The largest national sporting event in the history of Saudi Arabia, the Saudi Games took place in Riyadh from 27 October to 7 November. With more than 6,000 athletes and 2,000 technical and administrative supervisors involved, the event was on a massive scale.
Event and entertainment management agency LuxuryKSA appointed SLS Production Equipment to deliver a turnkey AV production for both the fan zone and the closing ceremony. Managed by Production Managers, Anuj Naik and Paurasp Waghchhipawalla, the SLS team worked day and night to pull off the ambitious multifaceted project.
The first stage was the fan zone at Al Nakheel Mall, for which SLS provided audio, lighting, LED, SFX, trussing and scaffolding.
The PA comprised 24 Meyer Sound LEOPARD loudspeakers and 12 900-LFC subs, with a Yamaha console at FOH. Two Pioneer DJM-900NXS2s and four CDJ-2000NXS2 were provided for the incoming DJs, while eight Yamaha and 10 NEXO PS15-R2 were among the loudspeakers used for on-stage sound. SLS’s video department deployed its newly purchased Absen PL Lite 3.9mm outdoor LED screen for the event, with 4K processing using NovaStar H2 and CVT4K-S, and Resolume Arena used for playback.
In all, 128 sq m of the Absen product was used for an LED tower displaying the live action, while 126 sq m was deployed on the main stage.
Lighting HOD Praveen Jayakumar designed the lighting rig, which featured a selection of Robe fixtures including MegaPointes, Spiider Washes, and TETRA2 linear bars, which were joined by Martin ERA 800 Performances, and SGM Lighting P-5s. Atmospherics came in the form of Magic FX Sparkulars and Robe fog and haze machines, with an MA Lighting grandMA2 Full Size and a grandMA2 light used for control.
For the closing ceremony, SLS fulfilled an ambitious stage design by LuxuryKSA. Head Rigger Kevin Shyam oversaw the install of a huge scaffolding main stage structure measuring 36m by 8m by 22m. A large Meyer Sound PA was again deployed, including 24 LEO-M, 24 1100-LFC, 64 LEOPARD, 12 900-LFC, as well as MJF-210 and MJF-212 on stage, with a DiGiCo SD7 at FOH and an SD5 at monitors.
“We are very proud of our long-lasting collaboration with SLS,” commented Andrea Granata, Meyer Sound Sales Manager for MEA. “From training to technical support and service we do our best to put them in the best condition to deliver exceptional shows like this.” Giving his thought on the system was SLS Project Manager, Anuj Naik. “We have a good stock of Meyer Sound to cater for our KSA shows. Our client chose the brand for this huge outdoor event due to it’s quality ease of installation.”
“I love mixing live shows with Meyer Sound,” commented Audio Operator Arun Kumar. “It almost feels like I’m mixing in the studio. I also love the fact that, when all the frequencies come together with the right balance at front-of-house, I can be confident that what I’m hearing is the same throughout the venue.”
The video-heavy design used more than 400 sq m of the new Absen PL Lite V10 3.9mm outdoor screen, which again utilised NovaStar 4K processing consisting of H9 and CVT4Ks, as well as a Barco E2.
The DAGE Beam 380 was the workhorse fixture on the lighting rig – complemented by Robe Spiider Washes and TETRA2s, as well as Martin ERA 600 Performances, MAC Viper Profiles and MAC Viper Performances, with two MA Lighting grandMA2 Full Size consoles providing the control solution.
Looking back on the project, Video HOD, Edgar Pulido was proud of what was achieved in a tight timeframe. “At first it seemed like an impossible task, but our Managing Director, Edwin Cheeran, had full faith in us, and we were proud to accept the challenge,” he concluded.
Photo: SLS Production Equipment
