Protec started 2018 by announcing that the Protec group would be expanding to include Protec European Events based in the UK and has extended its global reach to include events in Africa, Rwanda. Also, opening an office and warehouse in Saudi Arabia to offer their clients a service on their doorstep meant a significant growth in resources to avail of the burgeoning events industry there.
With this expansion into the UK and Saudi Arabia, there have been many highlights. One that springs to mind is the groundbreaking ceremony for Qiddiya, the famous Saudi Arabian giga-project which is set to make all existing global entertainment destinations look minute in comparison. Or there was the media attention generated by their dart playing robots at GITEX, the futuristic technology exhibition, where they showed off their accuracy and prowess against willing show attendees. This made it into the top 5 attractions to visit according to The National newspaper and also attracted some royal visitors. Protec also were part of some very impressive global conferences such as the UN World Data Forum.
Stephen Lakin reflects on some of the highlights of 2018:
“2018 has been an incredible year with a wide variety of outstanding events that we were a part of. Some moments that stand out are seeing our dart playing robots on a stand at GITEX garnering so much media attention, helping our client unite 400,000 EDM fans at Unite with Tomorrowland. We also played a part in delivering an opening ceremony for the MENA Special Olympics. However, I think it is the industry awards we received this year – recognising all these great achievements that stand out the most. It is especially impressive how ‘Protec European Events’ was awarded ‘AV Production, Staging & Rental Company of the Year’ at this year’s long-standing AV Awards ceremony – what an amazing achievement from our team during their first year in operation.
Protec clients’ words speak volumes about their reputation and professionalism across all event types, from corporate to rock and roll, intimate or spectacular.
“Our goal is to bring people from all walks of life, countries, backgrounds and unite them as one with the power of music. That is exactly what UNITE with Tomorrowland did once again, and we are very happy with the feedback. It is with the help of strong partners like Protec that make this concept such a huge success in the UAE.” Barry Pavic, Director, Envie Events
“I have two words that come to mind when I think of the Protec team, ‘professionalism personified’ – they have creative ideas, technical agility and are flexible even under “show” pressure. We have a great working relationship with them, they understand our business, they know the personalities, and our goals are aligned – we make both our companies successful – now that’s a true partnership.” Evelyn Truter – Marketing Programme & Project Manager – Xerox International Operations
Protec have made some new investments with a busy 2019 in mind including the GrandMA3 full size which has already been out on a couple of large events, and 4 MA3 Light consoles. First, to purchase this cutting edge technology in the region, Lighting designer and HOD Aaron Russ tells us how these consoles will bring benefit to both the lighting team and their clients.
“It is going to give us a whole new world of creative possibilities. Updated hardware means more processing power, that means the mathematical calculations and algorithms can be far more complex. We are no longer bound to going from point A to point B. We can program one hell of a detour in the middle, and this has never before been possible. The extra workspace, the now eight display screens (over the old 4 in the MA2 full-size) has changed the workflow, all information is now much easier to access, and this makes programming much easier.”
Egor Popovski of MA Lighting Middle East congratulated Protec on pioneering this new technology.
“We are very proud to congratulate Protec on being the first to purchase the GrandMA3 consoles in the Middle East and are happy that we can deliver these solutions. This is one more important step in our long-lasting relationship with Protec.”
Alongside this, Protec added the impressive Robe RoboSpot followspot ground control system and 40 of ClayPaky’s latest Axcor 400 Profile fixtures.
In the video department, Protec invested in the OmniCal camera system by ‘disguise’ (D3). Scott Walker explained the benefits of this new addition to our disguise range.
“The OmniCal system will cut down set-up time and give us more flexibility in 3D mapping. This system will provide us with updated point cloud data that will allow us to adapt our model mesh to match precisely the real world object which will be great for complex 3D mapping jobs with large quantities of projectors.”
HOD of Audio, Ed Ross has told us they have received new LA Rak 2 amp racks to add to their extensive L’Acoustics inventory. He added there is more exciting news on the horizon for Protec’s audio division but is remaining elusive thus far promising very big news in the springtime.
“This new acquisition will be terrific not just for Protec but for all our clients putting on large events in the region.”
Alongside their new compact K10 robots, a new addition in the past few months, the ‘Advanced Technology’ department have promised a few exciting surprises in 2019 with some different technology on the event horizon. This technology is expected to be launched in February so keep your eyes peeled for some clues flying around!
Of course, these new acquisitions and the highly skilled team behind these successful events will be available globally to Protec’s clients in the UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia and Africa as they look towards delivering the same consistently world-class events beyond all expectations across continents.
