Page 44 - Protec PR Book Volume 1

Protec has successfully pulled off one of its most demanding production support challenges ever, at the annual Sheikh Zayed Heritage Festival in Abu Dhabi.
The event, which was held at the Al Wathba race track, celebrates UAE’s cultural inheritance as well as the diversity of other cultures around the world. The festival offered a variety of educational platforms, interactive performances, fountain shows, a tribal parade and a dazzling fireworks display each night.
Protec were engaged for the fourth consecutive year to provide state of the art sound and lighting reinforcement for the 30,000 sq.m site.
Not only was the scale unprecedented, but the event was so successful that a late decision was taken to extend the duration to two months, from early December to January 21st.
Protec provided site wide inventory, deploying an elaborate Optocore dual redundant fiber network to transmit pristine audio to all the locations. Requiring some 2.6km of cable, this was all managed from a central control hub. The deployment enabled them to carry out a range of tasks, from servicing 40 live interactive shows daily in dedicated traditional souks and time-coded fountain and firework displays, to providing an emergency announcement system and programmed call to prayer across the entire festival site.
Immersed in their own unique cuisine and culture (including traditional dress), each of the souks presented four shows a day, making over 2,000 live performances over the 52-day duration of the festival alone. And with additional sound coverage required for the kids area, horses and Union Circle, Protec’s audio department had no fewer than 14 separate sites to manage over the vast festival grounds.
In addition, the company dipped further into its large inventory to provide a separate sound system for an independent one-day event, Union March, in which tribes from across the Emirates marched to signify unity as part of the National Day celebrations.
To oversee the deployment and operation of the massive technical infrastructure Protec fielded an experienced crew under the project management of Simon Travis. Daniel Dignan and John Francis took charge of the audio for the Heritage Festival with Tim Allison looking after the Union March, while lighting was in the capable hands of Geronimo Abad, Nelson Noche and Ferdie Caloy.
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