The second Make it in the Emirates Forum was organised by ADNOC with the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology and the Department of Economic Development at the Abu Dhabi Energy Centre.

The initiative was designed to champion local manufacturing and industrial development. Evolution's challenge was to translate that ambition into an environment where policy discussion, sponsor participation, business exchange and future-focused content could feel part of the same national industrial story.

The creative concept used spatial scale, forced-perspective media and a strong arrival sequence to give the forum a sense of momentum before visitors reached the conference or exhibition areas.

The Challenge

The event needed to represent a broad industrial ecosystem. Six diamond sponsors and 30 additional sponsors required meaningful visibility, while the main conference, breakout rooms and show content needed to remain clear and accessible.

An exhibition of this scale can easily become visually fragmented. Sponsor requirements, branding and visitor flow had to be resolved within a layout that still felt curated and aligned with the Make it in the Emirates identity. The forum also called for innovative media content and technically precise show production, ensuring the industrial theme felt contemporary rather than conventional.

The Solution

Evolution developed the overall event concept around a bold entry experience. An arrival arch carried relevant content and established the forum narrative immediately, turning the first point of contact into an active communication moment rather than simple signage.

Forced-perspective content introduced visual depth and surprise, reinforcing the initiative's focus on advanced industry and innovation. The media treatment was integrated with the event design so the technology supported the story rather than operating as a standalone effect.

The exhibition layout was custom-designed for six diamond sponsors and 30 further sponsors. Consistent architecture and branding created a coherent environment, while the spatial plan gave each participant sufficient presence and supported efficient visitor movement.

Evolution designed and delivered the main conference stage and breakout-room stages, alongside full production and technical support. Lighting, sound, AV and show content were coordinated through one production structure, maintaining clarity across the conference and exhibition programme.

Delivery Highlights

• Turnkey concept, production and exhibition delivery at Abu Dhabi Energy Centre.
• Forced-perspective content integrated into the event experience.
• Custom exhibition layout for six diamond sponsors and 30 additional sponsors.
• Main conference stage and supporting breakout-room stages.
• Arrival arch carrying relevant industrial and initiative content.
• Full AV and technical production supporting conference and show content.
• Central coordination of sponsor, branding and exhibitor requirements.

Outcome

The forum gave local manufacturing and industrial development a visible, contemporary platform. Visitors entered through a content-led arrival feature, moved between conference discussion and sponsor environments, and encountered one consistent identity across the full event.

The combination of forced-perspective media, exhibition architecture and coordinated show production made the initiative's focus on innovation tangible rather than simply stated.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Ministry of Industry & Advanced Technology

Evolution Events: Led strategic concept development, sponsor and exhibitor coordination, exhibition planning, show production, project management and live delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Designed and fabricated the arrival arch, exhibition architecture, sponsor environments, main stage and breakout stages.

Evolution Technical: Delivered full AV, lighting, sound and show-control support, including the integration of forced-perspective and conference content.

In November 2018, the Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development launched the Al Burda Festival and Awards Show across Warehouse421 and NYU Abu Dhabi. Artists and cultural practitioners from across the MENA region came together for workshops, interactive sessions and knowledge exchange before the programme moved into an evening performance at the NYU main theatre.

An inaugural event has no inherited visual memory. Evolution's role as lead design and production agency was therefore to give Al Burda its first physical language - one that could hold together different art forms, programme formats and venues without competing with the creative work at the centre of the festival.

The event brand became the thread connecting daytime discovery with evening performance, allowing audiences to experience the festival as one curated cultural journey rather than a collection of separate activities.

The Challenge

The programme changed character throughout the day. Galleries and workshops needed calm, adaptable environments that supported close attention, while the plenary and awards show required a stronger sense of focus and occasion. Warehouse421 and NYU Abu Dhabi also presented different architectures and operating conditions.

The design had to establish a recognisable new platform while remaining culturally sensitive and visually disciplined. Scenic elements, temporary structures, collateral and documentation all needed to reinforce the identity without overwhelming the artists, discussions and performances.

The Solution

Evolution developed a comprehensive event brand and applied it across the main stage, galleries, workshops, collateral and onsite communication. Rather than using branding as a surface treatment, the identity was used to organise the audience experience and establish continuity as the programme moved between locations and formats.

