy

It is also clear that eclipse has done the sensible thing and invested heavily in all the non-glamorous things like a good quality line system and microphone stands which is so often what lets us down on these fly-in gigs John and his team were a pleasure to work with at all

timesrdquo The video team once again supplied a top notch service providing a range of equipment such as a ROE 9 mm 12 metre by six metre USC Screen ROE 9 mm 72 metre by 36 metre IMAGs and Clear-Com five Way Camera Comms Systems On the lighting side the festival required a large selection of versatile equipment for all three contrasting shows such as Clay Paky Sharpys Martin Professional MAC Vipers Philips Vari-Lite 3500 Wash FX and Lycian 4k Followspots Shortt commented ldquoAddressing all the lighting fixtures as part of the warehouse prep phase turns a big project into what you could essentially describe as little more than a plug-and-play affair Itrsquos always nice to receive a firm hand shake and sincere thanks from incoming engineers following a show which happened at both FOH and on stagerdquo concluded Parkhouse wwweclipseae wwwdubaimusicweekae

ECLIPSE PROVIDES ITS SERVICES FOR DUBAI MUSIC WEEKWITH A FULL TECHNICAL PRODUCTION NEEDED FOR THE THREE-DAY EVENT ECLIPSE OFFERED A TURNKEY SOLUTION FOR THIS YEARrsquoS DMW WHICH WAS HELD AT DUBAIrsquoS WORLD TRADE CENTRE

ME

REGIONAL ROUND UP08

REGIONAL ROUND UP 09

ME

The event was produced by People which approached NEWSUBSTANCE to collaboratively devise design and deliver an exciting new activation NEWSUBSTANCErsquos creative response was to advance the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or drones by putting them at the heart of the showrsquos narrative Encased within bespoke aerodynamic geometric shaped cladding five drones were fitted with an onboard light source creating flying orbs of light each of which represented an lsquoidearsquo Stuart Fairhurst Technical Director at NEWSUBSTANCE said ldquoThe most challenging aspect of the whole project was the design of the cladding in conjunction with the modification of the drone platforms themselves We undertook an extensive period of RampD in order to establish the critical balance between flight optimisation and creative finish ldquoWe explored a number of different materials testing each of their flight properties before we

arrived at something that delivered both stable and agile flight capability with retention of the integral light orb formrdquo The drones were operated from dedicated pilot platforms rising up from behind a preset hide and flown in sequence over five circular stages interacting with the performers below in a choreographed language of movements as the lsquoidearsquo was shared and passed around the amphitheatre space NEWSUBSTANCE worked closely with the relevant entities to develop permissions and flight parameters across the site The dedicated pilot team was hand-picked and supplied by Resource Grouprsquos unmanned aviation services division the UKrsquos leading drone services provider - working with NEWSUBSTANCE to develop both flight capabilities and the choreographed sequence of moves UK tests and rehearsals were followed by three days of intensive flying on site in Mushrif Central Park rehearsing with the dancers who

were able to interact with their respective drone Wind conditions remained favourable throughout and come show night NEWSUBSTANCE executed a perfect flight plan wowing the summit attendees with the worldrsquos first live theatrical drone show ldquoThe use of drones within the show was a perfect fit for our creative vision which centred around the theme of collaboration and the sharing of ideas The drone performance allowed us to push the boundaries of both creativity and innovation as well as underpinning the ethos of the United Arab Emiratesrsquo Year of Innovation 2015 ldquoTogether with NEWSUBSTANCE we delivered a world class and a world first theatrical drone show that captured both these qualities in an entertaining and imaginative way We were delighted with the end performance and received excellent feedback from our client and guests alikerdquo said Rachel Sweeney Event Producer at People wwwnewsubstancecouk

NEWSUBSTANCE DELIVERS WORLDrsquoS FIRST THEATRICAL DRONE SHOW

UK-BASED SHOW DESIGN STUDIO NEWSUBSTANCE WORKED WITH THE ABU DHABI OFFICE OF LIVE COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY PEOPLE TO DESIGN AND DELIVER THE WORLDrsquoS FIRST THEATRICAL DRONE SHOW FOR THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUMrsquoS SUMMIT ON GLOBAL AGENDA GALA DINNER HELD IN MUSHRIF CENTRAL PARK ABU DHABI

ME

REGIONAL ROUND UP10

The event was produced by People which approached NEWSUBSTANCE to collaboratively devise design and deliver an exciting new activation NEWSUBSTANCErsquos creative response was to advance the use of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or drones by putting them at the heart of the showrsquos narrative Encased within bespoke aerodynamic geometric shaped cladding five drones were fitted with an onboard light source creating flying orbs of light each of which represented an lsquoidearsquo Stuart Fairhurst Technical Director at NEWSUBSTANCE said ldquoThe most challenging aspect of the whole project was the design of the cladding in conjunction with the modification of the drone platforms themselves We undertook an extensive period of RampD in order to establish the critical balance between flight optimisation and creative finish ldquoWe explored a number of different materials testing each of their flight properties before we

arrived at something that delivered both stable and agile flight capability with retention of the integral light orb formrdquo The drones were operated from dedicated pilot platforms rising up from behind a preset hide and flown in sequence over five circular stages interacting with the performers below in a choreographed language of movements as the lsquoidearsquo was shared and passed around the amphitheatre space NEWSUBSTANCE worked closely with the relevant entities to develop permissions and flight parameters across the site The dedicated pilot team was hand-picked and supplied by Resource Grouprsquos unmanned aviation services division the UKrsquos leading drone services provider - working with NEWSUBSTANCE to develop both flight capabilities and the choreographed sequence of moves UK tests and rehearsals were followed by three days of intensive flying on site in Mushrif Central Park rehearsing with the dancers who

were able to interact with their respective drone Wind conditions remained favourable throughout and come show night NEWSUBSTANCE executed a perfect flight plan wowing the summit attendees with the worldrsquos first live theatrical drone show ldquoThe use of drones within the show was a perfect fit for our creative vision which centred around the theme of collaboration and the sharing of ideas The drone performance allowed us to push the boundaries of both creativity and innovation as well as underpinning the ethos of the United Arab Emiratesrsquo Year of Innovation 2015 ldquoTogether with NEWSUBSTANCE we delivered a world class and a world first theatrical drone show that captured both these qualities in an entertaining and imaginative way We were delighted with the end performance and received excellent feedback from our client and guests alikerdquo said Rachel Sweeney Event Producer at People wwwnewsubstancecouk

NEWSUBSTANCE DELIVERS WORLDrsquoS FIRST THEATRICAL DRONE SHOW

UK-BASED SHOW DESIGN STUDIO NEWSUBSTANCE WORKED WITH THE ABU DHABI OFFICE OF LIVE COMMUNICATIONS AGENCY PEOPLE TO DESIGN AND DELIVER THE WORLDrsquoS FIRST THEATRICAL DRONE SHOW FOR THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUMrsquoS SUMMIT ON GLOBAL AGENDA GALA DINNER HELD IN MUSHRIF CENTRAL PARK ABU DHABI

ME

REGIONAL ROUND UP10

Sennheiserrsquos partners end-users and consultants in the field of integrated audio solutions recently got the chance to experience the latest offerings from the audio specialist at an event in Dubai on 8 - 10 September Centred around the theme of lsquoBusiness Communicationsrsquo this showcase provided attendees with in-depth presentations and hand-on demonstrations of the latest microphones headphones and wireless transmission systems that the company offers and educated them on how these systems can be utilised in smart office education hospitality and other industry segments The event also gave attendees a first time view of a number of Sennheiserrsquos products that are yet to be officially launched in the region as well as access to key members from Sennheiserrsquos Business Communications Team from Germany

ldquoConference and translation systems accounted for the largest share of our regional revenue last year This highlights the growing need and interest in business communications systemsrdquo said Ryan Burr Technical Sales Manager for Sennheiser Middle East He added ldquoIn an age where AV and IT technologies are converging we believe our products can be utilised in just about all the verticals where some form of audio augmentation is required The event served as the perfect platform for us to help guide investment and help our partners and customers explore new ways in which audio technologies can streamline business processes and customer engagementrdquo Sennheiser conducted fully operational demos for its MobileConnect mobile streaming platform SpeechLine digital wireless

microphones ADN and TeamConnect audio conferencing systems as well as LSP-500 wireless loudspeakers The event was well-received by partners and customers alike Commenting on the importance of such interactions Sami Jalil Janho General Manager at Advanced Solutions a Sennheiser partner from Jordan said ldquoWhile a manufacturerrsquos website can provide the technical details hand-on demonstrations and detailed examples of use cases and actual deployments offer unparalleled benefits The sessions were extremely informative and gave us good insight into Sennheiserrsquos roadmap for its business solutions This clarity has given us the tools and the confidence needed to promote these solutions within our customer baserdquowwwsennheisercom

SENNHEISER HOSTS THREE DAY SHOWCASE

THE AUDIO SPECIALISTS SUCCESSFULLY HELD A BUSINESS COMMUNICATIONS SOLUTIONS EVENT FOR PARTNERS AND CUSTOMERS IN DUBAI

REGIONAL ROUND UP 11

ME

Protec selected d3 Technologies and its creative software suite to handle the video elements for the opening ceremony of the Nad Al Sheba (NAS) Sports Tournament 2015 The tournament which was held in the NAS Sports Complex awarded prizes for six sports including futsal (a modified version of soccer) volleyball paddle tennis squash running and cycling Protec supplied its client HQ Creative with lighting video and rigging for the opening ceremony Two geometric-shaped screens angled toward each other in a flying wedge formation formed an immense backdrop for athletes and

other performers on the stage below Video elements for the giant projections were created using two d3 4x4pros which created the mask blend and warp for the custom screens Peter Jones Protecrsquos d3 Designer selected d3 for its flexibility in the timeframe dedicated to rehearsals and for its MultiEdit collaboration feature which allowed two editors to work at the same time while rehearsals were underway ldquoThe MultiEdit feature once again saved us a huge amounts of time on siterdquo said Jones ldquoThe fact that we could run rehearsals and edit at the same time was key for this show In addition

the ability to edit and do the projection line up simultaneously made the set up quicker than expected Now that I am familiar with the timeline I find it to be one of the easiest and quickest servers to programmerdquo Beyond video support d3 also provided SMPTE time code to the MA Lighting grandMA console for lighting and laser cueing performing vital functions across the entire production ldquod3 performed well - as usualrdquo Jones reported ldquoOverall the event was a success with positive feedback from the client and the customerrdquowwwd3technologiescom

PROTEC USES D3 TECHNOLOGIES AT THE NAS SPORTS TOURNAMENTrsquoS OPENING CEREMONYPROTEC ONCE AGAIN TURNED TO D3 TO PROVIDE FOR THE HIGH-PROFILE CEREMONY IN DUBAI

REGIONAL ROUND UP12

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REGIONAL ROUND UP 13

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Founded back in 1986 the International Laser Display Association (ILDA) not only define interchange formats and standards for laser shows but also host an annual event to recognise the work of those working within the sector at its yearly conference which this year was held in Dubai The awards ceremony gives members the opportunity to gain recognition for their hard work and high-quality shows and help prove a companyrsquos ability to put on world-class laser shows One of the most decorated winners was ER Productions The laser show specialists had several nominations in some of the most sought after categories including Best Live Show Best TV Show and Best Festival Show Its work on Kylie Minoguersquos Kiss Me Once Tour one Best Live Show with its involvement with Katy Perryrsquos Prismatic picking up second place For Best Live TV Show the winner was the X Factor Final in Wembley Arena with third place going in Kasabian I-Tune Festival both of which ER were both involved with Finally ERrsquos work with Queens of The Stone Age performance in Reading amp Leeds won third place in Best Festival Shows Speaking about the companyrsquos achievements was Director Ryan Hagan ldquoWe are incredibly proud of winning these awards and in categories that are very important to us here at ERrdquo He

went on to explain ldquoERrsquos core business is touring and to win first and second place in the Best Live Stage Show category against all the big international players really is an achievement The Best Live TV category is also something we specialise in delivering really well We have now won first place in this category for the past two yearsrdquo Hagan went on to state that he was very proud of the hard work that those in the company do and added ldquoOur team really is the companyrsquos biggest asset so we at ER are always investing back into the company with the development of our own product ranges and scanning projectors to allow their creativeness to really shine throughrdquo Another company that cleaned up at the awards was LOBO which ended up taking seven awards home including first and second placed in the Beams Atmosphere show for its work on Wild Things and Sunrise respectively It also picked up first place for it work on for X-mas Memories in the in the Beams and Screens category Alexander Hennig LOBOrsquos creative Director commented ldquoWe are incredibly proud of our success Every award stands for a unique team performance This can only be achieved if everybody is demanding a great deal of himself and if everybody is prepared to go to the limits of

what is feasible Without this perfect interaction of creative staff engineers and technicians such a result is just impossiblerdquo KVANT also had a fair amount of success at the event by winning six awards Four of the awards went to its laser display production crew and a further two were received for its technical achievements in 2015 On the subject of the development of laser solution in the Middle East region Hagan explained that although the growth in laser popularity was not as quick as it has been in the EU or the US the region has warmed to it over the last decade ldquoIn our 10 years of operation we have been involved in many projects in the Middle East such as Kuwait National Day and we are always meeting more clients in the region Extravagance used to come at a price but the technological advances within our field have really been the game changer Smaller cheaper and more reliable systems have expanded creative capabilities We now see shows we never thought possible 10 years ago and the Middle East will be part of thatrdquowwwlaseristorgawardshtmwwwer-productionscomwwwlobode wwwkvantlaserscouk

ILDA AWARDSDUBBED THE OSCARS OF THE LASER SHOW BUSINESS THIS YEARS ILDA AWARDS WAS HELD IN DUBAI

Lighting Designer Steve Shipman looked to design a colourful show using the Robe kit that was available from Media Solutions which included 12 MMX Spots 18 LEDWash 1200rsquos six LEDWash 600rsquos 34 LEDBeam 100rsquos and 40 Pointes plus 12 BMFL Spots The fully-skinned TTL roof system also supplied by Solution Media and Infotec LLC had an internal span of 30 metres 135 metres of depth and 10 metres trim roof-to-stage With no set Shipman had quite a substantial area to fill with lighting Eight moving trusses on a Kinesys system were key to the show All of these were loaded with Pointes and video panels and there was also a big mesh video screen upstage Four of the trusses had four Robe Pointes and the other four had six units each Then there was a standard front to mid to back truss arrangement across

which the rest of the kit was divided apart from the 12 BMFLs A thrust at the front of stage was highlighted by 18 LEDBeam 100rsquos running along its path with a diffusion filter added to increase the beam spread The BMFLs were arranged in a straight line along the back of the stage This was the first time that Shipman had run BMFLs on one of his own designs although he had used them earlier in the year on a Mumford amp Sons Tour in the UK and Europe which he was crewing ldquoThey are super bright with lovely big beams even in the darkest coloursrdquo he stated He also used numerous prism and gobo effects from 40 Pointes which are also ldquoextremely pokeyrdquo freeing him up to use the BMFLs primarily for ldquohi-impact beam effectsrdquo Shipman is a big fan of the Pointe and has used the fixture on many shows ldquoHaving 40 of

them on this really helped in terms of adding dynamicsrdquo he recalled ldquoI love the prism effect and they are great with or without the gobosrdquo Lighting was programmed on a MA Lighting grandMA2 full size console which was also driving content for the five one metre video panels mounted on the eight moving trusses American singer Akon brought his own LD Brett Lorins and Shipman ran lighting for the others artists a scenario where his carefully honed busking skills a technique developed through varied experiences in Dubai where he has been based for 20 years Shipmanrsquos hand-picked four lighting crew included Jossy Thomas Sree Srinivasan Shane Rivera and Kishore Kumar from Dubai-based World Stage Managementwwwrobecz

ROBE BMFLS AT DANCE AFRIQUE IN DUBAI

THE SHOW WAS LIT BY DUBAI AND UK-BASED LD STEVE SHIPMAN WHO DESIGNED LIGHTING FOR THE SAME SHOW IN LONDON AND USED VARIOUS ROBE PRODUCTS SUPPLIED BY SOLUTION MEDIA

REGIONAL ROUND UP14

ME

Kees Frijters Roscorsquos President of EMEA will be responsible for leading the companyrsquos new office while continuing his present responsibilities in Europe Asia and Africa ldquoRoscorsquos product line is rapidly expanding in creative and exciting new directions as is this part of the worldrdquo commented Frijters after the announcement ldquoIn line with Roscorsquos strategic objectives to invest in international markets we intend to more effectively support our local customer base and also capitalise on the growth opportunities in the regionrdquo he continued To maximise the potential of the office in Dubai Roscorsquos Chairman Stan Miller and CEO Mark Engel asked Kees to relocate While Rosco has been operating in the Middle East for many years it was apparent that

in order to keep up with the rapid growth in that part of the world and service its customers in a more efficient manner a Rosco office in the UAE was the next step ldquoOur investment in this new office recognises the size and opportunity that the Middle East holdsrdquo said Engel ldquoOur existing client base in the region and the potential to expand Rosco globally make this the perfect time to make our mark in the UAE It was clear that to accomplish our objectives it would require someone with knowledge of and experience with the full range of Rosco products and Kees Frijters is that personrdquo said Engel In addition to the new office in the UAE and its headquarters in the US Rosco maintains fully-staffed businesses in Australia Brazil Canada Spain and the United Kingdomwwwroscocom

ROSCO OPENS NEW OFFICE IN THE MIDDLE EAST

ROSCO LABORATORIES HAS ANNOUNCED THE OPENING OF ITS NEW MIDDLE EAST OFFICE LOCATED IN DUBAI

ME

REGIONAL ROUND UP 15

ME

wwwelationlightingeuwwwelationlightingcom

LED STROBE

6500KSURFACE MOUNT

COOL WHITE LEDS

SAME BRIGHTNESSAS 3000W

XENON STROBES

For the third year in a row Wicked provided the structures interiors and overlay services for the annual golf tournament in Muscat Oman The company has also revealed that it was awarded a multi-year contract with NBO This year for the NBO Golf Classic Final Wicked pushed the limits once more by providing its versatile structures to the Almouj Golf Course maintaining the panorama of the ocean and the spectacular view of the Hajar Mountain The company once again deployed its Saddle

Span system in order to create a spectacular viewing terrace overlooking the 18th green In addition to this Wicked also created a wrap around hospitality unit for the first time which looks set to be a major development for the tournament Furthermore it created an interactive tented village for the fans creating an immersive and enjoyable environment for all age groups Operating across the Middle East from its Dubai based head office Wicked provides a host

of services relating to the temporary structure industry including structures flooring air conditioning power distribution interior design Wicked has the in-house resources to design and execute to the highest possible standards and with its comprehensive range of furniture soft furnishings and accessories combined with our extensive decor and fabrication department allows it to deliver a unique solution every timewwwwickedae

