With a passion for perfecting the live sound experience, Wissam Shaheen has spent the past two decades not only using d&b audiotechnik products but also being a committed advocate of them to anybody who will listen. So, when he revealed to TPiMEA that he would be joining the company full-time, the only surprise was that it hadn’t happened sooner. “This is an ambition I’ve had since my early 20s,” said an enthused Shaheen, clearly delighted to have landed a role at his dream company. “People keep telling me that it was bound to happen sooner or later, but I feel…
Author: Peter Iantorno
Downtown Dubai welcomed 2026 in style with a technically and logistically complex New Year’s Eve spectacle. Viewed from Burj Park, the Dubai Mall promenade and across the Dubai Fountain lake, the Burj Khalifa New Year’s Eve programme combined fireworks, water-based performance, lasers, lighting, aerial choreography and live music into a multisensory, broadcast-ready experience delivered at extraordinary scale. Premiering on New Year’s Eve, the show was for a further seven nights continuously afterwards. At its core sat a tightly integrated technical ecosystem designed to operate within one of the busiest urban environments on the planet, while delivering fault-tolerant performance for both…
With ever-increasing production demands for shows taking place in the Middle East, there is a greater need than ever for rehearsal facilities that can accommodate large-scale, complex productions. In response to this demand, Protec has proudly opened the doors to STEVES – a brand-new, purpose-built space designed to cater for full-scale event rehearsals. The space is also fully equipped to host film and TV shoots, theatre rehearsals and even live performances. Named after Protec’s founder, Steve Lakin, who sadly passed away in 2023, the goal of the facility, according to the official website, is a “commitment to perfection, precision and…
Eid Al Etihad is always an important date on the UAE calendar. However, for the 54th annual celebration, which took place on 2 December 2025, there was even more reason to mark the occasion, as it coincided with the unveiling of the new Zayed National Museum as well as the debut of the UAE National Orchestra. The National Projects Office (NPO) once again tasked People&Co with producing a spectacular show worthy of the triple-celebration, with Tim Elliott reprising his role as Artistic Director. Catching up with TPiMEA after the dust had settled, Elliott wound back the clocks on how the…
MDLBEAST has been at the forefront of the development of Saudi Arabia’s live events industry since it burst onto the scene with the first Soundstorm festival in 2019, achieving feats of production that have never been seen before (or since), and smashing several world records along the way. Having displayed its capabilities on the grandest scale possible, for the 2025 edition of Soundstorm, the MDLBEAST team redesigned the entire footprint of the festival to a format that was more compact yet no less compelling. Speaking to TPiMEA on site from the festival’s Event Management Centre (EMC), MDLBEAST Executive Director of…
More than 20 years in the making at a reported cost of $1 billion, the Grand Egyptian Museum (GEM) in Cairo is the world’s largest museum dedicated to a single civilisation, housing over 100,000 artefacts. Egypt’s new icon officially opened its doors to the public on 1 November, with a fittingly grand ceremony attended by 40 heads of state and broadcast live to a global audience of over one billion people around the world. With the eyes of the world firmly upon them and pressure very much on to deliver an event that was worthy of the occasion, MediaHub entrusted…
The Middle East has never been short of ambition when it comes to the size and scale of events. However, the same can’t always be said for the depth of cultural storytelling present in those events. Enter Mistika: a company born out of a desire to bridge the gap between heritage and innovation in the region’s events. “For years, we saw a mismatch between the scale of events in the region and the depth of cultural storytelling on stage,” explained Mistika cofounder Jimi Elgohary. “Clients were looking for experiences that felt authentic to the GCC and Arab culture, but the…
What was the idea behind this innovation? We wanted to bridge the gap between cinematic image quality and live production efficiency. Traditional camera setups often demand bulky infrastructure, multiple power sources, and complex signal routing – all of which can slow down deployment and complicate control. Instead, we came up with a custom-built multi-camera system centered on Blackmagic Studio Camera 6K Pros paired with Canon CN-E 70-200mm T4.4 L IS KAS lenses and a 18-400mm lens for versatile coverage. It’s about solving complexity through simplicity. We wanted a compact solution that’s fast, light, and reliable – something we can trust…
For one night in October, Sami Yusuf took to the stage at the 6,000-seat, 2nd Century Roman Theatre in Amman, Jordan, with more than 50 musicians, performing with an array of traditional instruments and voices spanning the Middle East, South Asia, South America and Europe, in a celebration of cultural tradition and musical unity. To make this project a reality, sound design specialist Auditoria was engaged to design and operate the audio, with a creative lighting design courtesy of Woodroffe Bassett Design and technical supply from Amman-based R.B Event Technology. “Our goal was to sensitively light the space and accentuate…
Here at TPiMEA, we’re well accustomed to covering the region’s biggest productions – many of which just so happen to boast the latest and greatest in live events technology, deployed by experts in their respective fields. We’re not only about the kit though; sometimes the human element of an event is so compelling, it warrants a special mention. This is very much the case for the Opening Ceremony of Riyadh Season 2025 – an audacious parade featuring a cast and crew of 1,500, watched by more than 40,000 people over a 1.7km stretch between Kingdom Arena and BLVD World. “This…
In August, the Bunyodkor Stadium in Tashkent, Uzbekistan hosted Jennifer Lopez’s Up All Night: Live in 2025 tour. The show was watched by over 31,000 attendees and marked the country’s first performance by an American A-list artist. Tashkent-based rental and sales company YASTREB-Sound supplied the entire audio system for the occasion, deploying an L-Acoustics PA system along with DiGiCo consoles at both FOH and monitors, ensuring that there was no drop-off in quality at the country’s largest stadium. YASTREB-Sound’s Chief System Engineer, Eduard Asadov, designed the system, working in close collaboration with Matt Coplon, Jennifer Lopez’s touring System Engineer. The…
Most Middle East festivals tend do a lot of things right. From record-breaking production levels to a plethora of food and beverage options, there’s very little to complain about for the region’s festivalgoers. However, one area where the admittedly still nascent Middle East festival market doesn’t always hit the mark is that much less tangible characteristic of authenticity, which is earned by a festival returning year after year and building its own legend in the process. This sense of authenticity is in abundance at the original UNTOLD festival, which has taken place annually in Romania for the past decade, and…
