DUBAI, UAE – Fifteen leading production and technical services companies – including Al Laith Event Services, Creative Technology, Delta Sound, EFM Event Logistics and Neumann & Müller Event Technology – supplied gear, crew and expertise for three-day concert event at Dubai's Aviation Club called Peace One Day.
Set against the current backdrop of mass protests, civil unrest, violence, military offensives and the desire for political change in key areas of the Middle East, a resonance and urgency was added to the values embraced by Peace One Day (www.peaceoneday.org) and the importance of boosting public awareness of its goals.
The concept for the concerts – which also lined up a host of local talent including Juliana Down, Absolace, The Brownies, Maplejacks, The Shine, and many others – was germinated by Jo Marshall from Al Laith Event Services, who is a supporter of Peace One Day. The first night was headlined by singer/songwriter Ali Campbell, founder of UB40.
Timing wise, he thought it would be ideal to stage the first night Concert alongside the annual EFM Party, a social and networking event hosted by the international freighting and logistics specialist, EFM.
Marshall particularly wanted to emphasise the single technical discipline expertise and knowledge available in the UAE. In addition to Al Laith (staging, structures and production infrastructure), soon confirmed were Delta Sound (audio), CT (video) and Neumann & Müller (lighting).
HQ Creative came onboard to handle production management, with a team led by Nadine Manning, plus nine other sponsors, who contributed backline (Musician's Warehouse), furniture (Harlequin), draping, dressing & starcloths (Showtex), crewing (Gulf Crewing), site power and distribution (Gulf Show Power), branding & printing (Prolab), etc. Artist booking and liaison was handled by The Aviation Club.
The concert event was the first such event in Dubai, and the largest show ever to be staged at The Aviation Club. It involved elaborate logistical support. "It is the most enjoyable project I've ever worked on" said Marshall.