WICKED BRINGS STRUCTURE TO THE NBO GOLF CLASSIC GRAND FINAL IN OMANTHE lsquoUNIQUE STRUCTURE SOLUTIONrsquo COMPANY PROVIDED ITS SERVICES FOR THE GOLF TOURNAMENT FOR THE THIRD YEAR RUNNING

REGIONAL ROUND UP16

ME

With over 30 years of experience within the AV industry NampM has become known for its involvement within the automotive world Its services were provided at the recent International Motor Show in Dubai for several brands Mercedes-Benz Porsche Audi Volkswagen and Maserati press launches activations and show cases were all delivered by NampM at this yearrsquos show As well as its work for the Motor Show NampMrsquos new lighting package was used at at various high profile concerts in Dubai and will be out again for several new projects in December and early 2016 In early December NampM acquired new LED screens with a 35mm pixel pitch that can be used for both high resolution and a flat viewing surfaces A special feature of this product is the concave and convex installations allowing a viewing angle of 160degwwwneumannmuellercom

NEUMANNampMUumlLLER (NampM) CONTINUES TO INVEST IN EQUIPMENT TECHNOLOGY AND PEOPLE

KNOWN FOR ITS INVOLVEMENT IN THE AUTOMOTIVE WORLD NampM HAS BEEN EXPANDING THE RANGE OF PRODUCTS IT PROVIDES AND TYPES OF EVENTS IT IS INVOLVED IN TPMEA REPORTS

REGIONAL ROUND UP 17

ME

SENSATION DUBAIAFTER STAGING EVENTS FOR 15 YEARS ACROSS 30 COUNTIRES TO OVER TWO MILLION PEOPLE SENSATION HAS BECOME A WORLDWIDE PHENOMENON UNITED IN WHITE THOUSANDS DESCENDED ON MEYDAN RACECOURSE TO WITNESS THE INCREDIBLE PRODUCTION ndash TPMEArsquoS STE DURHAM WAS AMONG THEM

TECH PROFILE18

ME

TECH PROFILE 19

ME

TECH PROFILE20

ME

Since its inaugural outing on 5 July 2008 in Sensationrsquos native Amsterdam the aquatically themed Ocean of White show has toured five continents recently washing up at Dubairsquos striking Meydan Racecourse The set design included gigantic white jellyfish towering jets of water and a fully-stocked arsenal of special effects Alongside showcasing the quite frankly eye-watering production Sensation actively nurtures a sense of harmony by ensuring that all of those in attendance follow the white-only dress code to the letter This ethos runs not only during the course of the evening but throughout the planning stage as well Barry Pavic Managing Director of Envie Events explained ldquoI always say Sensation is an experience Itrsquos not about the DJs alone Itrsquos everybody dressed in white the unity the show the pyrotechnics the acrobats the visualsrdquo Regardless of where Sensation locates to the shows are prepared at its headquarters in Amsterdam New incarnations are created each year and as in the case of Ocean of White even rebooted and taken to new locations It is then a matter of logistics to see which venues are fit for purpose and what level of equipment and know-how are available locally Pavic continued ldquoI am the overall coordinator of the production process and I manage the site together with the suppliers I oversee a 12-day load-in and load-out schedule involving 250

crewmembers as well as making sure that all work permits and licenses are in place Some of the kit is from Amsterdam but most of the production is sourced locallyrdquo After cutting his teeth on the festival and nightclub scenes in Europe and the US Pavic has spent the past four years in the UAE Despite this relatively short tenure he had sensed the potential in the region years before ldquoI first came to Dubai in 2002 and fell in love with it though I didnrsquot think it was ready at that point Year-on-year since I came back to check - finally deciding to make the move and build the business in 2011 starting with Sensation I didnrsquot feel that we could grow any further in Belgium ndash and Irsquom also a fan of good weather Dubai has always positively influenced me as people here have a drive that has been lacking in Europe of late I needed a new challenge and I still had the energy and motivation at the age of 37 I believe at that point you either make the jump or stay where you are foreverrdquo While an event like Sensation warrants an inordinate amount of technical coordination the team conducted 25 years of planning to minimise the amount of kit that had to be flown from Europe This included one-of-a-kind scenic elements such as the giant centrepiece that were shipped directly from Amsterdam For the second year in a row Sensation called in ShowTex -this time to take care of the giant floating jellyfish onstage The structure was

made of RP Fusion PVC on a PolyStretch P8 spiral and was covered in lightweight Organza sheer fabric to create the desired look ShowTex also printed all information banners eight metre high light towers and emergency exit signs on PVC and created the MasterCard photo booth out of printed Universal 250 BB Blackout fabric No less than 300 square metres of printed fabric made sure all visitors were well informed during the event Pavic continued ldquoThere are companies that can provide most of the things we need but the trick is putting so much effort into pre-production For Amsterdam itrsquos a challenge because the rest of the locations that Sensation visits around the globe are indoor venues With Meydan being outdoor we had to redesign the production ndash this is an interesting creative process where all the producers get involved Wersquove now set up a good crew that communicates internationally on a frequent basis to make these things happenrdquo Artists bring containers of props and tailor-made decoration pieces that cannot be recreated as do Sensation while a great deal of the rest is locally-sourced This included lighting and audio from PRG Gearhouse and a great deal of structural work from Al Laith ndash two companies that Pavic calls alongside Envie ldquothe main pillars of the productionrdquo PRG Gearhousersquos relationship with Envie began when it brought Sensation to Dubai for the

first time in 2014 which was Sensationrsquos first ever outdoor show The company provided rigging audio and lighting kit and crew for the main show at Meydan plus additional audio and lighting systems around the site including all VIP areas The PA system was all L-Acoustics as specified by the Sensation audio production team NoizBoyz It was made up of six main hangs using 56 V-Doscrsquos 32 K2rsquos 40 Dv-Doscrsquos and 56 SB28rsquos Phil Smith Senior Project Manager for PRG Gearhouse commented ldquoAudio for the event had its challenges as the stage directly faces the main glass-fronted Meydan Grandstand As a result the PA had to be designed to take reflection into consideration while still maintaining the required level for this type of eventrdquo This powerful audio setup was accentuated by a titanic lighting rig that consisted of 101 Philips Vari-Lite VL 3000 spots 32 Clay Paky Aleda B-EYE K20rsquos 62 Martin Professional

Atomic strobe with colour scrollers 51 Martin Professional Rush LED PARs 88 James Thomas Engineering Pixelline 1044 LED battens and 96 2 lite molefays The fixtures were controlled by three High End Systems Hog 4 desks The company also provided over 400 metres of truss in various sizes and 90 CM Lodestar motors

BIG IDEASEvent construction giant Al Laith provided a significant amount of both kit and crew for Sensation a feat that the companyrsquos Head of Event Services Warren Barlow believes it is perfectly-equipped for He commented ldquoOur products are ideal for large-scale productions and Sensation is definitely that When your stage is 25 metres high and 120 meres wide it requires a bit more than an aluminium ground support ndash thatrsquos when we step in and do what we do best I always think it ties into our motto of lsquobuilding

big ideasrsquordquo In addition to the ground support structure Al Laith supplied and constructed five large VIP platforms on top of Meydanrsquos grandstand ndash essentially creating vast decking areas for the guests on top of the where the seating would usually be The company also provided the bars the branding on the archways and bars themselves toilets and staff cabins Barlow said ldquoBasically we will build any of the necessary areas that donrsquot exist already Although Meydan is a modern venue its not necessarily built for an event like Sensation with such a huge concentration of people in one placerdquo Aside from normal water requirements for things like the toilets Al Laith supplied almost 20000 gallons of additional water to be used during the show for the downstage fountains Barlow explained ldquoWe provided that and quite importantly disposed of it after the event When you are standing next to an expensive racing

TECH PROFILE 21

ME

track simply pulling the plug on that amount of water isnrsquot an optionrdquo He added ldquoWe have worked closely with Envie and Sensation and we firmly believe that they have a decent set of products and good plans for the futurerdquo Even for somewhere as accustomed to live events as Dubai Sensation is a huge production

Regardless of this Pavic spoke highly of the local crew that handled the persistent demands ldquoThe crew were very well-trained It is not very often that we have such a big show here but they were greatrdquo Aside from the lsquopillarsrsquo of the production Pavic took the time to mention a long time acquaintance Creative Technology (CT) which

addressed the LED-based demands of the evening The relationship between CT and Sensation on a global level has been established for some time given that CTrsquos Holland operation has looked after Sensation since its inception This includes supplying Sensation world tours that travel everywhere from Japan to Mexico the

TECH PROFILE22

ME

Enviersquos Barry Pavic on site at Meydan Racecourse

䠀䤀匀倀䔀䔀䐀  刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀吀䠀䔀 䘀䄀匀吀䔀匀吀 刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀 匀夀匀吀䔀䴀 䄀刀伀唀一䐀䔀嘀䔀一 䘀伀刀 嘀䔀一䔀吀䤀䄀一 䌀唀刀吀䄀䤀一 伀倀䔀一䤀一䜀匀

䄀䴀䄀娀䤀一䜀 匀吀䄀䜀䔀 䘀䄀䈀刀䤀䌀匀 䤀一 䴀伀吀䤀伀一 吀㨀 　　  㘀 㠀㐀 㐀　  䤀一䘀伀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀  圀圀圀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀

TECH PROFILE 19

ME

TECH PROFILE20

ME

Since its inaugural outing on 5 July 2008 in Sensationrsquos native Amsterdam the aquatically themed Ocean of White show has toured five continents recently washing up at Dubairsquos striking Meydan Racecourse The set design included gigantic white jellyfish towering jets of water and a fully-stocked arsenal of special effects Alongside showcasing the quite frankly eye-watering production Sensation actively nurtures a sense of harmony by ensuring that all of those in attendance follow the white-only dress code to the letter This ethos runs not only during the course of the evening but throughout the planning stage as well Barry Pavic Managing Director of Envie Events explained ldquoI always say Sensation is an experience Itrsquos not about the DJs alone Itrsquos everybody dressed in white the unity the show the pyrotechnics the acrobats the visualsrdquo Regardless of where Sensation locates to the shows are prepared at its headquarters in Amsterdam New incarnations are created each year and as in the case of Ocean of White even rebooted and taken to new locations It is then a matter of logistics to see which venues are fit for purpose and what level of equipment and know-how are available locally Pavic continued ldquoI am the overall coordinator of the production process and I manage the site together with the suppliers I oversee a 12-day load-in and load-out schedule involving 250

crewmembers as well as making sure that all work permits and licenses are in place Some of the kit is from Amsterdam but most of the production is sourced locallyrdquo After cutting his teeth on the festival and nightclub scenes in Europe and the US Pavic has spent the past four years in the UAE Despite this relatively short tenure he had sensed the potential in the region years before ldquoI first came to Dubai in 2002 and fell in love with it though I didnrsquot think it was ready at that point Year-on-year since I came back to check - finally deciding to make the move and build the business in 2011 starting with Sensation I didnrsquot feel that we could grow any further in Belgium ndash and Irsquom also a fan of good weather Dubai has always positively influenced me as people here have a drive that has been lacking in Europe of late I needed a new challenge and I still had the energy and motivation at the age of 37 I believe at that point you either make the jump or stay where you are foreverrdquo While an event like Sensation warrants an inordinate amount of technical coordination the team conducted 25 years of planning to minimise the amount of kit that had to be flown from Europe This included one-of-a-kind scenic elements such as the giant centrepiece that were shipped directly from Amsterdam For the second year in a row Sensation called in ShowTex -this time to take care of the giant floating jellyfish onstage The structure was

made of RP Fusion PVC on a PolyStretch P8 spiral and was covered in lightweight Organza sheer fabric to create the desired look ShowTex also printed all information banners eight metre high light towers and emergency exit signs on PVC and created the MasterCard photo booth out of printed Universal 250 BB Blackout fabric No less than 300 square metres of printed fabric made sure all visitors were well informed during the event Pavic continued ldquoThere are companies that can provide most of the things we need but the trick is putting so much effort into pre-production For Amsterdam itrsquos a challenge because the rest of the locations that Sensation visits around the globe are indoor venues With Meydan being outdoor we had to redesign the production ndash this is an interesting creative process where all the producers get involved Wersquove now set up a good crew that communicates internationally on a frequent basis to make these things happenrdquo Artists bring containers of props and tailor-made decoration pieces that cannot be recreated as do Sensation while a great deal of the rest is locally-sourced This included lighting and audio from PRG Gearhouse and a great deal of structural work from Al Laith ndash two companies that Pavic calls alongside Envie ldquothe main pillars of the productionrdquo PRG Gearhousersquos relationship with Envie began when it brought Sensation to Dubai for the

first time in 2014 which was Sensationrsquos first ever outdoor show The company provided rigging audio and lighting kit and crew for the main show at Meydan plus additional audio and lighting systems around the site including all VIP areas The PA system was all L-Acoustics as specified by the Sensation audio production team NoizBoyz It was made up of six main hangs using 56 V-Doscrsquos 32 K2rsquos 40 Dv-Doscrsquos and 56 SB28rsquos Phil Smith Senior Project Manager for PRG Gearhouse commented ldquoAudio for the event had its challenges as the stage directly faces the main glass-fronted Meydan Grandstand As a result the PA had to be designed to take reflection into consideration while still maintaining the required level for this type of eventrdquo This powerful audio setup was accentuated by a titanic lighting rig that consisted of 101 Philips Vari-Lite VL 3000 spots 32 Clay Paky Aleda B-EYE K20rsquos 62 Martin Professional

Atomic strobe with colour scrollers 51 Martin Professional Rush LED PARs 88 James Thomas Engineering Pixelline 1044 LED battens and 96 2 lite molefays The fixtures were controlled by three High End Systems Hog 4 desks The company also provided over 400 metres of truss in various sizes and 90 CM Lodestar motors

BIG IDEASEvent construction giant Al Laith provided a significant amount of both kit and crew for Sensation a feat that the companyrsquos Head of Event Services Warren Barlow believes it is perfectly-equipped for He commented ldquoOur products are ideal for large-scale productions and Sensation is definitely that When your stage is 25 metres high and 120 meres wide it requires a bit more than an aluminium ground support ndash thatrsquos when we step in and do what we do best I always think it ties into our motto of lsquobuilding

big ideasrsquordquo In addition to the ground support structure Al Laith supplied and constructed five large VIP platforms on top of Meydanrsquos grandstand ndash essentially creating vast decking areas for the guests on top of the where the seating would usually be The company also provided the bars the branding on the archways and bars themselves toilets and staff cabins Barlow said ldquoBasically we will build any of the necessary areas that donrsquot exist already Although Meydan is a modern venue its not necessarily built for an event like Sensation with such a huge concentration of people in one placerdquo Aside from normal water requirements for things like the toilets Al Laith supplied almost 20000 gallons of additional water to be used during the show for the downstage fountains Barlow explained ldquoWe provided that and quite importantly disposed of it after the event When you are standing next to an expensive racing

TECH PROFILE 21

ME

track simply pulling the plug on that amount of water isnrsquot an optionrdquo He added ldquoWe have worked closely with Envie and Sensation and we firmly believe that they have a decent set of products and good plans for the futurerdquo Even for somewhere as accustomed to live events as Dubai Sensation is a huge production

Regardless of this Pavic spoke highly of the local crew that handled the persistent demands ldquoThe crew were very well-trained It is not very often that we have such a big show here but they were greatrdquo Aside from the lsquopillarsrsquo of the production Pavic took the time to mention a long time acquaintance Creative Technology (CT) which

addressed the LED-based demands of the evening The relationship between CT and Sensation on a global level has been established for some time given that CTrsquos Holland operation has looked after Sensation since its inception This includes supplying Sensation world tours that travel everywhere from Japan to Mexico the

TECH PROFILE22

ME

Enviersquos Barry Pavic on site at Meydan Racecourse

䠀䤀匀倀䔀䔀䐀  刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀吀䠀䔀 䘀䄀匀吀䔀匀吀 刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀 匀夀匀吀䔀䴀 䄀刀伀唀一䐀䔀嘀䔀一 䘀伀刀 嘀䔀一䔀吀䤀䄀一 䌀唀刀吀䄀䤀一 伀倀䔀一䤀一䜀匀

䄀䴀䄀娀䤀一䜀 匀吀䄀䜀䔀 䘀䄀䈀刀䤀䌀匀 䤀一 䴀伀吀䤀伀一 吀㨀 　　  㘀 㠀㐀 㐀　  䤀一䘀伀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀  圀圀圀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀

