Dubai-based Al Laith Event Services – the newly launched division of Al Laith Scaffolding – supplied a full staging and roofing system for the recent 3 day Wakestock Wakeboarding & Music festival staged on the Corniche Beach in Abu Dhabi, UEA.
Event Services was working for Abu Dhabi production company Flash Events and Lee Charteris.
It was the first time that Wakestock has taken its unique mix of music and extreme sport to the UEA. The artist line up included Maximo Park, De La Soul, Goldierocks, Carole Samaha and many more, and the event hosted the first leg of the 2010 WWA Wakeboard World Series, where local and international wakeboarders showcased their best tricks and acrobatic stunts on the water.
The calibre of the artist line-up dictated they needed a good sized stage with decent weight loadings to facilitate the flying of sound, lighting & video equipment in its roof. The beach location required something that was aesthetically pleasing.
Al Laith Event Services' Jo Marshall says, “It was exciting to be asked to work on a completely new event in a fabulous location that needed a specially tailored staging solution. Also to continue our great working relationship with Flash Events”.
The stage was an 18 metre 2-bay Orbit stage, supplied from Al Laith stock with 12 metre high goal posts either side for PA hangs and LED screens. It was also the first time that these neat, stylish goal post constructions have been used in the UAE. They provide a perfect clean lined compliment to a contemporary looking stage like this.
The Orbit stage system is a clear span, modular aluminium arch system that uses combinations of truss length and arch spacing to achieve different widths and depths. A high quality blackout skin was fitted to side grooves in the trusses for completed weather protection - essential on the often windy beachfront. The stage base is constructed with an integrated shoring and decking system, allowing it to be constructed at any height, over most terrains.
The build was undertaken by a combination of Al Laith crew co-ordinated by Jacques Smalberger, and two specialists sent from the UK by Serious Stages, creators of the Orbit roof – of which Al Laith Event Services now has several.
The goalposts were built on the ground beside the stage decking which was put in place first, then craned into position. The main technical challenge was in dealing with the sandy topology, which was galvanising for the tele-handlers. The sand in Abu Dhabi is very fine and reacts much like water so dealing with a stage left to right drop off of over 1 metre required plenty of ballast and bracing, something that the Al Laith crew have honed to a fine art.
Al Laith Event Services also supplied FOH and follow spot towers, all the necessary ramps and access platforms for the stage, a wheelchair viewing area, and any other structures required on site. Lighting, sound and video equipment was supplied by Gearhouse Dubai.