A two-day investment forum connecting a 25-metre main-stage experience with breakout content, media studios and 59 dedicated B2B meeting spaces.

In February 2024, the third annual Investopia brought more than 1,600 global leaders, investors and innovators to the St. Regis Saadiyat Island Resort in Abu Dhabi. Hosted by the Ministry of Economy, the two-day programme explored emerging investment trends and international opportunities.

Returning for a second consecutive year, Evolution developed the event around the different formats required by a global investment platform: public thought leadership, focused panel discussions, formal announcements, broadcast interviews and private business meetings.

The design approach created a series of connected environments, each with a defined role within the participant journey. From the main stage to private meetings and media spaces, every area was planned to support a different type of engagement while maintaining one unified event identity.

The Challenge

The third edition needed to support more than 1,600 attendees and an expanded B2B programme while maintaining the coherence, privacy and operational standards expected of an international investment event.

Three stages, two enclosed television studios, 50 individual meeting booths and nine private meeting rooms needed to operate simultaneously. Each environment required the right balance of privacy, technical support and visual identity while remaining connected to the wider event experience.

The principal stage also required greater visual scale to support high-profile content and establish a stronger focal point for the expanded edition.

The Solution

Evolution designed the main stage around a 25-metre screen, curved scenic architecture and six LED screen totems. The composition created a strong visual platform for presentations, ensuring speakers, content and audience focus remained connected within the wider environment.

A breakout stage supported smaller panel formats, while a dedicated press and MOU stage provided a separate setting for announcements and media activity. This approach allowed different content formats to operate simultaneously while maintaining the appropriate atmosphere, timing and technical requirements for each.

The custom B2B environment contained 50 individual booths and nine enclosed meeting rooms manufactured by Evolution’s in-house scenic department. Together, these 59 spaces provided participants with flexible settings for introductions, business discussions and more private conversations.

Two enclosed TV studios within the pre-function area supported interviews and broadcast activity. An opening film introduced Investopia’s themes, while onsite management coordinated the movement of speakers, delegates, media and operational teams across the multiple event environments.

Delivery Highlights

• Two-day event for more than 1,600 participants at St. Regis Saadiyat Island.
• Main stage with a 25-metre screen, curved scenic elements and six LED-screen totems.
• Separate breakout and press/MOU stages.
• B2B environment with 50 individual booths and nine enclosed meeting rooms.
• Two fully enclosed television studios for interviews and live broadcasts.
• High-impact opening film introducing the event.
• Integrated onsite management across all programme and meeting areas.

Outcome

Investopia 2024 created an environment where more than 1,600 participants could move seamlessly between public thought leadership and private business exchange. Major ideas were introduced on the main stage, explored through smaller sessions, shared through media platforms and developed further within 59 dedicated meeting spaces.

This range of environments supported the different stages of investment engagement, from global visibility and knowledge sharing through to focused discussions, relationship building and formal business conversations.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Ministry of Economy

Evolution Events: Led concept design, participant journey, meeting-area strategy, media and programme coordination, onsite management and live delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Manufactured and installed the three stages, curved scenic architecture, B2B booths, enclosed meeting rooms and television-studio environments.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the 25-metre screen, LED totems, presentation systems, broadcast-studio integration and wider technical production.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Site Services

During April 2021, the UAE Regional Climate Dialogue brought delegates from the Gulf and wider MENA region to Emirates Palace, with international participation including John Kerry, U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Climate. Chaired by H.E. Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, the summit was delivered within a compressed one-week timeline.

The event's hybrid format needed more than screens added to a meeting room. Remote contributors had to feel present within a high-level ministerial conversation, and the physical environment needed to communicate sustainability and collaboration without relying on generic environmental imagery.

Evolution developed the identity and bespoke scenic elements around that relationship between room and broadcast. The live photo opportunity, set pieces and backdrops were designed to give both audiences a place within the same event.

The Challenge

Hybrid participation changes how a summit is composed. Stage design, screen placement and content framing must work for delegates in the room and for those viewing remotely, while online participants need a credible visual role in the live programme.

The one-week programme for design, fabrication and installation left little margin for revision. The high-profile audience also required a disciplined response suited to Emirates Palace and a formal international dialogue.

The Solution

Evolution created a cohesive brand identity around sustainability and regional collaboration, then translated it into main scenic pieces and backdrops designed for the hybrid format.

A live photo opportunity incorporated both in-person and online participants. This gave the format a visible expression and created a shared communications moment rather than hiding the fact that the audience was distributed across different locations.