TECH PROFILE20

ME

Since its inaugural outing on 5 July 2008 in Sensationrsquos native Amsterdam the aquatically themed Ocean of White show has toured five continents recently washing up at Dubairsquos striking Meydan Racecourse The set design included gigantic white jellyfish towering jets of water and a fully-stocked arsenal of special effects Alongside showcasing the quite frankly eye-watering production Sensation actively nurtures a sense of harmony by ensuring that all of those in attendance follow the white-only dress code to the letter This ethos runs not only during the course of the evening but throughout the planning stage as well Barry Pavic Managing Director of Envie Events explained ldquoI always say Sensation is an experience Itrsquos not about the DJs alone Itrsquos everybody dressed in white the unity the show the pyrotechnics the acrobats the visualsrdquo Regardless of where Sensation locates to the shows are prepared at its headquarters in Amsterdam New incarnations are created each year and as in the case of Ocean of White even rebooted and taken to new locations It is then a matter of logistics to see which venues are fit for purpose and what level of equipment and know-how are available locally Pavic continued ldquoI am the overall coordinator of the production process and I manage the site together with the suppliers I oversee a 12-day load-in and load-out schedule involving 250

crewmembers as well as making sure that all work permits and licenses are in place Some of the kit is from Amsterdam but most of the production is sourced locallyrdquo After cutting his teeth on the festival and nightclub scenes in Europe and the US Pavic has spent the past four years in the UAE Despite this relatively short tenure he had sensed the potential in the region years before ldquoI first came to Dubai in 2002 and fell in love with it though I didnrsquot think it was ready at that point Year-on-year since I came back to check - finally deciding to make the move and build the business in 2011 starting with Sensation I didnrsquot feel that we could grow any further in Belgium ndash and Irsquom also a fan of good weather Dubai has always positively influenced me as people here have a drive that has been lacking in Europe of late I needed a new challenge and I still had the energy and motivation at the age of 37 I believe at that point you either make the jump or stay where you are foreverrdquo While an event like Sensation warrants an inordinate amount of technical coordination the team conducted 25 years of planning to minimise the amount of kit that had to be flown from Europe This included one-of-a-kind scenic elements such as the giant centrepiece that were shipped directly from Amsterdam For the second year in a row Sensation called in ShowTex -this time to take care of the giant floating jellyfish onstage The structure was

made of RP Fusion PVC on a PolyStretch P8 spiral and was covered in lightweight Organza sheer fabric to create the desired look ShowTex also printed all information banners eight metre high light towers and emergency exit signs on PVC and created the MasterCard photo booth out of printed Universal 250 BB Blackout fabric No less than 300 square metres of printed fabric made sure all visitors were well informed during the event Pavic continued ldquoThere are companies that can provide most of the things we need but the trick is putting so much effort into pre-production For Amsterdam itrsquos a challenge because the rest of the locations that Sensation visits around the globe are indoor venues With Meydan being outdoor we had to redesign the production ndash this is an interesting creative process where all the producers get involved Wersquove now set up a good crew that communicates internationally on a frequent basis to make these things happenrdquo Artists bring containers of props and tailor-made decoration pieces that cannot be recreated as do Sensation while a great deal of the rest is locally-sourced This included lighting and audio from PRG Gearhouse and a great deal of structural work from Al Laith ndash two companies that Pavic calls alongside Envie ldquothe main pillars of the productionrdquo PRG Gearhousersquos relationship with Envie began when it brought Sensation to Dubai for the

first time in 2014 which was Sensationrsquos first ever outdoor show The company provided rigging audio and lighting kit and crew for the main show at Meydan plus additional audio and lighting systems around the site including all VIP areas The PA system was all L-Acoustics as specified by the Sensation audio production team NoizBoyz It was made up of six main hangs using 56 V-Doscrsquos 32 K2rsquos 40 Dv-Doscrsquos and 56 SB28rsquos Phil Smith Senior Project Manager for PRG Gearhouse commented ldquoAudio for the event had its challenges as the stage directly faces the main glass-fronted Meydan Grandstand As a result the PA had to be designed to take reflection into consideration while still maintaining the required level for this type of eventrdquo This powerful audio setup was accentuated by a titanic lighting rig that consisted of 101 Philips Vari-Lite VL 3000 spots 32 Clay Paky Aleda B-EYE K20rsquos 62 Martin Professional

Atomic strobe with colour scrollers 51 Martin Professional Rush LED PARs 88 James Thomas Engineering Pixelline 1044 LED battens and 96 2 lite molefays The fixtures were controlled by three High End Systems Hog 4 desks The company also provided over 400 metres of truss in various sizes and 90 CM Lodestar motors

BIG IDEASEvent construction giant Al Laith provided a significant amount of both kit and crew for Sensation a feat that the companyrsquos Head of Event Services Warren Barlow believes it is perfectly-equipped for He commented ldquoOur products are ideal for large-scale productions and Sensation is definitely that When your stage is 25 metres high and 120 meres wide it requires a bit more than an aluminium ground support ndash thatrsquos when we step in and do what we do best I always think it ties into our motto of lsquobuilding

big ideasrsquordquo In addition to the ground support structure Al Laith supplied and constructed five large VIP platforms on top of Meydanrsquos grandstand ndash essentially creating vast decking areas for the guests on top of the where the seating would usually be The company also provided the bars the branding on the archways and bars themselves toilets and staff cabins Barlow said ldquoBasically we will build any of the necessary areas that donrsquot exist already Although Meydan is a modern venue its not necessarily built for an event like Sensation with such a huge concentration of people in one placerdquo Aside from normal water requirements for things like the toilets Al Laith supplied almost 20000 gallons of additional water to be used during the show for the downstage fountains Barlow explained ldquoWe provided that and quite importantly disposed of it after the event When you are standing next to an expensive racing

TECH PROFILE 21

ME

track simply pulling the plug on that amount of water isnrsquot an optionrdquo He added ldquoWe have worked closely with Envie and Sensation and we firmly believe that they have a decent set of products and good plans for the futurerdquo Even for somewhere as accustomed to live events as Dubai Sensation is a huge production

Regardless of this Pavic spoke highly of the local crew that handled the persistent demands ldquoThe crew were very well-trained It is not very often that we have such a big show here but they were greatrdquo Aside from the lsquopillarsrsquo of the production Pavic took the time to mention a long time acquaintance Creative Technology (CT) which

addressed the LED-based demands of the evening The relationship between CT and Sensation on a global level has been established for some time given that CTrsquos Holland operation has looked after Sensation since its inception This includes supplying Sensation world tours that travel everywhere from Japan to Mexico the

TECH PROFILE22

ME

Enviersquos Barry Pavic on site at Meydan Racecourse

䠀䤀匀倀䔀䔀䐀  刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀吀䠀䔀 䘀䄀匀吀䔀匀吀 刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀 匀夀匀吀䔀䴀 䄀刀伀唀一䐀䔀嘀䔀一 䘀伀刀 嘀䔀一䔀吀䤀䄀一 䌀唀刀吀䄀䤀一 伀倀䔀一䤀一䜀匀

䄀䴀䄀娀䤀一䜀 匀吀䄀䜀䔀 䘀䄀䈀刀䤀䌀匀 䤀一 䴀伀吀䤀伀一 吀㨀 　　  㘀 㠀㐀 㐀　  䤀一䘀伀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀  圀圀圀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀

first time in 2014 which was Sensationrsquos first ever outdoor show The company provided rigging audio and lighting kit and crew for the main show at Meydan plus additional audio and lighting systems around the site including all VIP areas The PA system was all L-Acoustics as specified by the Sensation audio production team NoizBoyz It was made up of six main hangs using 56 V-Doscrsquos 32 K2rsquos 40 Dv-Doscrsquos and 56 SB28rsquos Phil Smith Senior Project Manager for PRG Gearhouse commented ldquoAudio for the event had its challenges as the stage directly faces the main glass-fronted Meydan Grandstand As a result the PA had to be designed to take reflection into consideration while still maintaining the required level for this type of eventrdquo This powerful audio setup was accentuated by a titanic lighting rig that consisted of 101 Philips Vari-Lite VL 3000 spots 32 Clay Paky Aleda B-EYE K20rsquos 62 Martin Professional

Atomic strobe with colour scrollers 51 Martin Professional Rush LED PARs 88 James Thomas Engineering Pixelline 1044 LED battens and 96 2 lite molefays The fixtures were controlled by three High End Systems Hog 4 desks The company also provided over 400 metres of truss in various sizes and 90 CM Lodestar motors

BIG IDEASEvent construction giant Al Laith provided a significant amount of both kit and crew for Sensation a feat that the companyrsquos Head of Event Services Warren Barlow believes it is perfectly-equipped for He commented ldquoOur products are ideal for large-scale productions and Sensation is definitely that When your stage is 25 metres high and 120 meres wide it requires a bit more than an aluminium ground support ndash thatrsquos when we step in and do what we do best I always think it ties into our motto of lsquobuilding

big ideasrsquordquo In addition to the ground support structure Al Laith supplied and constructed five large VIP platforms on top of Meydanrsquos grandstand ndash essentially creating vast decking areas for the guests on top of the where the seating would usually be The company also provided the bars the branding on the archways and bars themselves toilets and staff cabins Barlow said ldquoBasically we will build any of the necessary areas that donrsquot exist already Although Meydan is a modern venue its not necessarily built for an event like Sensation with such a huge concentration of people in one placerdquo Aside from normal water requirements for things like the toilets Al Laith supplied almost 20000 gallons of additional water to be used during the show for the downstage fountains Barlow explained ldquoWe provided that and quite importantly disposed of it after the event When you are standing next to an expensive racing

TECH PROFILE 21

ME

track simply pulling the plug on that amount of water isnrsquot an optionrdquo He added ldquoWe have worked closely with Envie and Sensation and we firmly believe that they have a decent set of products and good plans for the futurerdquo Even for somewhere as accustomed to live events as Dubai Sensation is a huge production

Regardless of this Pavic spoke highly of the local crew that handled the persistent demands ldquoThe crew were very well-trained It is not very often that we have such a big show here but they were greatrdquo Aside from the lsquopillarsrsquo of the production Pavic took the time to mention a long time acquaintance Creative Technology (CT) which

addressed the LED-based demands of the evening The relationship between CT and Sensation on a global level has been established for some time given that CTrsquos Holland operation has looked after Sensation since its inception This includes supplying Sensation world tours that travel everywhere from Japan to Mexico the

TECH PROFILE22

ME

Enviersquos Barry Pavic on site at Meydan Racecourse

䠀䤀匀倀䔀䔀䐀  刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀吀䠀䔀 䘀䄀匀吀䔀匀吀 刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀 匀夀匀吀䔀䴀 䄀刀伀唀一䐀䔀嘀䔀一 䘀伀刀 嘀䔀一䔀吀䤀䄀一 䌀唀刀吀䄀䤀一 伀倀䔀一䤀一䜀匀

䄀䴀䄀娀䤀一䜀 匀吀䄀䜀䔀 䘀䄀䈀刀䤀䌀匀 䤀一 䴀伀吀䤀伀一 吀㨀 　　  㘀 㠀㐀 㐀　  䤀一䘀伀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀  圀圀圀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀

track simply pulling the plug on that amount of water isnrsquot an optionrdquo He added ldquoWe have worked closely with Envie and Sensation and we firmly believe that they have a decent set of products and good plans for the futurerdquo Even for somewhere as accustomed to live events as Dubai Sensation is a huge production

Regardless of this Pavic spoke highly of the local crew that handled the persistent demands ldquoThe crew were very well-trained It is not very often that we have such a big show here but they were greatrdquo Aside from the lsquopillarsrsquo of the production Pavic took the time to mention a long time acquaintance Creative Technology (CT) which

addressed the LED-based demands of the evening The relationship between CT and Sensation on a global level has been established for some time given that CTrsquos Holland operation has looked after Sensation since its inception This includes supplying Sensation world tours that travel everywhere from Japan to Mexico the

TECH PROFILE22

ME

Enviersquos Barry Pavic on site at Meydan Racecourse

䠀䤀匀倀䔀䔀䐀  刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀吀䠀䔀 䘀䄀匀吀䔀匀吀 刀伀䰀䰀ⴀ唀倀 匀夀匀吀䔀䴀 䄀刀伀唀一䐀䔀嘀䔀一 䘀伀刀 嘀䔀一䔀吀䤀䄀一 䌀唀刀吀䄀䤀一 伀倀䔀一䤀一䜀匀

䄀䴀䄀娀䤀一䜀 匀吀䄀䜀䔀 䘀䄀䈀刀䤀䌀匀 䤀一 䴀伀吀䤀伀一 吀㨀 　　  㘀 㠀㐀 㐀　  䤀一䘀伀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀  圀圀圀匀䠀伀圀吀䔀堀䌀伀䴀

TECH PROFILE 23

ME

US and Europe CT introduced Sensation to its Emirati counterpart two years ago which has looked after the event ever since Pavic said ldquoCT is a very helpful company very solid with great staff Every time I work with them I come away very pleased I even bought the first indoor LED screens from them back in the early days - the big boys that weighed a tonnerdquo For Sensation CT provided an FampP Diamond 20mm LED screen that was flown at upstage centre running behind the DJ box and totalling just over 60 sq metres The company also provided two flown side screens made up of Panasonicrsquos new six mm creation totalling 51 sq metres This is a new product in the region and CT has just taken a 300 sq metres inventory from Panasonic Ed Jarman CTrsquos Senior Project Manager for the Middle East said ldquoIt is a wonderful looking screen so far every job we have had it on people have commented The problem in the region is that you can buy a great looking cheap screen that shows itself up when moving content is introduced The refresh rate on cheaper products isnrsquot great and you get staggering The Panasonic is a mid-priced screen that is a great compromiserdquo CT also supplied a curved screen again of the Panasonic six mm that went round the front of the DJ booth measuring 15 metres long by one metre high This was all controlled by various fibre runs to FOH to the Catalyst media servers Jarman continued ldquoWe also had robocams that were positioned in and around the DJ booth - three Panasonic AW-HE50SE cameras - that all ran to FOH where they were mixed by a Blackmagic Design ATEM 2 ME Production Studio 4K Live production switcher with the relevant monitoring The live footage was mixed to the screens and overlayed with content provided by Sensation operated by the touring Lighting Designerrdquo CT had three LED techs and a video engineer on site for the evening though this number increased to around 15 during load-in and load-

out ldquoAlthough smaller acts have played at Meydan they are usually end-on rather than side-on like Sensationrdquo Jarman explained ldquoThis meant an easy load-in for us because we could get the trucks to drop us right where we needed to berdquo CT puts a great deal of pride in its status as a regional trailblazer when it comes to LED technology and Jarman enthused that this contributes to the vitality and potential of this deceptively small industry He said ldquoThis can be an incredibly competitive market which is dominated by three established full-service players who have been here for about 20 Years CT entered the market around 18 years ago and established a permanent base in 2007 We have historically been a video specialist and the majority of our clients see the value in this approach In line with the strategy of our other offices worldwide we are broadening our offering where appropriate this is especially evident in the corporate events market where the single AV supplier approach is gaining tractionrdquo

ALL FOR ONEDutch company Pyrofoor de Amsterdam provided special effects and pyrotechnics for Sensation right from the first event 15 years ago and the Dubai spectacular was no exception The company partnered with UAE locals Flash Art to assist with the import licenses and regulations required to shoot the pyro as well as sending three crewmembers from the Netherlands to lend their expertise on site Pyrofoorrsquos Roy van Meel commented ldquoSensation was a finely-tuned show with exactly-timed moments and chosen products that combined well with the music lights and acts themselvesrdquo While Sensationrsquos Dubai outing was something of a departure from the usual European and US indoor shows van Meel maintained that this presented opportunities as well as challenges

He said ldquoWith indoor events you have always a maximum height of effects to worry about but this becomes irrelevant once you remove the roof Our more pressing concerns were regarding things like the weather conditions Wind for example is a new challenge on a show like this particularly with all the decorations and aerials close to where the pyro is being usedrdquo Although the actual transport of the gear by sea was no problem van Meel claimed that it would have been ldquoalmost impossiblerdquo to get it all into the country without the assistance Pyrofoor received He added ldquoAlthough we fulfil the role of supplier we needed a local company to support us to make this show what it is - this was proven by the import issues we had That said we couldnrsquot have done it without support from Next-FX in the US and a great local company like Flash Artrdquo It is this international level of cooperation that is essential for a production as enormous as Sensation to enjoy such success The show has already become an indispensible part of Dubairsquos events season and one that continues to astound no matter how high the bar is set Pavic concluded ldquoSensation has built up such an image over the last 15 years that it is sometimes hard to surpass these high expectations Every time you build something beautiful you have to strive for progress year after year Itrsquos interesting to see how the show evolves alongside production techniques and technology The team really have come up with something special - an end product that has solid values worldwiderdquo

Photos Jorn Baars Sensationwwwsensationcomwwwct-groupcomwwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwallaithcomwwwshowtexcomwwwflashartcomwwwpyro4nl

The du Arena in Yas Island is a buzzing live venue a venue which has seen some of the worldrsquos most popular performers grace its stage and a venue that has Abu Dhabirsquos premier live event promoter Flash Entertainment at the helm of relevant and enticing line ups Vice President of Operations at Flash Lee Charteris spoke to TPMEA about the role the company plays ldquoItrsquos true to say that contracting and finalising events may take a little longer here than in Europe or North America because our show date is often at the tail end of a run or is a one off concert Artists typically touring with

their entire production come to the UAE with just a small part of that - such as backline control packages and wardrobe - and we then have to replicate a touring show with our local sound light and video suppliers which means the rider that we receive is customised for our eventrdquo For Bon Jovi in particular the band returned to Abu Dhabi by popular demand as Charteris explained ldquoWho we book is totally driven by the touring market and artist availabilities we are constantly in contact with agents Seven years after I started Flash all of our suppliers are well-versed in presenting the likes of artists such as

Bon Jovi and all that it takes to produce an event of this stature In the very beginning there was a lot of lsquohand holdingrsquo between us all but the market has grown up and that trust and support has enabled us to get on the map as a lsquostop offrsquo for many tours now because production managers and bands know what we can offer ldquoWe see quite a few acts wanting to come back to the UAE after the first time they play here and that for me is testament to the shows we produce and also to the way in which they get looked after over hererdquo Charteris is also very hands-on for a VP

BON JOVIrsquoS UAE RETURNITrsquoS BEEN A COUPLE OF YEARS SINCE TPi COVERED A BON JOVI GIG A WORLD TOUR THAT HURTLED ITS WAY FULL THROTTLE INTO UK STADIUM VENUES THE WAY A ROCK BAND OF THEIR CALIBRE SHOULD THIS TIME WErsquoRE DISSECTING THE NEW JERSEY BANDrsquoS PERFORMANCE IN ABU DHABI THE FIRST CONCERT IN THE UAErsquoS CAPITAL FOLLOWING A THREE-MONTH LIVE PRODUCTION BREAK TURNS OUT IT WAS WORTH THE WAIT AS TPMEArsquoS KELLY MURRAY REPORTShellip

TECH PROFILE24

ME

TECH PROFILE 25

ME

which undoubtedly makes a difference ldquoI pride myself on being on site at all of our events After nearly 40 years in the job Irsquom still looking into and learning about the live event business I like to see ingress and egress and I love seeing the start of any show I still get a tingle of excitement during the start of the processrdquo

FACILITATING A SMOOTH PRODUCTIONBon Jovi travel with their own stage manager but upon their arrival in the UAE were greeted by Gulf Crewingrsquos Nigel Beaton who acted as a facilitator for the touring crew and the local production team Beaton said ldquoIt was a more compact version of their usual stadium shows but I believe that with the infrastructure that has been built up in the UAE the quality of the lighting video sound and staging companies can honestly match the service and skills seen anywhere else in the world ldquoLetrsquos not forget the talent that we have working in the background from production managers to artist liaison officers to wardrobe assistants and all the advance site and stage crews Over the past few years we have invested a lot of time and effort into making this region a destination that large tours want to return to and having Bon Jovi open the new season is a perfect example of thatrdquo

