The FoodTech Challenge, launched under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, is a joint initiative of the UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and Tamkeen. Its 2023 edition brought 12 finalist teams to ADNEC during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.

Those teams had been selected from 667 submissions across 79 countries. The event therefore needed to do more than display their ideas: it had to give finalists a complete progression through learning, peer connection, public presentation and recognition.

Evolution designed and managed the experience as a finalist journey, connecting a custom innovation showcase with field visits, hospitality, elevator pitches and a high-profile grand finale.

The Challenge

The finalists represented different technologies, markets and stages of development. The exhibition needed to give each innovation enough clarity while maintaining a shared identity for the challenge as a global platform.

The live programme also extended beyond ADNEC. Farm visits, lunches and dinners needed to contribute to the same experience as the formal pitches and awards, requiring consistent coordination across learning, networking and competition.

The Solution

Evolution designed and built a custom exhibition stand that gave the twelve teams a professional setting in which to present their food-technology solutions. The environment created a common visual framework while keeping individual innovations visible and accessible to visitors.

Field trips to Al Foah Farm connected the programme to local agricultural practice, giving participants a practical reference point beyond the exhibition floor. Networking lunches and dinners then created time for teams, partners and stakeholders to develop relationships outside the formal judging process.

The grand finale shifted the experience into performance and recognition. Elevator pitches gave each finalist a concentrated presentation moment, followed by an awards ceremony that brought the competitive journey to a clear conclusion.

Evolution coordinated design, logistics, hospitality, programme and full photo and video coverage, preserving the connection between the teams' arrival, development, public story and final recognition.

Delivery Highlights

• FoodTech Challenge hosted at ADNEC during Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week.
• Twelve finalist teams selected from 667 submissions across 79 countries.
• Custom exhibition stand showcasing finalist technologies.
• Field trips to Al Foah Farm.
• Networking lunches and dinners.
• Grand finale featuring elevator pitches and awards.
• Full photo and video coverage of the programme.

Outcome

The event gave the twelve finalists more than a stand and a pitch slot. They moved through a connected programme of practical learning, public presentation, relationship building and recognition, allowing the challenge to support both ideas and the people developing them.

By the grand finale, the audience understood the scale of the global search as well as the individuality of the selected solutions, giving the awards greater context and significance.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment and Tamkeen

Evolution Events: Led the finalist journey, programme, field visits, networking hospitality, pitch and awards production, media coverage, logistics and live management.

Evolution Scenic: Designed and fabricated the custom exhibition stand and finalist showcase environment.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Technical

At the World Government Summit from 13 to 15 February 2023, the UAE Food Bank launched a new strategy focused on reducing food waste and expanding its global impact. Evolution was appointed to design and deliver an interactive stand at Madinat Jumeirah.

The challenge was fundamentally editorial: strategic pillars, past achievements and future goals needed to become understandable within the brief attention span of a summit visitor.

Evolution organised the experience around two symbolic Doors of the Future, allowing the stand to communicate progress and ambition through a physical journey rather than a dense information display.

The Challenge

The stand needed to attract attention within the World Government Summit while treating food waste and humanitarian impact with appropriate seriousness. Visitors had to understand the core story quickly, but also have a reason to pause and engage more deeply.

The experience also needed to move beyond awareness. Donation and volunteering opportunities had to be integrated naturally so the strategy could lead directly into personal action.

The Solution

Evolution designed and built two principal installations. The Food Industry Door represented progress in reducing waste across food and manufacturing sectors, while the Global Door expressed the ambition to broaden the organisation's reach internationally.

These symbolic structures gave the strategy a memorable spatial form and created a clear route through the stand. Their meaning could be understood visually, then expanded through supporting content.

A central screen presented future plans and enabled visitors to explore ways to donate or volunteer. The interactive layer converted the stand from a statement about the UAE Food Bank into a point of direct engagement with its mission.

Modern materials, technology and graphic storytelling were integrated into one visual narrative, keeping the organisation's achievements, strategic direction and call to action connected throughout the visitor experience.

Delivery Highlights

• Strategy launch at the World Government Summit, 13-15 February 2023.
• Interactive stand at Madinat Jumeirah.
• Food Industry Door representing waste-reduction achievements.
• Global Door expressing international ambition.
• Central screen presenting future plans.
• Interactive donation and volunteering opportunities.
• Integrated spatial, graphic and digital storytelling.

Outcome

The stand turned an organisational strategy into a sequence visitors could see, enter and act upon. The two doors clarified the relationship between proven impact and future ambition, while the central screen connected that story to donation and volunteering.

Within a content-dense summit, the UAE Food Bank gained a focal experience that made its mission accessible without reducing its complexity.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

UAE Food Bank

Evolution Events: Led the strategic interpretation, visitor journey, content planning, interactive engagement and overall stand delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Designed and fabricated the stand, Food Industry Door, Global Door and integrated branded environment.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the central screen and digital interaction supporting donations, volunteering and future-plan content.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture 

For Dubai Summer Surprises 2025, Evolution partnered with Energie Entertainment on Gahwa Beats, a series delivered across ToDA, Sky Views Observatory, Dubai Mall Ice Rink, Roxy Cinemas Jumeirah and Deep Dive Dubai.