Branding, scenic design and technical integration were coordinated as one process. The relationship between physical participants, digital feeds and the camera frame was considered alongside the visual treatment, helping the environment maintain clarity across both viewpoints.

Rapid approvals, fabrication and installation were managed within the one-week timeline. The completed setting retained the formality of a ministerial summit while making hybrid participation part of the event's public identity.

Delivery Highlights

• Hybrid ministerial summit at Emirates Palace.
• Event brand expressing sustainability and regional collaboration.
• Bespoke scenic elements designed for the room and hybrid presentation.
• Live photo opportunity integrating physical and remote participants.
• Coordination of branding, scenic and technical integration.
• Delivery within an approximately one-week timeline.

Outcome

The dialogue did not treat remote participation as a secondary channel. Online contributors were visibly connected to the in-room event, while the scenic identity gave the summit a clear sense of occasion and shared purpose.

The hybrid format became part of the story of regional collaboration: leaders joining from different places were presented as participants in the same conversation, not separate audiences watching one another.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Council for Climate Change and Environment

Evolution Events: Led the hybrid experience, brand development, fast-track project management and event delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Designed, fabricated and installed the bespoke main set pieces, backdrops, branding and live photo-opportunity environment within the one-week programme.

Evolution Technical: Integrated the physical environment with remote participation and hybrid presentation requirements.

The Qudwa Global Teachers' Forum brought more than 800 educators from around the world to Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. Supported by the Education Affairs Office within the Crown Prince Court of Abu Dhabi, the forum was created to empower teachers, encourage professional exchange and contribute to the future of education.

The creative opportunity was to make one of Abu Dhabi's most formal venues behave like a working learning campus. Evolution developed the Qudwa brand and used it to connect the complete delegate experience, from the main auditorium and nine breakout spaces to corridor content, hospitality, outdoor terraces and offsite visits.

This shifted the emphasis away from a single stage. The forum identity became a practical tool for orientation, content continuity and community, helping educators understand how each part of the programme related to a shared purpose.

The Challenge

The scale of Emirates Palace could easily have made the programme feel dispersed. Six new breakout rooms had to be created inside the ballroom, with three additional rooms elsewhere in the venue, while more than 800 teachers moved between formal content, collaborative sessions, hospitality and external activities.

The experience also needed to accommodate senior dignitaries, international delegate travel, speaker content and multiple live environments. Every touchpoint had to carry sufficient authority for a high-profile forum without losing the openness required for teachers to participate and exchange ideas.

The Solution

Evolution began with a flexible visual identity that could move between ceremonial, educational and social settings. In the ballroom, six fully customised breakout rooms created a venue within the venue, each with its own stage and backdrop but tied to the wider forum through a consistent graphic language. The main auditorium and three further breakout rooms extended the same identity across the palace.

The delegate journey continued outside scheduled sessions. Custom infographics turned the corridors into a layer of editorial content, while the buffet environments and furnished terraces created recognisable places for conversation. These settings were not treated as decorative additions; they provided the informal social infrastructure that allows professional relationships to develop between sessions.

Evolution managed the auditorium setup, AVL production and speaker content, alongside branded materials, floral details and the wider event environment. The published project scope also included travel for 800 international guests and offsite visits showcasing Abu Dhabi, requiring the event narrative and guest communication to extend beyond the venue itself.

For a programme of this type, Evolution's planning approach connects room use, content control, guest movement and venue access from the outset. At Qudwa, that integrated thinking allowed the palace to support a complex education programme while retaining a clear sense of welcome, purpose and shared identity.

Delivery Highlights

• Creation and application of the Qudwa event brand across physical, printed and digital touchpoints.
• A main conference auditorium supported by nine breakout environments.
• Six fully customised breakout rooms constructed within the Emirates Palace ballroom.
• Corridor infographics extending the learning narrative between sessions.
• Full AVL production and coordination of speaker content.
• Travel and delegate logistics for 800 international guests, including offsite visits.
• Custom hospitality settings, terrace furniture, floral details and branded elements.

Outcome

Qudwa gave more than 800 educators a coherent route through plenary debate, focused workshops and informal exchange. The brand and spatial plan made a large palace environment easier to understand, while the workshop, corridor and hospitality settings kept learning visible beyond the main stage.

The lasting strength of the experience was its balance: formal enough for an international forum, yet sufficiently open and practical for educators to work, connect and contribute.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Crown Prince Court

Evolution Events: Led the event strategy, brand development, delegate journey, production management, content coordination and live delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Fabricated and installed the customised stages, backdrops, breakout-room environments, auditorium elements and branded physical features.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the full AVL production supporting the main auditorium, presentations and breakout content.