LIGHTING AND VIDEOldquoThis was the first time Irsquove worked with Bon Jovi but we work with Flash Entertainment on a regular basis and have a great working relationship with both their operations and projects teamsrdquo explained PRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson who supported the technical needs of the showrsquos visuals The bandrsquos Lighting Designer Sooner Routhier and her rider led the lighting rig Jackson continued ldquoSooner was great to work with and there was plenty of communication between her and myself prior to the load-in to make sure I knew exactly what she was expecting for the show She was flexible on a couple of fixture substitutions and as her preferred profile fixture is the PRG Best Boy she was happy that PRG was the provider in Abu Dhabirdquo The flown lighting package comprised 72 GLP Impression X4rsquos 24 Martin Professional Atomic Strobes 48 Martin Professional MAC Viper Profiles six Martin Professional MAC Viper Performances 10 8-lite molefays and eight Clay Paky Sharpy Washes The floor package consisted of 16 PRG Best Boy HPs which Jackson excitedly confirmed was ldquothe first opportunity to get our brand new HPs on a showrdquo There were also 16 Clay Paky Sharpy Washes and eight SGM P5rsquos requested for the rider For

control MA Lighting grandMA2 desks were chosen for operation and backup For video requirements PRG Gearhouse supplied two IMAG screens four ROE Evision HD101rsquos two Vista Spyder 344 processors and a HD Camera PPU 4 System which utilised a Sony MVS-3000A video switcher With such a smooth transition with the lighting rig and a simple IMAG implementation for video were there any major challenges ldquoWeather is always an issue out here - as itrsquos always too hotrdquo he laughed ldquoThe pre-production between Flash the tour party and myself was very well detailed so we met no challenges We had plenty of time to get the prep completely right which made for a simple load-in and the rig was flown before lunch timerdquo AUDIOAudio supplier Delta Sound worked closely with Bon Jovirsquos touring crew who provided their own control microphone packages and split systems However Delta was asked to have a DiGiCo SD7 console on standby for local backup Deltarsquos Sound Engineer Rob Eatock detailed ldquoIn addition to Bon Jovirsquos show we provided a control and microphone package to the local support act that included a DiGiCo SD11 console at FOH with a DiGi Rack on stage and a

TECH PROFILE26

ME

Yamaha PM5D for the monitor control board A selection of Shure and Sennheiser microphones with Radial DI boxes accompanied the bandrsquos instruments on stagerdquo L-Acoustics XT115 HIQ wedges were used as monitor wedges for the five-piece opening band and additional instruments were supplied by local backline supplier MEI Delta also provided the RF requirements and chose to engage a wireless Clear-Com system Continued Eatock ldquoIt was great to finally see Bon Jovi live They sounded great and had a really good energy on stage - considering the high temperatures and ridiculous humidity we face hererdquo The main PA was configured with 24 L-Acoustics K1 boxes (12 per side) eight L-Acoustics K2rsquos for downfill (four per side) and 12 L-Acoustics K1 subs (six per side) flown behind

main K1 hang For outfill 20 L-Acoustics K2 (10 per side) were specified and 16 L-Acoustics KARA speaker cabinets were configured in eight stacks of two for frontfill Ground subwoofers were designed in a cardioid configuration and consisted of 30 L-Acoustics SB28rsquos in 10 stacks of three Eatock noted ldquoWe installed a cardioid sub configuration that I was not entirely happy with however it worked very well for the Bon Jovi setup even though itrsquos a configuration that we donrsquot use oftenrdquo Delay Speakers comprised 12 L-Acoustics VDOSC cabinets (six per side) and a total of 18 L-Acoustics LA8 Racks were used for amplification Delta also provided the audio rigging elements comprising four two tonne and 12 one tonne Liftket Motors six K1 K1SB K2 fly bars two K2 link adaptor plates and a VDOSC rigging chariot

STAGINGAll Event Services - AES - which works very closely with the German side of staging titans Stageco provided the main staging elements for the show in the form of the companyrsquos 4 Leg Classic Super Roof and The Hospitality Staging Platform which was constructed out of a large quantity of Layher event flooring and scaffold products JJ Trichardt Managing Director of AES explained that from a Health amp Safety stance AES prides itself on being on the forefront of the latest industry standards ldquoWe have a new edition to the Group-483 International Design and Technical Services which provides CITB scaffold training complying to the latest structural standards and scaffolding regulations from the UK and Europerdquo AES has also implemented the new CDM

ldquoBon Jovirsquos show was a great success which demonstrates what knowledge and coordinated communication can achieverdquoJJ Trichardt Managing Director AES

TECH PROFILE 27

ME

regulations and is a contributing member of ILEA Continued Trichardt ldquoWe aim to provide an unmatched service from inception to completion to create balanced projects that stand as testament of our corporate policy We work hand in glove with a number of international suppliers to ensure that the Middle East is provided with the highest quality technological advances and products while operating in a dynamic and competitive marketrdquo At Bon Jovirsquos concert AES also supplied certified crowd control barriers Heras fencing and some law enforcement barriers for extra safety For personnel only full time AES-employed crews are dispatched to carry out the staging setup and break down A total of 40 certified crewmembers were deployed during a four-day build Trichardt continued ldquoWe are a connected team where the individual is valued and trusted based on years of experience in the field This

enables timely decision making effective communication between all members and creates a sense of trust between clients and team members Bon Jovirsquos show was a great success which demonstrates what knowledge and coordinated communication can achieverdquo

A POWERFUL PERFORMANCEEnsuring the power supplies were met safely and accurately was Project Manager Michael Kennedy of the eclipse Group He told TPMEA ldquoI actually worked on the opening night of this tour in Jakarta Indonesia which was a stadium show for 45000 people We didnrsquot face many challenges due to the superb advance work and when the tour landed in Abu Dhabi the crew was already confident that everything was under control ldquoThe transition from the advance guys to the show was faultless Itrsquos always a great feeling knowing that a tour has full confidence in your

delivery from the instant they landrdquo Briefs for the power element of shows are always very last minute as they heavily depend on the other requirements being finalised Kennedy continued ldquoThe ability to pre-empt a number of variables is something that comes with experience for pre-production knowledge of the local venue plus the insight provided by the advance work undertaken from the production team is imperative to a smooth delivery on the nightrdquo ldquoeclipse is the tourrsquos in-house power team and we know this venue very well having worked closely with Flash for a number of years We have this arena running like a well-oiled machinerdquo For the stage power eclipse provided 1MW of power to accommodate lighting video and audio ldquoThis was split into different supplies in order to provide the right power distribution to the right disciplines Lighting ran from a 400Amp

TECH PROFILE28

ME

3phase and a 200Amp 3phase supplies the video element ran off a 250Amp 3phase supply that was split into the stage left and stage right IMAG screens and the audio was fed from a 200Amp supply ldquoOne of the biggest challenges we face is the ever-increasing demand for a lsquofestival stylersquo approach to concerts in the way that food and drink villages are wanted by the audiences It seems to be a current trend to utilise street food trucks at concerts and they have a high demand for power ldquoThe power department have and always will try to utilise as much locally-supplied power as possible so the team will constantly strive to minimalise the usage of generators and always opt for the shortest-running time possible We also constantly monitor the quality of the fuel supplies and only accept fully serviced generators so as to reduce the emissions caused through generated power suppliesrdquo For this event eclipse chose Aggreko generators which run on diesel fuel Kennedy

enthused that eclipse keeps its power department in check at the highest certified standard and all of the team carry a number of qualifications from BS7909 a certification in temporary power solutions to the events industry to IPAF - a qualification in operation of mobile electrical work platforms ldquoOne of our biggest selling points is our dedication to HampS The production teams work very closely with our in-house HampS manager to constantly produce the highest possible standard on and off siterdquo

A SUCCESSFUL RETURNPRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson summed up the event ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gig and the crew was ready to get going again after the summer break It was a complete smooth delivery from our side and the bandrsquos LD Sooner and her team left extremely happy with the hospitality and technical support they had received in the Middle East which for me is the

biggest compliment we can receiverdquo Between the key suppliers and Bon Jovirsquos own crew their Abu Dhabi performance went without a hitch and set the bar for the next chapter of MEA live events much to the satisfaction of Flash Charteris concluded ldquoAs the promoter I really want audiences here to see the same quality show that fans in London or New York will see - performers presenting themselves in all their gloryrdquo If this is the production standard in Abu Dhabi therersquos little danger of letting any fans down and wersquore looking forward to what the live entertainment circuit here will deliver nexthellip

Photos Flash Entertainmentwwwbonjovicomwwwthinkflashaehttpeclipseaewwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwdeltasoundaewwwaesae wwwmeinnovatecom

ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gigrdquo Damien Jackson Head of Lighting PRG Gearhouse

TECH PROFILE 25

ME

which undoubtedly makes a difference ldquoI pride myself on being on site at all of our events After nearly 40 years in the job Irsquom still looking into and learning about the live event business I like to see ingress and egress and I love seeing the start of any show I still get a tingle of excitement during the start of the processrdquo

FACILITATING A SMOOTH PRODUCTIONBon Jovi travel with their own stage manager but upon their arrival in the UAE were greeted by Gulf Crewingrsquos Nigel Beaton who acted as a facilitator for the touring crew and the local production team Beaton said ldquoIt was a more compact version of their usual stadium shows but I believe that with the infrastructure that has been built up in the UAE the quality of the lighting video sound and staging companies can honestly match the service and skills seen anywhere else in the world ldquoLetrsquos not forget the talent that we have working in the background from production managers to artist liaison officers to wardrobe assistants and all the advance site and stage crews Over the past few years we have invested a lot of time and effort into making this region a destination that large tours want to return to and having Bon Jovi open the new season is a perfect example of thatrdquo

LIGHTING AND VIDEOldquoThis was the first time Irsquove worked with Bon Jovi but we work with Flash Entertainment on a regular basis and have a great working relationship with both their operations and projects teamsrdquo explained PRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson who supported the technical needs of the showrsquos visuals The bandrsquos Lighting Designer Sooner Routhier and her rider led the lighting rig Jackson continued ldquoSooner was great to work with and there was plenty of communication between her and myself prior to the load-in to make sure I knew exactly what she was expecting for the show She was flexible on a couple of fixture substitutions and as her preferred profile fixture is the PRG Best Boy she was happy that PRG was the provider in Abu Dhabirdquo The flown lighting package comprised 72 GLP Impression X4rsquos 24 Martin Professional Atomic Strobes 48 Martin Professional MAC Viper Profiles six Martin Professional MAC Viper Performances 10 8-lite molefays and eight Clay Paky Sharpy Washes The floor package consisted of 16 PRG Best Boy HPs which Jackson excitedly confirmed was ldquothe first opportunity to get our brand new HPs on a showrdquo There were also 16 Clay Paky Sharpy Washes and eight SGM P5rsquos requested for the rider For

control MA Lighting grandMA2 desks were chosen for operation and backup For video requirements PRG Gearhouse supplied two IMAG screens four ROE Evision HD101rsquos two Vista Spyder 344 processors and a HD Camera PPU 4 System which utilised a Sony MVS-3000A video switcher With such a smooth transition with the lighting rig and a simple IMAG implementation for video were there any major challenges ldquoWeather is always an issue out here - as itrsquos always too hotrdquo he laughed ldquoThe pre-production between Flash the tour party and myself was very well detailed so we met no challenges We had plenty of time to get the prep completely right which made for a simple load-in and the rig was flown before lunch timerdquo AUDIOAudio supplier Delta Sound worked closely with Bon Jovirsquos touring crew who provided their own control microphone packages and split systems However Delta was asked to have a DiGiCo SD7 console on standby for local backup Deltarsquos Sound Engineer Rob Eatock detailed ldquoIn addition to Bon Jovirsquos show we provided a control and microphone package to the local support act that included a DiGiCo SD11 console at FOH with a DiGi Rack on stage and a

TECH PROFILE26

ME

Yamaha PM5D for the monitor control board A selection of Shure and Sennheiser microphones with Radial DI boxes accompanied the bandrsquos instruments on stagerdquo L-Acoustics XT115 HIQ wedges were used as monitor wedges for the five-piece opening band and additional instruments were supplied by local backline supplier MEI Delta also provided the RF requirements and chose to engage a wireless Clear-Com system Continued Eatock ldquoIt was great to finally see Bon Jovi live They sounded great and had a really good energy on stage - considering the high temperatures and ridiculous humidity we face hererdquo The main PA was configured with 24 L-Acoustics K1 boxes (12 per side) eight L-Acoustics K2rsquos for downfill (four per side) and 12 L-Acoustics K1 subs (six per side) flown behind

main K1 hang For outfill 20 L-Acoustics K2 (10 per side) were specified and 16 L-Acoustics KARA speaker cabinets were configured in eight stacks of two for frontfill Ground subwoofers were designed in a cardioid configuration and consisted of 30 L-Acoustics SB28rsquos in 10 stacks of three Eatock noted ldquoWe installed a cardioid sub configuration that I was not entirely happy with however it worked very well for the Bon Jovi setup even though itrsquos a configuration that we donrsquot use oftenrdquo Delay Speakers comprised 12 L-Acoustics VDOSC cabinets (six per side) and a total of 18 L-Acoustics LA8 Racks were used for amplification Delta also provided the audio rigging elements comprising four two tonne and 12 one tonne Liftket Motors six K1 K1SB K2 fly bars two K2 link adaptor plates and a VDOSC rigging chariot

STAGINGAll Event Services - AES - which works very closely with the German side of staging titans Stageco provided the main staging elements for the show in the form of the companyrsquos 4 Leg Classic Super Roof and The Hospitality Staging Platform which was constructed out of a large quantity of Layher event flooring and scaffold products JJ Trichardt Managing Director of AES explained that from a Health amp Safety stance AES prides itself on being on the forefront of the latest industry standards ldquoWe have a new edition to the Group-483 International Design and Technical Services which provides CITB scaffold training complying to the latest structural standards and scaffolding regulations from the UK and Europerdquo AES has also implemented the new CDM

ldquoBon Jovirsquos show was a great success which demonstrates what knowledge and coordinated communication can achieverdquoJJ Trichardt Managing Director AES

TECH PROFILE 27

ME

regulations and is a contributing member of ILEA Continued Trichardt ldquoWe aim to provide an unmatched service from inception to completion to create balanced projects that stand as testament of our corporate policy We work hand in glove with a number of international suppliers to ensure that the Middle East is provided with the highest quality technological advances and products while operating in a dynamic and competitive marketrdquo At Bon Jovirsquos concert AES also supplied certified crowd control barriers Heras fencing and some law enforcement barriers for extra safety For personnel only full time AES-employed crews are dispatched to carry out the staging setup and break down A total of 40 certified crewmembers were deployed during a four-day build Trichardt continued ldquoWe are a connected team where the individual is valued and trusted based on years of experience in the field This

enables timely decision making effective communication between all members and creates a sense of trust between clients and team members Bon Jovirsquos show was a great success which demonstrates what knowledge and coordinated communication can achieverdquo

A POWERFUL PERFORMANCEEnsuring the power supplies were met safely and accurately was Project Manager Michael Kennedy of the eclipse Group He told TPMEA ldquoI actually worked on the opening night of this tour in Jakarta Indonesia which was a stadium show for 45000 people We didnrsquot face many challenges due to the superb advance work and when the tour landed in Abu Dhabi the crew was already confident that everything was under control ldquoThe transition from the advance guys to the show was faultless Itrsquos always a great feeling knowing that a tour has full confidence in your

delivery from the instant they landrdquo Briefs for the power element of shows are always very last minute as they heavily depend on the other requirements being finalised Kennedy continued ldquoThe ability to pre-empt a number of variables is something that comes with experience for pre-production knowledge of the local venue plus the insight provided by the advance work undertaken from the production team is imperative to a smooth delivery on the nightrdquo ldquoeclipse is the tourrsquos in-house power team and we know this venue very well having worked closely with Flash for a number of years We have this arena running like a well-oiled machinerdquo For the stage power eclipse provided 1MW of power to accommodate lighting video and audio ldquoThis was split into different supplies in order to provide the right power distribution to the right disciplines Lighting ran from a 400Amp

TECH PROFILE28

ME

3phase and a 200Amp 3phase supplies the video element ran off a 250Amp 3phase supply that was split into the stage left and stage right IMAG screens and the audio was fed from a 200Amp supply ldquoOne of the biggest challenges we face is the ever-increasing demand for a lsquofestival stylersquo approach to concerts in the way that food and drink villages are wanted by the audiences It seems to be a current trend to utilise street food trucks at concerts and they have a high demand for power ldquoThe power department have and always will try to utilise as much locally-supplied power as possible so the team will constantly strive to minimalise the usage of generators and always opt for the shortest-running time possible We also constantly monitor the quality of the fuel supplies and only accept fully serviced generators so as to reduce the emissions caused through generated power suppliesrdquo For this event eclipse chose Aggreko generators which run on diesel fuel Kennedy

enthused that eclipse keeps its power department in check at the highest certified standard and all of the team carry a number of qualifications from BS7909 a certification in temporary power solutions to the events industry to IPAF - a qualification in operation of mobile electrical work platforms ldquoOne of our biggest selling points is our dedication to HampS The production teams work very closely with our in-house HampS manager to constantly produce the highest possible standard on and off siterdquo

A SUCCESSFUL RETURNPRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson summed up the event ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gig and the crew was ready to get going again after the summer break It was a complete smooth delivery from our side and the bandrsquos LD Sooner and her team left extremely happy with the hospitality and technical support they had received in the Middle East which for me is the

biggest compliment we can receiverdquo Between the key suppliers and Bon Jovirsquos own crew their Abu Dhabi performance went without a hitch and set the bar for the next chapter of MEA live events much to the satisfaction of Flash Charteris concluded ldquoAs the promoter I really want audiences here to see the same quality show that fans in London or New York will see - performers presenting themselves in all their gloryrdquo If this is the production standard in Abu Dhabi therersquos little danger of letting any fans down and wersquore looking forward to what the live entertainment circuit here will deliver nexthellip

Photos Flash Entertainmentwwwbonjovicomwwwthinkflashaehttpeclipseaewwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwdeltasoundaewwwaesae wwwmeinnovatecom

ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gigrdquo Damien Jackson Head of Lighting PRG Gearhouse

TECH PROFILE26

ME

Yamaha PM5D for the monitor control board A selection of Shure and Sennheiser microphones with Radial DI boxes accompanied the bandrsquos instruments on stagerdquo L-Acoustics XT115 HIQ wedges were used as monitor wedges for the five-piece opening band and additional instruments were supplied by local backline supplier MEI Delta also provided the RF requirements and chose to engage a wireless Clear-Com system Continued Eatock ldquoIt was great to finally see Bon Jovi live They sounded great and had a really good energy on stage - considering the high temperatures and ridiculous humidity we face hererdquo The main PA was configured with 24 L-Acoustics K1 boxes (12 per side) eight L-Acoustics K2rsquos for downfill (four per side) and 12 L-Acoustics K1 subs (six per side) flown behind

main K1 hang For outfill 20 L-Acoustics K2 (10 per side) were specified and 16 L-Acoustics KARA speaker cabinets were configured in eight stacks of two for frontfill Ground subwoofers were designed in a cardioid configuration and consisted of 30 L-Acoustics SB28rsquos in 10 stacks of three Eatock noted ldquoWe installed a cardioid sub configuration that I was not entirely happy with however it worked very well for the Bon Jovi setup even though itrsquos a configuration that we donrsquot use oftenrdquo Delay Speakers comprised 12 L-Acoustics VDOSC cabinets (six per side) and a total of 18 L-Acoustics LA8 Racks were used for amplification Delta also provided the audio rigging elements comprising four two tonne and 12 one tonne Liftket Motors six K1 K1SB K2 fly bars two K2 link adaptor plates and a VDOSC rigging chariot

