Almoe grapples with Jiu Jitsu championships
Published: MEA
UAE: Flash Entertainment called in Almoe AV Rentals/Productions to supply the Jiu Jitsu International Championship 2016 hosted in Abu Dhabi. Almoe provided the audio, video and lighting equipment for the event.
The audio side of the setup called on Martin Audio W8LM cabinets for the main system controlled via a Midas M32 console. The visual side largely relied on products from Absen. The four main videowalls comprised 274 panels of 3.9mm Absen A3. A further 150m of 7.8mm LED was used for the sponsors logos and animations, while an additional 300 panels of Absen A7 covered the four sides of Abu Dhabi’s IPIC Arena.
‘Such a big setup has a lot of challenges even after a good pre-production and logistics planning,’ reflected Adrian Tudela, Almoe project manager for the event. ‘One of the main parts that kept us worried was the uneven safety weight load distribution of the ceiling. On one side we can hold almost 20 tonnes along the 60m span but the opposite side is only 2.2 tonnes and your A/V setup needs to be symmetrical to balance. Every time I needed to review the final grid concept I had to go back to my maximum load per beam and confirm if it was feasible and safe.’
Despite this challenge, the event went off without a hitch. ‘It was flawless,’ said Mr Tudela. ‘The client and the Jiu Jitsu organisation were very happy and impressed with the work done. They said we had set a new bar for the event so it will be a big challenge to improve on it next year.’
And on a more personal note, Mr Tudela was also very pleased with the job. ‘I’m very happy as a project manager for Almoe AV to have done this event,’ he reflected. ‘These are the challenges that Almoe AV and me personally are looking for.’