Evolution Furniture: Provided the custom furniture and hospitality settings used across the outdoor terraces and delegate breakout areas.

Launched in late November 2023, the Heriot-Watt University Climate Hub operated for two weeks alongside COP28 in Dubai. The initiative was created as a platform for international dialogue, new partnerships and practical discussion around the global climate challenge.

The attendance of His Majesty King Charles III underlined the profile of the programme, but the environment also needed to work across many days for a wider community of speakers, partners and attendees.

Evolution approached the hub as a temporary climate commons: a setting that could feel credible for high-level participation while remaining open, legible and welcoming enough for repeated conversation and collaboration.

The Challenge

A two-week event has different demands from a single conference day. Scenic elements, furniture, signage and collateral need to remain durable and consistent, while the environment must support changing programme content and a steady flow of stakeholders.

The COP28 context also placed the hub among a dense field of climate initiatives. It needed a distinct and professional identity capable of communicating Heriot-Watt University's role without relying on excessive visual treatment.

High-profile attendance increased the requirement for a polished setup, clear wayfinding and dependable venue operations.

The Solution

Evolution developed a cohesive creative treatment across furniture, backdrops, signage and decorative components. These elements transformed the venue into a recognisable hub while preserving the flexibility required for different discussions and partnership activity over the two-week programme.

The visual approach focused on clear communication and an inviting atmosphere. Backdrops and branding established identity at key viewpoints, while furniture supported both formal discussion and less structured conversation between sessions.

Brochures, banners and supporting collateral carried the same language beyond the principal spaces, helping attendees understand the initiative and navigate its content. Media coverage documented the programme and extended its visibility within the wider COP28 conversation.

Evolution coordinated the setup and ongoing operations around the programme's high standards, allowing the environment to remain consistent as participants, activities and daily requirements changed.

Delivery Highlights

• Two-week Climate Hub delivered alongside COP28 in Dubai.
• Event environment supporting international climate dialogue and partnership building.
• Scenic backdrops, signage, decorative components and branded features.
• Furniture for formal and informal discussion settings.
• Brochures, banners and collateral supporting communication and visibility.
• Media coverage across the initiative.
• Venue setup and operational support for a high-profile programme.

Outcome

The Climate Hub provided Heriot-Watt University with a clear and adaptable physical presence during COP28. Its environment could host prominent visitors and formal discussions while continuing to support everyday exchange across the full two-week period.

The result was a platform that felt established rather than temporary, giving climate dialogue, partnership and university-led expertise a consistent place within a crowded international programme.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Heriot-Watt University

Evolution Events: Led creative development, project management, collateral, media coordination, venue setup and ongoing event operations.

Evolution Scenic: Designed and installed backdrops, signage, branded features and decorative environmental elements.

Evolution Furniture: Provided furniture supporting formal meetings, partnership discussions and informal conversation areas.

Held from 19 to 21 March 2019 at Saadiyat Rotana, Ghadan 21 - The Gathering brought leading urban-planning and architecture experts together to develop six projects for the future of Abu Dhabi. The three-day programme concluded with final presentations and an awards ceremony.

This was not a conference about innovation; it was an event in which participants were expected to produce it. Evolution transformed the ballroom into a working studio where teams could draw, model, test and refine ideas, while still supporting plenary discussion, stakeholder engagement and formal presentation.

The experience was designed around productive behaviour. Furniture, technology, spatial zoning and live support were selected for the work participants needed to complete rather than for a conventional conference layout.

The Challenge

Six project teams needed distinct working territories, practical tools and sustained access to technical support over three days. At the same time, the ballroom had to accommodate speeches, panels, shared discussion and the final presentation and awards programme.

The project also involved invitations, badging, gift bags, catering, hostesses and liaison with DPM, The Agency and participating experts. These services needed to remain responsive to a workshop process in which requirements could evolve as ideas developed.

The Solution

Custom workshop tables and furniture gave each team a defined base for collaboration. Large-screen Wacom drawing tablets, plotter printers and specialised modelling supplies allowed participants to move directly from discussion into visual development without leaving the event environment.

The ballroom layout maintained a relationship between individual work and the collective programme. Team zones supported concentration, while the auditorium, stage and shared circulation kept the six projects connected to one wider urban vision.