STAGINGAll Event Services - AES - which works very closely with the German side of staging titans Stageco provided the main staging elements for the show in the form of the companyrsquos 4 Leg Classic Super Roof and The Hospitality Staging Platform which was constructed out of a large quantity of Layher event flooring and scaffold products JJ Trichardt Managing Director of AES explained that from a Health amp Safety stance AES prides itself on being on the forefront of the latest industry standards ldquoWe have a new edition to the Group-483 International Design and Technical Services which provides CITB scaffold training complying to the latest structural standards and scaffolding regulations from the UK and Europerdquo AES has also implemented the new CDM

ldquoBon Jovirsquos show was a great success which demonstrates what knowledge and coordinated communication can achieverdquoJJ Trichardt Managing Director AES

TECH PROFILE 27

ME

regulations and is a contributing member of ILEA Continued Trichardt ldquoWe aim to provide an unmatched service from inception to completion to create balanced projects that stand as testament of our corporate policy We work hand in glove with a number of international suppliers to ensure that the Middle East is provided with the highest quality technological advances and products while operating in a dynamic and competitive marketrdquo At Bon Jovirsquos concert AES also supplied certified crowd control barriers Heras fencing and some law enforcement barriers for extra safety For personnel only full time AES-employed crews are dispatched to carry out the staging setup and break down A total of 40 certified crewmembers were deployed during a four-day build Trichardt continued ldquoWe are a connected team where the individual is valued and trusted based on years of experience in the field This

enables timely decision making effective communication between all members and creates a sense of trust between clients and team members Bon Jovirsquos show was a great success which demonstrates what knowledge and coordinated communication can achieverdquo

A POWERFUL PERFORMANCEEnsuring the power supplies were met safely and accurately was Project Manager Michael Kennedy of the eclipse Group He told TPMEA ldquoI actually worked on the opening night of this tour in Jakarta Indonesia which was a stadium show for 45000 people We didnrsquot face many challenges due to the superb advance work and when the tour landed in Abu Dhabi the crew was already confident that everything was under control ldquoThe transition from the advance guys to the show was faultless Itrsquos always a great feeling knowing that a tour has full confidence in your

delivery from the instant they landrdquo Briefs for the power element of shows are always very last minute as they heavily depend on the other requirements being finalised Kennedy continued ldquoThe ability to pre-empt a number of variables is something that comes with experience for pre-production knowledge of the local venue plus the insight provided by the advance work undertaken from the production team is imperative to a smooth delivery on the nightrdquo ldquoeclipse is the tourrsquos in-house power team and we know this venue very well having worked closely with Flash for a number of years We have this arena running like a well-oiled machinerdquo For the stage power eclipse provided 1MW of power to accommodate lighting video and audio ldquoThis was split into different supplies in order to provide the right power distribution to the right disciplines Lighting ran from a 400Amp

TECH PROFILE28

ME

3phase and a 200Amp 3phase supplies the video element ran off a 250Amp 3phase supply that was split into the stage left and stage right IMAG screens and the audio was fed from a 200Amp supply ldquoOne of the biggest challenges we face is the ever-increasing demand for a lsquofestival stylersquo approach to concerts in the way that food and drink villages are wanted by the audiences It seems to be a current trend to utilise street food trucks at concerts and they have a high demand for power ldquoThe power department have and always will try to utilise as much locally-supplied power as possible so the team will constantly strive to minimalise the usage of generators and always opt for the shortest-running time possible We also constantly monitor the quality of the fuel supplies and only accept fully serviced generators so as to reduce the emissions caused through generated power suppliesrdquo For this event eclipse chose Aggreko generators which run on diesel fuel Kennedy

enthused that eclipse keeps its power department in check at the highest certified standard and all of the team carry a number of qualifications from BS7909 a certification in temporary power solutions to the events industry to IPAF - a qualification in operation of mobile electrical work platforms ldquoOne of our biggest selling points is our dedication to HampS The production teams work very closely with our in-house HampS manager to constantly produce the highest possible standard on and off siterdquo

A SUCCESSFUL RETURNPRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson summed up the event ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gig and the crew was ready to get going again after the summer break It was a complete smooth delivery from our side and the bandrsquos LD Sooner and her team left extremely happy with the hospitality and technical support they had received in the Middle East which for me is the

biggest compliment we can receiverdquo Between the key suppliers and Bon Jovirsquos own crew their Abu Dhabi performance went without a hitch and set the bar for the next chapter of MEA live events much to the satisfaction of Flash Charteris concluded ldquoAs the promoter I really want audiences here to see the same quality show that fans in London or New York will see - performers presenting themselves in all their gloryrdquo If this is the production standard in Abu Dhabi therersquos little danger of letting any fans down and wersquore looking forward to what the live entertainment circuit here will deliver nexthellip

Photos Flash Entertainmentwwwbonjovicomwwwthinkflashaehttpeclipseaewwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwdeltasoundaewwwaesae wwwmeinnovatecom

ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gigrdquo Damien Jackson Head of Lighting PRG Gearhouse

TECH PROFILE 27

ME

regulations and is a contributing member of ILEA Continued Trichardt ldquoWe aim to provide an unmatched service from inception to completion to create balanced projects that stand as testament of our corporate policy We work hand in glove with a number of international suppliers to ensure that the Middle East is provided with the highest quality technological advances and products while operating in a dynamic and competitive marketrdquo At Bon Jovirsquos concert AES also supplied certified crowd control barriers Heras fencing and some law enforcement barriers for extra safety For personnel only full time AES-employed crews are dispatched to carry out the staging setup and break down A total of 40 certified crewmembers were deployed during a four-day build Trichardt continued ldquoWe are a connected team where the individual is valued and trusted based on years of experience in the field This

enables timely decision making effective communication between all members and creates a sense of trust between clients and team members Bon Jovirsquos show was a great success which demonstrates what knowledge and coordinated communication can achieverdquo

A POWERFUL PERFORMANCEEnsuring the power supplies were met safely and accurately was Project Manager Michael Kennedy of the eclipse Group He told TPMEA ldquoI actually worked on the opening night of this tour in Jakarta Indonesia which was a stadium show for 45000 people We didnrsquot face many challenges due to the superb advance work and when the tour landed in Abu Dhabi the crew was already confident that everything was under control ldquoThe transition from the advance guys to the show was faultless Itrsquos always a great feeling knowing that a tour has full confidence in your

delivery from the instant they landrdquo Briefs for the power element of shows are always very last minute as they heavily depend on the other requirements being finalised Kennedy continued ldquoThe ability to pre-empt a number of variables is something that comes with experience for pre-production knowledge of the local venue plus the insight provided by the advance work undertaken from the production team is imperative to a smooth delivery on the nightrdquo ldquoeclipse is the tourrsquos in-house power team and we know this venue very well having worked closely with Flash for a number of years We have this arena running like a well-oiled machinerdquo For the stage power eclipse provided 1MW of power to accommodate lighting video and audio ldquoThis was split into different supplies in order to provide the right power distribution to the right disciplines Lighting ran from a 400Amp

TECH PROFILE28

ME

3phase and a 200Amp 3phase supplies the video element ran off a 250Amp 3phase supply that was split into the stage left and stage right IMAG screens and the audio was fed from a 200Amp supply ldquoOne of the biggest challenges we face is the ever-increasing demand for a lsquofestival stylersquo approach to concerts in the way that food and drink villages are wanted by the audiences It seems to be a current trend to utilise street food trucks at concerts and they have a high demand for power ldquoThe power department have and always will try to utilise as much locally-supplied power as possible so the team will constantly strive to minimalise the usage of generators and always opt for the shortest-running time possible We also constantly monitor the quality of the fuel supplies and only accept fully serviced generators so as to reduce the emissions caused through generated power suppliesrdquo For this event eclipse chose Aggreko generators which run on diesel fuel Kennedy

enthused that eclipse keeps its power department in check at the highest certified standard and all of the team carry a number of qualifications from BS7909 a certification in temporary power solutions to the events industry to IPAF - a qualification in operation of mobile electrical work platforms ldquoOne of our biggest selling points is our dedication to HampS The production teams work very closely with our in-house HampS manager to constantly produce the highest possible standard on and off siterdquo

A SUCCESSFUL RETURNPRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson summed up the event ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gig and the crew was ready to get going again after the summer break It was a complete smooth delivery from our side and the bandrsquos LD Sooner and her team left extremely happy with the hospitality and technical support they had received in the Middle East which for me is the

biggest compliment we can receiverdquo Between the key suppliers and Bon Jovirsquos own crew their Abu Dhabi performance went without a hitch and set the bar for the next chapter of MEA live events much to the satisfaction of Flash Charteris concluded ldquoAs the promoter I really want audiences here to see the same quality show that fans in London or New York will see - performers presenting themselves in all their gloryrdquo If this is the production standard in Abu Dhabi therersquos little danger of letting any fans down and wersquore looking forward to what the live entertainment circuit here will deliver nexthellip

Photos Flash Entertainmentwwwbonjovicomwwwthinkflashaehttpeclipseaewwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwdeltasoundaewwwaesae wwwmeinnovatecom

ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gigrdquo Damien Jackson Head of Lighting PRG Gearhouse

TECH PROFILE28

ME

3phase and a 200Amp 3phase supplies the video element ran off a 250Amp 3phase supply that was split into the stage left and stage right IMAG screens and the audio was fed from a 200Amp supply ldquoOne of the biggest challenges we face is the ever-increasing demand for a lsquofestival stylersquo approach to concerts in the way that food and drink villages are wanted by the audiences It seems to be a current trend to utilise street food trucks at concerts and they have a high demand for power ldquoThe power department have and always will try to utilise as much locally-supplied power as possible so the team will constantly strive to minimalise the usage of generators and always opt for the shortest-running time possible We also constantly monitor the quality of the fuel supplies and only accept fully serviced generators so as to reduce the emissions caused through generated power suppliesrdquo For this event eclipse chose Aggreko generators which run on diesel fuel Kennedy

enthused that eclipse keeps its power department in check at the highest certified standard and all of the team carry a number of qualifications from BS7909 a certification in temporary power solutions to the events industry to IPAF - a qualification in operation of mobile electrical work platforms ldquoOne of our biggest selling points is our dedication to HampS The production teams work very closely with our in-house HampS manager to constantly produce the highest possible standard on and off siterdquo

A SUCCESSFUL RETURNPRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson summed up the event ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gig and the crew was ready to get going again after the summer break It was a complete smooth delivery from our side and the bandrsquos LD Sooner and her team left extremely happy with the hospitality and technical support they had received in the Middle East which for me is the

biggest compliment we can receiverdquo Between the key suppliers and Bon Jovirsquos own crew their Abu Dhabi performance went without a hitch and set the bar for the next chapter of MEA live events much to the satisfaction of Flash Charteris concluded ldquoAs the promoter I really want audiences here to see the same quality show that fans in London or New York will see - performers presenting themselves in all their gloryrdquo If this is the production standard in Abu Dhabi therersquos little danger of letting any fans down and wersquore looking forward to what the live entertainment circuit here will deliver nexthellip

Photos Flash Entertainmentwwwbonjovicomwwwthinkflashaehttpeclipseaewwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwdeltasoundaewwwaesae wwwmeinnovatecom

ldquoThis was a great show and a fantastic gig to start the season off There was a big sense of excitement and expectation around this gigrdquo Damien Jackson Head of Lighting PRG Gearhouse

WINNERKYLIE MINOUGE

Kiss Me Once World Tour

2nd PLACEKATY PERRY

Prismatic World Tour

WINNERX-FACTOR UK

Final Wembley Arena

3rd PLACEKASABIAN

iTunes Festival London

3rd PLACEQUEENS OF THE STONE AGE Reading and Leeds Festivals

BESTLIVE STAGE

SHOW

BESTLIVE STAGE

SHOW

BESTLIVE TVSHOW

BESTLIVE TVSHOW

BESTFESTIVAL

SHOW

For more information or a demonstration contact ER Productions

infoer-productionscom

wwwer-productionscom

UK +44 1322 293 135

USA +1 214 2700665

AUSTRALIA +61 403 703 731

SPAIN +34 938 000291

ER PRODUCTIONS SPARKLE AT THE

2015 INTERNATIONAL LASER DISPLAY

ASSOCIATION AWARDS

On a busy weekend in the UAE legendary British lsquoman-bandrsquo Take That treated thousands of fans to an adapted version of their III Tour at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre With tickets to the intimate performance at Hard Rock Cafe Dubai Festival City the following day hard to come by this was a golden opportunity for many to see the group perform for the first time Despite Take Thatrsquos hard-earned pedigree on home soil this made the evening something of a grandstand performance and one that called on some of the regionrsquos biggest players to ensure its success Director of local audio supplier Delta Sound Al Woods was no stranger to Take That after touring with them in Europe and was more than happy to reaquaint himself with the band when the call came He explained ldquoI was involved with Take That when they reformed and took the role as PA System Designer and Crew Chief Irsquove toured

with them since then apart from on their last tour so it was a natural progression that Delta here in Dubai would look after the audio - if I had anything to do with it at leastrdquo

SERVING THE AUDIENCEThe PA was made up of L-Acoustics It included 24 K1 loudspeakers 12 K1 subwoofers 24 SB28 sub speakers 18 KARA loudspeakers 24 K2 loudspeakers four K2 downfills per side and 12 LA-RAKs each consisting of three LA8 amplifiers For local control the crew used a Meyer Sound Galileo 616 and 616 AES Woods and his team knew the venue well which minimised audio challenges and allowed them to focus on facilitating the best show possible He said ldquoThe priority of Sound Engineer Gary Bradshaw and his team is to produce an amazing sounding show for every audience member - it is part of the whole experiencerdquo Woods was keen to highlight the ldquostrong

allegiancerdquo Delta Sound has with L-Acoustics for which it is a major stockist and distributor adding that his team receive ldquoamazing supportrdquo from the company Although it is also a stockist and distributor of DiGiCo equipment the tour brought along its own road-tested FOH and monitor package According to Chris Fitch Director of Skan PA the decision to freight over the same gear used in Europe boiled down to one word consistency Skan PA provided two DiGiCo SD7 consoles one at FOH and one at monitors with two SD-racks in an optical loop The company also supplied eight Sennheiser SR2050 IEM transmitters four Sennhesier EM3732-II receivers eight SKM5200-II handheld microphones with 5235 heads and a full compliment of dampb audiotechnik D80 amplifiers with M4 wedges Fitch explained ldquoThe market in the Middle East tends to be fly dates rather than touring by road From what our touring personnel have

TAKE THATHOT ON THE HEELS OF A SUCCESSFUL EUROPEAN TOUR RECORD-BREAKING POP BAND TAKE THAT JETTED TO THE UAE FOR TWO EXCLUSIVE SHOWS THE LARGER OF THE TWO HELD AT THE DUBAI MEDIA CITY AMPHITHEATRE REQUIRED BOTH INVENTORY AND EXPERTISE FROM A NUMBER OF LOCAL SUPPLIERSTPMEArsquoS STE DURHAM VISITED THE SITE

TECH PROFILE30

ME

TECH PROFILE 31

ME

said the local vendors are good and can cater for artistsrsquo needsrdquo

LET THERE BE LIGHTFor lighting and video the Take That team called on industry heavyweights PRG Gearhouse strengthening its close relationship with local promoters Done Events While the profile of the act made the event a lsquomust haversquo for all of the suppliers in town PRGrsquos extensive resources meant they could meet Take Thatrsquos rider line-for-line Head of Lighting for PRG Gearhouse Damien Jackson said ldquoI have put a couple of rigs in this venue most recently the Blended festival in May of this year Itrsquos a great venue for concerts The stage sits in the bottom of the bowl so it offers great viewing sightlines all over for the puntersrdquo The lighting rig which was led by Lighting Designer Tim Routledgersquos rider consisted of

46 Aryton MagicBlade-R luminaires 32 Ayrton MagicPanels 11 Philips Vari-Lite 3000 spots 56 Clay Paky Mythos 10 Clay Paky Stormys 12 Clay Paky Stormy Washes 12 Clay Paky Sharpy Washes and 18 4-Lite molefays This was controlled with an MA Lighting grandMA2 full size console a lighting control rack and three MA NPUs The upstage LED wall was a 54 metre by 9 metre portrait wall made from 135 panels of ROE MC-7T Blackface while two screens of 624 metre by 36 metre Martin EC10 served as IMAG A five camera PPU system and a pair of d3 Technologies media servers completed the video rig PPRG Gearhouse had a number of lighting and video crew on site to ensure a seamless delivery

MULTI-TASKING The main stage at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre nicknamed the lsquoTarantularsquo was a

steel roof manufactured by Stageco as a specially produced piece owned by All Events Services (AES) Managing Director of AES JJ Trichardt said ldquoThe massive challenge given by us to Stageco Germany was to come up with a design that was very modular clean-looking and adaptable This included allowing for a maximum overall size of 43 metres wide by 21 metres deeprdquo He continued ldquoMany A-list artists use Stageco products so the band felt right at home on our stage here in the UAE Agents and bands know what they are getting and what to expect from this product and this makes life very easy for them the local production and the promoters ldquoWe are very thankful for all of the support wersquove received in the Middle East and we feel very blessed through the amount of projects that we now have under our belt At AES we strive

Take That FOH Engineer Gary Bradshaw Al Laith crewmembers on site at the Media City Amphitheatre

