Qatar Vision, the most prestigious event management company in the State of Qatar, has selected Claypaky lighting fixtures for a number of its most high-profile projects. The Doha-based firm offers a comprehensive slate of event production, technical integration solutions, marketing, creative design, video production, information technology and large scale branding to a roster of world-class clients.
“We count on Claypaky to help us deliver successful events time after time,” says Qatar Vision CEO/Managing Director Sharif Hashisho. “Claypaky fixtures often dominate our lighting rigs and give us the innovative, unique and versatile performance we need for top-level projects.” Hashisho often serves as Creative Concept Designer and Executive Producer for Qatar Vision projects.
For example, the 25th anniversary of Qatar Airways, renowned for its superior service and top-of-the-line flight experience, was celebrated in spectacular style at Khalifa International Stadium in Doha with top government officials and international airline executives and manufacturers in attendance. The ceremony took place during IATA’s 78th Annual General Meeting & World Air Transport Summit in Qatar, for which Qatar Vision also produced the organization’s gala.
Inspired by the upcoming FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 to be held in the stadium, Qatar Vision gave the Qatar Airways celebration the flavor of a world-class event with a multimedia and fireworks show, pitch-side gala dinner and a grand finale concert by Jennifer Lopez for 1,500 guests and 10,000 Qatar Airways employees.
The multimedia show highlighted the history, culture and development of both Qatar and Qatar Airways. The program’s content was mapped onto the stadium pitch and accompanied by a live folklore dance performance.
Qatar Vision conceptualized, planned, built and delivered the entire venue overlay, including decoration and branding, which highlighted Qatar Airways’ multiple accolades as Skytrax “Airline of the Year.” The look and feel of the celebration reflected Qatari hospitality and luxury with a building of emotion and narrative in the brand promotion, multimedia show and protocol elements leading up to the spectacular finale concert.
The once-in-a-lifetime event required an enormous roster of technology, including more than 800 moving and static lights synchronized to the show segments. The stage for Jennifer Lopez featured more than 500 moving lights and strobes plus customized triangular LED video screens. Claypaky fixtures dominated the lighting rigs with Lighting Designer Syam Gopinath selecting 100 Claypaky Xtylos, 100 K-EYE K20 HCR and 100 Scenius Unico fixtures for the celebration in addition to 60 Sharpy Plus, 50 Hepikos washlights and 60 portable GlowUp luminiares.
The event was considered a stand out in airline and IATA history successfully showcasing Qatar Airways as a true international 5-star airline and previewing FIFA and Qatar’s readiness to host the World Cup.
Concurrent with Qatar Airways’ 25th anniversary celebration, Qatar Vision produced and managed IATA’s 78th Annual General Meeting welcome gala, hosted by Qatar Airways and the first event of its kind at such a meeting. Qatar Vision designed, overlaid and built the venue from scratch in an empty hall at the Doha Exhibition & Convention Center.
The event welcomed 1,500 IATA delegates with warm local and regional hospitality, a presentation of Middle Eastern culture and folklore including a dance show, and a grand finale performance by Christina Aguilera. An 80 x 6-meter panoramic curved LED video screen served as a giant 180º backdrop with mapped content reflecting the look and feel of the event, including 3D animation from Qatar Airways. Four hundred moving and static lights were installed and programmed in full timecode synchronization with a digitally-controlled audio system.
Lighting Designer Sabri Mansouri chose 50 Claypaky Xtylos, 60 K-EYE K20 HCR, 50 Scenius Unico, 60 Sharpy Plus and 50 Hepikos for the rig, which dazzled guests who had never seen such an evening at any previous IATA gathering. It was a gala that showed Qatar Airways and IATA in the best possible light!
Late last year Qatar Vision was charged with all the event production for the Inauguration Ceremony for Al Maha Island, a world-class project for the ultimate entertainment and leisure spot set to take tourism and hospitality in Qatar to a new level. Eight hundred VIP guests – including Qatar’s Prime Minister – and 30,000 members of the public attended the event, which was highlighted by international news organizations and social media worldwide.
The project, for Estithmar Ventures Real Estate Development, is expected to attract more than 1.5 million visitors annually to its Lusail Winter Wonderland, Nammos Beach Club, Al Maha Arena and high-end dining district.
Qatar Vision’s extensive experience handling such massive public events through its design, technical and engineering departments came into play for the Inauguration Ceremony, which transformed Al Maha Island into a big theatrical multimedia show.
Guests were welcomed to a reception featuring soft live entertainment, mocktails and canapés. The guest of honor was presented with an interactive tablet that activated the inauguration segment with 500 programmed moving lights, flame effects, fountains and pyrotechnics around the island’s perimeter.