The format brought coffee culture and live music together in venues with very different identities. The design therefore needed to be compact, recognisable and operationally flexible enough to travel while still creating a strong focal point at every location.

Evolution developed a small family of functional brand objects: two coffee counters, a dedicated DJ counter and a photo-opportunity booth, each capable of supporting service, entertainment and audience engagement.

The Challenge

As the series spanned multiple venues, the experience needed to be adaptable rather than dependent on a single fixed environment. Each element had to perform consistently across immersive theatres, observation decks, ice rinks and diving venues, with every location presenting its own access requirements and operational considerations

The branded pieces also had to function under live use. Coffee service, DJ equipment and guest photography placed practical demands on surfaces, storage, cable management and sightlines.

The Solution

Evolution fabricated three custom counters with a shared visual language: two designed for coffee service and one engineered around the DJ setup. Applied event branding made the pieces immediately recognisable as part of Dubai Summer Surprises.

The counters were designed as working infrastructure and audience-facing scenery at the same time. Their proportions, finishes and branding allowed service teams and performers to operate efficiently while giving guests a clear place to gather.

A dedicated photo-opportunity booth added a participatory touchpoint, extending the activation beyond consumption and entertainment into shareable guest interaction.

Professional DJ deck hire completed the system, linking the scenic treatment with the technical requirements of the music programme across all five venues.

Delivery Highlights

• Gahwa Beats series delivered across five Dubai locations.
• Two custom counters fabricated for coffee service.
• One custom counter designed to house the DJ setup.
• Branded photo-opportunity booth for guest engagement.
• Applied Dubai Summer Surprises branding across all elements.
• Full professional DJ deck hire and technical support.

Outcome

Gahwa Beats gained a recognisable physical identity that could travel between dramatically different venues without losing its function or character. Coffee, music and photography were brought together through a concise set of branded elements.

The activation succeeded through portability and precision: each piece did practical work while also creating the visual centre around which the audience experience formed.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Dubai Economy and Tourism - in partnership with Energie Entertainment

Evolution Events: Led delivery coordination with Energie Entertainment, brand application, multi-venue planning and activation support.

Evolution Scenic: Fabricated the two coffee counters, DJ counter and branded photo-opportunity booth.

Evolution Technical: Provided the professional DJ deck and associated technical support for the music programme.

For the second consecutive year, Evolution delivered the CyTaka World Cyber Championship in Dubai, bringing coders from around the world together for a live hacking competition with cash prizes of up to US$100,000.

The defining challenge was the timeline. Evolution was awarded the project one week before the event, with the physical build completed in less than a day. The delivery approach therefore needed to focus on the essential elements that would make the competition feel credible, energetic and ready for live participation despite the compressed schedule.

Rather than allowing the limited timeframe to compromise the experience, Evolution structured the project around rapid decision-making, coordinated stakeholder management and efficient onsite execution, creating a competition environment that was ready for participants, judges and live audiences.

The Challenge

A global competition of this scale required the physical environment to reflect the precision and intensity of the challenge itself. Participants needed a setting that matched the significance of the competition, while the client required confidence that every operational dependency could be coordinated within a matter of days rather than weeks.

With less than 24 hours available for the build, the delivery process allowed minimal margin for sequencing errors, delayed procurement or unclear responsibilities between teams. Every decision needed to support rapid execution while protecting the quality of the final experience.

The Solution

Evolution established a dedicated project and production management structure to create a clear decision-making process from appointment through to show day. Concepts were assessed against the available time, resources and technical requirements, ensuring only achievable solutions progressed into production.

Stakeholder coordination focused on rapid approvals, clear ownership and a sequenced build plan that enabled the venue transformation to be completed in under a day. Logistics and production planning became part of the creative approach, ensuring every element arrived, was installed and operated in the correct sequence.

The completed environment gave the live hacker competition a dynamic and professional setting without revealing the compressed delivery timeline behind it. Evolution then managed the event through live operations, maintaining continuity from final preparations through to competition delivery.

Delivery Highlights

• Second consecutive CyTaka World Cyber Championship delivered by Evolution.
• Global live-hacking competition with prizes of up to US$100,000.
• Project awarded one week before the event date.
• Venue build completed in less than 24 hours.
• Dedicated project and production management.
• Rapid concept development within confirmed time and resource constraints.
• Integrated stakeholder, logistics and live-event coordination.

Outcome

The completed environment carried the energy and credibility of a global competition without revealing the compressed delivery timeline behind it. Participants and attendees experienced a fully resolved live event rather than a compromise created by limited preparation time.

The success of the project came from focused decision-making and disciplined production management, concentrating time and resources on the elements that most influenced competition readiness, participant confidence and the quality of the live experience.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

M E Premier Event Organizers LLC

Evolution Events: Led fast-track concept development, project and production management, stakeholder coordination, logistics, venue readiness and live competition delivery.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Scenic - Evolution Technical

In collaboration with MCM Creative Global, Evolution delivered HSBC's Circle of Excellence 2023 at the Museum of the Future. The event combined an exhibition area, sponsor stands, conference content, a VIP lounge with an immersive VR experience and an executive networking environment.