TECH PROFILE32

ME

to create lasting relationships rather than make one-off acquaintances We always listen to our clients first and then act PRG Gearhousersquos Jackson was also quick to sing the praises of the stage provided by AES He said ldquoThe Stageco roof structure put in place for this show made our lives a lot more comfortable and a decent-sized loading dock made our load-in and load-out easy There was huge wing space to accommodate backline world dimmer world and enough space to store spares without it being clutteredrdquo In addition to the stage AES supplied a 20-strong crew for the three-day build that included four certified riggers from Stageco and AES a site manager safety officer a project manager a supervisor and a certified first aider ldquoDuring this very busy time of the year discipline and delivering on time is essential as is satisfying the stakeholders that paved the way to

where we are todayrdquo concluded Trichardt With the exception of the stage all structural elements including cabins toilets VIP platforms temporary bars and entrance archways were provided and built by Al Laith The team of between 20 and 25 crew spent two weeks on site rising to 60 towards the end despite having a full schedule that weekend Warren Barlow Head of Event Services for Al Laith said ldquoWe have to be careful in terms of scheduling because we can be running 20 sites simultaneously sometimes - and this job is a logistical challenge at the best of times This weekend alone there are three other large-scale events going on besides Take Thatrdquo Despite this mammoth workload Al Laith has made its name supplying events large and small often in and around a city that poses its own challenges Barlow explained ldquoOn the main roads in Dubai yoursquoll rarely see a truck as vehicle

routes are restricted - certain times of the day even have truck bans This makes transport lengthy sometimes particularly if you have to find alternative routes There is not as much margin for error and everything requires detailed planning At the end of the day we still deliver the same resultsrdquo He continued ldquoWe have a certain amount of in-house transport but if we catered for everything then we would have a hell of a lot of trucks sat idle during the summer ldquoThere are a lot of great vehicle rental companies whose trucks can be on site within the hour In a way this is even better than having to move your own fleet around in a place like thisrdquo

KNOWLEDGE IS POWERAlthough this was Take Thatrsquos first performance in Dubai the very same venue played host to

PRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson

TECH PROFILE 33

ME

a solo performance by primary songwriter and frontman Gary Barlow in October 2014 Having worked on that very show Project Manager for eclipse Michael Kennedy knew what to expect when he was asked to supply power He explained ldquoI knew a number of the crew from previous projects and this was a great show to work on as the tour had full confidence in the power services provided A very well organised tour along with a great crew made this a very

easy project to deliverrdquo All show power at the venue has to brought in so eclipse provided three diesel Aggreko 350Kva synchronised generators that ran to a primary distribution panel and were split to supply each discipline ndash lighting video and audio Lighting had a 400Amp 3phase supply while video and audio each had a 200Amp 3phase supply Due to the way that the venue is laid out the generators were placed 120 metres

away from the stage necessitating 750 linear metres of 240mm single core cable to achieve the satisfactory results required by the local and touring technical elements Kennedy commented ldquoThe trend of festival style venues on this site is a very complex thing to manage This site can quite easily take over five km of cable to supply power to all of the different vendorsrdquo The company is keen to focus on HampS

Delta Soundrsquos Al Woods

Delta Soundrsquos audio crew hard at work during set up

ldquoI knew a number of the crew from previous projects and this was a great show to work on as the tour had full confidence in the power services provided A very well organised tour along with a great crew made this a very easy project to deliverrdquoProject Manager for eclipse Michael Kennedy

TECH PROFILE34

ME

ensuring that all equipment is fully PAT tested for electrical safety before each and every job Kennedy added ldquoAs we strive to stay ahead of the standards relating to the power supply to temporary events I have constant eye on the best products to buy to keep the power department at the leading front of temporary power solutions I am confident if there were to be a mechanical failure there is always enough power on site to accommodate ldquoThe meticulous selection and planning of cable sizes and routes is something that myself and all of the power team have a vast knowledge of This is one of the most important things to get right from the onset Also the utilisation of the most up to date safety devices inside our event ready distribution panels helps us to eliminate any kind of unwanted power outagesrdquo

BOOTS ON THE GROUNDWhile the event could not have happened without this formidable group of suppliers the crew supplied by Showforce played a vital role

The company sent eight crewmembers and a crew supervisor to carry out all of the work required to prepare the site which included stage set-up barrier fixing and the unloading of equipment where necessary A second Showforce team worked solely on production and included a crew manager and 15 crewmembers split between day and night shifts Working in tandem with Done Eventsrsquo production team they were responsible for unloading and installing lighting sound and video equipment Gemma Charity Showforcersquos Group General Manager said ldquoDone Events is renowned for delivering top notch performances from huge artists here in the Middle East We were able to provide them with experienced crew with the skillsets that they required Everyone involved worked to incredibly tight schedules and wersquore proud to have played our part in its successrdquo As well as being involved with coordinating Showforce staff for the event the self-confessed Take That superfan also attended both of the

grouprsquos Dubai shows in order to stand on the other side of the barriers She added ldquoAs a fan I thought it was brilliant Irsquove been to all of their tours in the UK that have amazing special effects and production values but to be honest it was lovely to see them up on stage just singing their songs to a great crowd On the night the band themselves commented on how refreshing it was to be free up there and not have to worry about hitting marks or changing costumes They seemed to really enjoy it and we certainly didrdquo

Photos Done Events wwwtakethatcomwwwdeltasoundaewwwdoneeventscomwwwallaithcomwwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwaesaewwweclipseaewwwshowforcecomwwwskanpacouk

TECH PROFILE 31

ME

said the local vendors are good and can cater for artistsrsquo needsrdquo

LET THERE BE LIGHTFor lighting and video the Take That team called on industry heavyweights PRG Gearhouse strengthening its close relationship with local promoters Done Events While the profile of the act made the event a lsquomust haversquo for all of the suppliers in town PRGrsquos extensive resources meant they could meet Take Thatrsquos rider line-for-line Head of Lighting for PRG Gearhouse Damien Jackson said ldquoI have put a couple of rigs in this venue most recently the Blended festival in May of this year Itrsquos a great venue for concerts The stage sits in the bottom of the bowl so it offers great viewing sightlines all over for the puntersrdquo The lighting rig which was led by Lighting Designer Tim Routledgersquos rider consisted of

46 Aryton MagicBlade-R luminaires 32 Ayrton MagicPanels 11 Philips Vari-Lite 3000 spots 56 Clay Paky Mythos 10 Clay Paky Stormys 12 Clay Paky Stormy Washes 12 Clay Paky Sharpy Washes and 18 4-Lite molefays This was controlled with an MA Lighting grandMA2 full size console a lighting control rack and three MA NPUs The upstage LED wall was a 54 metre by 9 metre portrait wall made from 135 panels of ROE MC-7T Blackface while two screens of 624 metre by 36 metre Martin EC10 served as IMAG A five camera PPU system and a pair of d3 Technologies media servers completed the video rig PPRG Gearhouse had a number of lighting and video crew on site to ensure a seamless delivery

MULTI-TASKING The main stage at the Dubai Media City Amphitheatre nicknamed the lsquoTarantularsquo was a

steel roof manufactured by Stageco as a specially produced piece owned by All Events Services (AES) Managing Director of AES JJ Trichardt said ldquoThe massive challenge given by us to Stageco Germany was to come up with a design that was very modular clean-looking and adaptable This included allowing for a maximum overall size of 43 metres wide by 21 metres deeprdquo He continued ldquoMany A-list artists use Stageco products so the band felt right at home on our stage here in the UAE Agents and bands know what they are getting and what to expect from this product and this makes life very easy for them the local production and the promoters ldquoWe are very thankful for all of the support wersquove received in the Middle East and we feel very blessed through the amount of projects that we now have under our belt At AES we strive

Take That FOH Engineer Gary Bradshaw Al Laith crewmembers on site at the Media City Amphitheatre

TECH PROFILE32

ME

to create lasting relationships rather than make one-off acquaintances We always listen to our clients first and then act PRG Gearhousersquos Jackson was also quick to sing the praises of the stage provided by AES He said ldquoThe Stageco roof structure put in place for this show made our lives a lot more comfortable and a decent-sized loading dock made our load-in and load-out easy There was huge wing space to accommodate backline world dimmer world and enough space to store spares without it being clutteredrdquo In addition to the stage AES supplied a 20-strong crew for the three-day build that included four certified riggers from Stageco and AES a site manager safety officer a project manager a supervisor and a certified first aider ldquoDuring this very busy time of the year discipline and delivering on time is essential as is satisfying the stakeholders that paved the way to

where we are todayrdquo concluded Trichardt With the exception of the stage all structural elements including cabins toilets VIP platforms temporary bars and entrance archways were provided and built by Al Laith The team of between 20 and 25 crew spent two weeks on site rising to 60 towards the end despite having a full schedule that weekend Warren Barlow Head of Event Services for Al Laith said ldquoWe have to be careful in terms of scheduling because we can be running 20 sites simultaneously sometimes - and this job is a logistical challenge at the best of times This weekend alone there are three other large-scale events going on besides Take Thatrdquo Despite this mammoth workload Al Laith has made its name supplying events large and small often in and around a city that poses its own challenges Barlow explained ldquoOn the main roads in Dubai yoursquoll rarely see a truck as vehicle

routes are restricted - certain times of the day even have truck bans This makes transport lengthy sometimes particularly if you have to find alternative routes There is not as much margin for error and everything requires detailed planning At the end of the day we still deliver the same resultsrdquo He continued ldquoWe have a certain amount of in-house transport but if we catered for everything then we would have a hell of a lot of trucks sat idle during the summer ldquoThere are a lot of great vehicle rental companies whose trucks can be on site within the hour In a way this is even better than having to move your own fleet around in a place like thisrdquo

KNOWLEDGE IS POWERAlthough this was Take Thatrsquos first performance in Dubai the very same venue played host to

PRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson

TECH PROFILE 33

ME

a solo performance by primary songwriter and frontman Gary Barlow in October 2014 Having worked on that very show Project Manager for eclipse Michael Kennedy knew what to expect when he was asked to supply power He explained ldquoI knew a number of the crew from previous projects and this was a great show to work on as the tour had full confidence in the power services provided A very well organised tour along with a great crew made this a very

easy project to deliverrdquo All show power at the venue has to brought in so eclipse provided three diesel Aggreko 350Kva synchronised generators that ran to a primary distribution panel and were split to supply each discipline ndash lighting video and audio Lighting had a 400Amp 3phase supply while video and audio each had a 200Amp 3phase supply Due to the way that the venue is laid out the generators were placed 120 metres

away from the stage necessitating 750 linear metres of 240mm single core cable to achieve the satisfactory results required by the local and touring technical elements Kennedy commented ldquoThe trend of festival style venues on this site is a very complex thing to manage This site can quite easily take over five km of cable to supply power to all of the different vendorsrdquo The company is keen to focus on HampS

Delta Soundrsquos Al Woods

Delta Soundrsquos audio crew hard at work during set up

ldquoI knew a number of the crew from previous projects and this was a great show to work on as the tour had full confidence in the power services provided A very well organised tour along with a great crew made this a very easy project to deliverrdquoProject Manager for eclipse Michael Kennedy

TECH PROFILE34

ME

ensuring that all equipment is fully PAT tested for electrical safety before each and every job Kennedy added ldquoAs we strive to stay ahead of the standards relating to the power supply to temporary events I have constant eye on the best products to buy to keep the power department at the leading front of temporary power solutions I am confident if there were to be a mechanical failure there is always enough power on site to accommodate ldquoThe meticulous selection and planning of cable sizes and routes is something that myself and all of the power team have a vast knowledge of This is one of the most important things to get right from the onset Also the utilisation of the most up to date safety devices inside our event ready distribution panels helps us to eliminate any kind of unwanted power outagesrdquo

BOOTS ON THE GROUNDWhile the event could not have happened without this formidable group of suppliers the crew supplied by Showforce played a vital role

The company sent eight crewmembers and a crew supervisor to carry out all of the work required to prepare the site which included stage set-up barrier fixing and the unloading of equipment where necessary A second Showforce team worked solely on production and included a crew manager and 15 crewmembers split between day and night shifts Working in tandem with Done Eventsrsquo production team they were responsible for unloading and installing lighting sound and video equipment Gemma Charity Showforcersquos Group General Manager said ldquoDone Events is renowned for delivering top notch performances from huge artists here in the Middle East We were able to provide them with experienced crew with the skillsets that they required Everyone involved worked to incredibly tight schedules and wersquore proud to have played our part in its successrdquo As well as being involved with coordinating Showforce staff for the event the self-confessed Take That superfan also attended both of the

grouprsquos Dubai shows in order to stand on the other side of the barriers She added ldquoAs a fan I thought it was brilliant Irsquove been to all of their tours in the UK that have amazing special effects and production values but to be honest it was lovely to see them up on stage just singing their songs to a great crowd On the night the band themselves commented on how refreshing it was to be free up there and not have to worry about hitting marks or changing costumes They seemed to really enjoy it and we certainly didrdquo

Photos Done Events wwwtakethatcomwwwdeltasoundaewwwdoneeventscomwwwallaithcomwwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwaesaewwweclipseaewwwshowforcecomwwwskanpacouk

TECH PROFILE32

ME

to create lasting relationships rather than make one-off acquaintances We always listen to our clients first and then act PRG Gearhousersquos Jackson was also quick to sing the praises of the stage provided by AES He said ldquoThe Stageco roof structure put in place for this show made our lives a lot more comfortable and a decent-sized loading dock made our load-in and load-out easy There was huge wing space to accommodate backline world dimmer world and enough space to store spares without it being clutteredrdquo In addition to the stage AES supplied a 20-strong crew for the three-day build that included four certified riggers from Stageco and AES a site manager safety officer a project manager a supervisor and a certified first aider ldquoDuring this very busy time of the year discipline and delivering on time is essential as is satisfying the stakeholders that paved the way to

where we are todayrdquo concluded Trichardt With the exception of the stage all structural elements including cabins toilets VIP platforms temporary bars and entrance archways were provided and built by Al Laith The team of between 20 and 25 crew spent two weeks on site rising to 60 towards the end despite having a full schedule that weekend Warren Barlow Head of Event Services for Al Laith said ldquoWe have to be careful in terms of scheduling because we can be running 20 sites simultaneously sometimes - and this job is a logistical challenge at the best of times This weekend alone there are three other large-scale events going on besides Take Thatrdquo Despite this mammoth workload Al Laith has made its name supplying events large and small often in and around a city that poses its own challenges Barlow explained ldquoOn the main roads in Dubai yoursquoll rarely see a truck as vehicle

routes are restricted - certain times of the day even have truck bans This makes transport lengthy sometimes particularly if you have to find alternative routes There is not as much margin for error and everything requires detailed planning At the end of the day we still deliver the same resultsrdquo He continued ldquoWe have a certain amount of in-house transport but if we catered for everything then we would have a hell of a lot of trucks sat idle during the summer ldquoThere are a lot of great vehicle rental companies whose trucks can be on site within the hour In a way this is even better than having to move your own fleet around in a place like thisrdquo

KNOWLEDGE IS POWERAlthough this was Take Thatrsquos first performance in Dubai the very same venue played host to

PRG Gearhousersquos Damien Jackson

TECH PROFILE 33

ME

a solo performance by primary songwriter and frontman Gary Barlow in October 2014 Having worked on that very show Project Manager for eclipse Michael Kennedy knew what to expect when he was asked to supply power He explained ldquoI knew a number of the crew from previous projects and this was a great show to work on as the tour had full confidence in the power services provided A very well organised tour along with a great crew made this a very

easy project to deliverrdquo All show power at the venue has to brought in so eclipse provided three diesel Aggreko 350Kva synchronised generators that ran to a primary distribution panel and were split to supply each discipline ndash lighting video and audio Lighting had a 400Amp 3phase supply while video and audio each had a 200Amp 3phase supply Due to the way that the venue is laid out the generators were placed 120 metres

away from the stage necessitating 750 linear metres of 240mm single core cable to achieve the satisfactory results required by the local and touring technical elements Kennedy commented ldquoThe trend of festival style venues on this site is a very complex thing to manage This site can quite easily take over five km of cable to supply power to all of the different vendorsrdquo The company is keen to focus on HampS

Delta Soundrsquos Al Woods

Delta Soundrsquos audio crew hard at work during set up

ldquoI knew a number of the crew from previous projects and this was a great show to work on as the tour had full confidence in the power services provided A very well organised tour along with a great crew made this a very easy project to deliverrdquoProject Manager for eclipse Michael Kennedy

TECH PROFILE34

ME

ensuring that all equipment is fully PAT tested for electrical safety before each and every job Kennedy added ldquoAs we strive to stay ahead of the standards relating to the power supply to temporary events I have constant eye on the best products to buy to keep the power department at the leading front of temporary power solutions I am confident if there were to be a mechanical failure there is always enough power on site to accommodate ldquoThe meticulous selection and planning of cable sizes and routes is something that myself and all of the power team have a vast knowledge of This is one of the most important things to get right from the onset Also the utilisation of the most up to date safety devices inside our event ready distribution panels helps us to eliminate any kind of unwanted power outagesrdquo

BOOTS ON THE GROUNDWhile the event could not have happened without this formidable group of suppliers the crew supplied by Showforce played a vital role

The company sent eight crewmembers and a crew supervisor to carry out all of the work required to prepare the site which included stage set-up barrier fixing and the unloading of equipment where necessary A second Showforce team worked solely on production and included a crew manager and 15 crewmembers split between day and night shifts Working in tandem with Done Eventsrsquo production team they were responsible for unloading and installing lighting sound and video equipment Gemma Charity Showforcersquos Group General Manager said ldquoDone Events is renowned for delivering top notch performances from huge artists here in the Middle East We were able to provide them with experienced crew with the skillsets that they required Everyone involved worked to incredibly tight schedules and wersquore proud to have played our part in its successrdquo As well as being involved with coordinating Showforce staff for the event the self-confessed Take That superfan also attended both of the

grouprsquos Dubai shows in order to stand on the other side of the barriers She added ldquoAs a fan I thought it was brilliant Irsquove been to all of their tours in the UK that have amazing special effects and production values but to be honest it was lovely to see them up on stage just singing their songs to a great crowd On the night the band themselves commented on how refreshing it was to be free up there and not have to worry about hitting marks or changing costumes They seemed to really enjoy it and we certainly didrdquo

Photos Done Events wwwtakethatcomwwwdeltasoundaewwwdoneeventscomwwwallaithcomwwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwaesaewwweclipseaewwwshowforcecomwwwskanpacouk

TECH PROFILE 33

ME

a solo performance by primary songwriter and frontman Gary Barlow in October 2014 Having worked on that very show Project Manager for eclipse Michael Kennedy knew what to expect when he was asked to supply power He explained ldquoI knew a number of the crew from previous projects and this was a great show to work on as the tour had full confidence in the power services provided A very well organised tour along with a great crew made this a very

easy project to deliverrdquo All show power at the venue has to brought in so eclipse provided three diesel Aggreko 350Kva synchronised generators that ran to a primary distribution panel and were split to supply each discipline ndash lighting video and audio Lighting had a 400Amp 3phase supply while video and audio each had a 200Amp 3phase supply Due to the way that the venue is laid out the generators were placed 120 metres

away from the stage necessitating 750 linear metres of 240mm single core cable to achieve the satisfactory results required by the local and touring technical elements Kennedy commented ldquoThe trend of festival style venues on this site is a very complex thing to manage This site can quite easily take over five km of cable to supply power to all of the different vendorsrdquo The company is keen to focus on HampS

