Dubai-based Al Laith Events Services is a new division of Al Laith Scaffolding which is dedicated to the design and provision of innovative staging and roofing solutions for events of all types.
This is headed up by Jo Marshall, who was previously a technical production director and executive producer at HQ Creative, one of the region's leading event production companies.
The UAE's propensity for ambitious events has spawned a production industry of its own, but during his 5 years at HQ, Marshall identified a large gap in the market for rugged, well engineered specialist staging and roofing systems.
"The time was absolutely right to start a new venture," says Marshall, who was previously a client of Al Laith Scaffolding whilst at HQ, and knew the respect and reputation that the brand commanded.
Al Laith was founded in 1995 by Tony Nobbs, and has been hugely successful through supplying quality access equipment and services to the construction and industrial sectors. They have also been involved in various elements of the event industry for many years, and have vast resources - including 2.5 million cubic metres of scaffolding, 400 metres of Mojo barriers, 1500 Steeldecks, 14000 grandstand seats and access vehicles of all types, plus extensive workshop and engineering facilities and a skilled workforce.
Al Laith Events Services also involves a tie up with UK-based Serious Stages and Atlantic Enterprises, who have sent a quantity of equipment to Dubai to help facilitate the new operation. Specialist rigging teams from these companies will also be sharing their skills and experiences in training up the Al Laith crews to work on their range of modular high weight loading, wind resistant staging and roofing systems.
In addition to offering these standard products, special projects and bespoke structures can be designed and engineered to suit the application, adding a whole new layer of dynamics to the service for applications requiring lateral thinking and fabulous aesthetics.
Marshall has access to 300 scaffers and riggers at Al Laith who will be co-ordinated by a project management team of 4.
The first show for the new company was a concert by Sting at the newly re-launched Meydan Racecourse in Dubai, where they designed and built a very elegant 34 metre roof with 19 metre cantilevered front section that traversed a 100 metre wide by 11 metre high permanently installed LED screen behind the stage.
Events Services stages and roofs were also in action at the Wakestock Festival in Abu Dhabi and upcomings include an Il Divo concert and the Ultimate Fighting Championships - also being staged in Abu Dhabi.