A complete pre-function and ballroom fit-out, including carpeting, staging and custom decorative elements, gave the temporary studio a considered identity appropriate to senior public-sector stakeholders. Full AV and truss systems supported both working sessions and formal presentations.

Evolution coordinated badging, invitations, gifts, catering, hostesses, documentation and stakeholder communication over the three days. The operational plan was built around the workshop rhythm, allowing support teams and technical resources to respond as the projects progressed.

Delivery Highlights

• Three-day workshop, plenary and awards environment at Saadiyat Rotana.
• Six project workstreams supported within one adaptable ballroom.
• Custom workshop tables, furniture and decorative elements.
• Large-screen Wacom drawing tablets, plotter printers and modelling supplies.
• Full AV, truss, carpeting, staging and pre-function fit-out.
• Delegate badging, invitations, gift bags and onsite support.
• Catering, hostess management, documentation and stakeholder coordination.

Outcome

The Gathering gave six teams the practical conditions to develop ideas rather than simply discuss them. The environment supported concentration at the worktable, access to specialist tools and moments of collective focus when teams returned to the shared stage.

By the final evening, the ballroom had carried the projects through their complete cycle - from early collaboration and visual development to presentation and recognition.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities (DPM)

Evolution Events: Led the event strategy, spatial planning, workshop infrastructure, delegate services, stakeholder coordination and three-day live operation.

Evolution Scenic: Delivered the stage, pre-function fit-out, carpeting, decorative elements and physical workshop environment.

Evolution Technical: Provided the full AV and truss solution, Wacom drawing systems, plotter printers and technical support for working sessions and presentations.

Evolution Furniture: Built and supplied the custom workshop tables and furniture supporting the six project teams.

Evolution Events partnered with Fertiglobe to deliver its 2025 Capital Markets Day at the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre. The brief called for a professional investor environment that could communicate the company's progress, initiatives and long-term direction with clarity.

The event was organised as a journey from exploration into presentation. Before entering the ballroom, investors encountered Fertiglobe's story through a customised pre-function installation; inside, the focus shifted to management-led content and structured financial communication.

This sequence gave the brand more than one way to communicate, allowing attendees to explore information independently before engaging with the formal programme.

The Challenge

Capital-markets audiences expect information to be accurate, accessible and efficiently presented. The environment needed to support detailed corporate content without becoming visually dense or overly promotional.

The pre-function space had to create a strong first impression while communicating six key elements of the Fertiglobe story. Digital interaction, infographics and physical branding needed to work together as one information experience.

Inside the Al Gurm Ballroom, the presentation setting required a more disciplined tone, with clear sightlines, professional branding and furniture planned around management delivery and investor attention.

The Solution

Evolution designed and built a customised pre-function structure organised around Fertiglobe's six key elements.

Branded panels and infographics provided an immediate overview, while digital screens and an interactive LED touchscreen allowed investors to move deeper into milestones, initiatives and long-term vision at their own pace.

The structure transformed arrival into an editorial experience rather than a waiting area. Information was layered across physical and digital formats, giving attendees different entry points according to their interest and available time.

Inside the Al Gurm Ballroom, tailored branding and a clear spatial layout supported management-led presentations. Furniture and floor planning balanced comfort, atmosphere and direct visual focus on the content.

Evolution coordinated concept, fabrication, technical integration, furniture and installation so the exploratory pre-function environment and formal ballroom programme felt like two stages of the same investor journey.

Delivery Highlights

• Capital Markets Day delivered at Abu Dhabi Energy Centre.
• Custom pre-function structure communicating six key Fertiglobe elements.
• Branded panels, infographics and digital screens.
• Interactive LED touchscreen presenting milestones, initiatives and long-term vision.
• Tailored branding for management-led presentations in Al Gurm Ballroom.
• Considered furniture selection and audience floor planning.
• Integrated concept, production and onsite installation.

Outcome

The event gave investors a clear progression from self-directed exploration into formal management communication. The pre-function environment introduced Fertiglobe's story in layers, while the ballroom converted that context into a focused presentation experience.

By separating discovery from delivery without disconnecting them, the event made complex corporate information easier to absorb and gave the company's long-term vision a confident physical expression.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Fertiglobe

Evolution Events: Led the investor-journey concept, content-environment planning, project management, installation and live-event delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Designed and fabricated the customised pre-function structure, branded panels, infographic features and ballroom branding.

Evolution Technical: Integrated digital screens, the interactive LED touchscreen and presentation technology.

Evolution Furniture: Provided the ballroom furniture package and supported the audience floor-plan requirements.