Delta Soundrsquos Al Woods

Delta Soundrsquos audio crew hard at work during set up

ldquoI knew a number of the crew from previous projects and this was a great show to work on as the tour had full confidence in the power services provided A very well organised tour along with a great crew made this a very easy project to deliverrdquoProject Manager for eclipse Michael Kennedy

TECH PROFILE34

ME

ensuring that all equipment is fully PAT tested for electrical safety before each and every job Kennedy added ldquoAs we strive to stay ahead of the standards relating to the power supply to temporary events I have constant eye on the best products to buy to keep the power department at the leading front of temporary power solutions I am confident if there were to be a mechanical failure there is always enough power on site to accommodate ldquoThe meticulous selection and planning of cable sizes and routes is something that myself and all of the power team have a vast knowledge of This is one of the most important things to get right from the onset Also the utilisation of the most up to date safety devices inside our event ready distribution panels helps us to eliminate any kind of unwanted power outagesrdquo

BOOTS ON THE GROUNDWhile the event could not have happened without this formidable group of suppliers the crew supplied by Showforce played a vital role

The company sent eight crewmembers and a crew supervisor to carry out all of the work required to prepare the site which included stage set-up barrier fixing and the unloading of equipment where necessary A second Showforce team worked solely on production and included a crew manager and 15 crewmembers split between day and night shifts Working in tandem with Done Eventsrsquo production team they were responsible for unloading and installing lighting sound and video equipment Gemma Charity Showforcersquos Group General Manager said ldquoDone Events is renowned for delivering top notch performances from huge artists here in the Middle East We were able to provide them with experienced crew with the skillsets that they required Everyone involved worked to incredibly tight schedules and wersquore proud to have played our part in its successrdquo As well as being involved with coordinating Showforce staff for the event the self-confessed Take That superfan also attended both of the

grouprsquos Dubai shows in order to stand on the other side of the barriers She added ldquoAs a fan I thought it was brilliant Irsquove been to all of their tours in the UK that have amazing special effects and production values but to be honest it was lovely to see them up on stage just singing their songs to a great crowd On the night the band themselves commented on how refreshing it was to be free up there and not have to worry about hitting marks or changing costumes They seemed to really enjoy it and we certainly didrdquo

Photos Done Events wwwtakethatcomwwwdeltasoundaewwwdoneeventscomwwwallaithcomwwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwaesaewwweclipseaewwwshowforcecomwwwskanpacouk

TECH PROFILE34

ME

ensuring that all equipment is fully PAT tested for electrical safety before each and every job Kennedy added ldquoAs we strive to stay ahead of the standards relating to the power supply to temporary events I have constant eye on the best products to buy to keep the power department at the leading front of temporary power solutions I am confident if there were to be a mechanical failure there is always enough power on site to accommodate ldquoThe meticulous selection and planning of cable sizes and routes is something that myself and all of the power team have a vast knowledge of This is one of the most important things to get right from the onset Also the utilisation of the most up to date safety devices inside our event ready distribution panels helps us to eliminate any kind of unwanted power outagesrdquo

BOOTS ON THE GROUNDWhile the event could not have happened without this formidable group of suppliers the crew supplied by Showforce played a vital role

The company sent eight crewmembers and a crew supervisor to carry out all of the work required to prepare the site which included stage set-up barrier fixing and the unloading of equipment where necessary A second Showforce team worked solely on production and included a crew manager and 15 crewmembers split between day and night shifts Working in tandem with Done Eventsrsquo production team they were responsible for unloading and installing lighting sound and video equipment Gemma Charity Showforcersquos Group General Manager said ldquoDone Events is renowned for delivering top notch performances from huge artists here in the Middle East We were able to provide them with experienced crew with the skillsets that they required Everyone involved worked to incredibly tight schedules and wersquore proud to have played our part in its successrdquo As well as being involved with coordinating Showforce staff for the event the self-confessed Take That superfan also attended both of the

grouprsquos Dubai shows in order to stand on the other side of the barriers She added ldquoAs a fan I thought it was brilliant Irsquove been to all of their tours in the UK that have amazing special effects and production values but to be honest it was lovely to see them up on stage just singing their songs to a great crowd On the night the band themselves commented on how refreshing it was to be free up there and not have to worry about hitting marks or changing costumes They seemed to really enjoy it and we certainly didrdquo

Photos Done Events wwwtakethatcomwwwdeltasoundaewwwdoneeventscomwwwallaithcomwwwgearhouse-arabiacomwwwaesaewwweclipseaewwwshowforcecomwwwskanpacouk

The event is one of the biggest annual celebrations of arts in the African continent though many of the venues suffer certain issues including a lack of power One such venue Vickyrsquos is a small school canteen converted into a fringe theatre with a 150-seat capacity To reduce the power issues caused by the lighting this year the team decided to go all-LED thanks not only to assistance from Prosound but also to sponsorship from ETC

Prosoundrsquos Mac Makhobotloane who was responsible for technical lighting support said ldquoWe used ETC Source Four LED fixtures due to their beautiful dimming curve as well as their impeccable capability to replicate the behaviour of tungsten They were able to give us a wide range of saturated colour making them by far the best for the job To that we added some of the new ETC ColorSource PARs which provide an incredible colour spectrum and spectacular dimming curve at a superb low costrdquo

For St Andrews Hall an Element console

replaced the festivalrsquos previous control desk which had reached the end of its life Natalia Van Eck who had never used an ETC desk before said ldquoI was surprised to be able to just power up and go without the help of the manualrdquo

Elsewhere in the festival Denis Hutchinson lit two shows in the Victoria Theatre with ETC Source LED Four Series 2 Lustr luminaires and an ETC Ion control desk that he had specifically requested

The main theatre at the festival was the Guy Butler Theatre where an ETC Gio was used alongside ETC Source Four LED Series 2 Lustr fixtures Lighting Designer Faheem Bardien lit the first show of the festival Spring and Fall by the Cape Town City Ballet After the ballet the desk remained in the theatre for rest of the festival where it was taken over by Lighting Technician Abby Thatcher Two other halls benefitted from ETC sponsorship where the Alex Mullins venue and the Memory Hall wwwetcconnectcom

ETC SUPPORTS SOUTH AFRICArsquoS NATIONAL ARTS FESTIVALETC DEALER PROSOUND WAS ASKED TO PROVIDE SUPPORT FOR THE FESTIVAL IN GRAHAMSTONE IN THE EASTERN CAPE PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA

GL events Audiovisual a subsidiary to GL events Group was tasked with supplying the closing ceremony of the Africa Games From design to production the team focussed on guaranteeing top-quality service within sound

lighting and video To achieve the best possible light installation they selected 18 G-Spot LED moving heads from SGM

French Lighting Designer Vincent Mongourdin worked closely together with Show Director Martin Arnaud ldquoArnaudrsquos scenographic method was to place a cube balancing on its lowest vertex in a pool in the middle of the stadium symbolising the history presence and future of Congo when the cube opens The lighting concept was to make this cube become a piece of jewelry magnified by a concentric implementation This called for a powerful light output in order to give the right impression of the cube floating on water as I worked with the water reflectionsrdquo

This concept required a moving head with high output while operating in a humid

environment as the fixtures were placed right next to a huge water screen ldquoI was also attracted by its LED systemrdquo stated Mongoutdin ldquoSo we decided to place 18 G-Spots in the poolrdquo

The G-Spot moving head is IP65 rated causing the use of domes to be completely unnecessary By avoiding domes the light output and contrast of the luminaire will maintain unaffected and thus the projection is bright and powerful at all times Besides being protected against water and humidity the G-Spot is also protected against sand dust and the accumulation of other damaging particles resulting in a prolonged lifetime of the unit and a significant reduction in maintenance resources as only the outer luminaire requires occasional cleaning wwwsgmlightcom

SGM G-SPOTS FOR THE AFRICAN GAMES IN BRAZZAVILLEFOR 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AFRICA GAMES HELD IN THE REPUBLIC OF CONGO GL EVENTS AUDIOVISIALS SELECTED MOVING HEADS FROM SGM FOR THE CLOSING CEREMONY

REGIONAL ROUND UP36

Af

REGIONAL ROUND UP 37

Af

The AV Alliance membership has grown to 75 companies serving 102 locations around the world ndash which equates to 5733 employees involved in 100248 projects per year

The membership is selective with only one representative included per region and applicants are required to fulfil a catalogue of qualitative assessment criteria focussed on the respective companyrsquos quality and reliability

In 2015 Gearhouse South Africa identified two deserving employees to participate in the AV Alliancersquos inaugural Skills Swap programme Designated technicians spend a month working as part of the team at one of the other international companies on a one-to-one swap basis For Ezekiel lsquoZieksrsquo Mashimbye Senior Audio Technician at Gearhouse Johannesburg and Ryan Shepherd Project Manager at Gearhousersquos Cape Town branch it was the chance of a lifetime

Zieks spent September at NeumannampMuumlller Veranstaltungstechnik in Stuttgart Munich and working at the IAA in Frankfurt on a prestigious motor show while Shepherd travelled from Karben and Werne Germany to Hilversum Netherlands during October

ldquoIn Karben I worked on large scale corporate and in Hilversum the focus changed slightly to a more scenic custom graphics focus for exhibition stands and displaysrdquo said Shepherd He was given the opportunity to work in all departments on a rotational basis under the guidance of SatisampFy Project Managers Oliver

Heyde John Van Gaal and Thanos Souliotis Zieks also worked in a hands-on capacity as part of the Audio team under the guidance of NeumannampMuumlller Project Managers Moritz Spaumlth and Felix Moumlhrle

According to Shepherd experience and competence levels across the board ldquofrom freelancer to technicians to office staffrdquo were quite similar to South African norms

ldquoRealising that Gearhouse South Africa is already delivering to global standards - albeit with smaller budgets - fills me with priderdquo he commented ldquoI spent a lot of time abroad comparing systems and procedures and understanding that although the end goal is a common one there are many different ways to achieve it I have a long list of ideas and suggestions to propose for our own operation and hopefully was able to offer food for thought in returnrdquo

Zieks concurred ldquoIt was an eye opener in terms of seeing where we are going and where the world is going in terms of technology In this case I am glad to confirm that we are moving in the same direction as the rest of the world Our techniques are not very different but we could learn more from NeumannampMuumlllerrsquos very structured approach to pre-prep Every piece of equipment was labeled with boxes sealed before dispatchrdquo

He too has ideas to implement in the South African operation but was particularly impressed

by the unity of the German team members ldquoThe marketing team makes the promise to the client and when it gets to the team on the ground it gets executed seamlesslyrdquo

The ongoing investment into equipping their technicians with the competencies to excel at their craft is a priority for the company Gearhouse plays an integral role in many of the international tours so there are ample prospects to learn from international technicians working locally or to travel abroad with touring concerts and to train with international equipment manufacturers but a month-long technical exchange is something new and according to these two travelers an exciting learning curve

ldquoIt was a very worthwhile exerciseldquo said Shepherd ldquoI have learnt a lot from my peers made some good contacts and a few good friends along the way For me this exchange has made the AVA partnership real I am confident we will generate more business through the Alliance and that it offers our own clients a much greater scope to explore with confidencerdquo

ldquoWhat a great opportunityrdquo added Zieks ldquoI cannot thank everyone who contributed in the formation of the programme enough Lastly I would like to thank my company Gearhouse for choosing me Its is an honour for me and will be forever grateful for thatrdquo

A representative from NeumannampMuumlller will join the Gearhouse team in February respectivelywwwgearhousecoza

GEARHOUSE EMBRACES INTERNATIONAL SKILLS EXCHANGE PROGRAMMETHE GLOBAL AV ALLIANCE NETWORK WAS ORIGINALLY FORMED TO FACILITATE PROJECT REQUIREMENTS FOR CLIENTS THROUGH A NETWORK OF REGIONAL REPRESENTATIVES GEARHOUSE SOUTH AFRICA REPRESENTS SA WITHIN THE AV ALLIANCE AND HAS SUCCESSFULLY MANAGED NUMEROUS EVENTS FOR THEIR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERS

Ryan Shepherd Project Manager at Gearhousersquos Cape Town branch

Ezekiel lsquoZieksrsquo Mashimbye Senior Audio Technician at Gearhouse Johannesburg

Originally starting life as a one-off fundraiser to help a local orphanage Beats in the Bush has quickly it grown into a major charity occasion and the flagship event in the organisersrsquo calendar The gig happens once a year generally over three days in the spring Organiser Everybody Love Everybody (ELE) has hosted four Beats in the Bush events to date with the first raising just pound250 GBP and the most recent raising pound10000 GBP for its two beneficiaries ELE has also held smaller city-based one-day events over the years that have added to the total funds raised which is now over pound30000 GBP collectively The fundraiser is supported by artists DJs suppliers and technicians who are willing to donate their services for free underpinned by

the positive energy of ELErsquos Mike Earp and Tim Sammons Earp commented ldquoWe have an epic network of friends many of whom have jumped onboard and helped our beloved organisation make a substantial difference in the lives of those who desperately need a helping handrdquo The tickets are limited each year and have sold out at every event for the past two Earp maintained that this is because ELE prefers to keep the experience ldquointimate and personalrdquo allowing everyone involved to get to know each other and the general energy of the event to ldquoshine throughrdquo ldquoItrsquos a great model and it proves itself over and over again The DJs who share their passion at our events are in full support of the cause and love the ELE brand It really is a beautiful initiative

one that seems to have a ripple effect into the lives of everyone involvedrdquo he said Despite having a relatively modest budget ELE has made top quality production values its number one priority Earp said the best way of achieving this was to build and maintain healthy relationships with all of the suppliers and sponsors that fully support the cause He added ldquoWe want people walking away after having a unique experience and a feeling of awe Thatrsquos our goal at each event ndash to create a unique moving and world-class experience for each and every attendeerdquo The key to this for Beats in the Bush was securing a Funktion One rig from Pretoria-based supplier Phuture Sound The companyrsquos founder Anton Sinovich oversaw the provision of a full Funktion One rig which he said ldquoreally raised

BEATS IN THE BUSHWITH 100 OF THE PROCEEDS GOING TO CHARITY THE SOLD-OUT THREE-DAY CHARITY EVENT WAS PUT TOGETHER BY NGO EVERYBODY LOVE EVERYBODY AND FEATURED A POWERFUL FUNKTION ONE AUDIO RIG TPi REPORTS FROM SOUTH AFRICA

TECH PROFILE38

Af

TECH PROFILE 39

Af

the bar of the sound qualityrdquo for the event The company which acts as the sole distributor of Funktion One in South Africa and Africa provided the gear free of charge The setup for the main dance floor consisted of four Funktion One Resolution 4 loudspeakers and four F221 double 21-inch bass speakers Processing was taken care of by a Funktion One X04 audio management system with AudioCore and the main amplification was through an E25

E100 and an E90 unit all powered by MC2 DJ monitors were two Funktion One Resolution 1rsquos two BR115 15-inch bass reflexes and a Funktion One F60-DV quad amplifier and processor (FFA) Sinovich commented ldquoThe event was very well organised and characterised by lovely people both those organising it and those attending It was 100 for charity particularly for a childrenrsquos home in Johannesburg that was

struggling to make ends meet There were no administration fees charged by the organisers and around pound10000 GBP was raised which then went into an audited trust account This then pays out a monthly sum to the charities and enables them to keep afloatrdquo He continued ldquoThis is a great story that should be told The real heroes are Tim Mike and the all the DJs who were motivated to do something great for this childrensrsquo home after

ldquoWe have an epic network of friends many of whom have jumped on board and helped our beloved organisation make a substantial difference in the lives of those who desperately need a helping handrdquoMike Earp Everybody Love Everybody

TECH PROFILE40

Af

being moved by the poor conditions and lack of resources available for the great work of these passionate peoplerdquo added Sinovich Earp added ldquoIt has been an absolute pleasure working with Anton on our most recent project When we had the opportunity to meet him and the Funktion One South A ica team we were over the moon Needless to say the meeting went well and everything ran smoothly ldquo e sound on the night was impeccable

and de nitely had a massive impact on our overall production values e audio setup was unbelievable and we really hope to be able to maintain this relationship going forward as having Funktion One on board is a real game-changer om a technical point of viewrdquo As well as the ldquoworld-classrdquo PA system ELE was adamant that it would not hold back on any technical aspects of the production Beats in the Bush also sourced a three metre

by three metre LED screen for the DJ Booth and an array of atmospheric lighting equipment that Earp claimed overwhelmed the guests ldquoin the most beautiful wayrdquo He concluded ldquoIt really was a magical event and a big part of that magic could be a ributed to our technical successrdquoPhotos Melanie Van ZylFausto Beca i Alex Moorewwwfunktion-onecom

COMING THIS MARCHWITH DISTRIBUTION AT PROLIGHT+SOUND GERMANY

003

TECH PROFILE 39

Af

the bar of the sound qualityrdquo for the event The company which acts as the sole distributor of Funktion One in South Africa and Africa provided the gear free of charge The setup for the main dance floor consisted of four Funktion One Resolution 4 loudspeakers and four F221 double 21-inch bass speakers Processing was taken care of by a Funktion One X04 audio management system with AudioCore and the main amplification was through an E25

E100 and an E90 unit all powered by MC2 DJ monitors were two Funktion One Resolution 1rsquos two BR115 15-inch bass reflexes and a Funktion One F60-DV quad amplifier and processor (FFA) Sinovich commented ldquoThe event was very well organised and characterised by lovely people both those organising it and those attending It was 100 for charity particularly for a childrenrsquos home in Johannesburg that was

struggling to make ends meet There were no administration fees charged by the organisers and around pound10000 GBP was raised which then went into an audited trust account This then pays out a monthly sum to the charities and enables them to keep afloatrdquo He continued ldquoThis is a great story that should be told The real heroes are Tim Mike and the all the DJs who were motivated to do something great for this childrensrsquo home after

ldquoWe have an epic network of friends many of whom have jumped on board and helped our beloved organisation make a substantial difference in the lives of those who desperately need a helping handrdquoMike Earp Everybody Love Everybody