The strategic challenge was to create variety without losing HSBC's identity or sustainability commitments. Each setting needed a distinct role in the attendee journey, but the materials, visual language and level of finish had to remain coherent throughout.

Evolution used scenic, technical and furniture solutions to build one event ecosystem in which learning, sponsorship, immersive engagement and senior networking could operate side by side.

The Challenge

The Museum of the Future already carries a powerful architectural identity. Temporary event environments needed enough presence to guide and support guests without competing with the venue or appearing disconnected from it.

HSBC's brand requirements and sustainability objectives also needed to influence practical production decisions. Sponsor visibility, conference functionality, executive comfort and the VR activation all had to be delivered through a controlled material and design approach.

The Solution

Evolution designed and built exhibition and activation spaces in line with HSBC's brand guidelines, creating a consistent framework for sponsors and programme content. Scenic form and graphic treatment gave each area clarity while retaining a unified event identity.

Sustainable materials were used across scenic, technical and furniture elements, making environmental responsibility part of the physical response rather than an explanatory message added to the event.

The VIP environment combined an immersive VR experience with a comfortable executive networking lounge. Technology and furniture were planned together so the digital activation could create interest without undermining the hospitality and conversational function of the space.

Sponsor stands and conference areas balanced operational requirements with the same visual and material standards. Dedicated project management coordinated these environments through installation and live delivery at the landmark venue.

Delivery Highlights

• HSBC Circle of Excellence delivered with MCM Creative Global.
• Event hosted at Dubai's Museum of the Future.
• Exhibition area, sponsor stands and conference environment.
• VIP lounge featuring an immersive VR experience.
• Executive networking lounge with tailored furniture.
• Scenic, technical and furniture elements using sustainable materials.
• Brand-compliant production and onsite event management.

Outcome

Circle of Excellence gave attendees a varied journey through formal content, sponsor engagement, immersive technology and senior networking while maintaining one recognisable HSBC environment.

Sustainability was expressed through the way the event was built and furnished, allowing the experience to reflect the client's values without sacrificing quality, comfort or visual clarity.

In December 2021, ADNOC combined its Jubilee with the UAE's 50th National Day in a full-day event for employees and their families. The occasion needed to recognise the company's milestones, celebrate the people behind them and express optimism about the future.

Evolution developed a series of installations around three ideas: memory, identity and collective commitment. Employee stories represented the organisation's human legacy, familiar ADNOC symbols connected the event to daily working life, and the Pledge booth linked participants across eight locations.

The celebration therefore moved beyond anniversary branding, giving employees and families several ways to see themselves within ADNOC's history and future direction.

The Challenge

A dual Jubilee and National Day celebration carries multiple narratives. ADNOC's corporate history, the UAE's national milestone, employee recognition and future ambition all needed to be present without becoming a collection of unrelated displays.

The experience also extended across eight ADNOC locations through the Pledge booth, requiring a participatory feature that could create a shared sense of unity beyond the principal event site.

The Solution

Evolution created a gallery of the 50 most inspiring employee stories, placing personal achievement at the centre of the anniversary narrative. The gallery turned the organisation's history into a collection of individual contributions that colleagues and families could recognise and discuss.

A supersized #50more installation shifted attention from the milestone already reached to the future ahead. Its scale made it a focal point and photography feature, while the wording linked ADNOC's Jubilee with continued progress.

A branded wall made from helmets in the colours of the UAE flag connected national pride with ADNOC's field culture. The familiar safety object was reassembled as a collective symbol, bringing operational identity into the celebratory environment.

The Pledge booth was synchronised across eight ADNOC locations, allowing employees in different places to participate in a shared expression of commitment. Evolution coordinated the physical installation and technical connection so the activation could operate as one company-wide moment.

Delivery Highlights

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• Full-day Jubilee and UAE National Day event for employees and families.
• Gallery featuring 50 inspiring ADNOC employee stories.
• Supersized #50more installation focused on future ambition.
• UAE flag-coloured helmet wall referencing ADNOC field culture.
• Participatory Pledge booth synchronised across eight locations.
• Integrated scenic, branding and technical delivery.

Outcome

The Jubilee connected ADNOC's corporate milestone to the people and practices that shaped it. Employee stories gave the celebration a human centre, while the helmet wall and #50more installation linked national identity, operational heritage and future ambition.

Through the synchronised pledge, participation extended beyond one venue, allowing employees across eight locations to contribute to the same anniversary moment.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

ADNOC

Evolution Events: Led the anniversary experience, employee-storytelling approach, participant journey, multi-location coordination and live delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Designed and fabricated the employee gallery, #50more installation, helmet wall and physical Pledge booth.

Evolution Technical: Integrated the Pledge booth systems required to connect participation across eight ADNOC locations.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Site Services