The celebration show followed with the theme of Aladdin’s Parade and a cast of 500 dancers and acrobats and mechanical animals plus laser and fireworks exhibitions. An island tour in luxury golf carts concluded the event.
More than 800 moving and static lights featured in the ceremony, including a large inventory of Claypaky fixtures: 100 Xtylos, 100 K-EYE K20 HCR, 100 Scenius Unico, 60 Sharpy Plus Aqua, 60 Sharpy Plus, 50 Hepikos, 50 Mythos 2, and 48 GlowUp. A 12 x 6-meter LED video screen was the backdrop for the main stage displaying custom content, including documentary footage of the island’s development and amazing animations.
The impressive, spectacular and original event once again demonstrated the creative, technical and operational skills of Qatar Vision. Al Maha Island was visited by 1.3 million people immediately after the Inauguration Ceremony, marking a major milestone in the leisure and tourism industry in Qatar.
Another important ceremony for Qatar Vision was the MSC Cruises Naming Ceremony for the Italian cruise line’s latest ship, MSC World Europa. Held at the new Grand Cruise Terminal in Doha, the event was jointly sponsored by MSC Cruises and Qatar Airways with creative concept design by Balich Wonder Studio S.r.l., which asked Qatar Vision to undertake the entire event production. A Qatar Vision team of 120 was involved in all aspects of show delivery.
MSC World Europa is the cruise line’s most modern and eco-friendly ship. The naming ceremony, the first ever held in Qatar, was attended by an international array of 3,000 VIPs and hosted by comedian and philanthropist Hamad Al Amari. It featured performances by the Qatar Youth Choir and Italian superstar tenor Matteo Bocelli, a massive drone display and fireworks show. The event was broadcast worldwide and live on national TV and webcast on YouTube.
Qatar Vision’s technical installation featured a 100 x 6-meter panoramic LED video screen as part of the stage set; the projection mapping team also used 24 projectors mounted on towers to map animated content onto the ship itself erasing the boundaries between reality and imagination. Seven hundred moving and static lights were dedicated to the event area while another 150 lights washed the 22 decks of the vessel.
Lighting Designers Syam Gopinath and Marco De Nardi deployed a large complement of Claypaky fixtures, including 100 Xtylos, 100 K-EYE K20 HCR, 60 K-EYE K10 HCR, 100 Scenius Unico, 50 Sharpy Plus Aqua, 50 Sharpy Plus, 50 Hepikos and 36 Mythos 2.
The awe-inspiring ceremony reached a massive global audience celebrating MSC Cruises’ newest ship and the growth of international tourism in the region. Sharif Hashisho shared Executive Producer credits with Davide Gillo and Jacopo Trazzi; Giandomenico Barbon was the Technical Director.
Rounding out a busy 2022 for Qatar Vision was the Inauguration Ceremony for the Al Kharsaah Solar Power Plant. The Qatar Energy facility houses more than 1.8 million solar panels utilizing sun tracking technology to implement sustainable, clean and affordable energy.
Qatar Vision was tasked with developing, producing and managing a spectacular ceremony for the VIP event with 800 guests, including royalty and government ministers. The concept recognized the project as a new cornerstone in Qatar’s economy and a major component in achieving the Qatar National Vision 2030 as the state continues to lead the world in sustainable energy. Inspiration came from the event’s tag line, “a gate to the green energy world,” and was reflected in all aspects of the ceremony, including visual content on multiple LED video screens.
Customized software and hardware technology was designed, fabricated, installed and programmed by Qatar Vision for the event. The event stage featured a 60 x 6-meter 3D LED screen that displayed 3D VFX that could be seen with the naked eye. An Info Wall Gallery had custom LED screens simulating the shapes of the solar cell tiles. Several LED walls reflected floral content in a mood glass effect, as if moving slowly behind brushed glass. An interactive touch wall, interactive projected wall and kinetic photocells, and a kinetic interactive solar panel portal further engaged guests with the new energy technology.
More than 300 moving and static lights were installed and programmed in full timecode synchronization with the content and a digitally-controlled audio system. Lighting Designer Syam Gopinath chose a number of Claypaky fixtures for the lighting rig, including 60 K-EYE K20 HCR, 50 Scenius Unico, 50 Sharpy Plus and 30 Mythos 2.
The event was considered the first of its kind in the industry utilizing unique and customized interactive and kinetic immersive technologies in a luxurious environmental design and unique application. The success of the event mirrored the successful completion of a solar power plant that is in a league of its own.
“Qatar Vision is one of the most dynamic companies in the Middle East, and Claypaky is proud to support their world-class projects with our world-class lighting fixtures,” says Egor Popovski, Claypaky Regional Sales Manager for the Middle East. “The spectacular projects produced by Qatar Vision and featuring Claypaky products dazzle audiences with one-of-a-kind shows and industry firsts that make for memorable events.”