TECH PROFILE40

Af

being moved by the poor conditions and lack of resources available for the great work of these passionate peoplerdquo added Sinovich Earp added ldquoIt has been an absolute pleasure working with Anton on our most recent project When we had the opportunity to meet him and the Funktion One South A ica team we were over the moon Needless to say the meeting went well and everything ran smoothly ldquo e sound on the night was impeccable

and de nitely had a massive impact on our overall production values e audio setup was unbelievable and we really hope to be able to maintain this relationship going forward as having Funktion One on board is a real game-changer om a technical point of viewrdquo As well as the ldquoworld-classrdquo PA system ELE was adamant that it would not hold back on any technical aspects of the production Beats in the Bush also sourced a three metre

by three metre LED screen for the DJ Booth and an array of atmospheric lighting equipment that Earp claimed overwhelmed the guests ldquoin the most beautiful wayrdquo He concluded ldquoIt really was a magical event and a big part of that magic could be a ributed to our technical successrdquoPhotos Melanie Van ZylFausto Beca i Alex Moorewwwfunktion-onecom

COMING THIS MARCHWITH DISTRIBUTION AT PROLIGHT+SOUND GERMANY

003

TECH PROFILE40

Af

being moved by the poor conditions and lack of resources available for the great work of these passionate peoplerdquo added Sinovich Earp added ldquoIt has been an absolute pleasure working with Anton on our most recent project When we had the opportunity to meet him and the Funktion One South A ica team we were over the moon Needless to say the meeting went well and everything ran smoothly ldquo e sound on the night was impeccable

and de nitely had a massive impact on our overall production values e audio setup was unbelievable and we really hope to be able to maintain this relationship going forward as having Funktion One on board is a real game-changer om a technical point of viewrdquo As well as the ldquoworld-classrdquo PA system ELE was adamant that it would not hold back on any technical aspects of the production Beats in the Bush also sourced a three metre

by three metre LED screen for the DJ Booth and an array of atmospheric lighting equipment that Earp claimed overwhelmed the guests ldquoin the most beautiful wayrdquo He concluded ldquoIt really was a magical event and a big part of that magic could be a ributed to our technical successrdquoPhotos Melanie Van ZylFausto Beca i Alex Moorewwwfunktion-onecom

COMING THIS MARCHWITH DISTRIBUTION AT PROLIGHT+SOUND GERMANY

003

Madame Zingararsquos South African travelling theatrical experience has been delighting guests with its performances by outstanding South African and international award winning acts classical music and brightly coloured costumes - it is easy to see why this unique show has been a success To celebrate Madame Zingararsquos 15th anniversary Director Richard Griffin has created a new production - The Celebration - in a magnificent custom-built venue Named the Queen of Flanders the three-storey high 650-seater handcrafted mirrored palace features upper level balconies luxurious interiors and is located on the Cape Townrsquos main public square Grand Parade To help with the creation of Madame Zingararsquos new home theatre rental specialist Splitbeam and Lighting Designer Mannie Manim

were chosen to enhance the technological theatrics and production Splitbeam part of the Gearhouse Group provides equipment rental packages specifically for long term hire on theatrical productions and was therefore the right choice to supply both lighting and sound for the production Richard Griffin the founder of Madame Zingara and the creative genius behind the iconic brand directed the electrifying production assisted by Marc Colli ldquoThe design process began with the creative team wardrobe and art departmentrdquo said Griffin ldquoAnalysing the different acts with the intention of creating one-off effects in a unique space of the three storey mirrored tent The technology brief aimed to create a sound and lighting experience where every guest is immersed in the space playing on the

3500 bevelled mirrors and creating an onstage experience for clients with continual shifts of technologyrdquo Helen Surgeson Splitbeamrsquos Key Account Manager discussed the thought process behind the equipment selection ldquoThe Queen of Flanders Spiegeltent [mirrored tent] is a temporary venue that tours with the production Unlike its predecessors this newly designed tent was a triple volume space with the audience on two levels This meant that the stage is now also on two levels and the aerial acts are able to reach even greater heights The lighting and audio equipment needed to be clear of the performance area and could not impede audience sightlines in any way ldquoTherefore all equipment was rigged at maximum possible heightrdquo Surgeson continued

QUEEN OF FLANDERSCELEBRATING 15 YEARS OF PERFORMANCES MADAME ZINGARArsquoS NEW HOME - QUEEN OF FLANDERS -IS BROUGHT TO LIFE WITH THE HELP OF THEATRE RENTAL SPECIALIST SPLITBEAM

PROJECT FOCUS42

Af

PROJECT FOCUS 43

Af

ldquoThe lighting design carefully considered positioning to light the stage without blinding performers or the audience Working in the round with tables close to the stage meant that the choice of audio lighting design and equipment had to ensure that each and every audience member enjoyed excellent sound and lighting quality from wherever they were seatedrdquo The Splitbeam audio team supplied a compact PA system from Meyer Sound comprising 12 Meyer Sound M1D line array boxes ldquoMeyer Sound is amongst the top brands in the world and generally preferred by technicians in the theatre genre worldwiderdquo commented Splitbeamrsquos Senior Audio Technician Johann Grimsehl ldquoThe venue has a in-the-round setup so just setting up a left and right PA system would not have provided enough

coverage to the audience Because of this our solution was to utilise Meyer Soundrsquos smaller self-powered loudspeakers for the compact size high-output low distortion and wide dispersion Johann selected eight Meyer Sound UPM-1P loudspeakers two Meyer Sound UPJ-1P loudspeakers and two Meyer Sound UP Junior loudspeakers Meyer Sound was the perfect match because of the range of products it has available to meet the requirements of a show like Madame Zingararsquos The Celebrationrdquo Discussing the choice behind the self-powered Meyer Sound M1D cabinets Grimsehl reflected that there were both positives and negatives to powered and passive loudspeakers ldquoNot having to deal with amplifiers is great but then again it means having to deal with more cablingrdquo he stated

ldquoFor the Madame Zingara show self-powered loudspeakers are a huge advantage as they also house an active crossover for optimised frequency and phase response correction The intelligent AC supply also performs protective functions against power surges and dips With all this integrated technology we were able to supply a more compact system without the need for amplifiers and extra processing It decreased set-up time and we were able to link a number of loudspeakers to one signal without having to factor in impedancerdquo A pair of Electro Voice PX2181 subwoofers provide low-end for the system supported by a Klark Technik DN9848E system controller For audio mixing requirements a Midas PRO1 console was chosen ldquoThe Midas PRO1 desk was chosen for its versatility and processing and that

ldquoWe spent a day in the DWR Distribution demo room going through all the fixtures to see which of those we owned would match the requirements of his designrdquoJohann Grimsehl Splitbeam Senior Audio Technician

PROJECT FOCUS44

Af

it is able to do 51 surround sound effect needed for productionrdquo explained Grimsehl ldquoIt can be configured to suit the engineerrsquos needs and the on-board processing capabilities as well as the fact that it eliminated the need for any additional outboard gearrdquo The console is very compact and fully digital with 24 microphone inputs on the surface and 16 assignable outputs which suits the requirements for Madame Zingara The Midas PRO1 has eight VCAs and six population groups

it features Klark Teknik DN370 graphic equalisers and wide choice of dynamics processing - making it a popular choice for theatre and live applications A combination of Sennheiser and DPA microphones are used for the show six Sennheiser EW 500 G2 handheld microphones were chosen for the vocalists together with two DPA 4066 headsets for the performers and two Sennheiser EW500 G2 belt pack transmitters for the cellos ldquoThis is an active performance and the DPA headsets are able to withstand moisture

and heat while being comfortable to wear and discreetrdquo explained Grimsehl ldquoCombined with Sennheiser EW 500 belt pack systems reassuringly stable transmission the sound quality produced is designed to meet the needs of its respective applicationsrdquo For DJ equipment two Pioneer CDJ-900 Nexus multiplayers and a Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus DJ mixer were chosen Looking now to the lighting used in the venue Manim explained that the brief was to

create something that would make the show glamorous exciting and magical wherever possible ldquoI needed a full range of capabilities - washes profiles beams break-ups gobos colours and zoomsrdquo he explained ldquoBut I had the budget to consider I was given a lot of good advice by distributors DWR and Electrosonic as well as from Splitbeam on how to achieve what I wanted within the budget we hadrdquo The lighting package comprises a mixture of Philips Vari-Lite Robe and Martin Professional fixtures which were chosen with the

assistantance of the Splitbeam team ldquoManniersquos initial specification included a number of lighting fixtures not owned by Splitbeam or the Gearhouse Grouprdquo explained Surgeson ldquoSo we spent a day in the DWR Distribution demo room going through all the fixtures to see which of those we owned would match the requirements of his design Through this process we were able to substitute all but two fixtures those being Martin Professional

Rush PAR2rsquos and Martin Professional MH4 beam lights which were then purchased especially for the production The winning fixture of the demo was the Robe Pointe which was able to reduce the number of fixtures we needed due to its capability of being both a spot with a variety of gobo effect features and a beam light therefore being budget friendly and reducing the weight of the rig The VL2500 Wash and Spot also had features that fitted the requirements well and the fact that they were compact almost silent fixtures was a bonusrdquo

ldquoMeyer Sound was the perfect match because of the range of products they have available to meet the requirements of a show like Madame Zingararsquos The Celebrationrdquo- Johann Grimsehl Splitbeam Senior Audio Technician

PROJECT FOCUS 43

Af

ldquoThe lighting design carefully considered positioning to light the stage without blinding performers or the audience Working in the round with tables close to the stage meant that the choice of audio lighting design and equipment had to ensure that each and every audience member enjoyed excellent sound and lighting quality from wherever they were seatedrdquo The Splitbeam audio team supplied a compact PA system from Meyer Sound comprising 12 Meyer Sound M1D line array boxes ldquoMeyer Sound is amongst the top brands in the world and generally preferred by technicians in the theatre genre worldwiderdquo commented Splitbeamrsquos Senior Audio Technician Johann Grimsehl ldquoThe venue has a in-the-round setup so just setting up a left and right PA system would not have provided enough

coverage to the audience Because of this our solution was to utilise Meyer Soundrsquos smaller self-powered loudspeakers for the compact size high-output low distortion and wide dispersion Johann selected eight Meyer Sound UPM-1P loudspeakers two Meyer Sound UPJ-1P loudspeakers and two Meyer Sound UP Junior loudspeakers Meyer Sound was the perfect match because of the range of products it has available to meet the requirements of a show like Madame Zingararsquos The Celebrationrdquo Discussing the choice behind the self-powered Meyer Sound M1D cabinets Grimsehl reflected that there were both positives and negatives to powered and passive loudspeakers ldquoNot having to deal with amplifiers is great but then again it means having to deal with more cablingrdquo he stated

ldquoFor the Madame Zingara show self-powered loudspeakers are a huge advantage as they also house an active crossover for optimised frequency and phase response correction The intelligent AC supply also performs protective functions against power surges and dips With all this integrated technology we were able to supply a more compact system without the need for amplifiers and extra processing It decreased set-up time and we were able to link a number of loudspeakers to one signal without having to factor in impedancerdquo A pair of Electro Voice PX2181 subwoofers provide low-end for the system supported by a Klark Technik DN9848E system controller For audio mixing requirements a Midas PRO1 console was chosen ldquoThe Midas PRO1 desk was chosen for its versatility and processing and that

ldquoWe spent a day in the DWR Distribution demo room going through all the fixtures to see which of those we owned would match the requirements of his designrdquoJohann Grimsehl Splitbeam Senior Audio Technician

PROJECT FOCUS44

Af

it is able to do 51 surround sound effect needed for productionrdquo explained Grimsehl ldquoIt can be configured to suit the engineerrsquos needs and the on-board processing capabilities as well as the fact that it eliminated the need for any additional outboard gearrdquo The console is very compact and fully digital with 24 microphone inputs on the surface and 16 assignable outputs which suits the requirements for Madame Zingara The Midas PRO1 has eight VCAs and six population groups

it features Klark Teknik DN370 graphic equalisers and wide choice of dynamics processing - making it a popular choice for theatre and live applications A combination of Sennheiser and DPA microphones are used for the show six Sennheiser EW 500 G2 handheld microphones were chosen for the vocalists together with two DPA 4066 headsets for the performers and two Sennheiser EW500 G2 belt pack transmitters for the cellos ldquoThis is an active performance and the DPA headsets are able to withstand moisture

and heat while being comfortable to wear and discreetrdquo explained Grimsehl ldquoCombined with Sennheiser EW 500 belt pack systems reassuringly stable transmission the sound quality produced is designed to meet the needs of its respective applicationsrdquo For DJ equipment two Pioneer CDJ-900 Nexus multiplayers and a Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus DJ mixer were chosen Looking now to the lighting used in the venue Manim explained that the brief was to

create something that would make the show glamorous exciting and magical wherever possible ldquoI needed a full range of capabilities - washes profiles beams break-ups gobos colours and zoomsrdquo he explained ldquoBut I had the budget to consider I was given a lot of good advice by distributors DWR and Electrosonic as well as from Splitbeam on how to achieve what I wanted within the budget we hadrdquo The lighting package comprises a mixture of Philips Vari-Lite Robe and Martin Professional fixtures which were chosen with the

assistantance of the Splitbeam team ldquoManniersquos initial specification included a number of lighting fixtures not owned by Splitbeam or the Gearhouse Grouprdquo explained Surgeson ldquoSo we spent a day in the DWR Distribution demo room going through all the fixtures to see which of those we owned would match the requirements of his design Through this process we were able to substitute all but two fixtures those being Martin Professional

Rush PAR2rsquos and Martin Professional MH4 beam lights which were then purchased especially for the production The winning fixture of the demo was the Robe Pointe which was able to reduce the number of fixtures we needed due to its capability of being both a spot with a variety of gobo effect features and a beam light therefore being budget friendly and reducing the weight of the rig The VL2500 Wash and Spot also had features that fitted the requirements well and the fact that they were compact almost silent fixtures was a bonusrdquo

ldquoMeyer Sound was the perfect match because of the range of products they have available to meet the requirements of a show like Madame Zingararsquos The Celebrationrdquo- Johann Grimsehl Splitbeam Senior Audio Technician

PROJECT FOCUS44

Af

it is able to do 51 surround sound effect needed for productionrdquo explained Grimsehl ldquoIt can be configured to suit the engineerrsquos needs and the on-board processing capabilities as well as the fact that it eliminated the need for any additional outboard gearrdquo The console is very compact and fully digital with 24 microphone inputs on the surface and 16 assignable outputs which suits the requirements for Madame Zingara The Midas PRO1 has eight VCAs and six population groups

it features Klark Teknik DN370 graphic equalisers and wide choice of dynamics processing - making it a popular choice for theatre and live applications A combination of Sennheiser and DPA microphones are used for the show six Sennheiser EW 500 G2 handheld microphones were chosen for the vocalists together with two DPA 4066 headsets for the performers and two Sennheiser EW500 G2 belt pack transmitters for the cellos ldquoThis is an active performance and the DPA headsets are able to withstand moisture

and heat while being comfortable to wear and discreetrdquo explained Grimsehl ldquoCombined with Sennheiser EW 500 belt pack systems reassuringly stable transmission the sound quality produced is designed to meet the needs of its respective applicationsrdquo For DJ equipment two Pioneer CDJ-900 Nexus multiplayers and a Pioneer DJM-900 Nexus DJ mixer were chosen Looking now to the lighting used in the venue Manim explained that the brief was to

create something that would make the show glamorous exciting and magical wherever possible ldquoI needed a full range of capabilities - washes profiles beams break-ups gobos colours and zoomsrdquo he explained ldquoBut I had the budget to consider I was given a lot of good advice by distributors DWR and Electrosonic as well as from Splitbeam on how to achieve what I wanted within the budget we hadrdquo The lighting package comprises a mixture of Philips Vari-Lite Robe and Martin Professional fixtures which were chosen with the

assistantance of the Splitbeam team ldquoManniersquos initial specification included a number of lighting fixtures not owned by Splitbeam or the Gearhouse Grouprdquo explained Surgeson ldquoSo we spent a day in the DWR Distribution demo room going through all the fixtures to see which of those we owned would match the requirements of his design Through this process we were able to substitute all but two fixtures those being Martin Professional

Rush PAR2rsquos and Martin Professional MH4 beam lights which were then purchased especially for the production The winning fixture of the demo was the Robe Pointe which was able to reduce the number of fixtures we needed due to its capability of being both a spot with a variety of gobo effect features and a beam light therefore being budget friendly and reducing the weight of the rig The VL2500 Wash and Spot also had features that fitted the requirements well and the fact that they were compact almost silent fixtures was a bonusrdquo

ldquoMeyer Sound was the perfect match because of the range of products they have available to meet the requirements of a show like Madame Zingararsquos The Celebrationrdquo- Johann Grimsehl Splitbeam Senior Audio Technician

PROJECT FOCUS46

Af

The lighting was rigged as high as possible over the stage in sections so not to interfere with the audience or performers The use of profile fixtures with variable beams - 12 Vari-Lite VL2500 Spots and 12 Robe Pointes - helped overcome this challenge with support from 12 Vari-Lite VL2500 Washes and 12 Robe Robin 600 LED washlights ldquoA built in feature of the Queen of Flanders is a circular truss just below the apex of the tent - perfectly situated to allow overhead lighting to the aerial actsrdquo explained Surgeson ldquoThe balance of the overhead lighting is spread over two additional concentric rigs at lower heights but still do not limit the movement of the acrobatic performersrdquo Installed under the circular section of the stage with a glass window in front of them are eight Martin Professional Rush PAR2 moving heads and six Martin Professional MH4 beam lights which are used left and right of the staircase leading down to the stage as under-

stage uplighters For hazer effects a Le Maitre MVS hazer was chosen The lighting was programmed on a MA Lighting grandMA2 light console and the show is run by MA Lighting on MA and PC software package with an ETC Ion fade wing which were synced together ldquoThe grandMA2 light was used because its ease of plotting and then due to space restraints the MA on PC is being used to run the showrdquo said Surgeson ldquoThe MA desks are widely used in South Africa and Mannie was able secure the right kind of programmers to support him in executing his design All of these factors made it the obvious choicerdquo As the venue was a new structure the Splitbeam team had to realise the space in the week leading up to the installation and while working closely with the Madame Zingara team find and create solutions Surgeson went onto explain that discussions about the project had started with the Madame Zingararsquos management

team almost a year prior to the build ldquoWe had given ourselves more time than usual for the installationrdquo she explained ldquoAnd employed a local project manager who fed information to Splitbeam on a daily basis This was so that the equipment and accessories being prepped in our Johannesburg warehouse met the requirements of the venuerdquo Manim finished by reflecting on his experience with the Queen of Flanders ldquoThis project more than any other I have experienced was a total team effort It was an education to work with Rick Klessens and his family who built the tent just like his father and grandfather before him The final result is the joint effort of the whole team in all departments coming together to realise the vision of Richard Griffinrdquo

Photos Anton de Beerwwwmadamezingaracom

Tel +971 4 347 3788 eventrentalproductionteccomproductionteccom Dubai amp Abu Dhabi

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