At Warehouse421, the temporary plenary structure created a central gathering point within the daytime programme. Gallery and workshop environments were shaped around viewing, making and exchange, giving each activity a clear setting while retaining a shared visual character.

The evening transition to the NYU main theatre introduced a more theatrical atmosphere without abandoning the festival identity. This gave the awards and performance programme a sense of progression: the day moved from exploration and dialogue into recognition and performance, but remained recognisably Al Burda.

Evolution coordinated event production, site services, branding, collateral, photography and video through one team. For a first edition, the documentation was strategically important, creating an archive of the festival's visual identity and audience experience that could support future communication.

Delivery Highlights

• Lead design and production agency for the inaugural festival and awards show.
• Development of a complete event brand applied across two venues.
• Purpose-built temporary plenary structure at Warehouse421.
• Scenic environments for the main stage, art galleries and workshops.
• Event collateral and onsite branding supporting identity and audience orientation.
• Photography and video documentation capturing the first edition.

Outcome

Al Burda opened with a clear identity that could accommodate workshops, galleries, knowledge exchange, awards and performance without making those formats feel disconnected. Audiences experienced a deliberate progression from daytime participation to an evening of cultural recognition.

More importantly, the first edition established a visual foundation for the festival itself: distinctive enough to be remembered, flexible enough to evolve, and restrained enough to keep artists and ideas in the foreground.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Ministry of Culture and Knowledge Development

Evolution Events: Led the creative strategy, brand development, multi-venue production, site coordination and audience experience.

Evolution Scenic: Designed, fabricated and installed the main stage, gallery and workshop environments, together with the temporary plenary structure.

Evolution Site Services: Supported the temporary event infrastructure and site-service requirements associated with the purpose-built plenary environment and multi-venue delivery.

Evolution Furniture: Delivered all temporary and custom furniture across all event areas, working in sync with the brand environment.

Hosted by His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in partnership with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, the Reaching the Last Mile Forum brought more than 250 global leaders to Louvre Abu Dhabi in November 2019. The one-day programme focused on eliminating preventable infectious diseases and concluded with the REACH Awards.

Louvre Abu Dhabi already provides a complete visual and emotional experience. The appropriate creative response was therefore not to compete with the museum, but to introduce a clear event identity through proportion, content and carefully controlled production.

Evolution connected the forum, an outdoor exhibition and the awards ceremony around a single purpose: giving complex global-health work a platform that felt credible, accessible and worthy of international attention.

The Challenge

Three different programme modes needed to coexist within a culturally significant venue. The forum required speaker focus, the exhibition needed space for organisations to communicate their work, and the awards programme needed a more ceremonial emotional register.

Any temporary intervention also had to respect the museum setting. Evolution's approach to projects of this type is to consider the relationship between event elements, architecture, access and installation controls before the creative treatment is finalised. Here, visual restraint was essential to maintaining that balance.

The Solution

The main forum environment used a disciplined composition to support speeches and panel discussions without introducing unnecessary visual noise. Branding and content placement created distinction, while the overall scale remained sympathetic to the venue.

The outdoor exhibition was conceived as a sequence of focused stories rather than a conventional trade-show arrangement. Participating foundations were given clear platforms to communicate their contribution, allowing guests to explore the content at their own pace between formal sessions.

The REACH Awards shifted the tone through coordinated lighting, sound and video. This transition was carefully paced so recognition felt like the culmination of the day's global-health dialogue rather than a separate entertainment segment.

Evolution also managed registration, AVL and video coverage. These operational elements were coordinated with the physical design and guest journey, helping a complex one-day programme move clearly from discussion to exploration and finally to recognition.

Delivery Highlights

• Event design and production for a global-health forum attended by more than 250 leaders.
• Integration of the event identity within Louvre Abu Dhabi.
• Purpose-designed main stage for speeches and panel discussions.
• Outdoor exhibition developed as a focused content experience.
• Guest registration, AVL provision and video coverage.
• REACH Awards produced through coordinated lighting, sound and video.

Outcome

The forum established its own presence without diminishing the architecture or the seriousness of the subject. Guests could move naturally from international dialogue into exhibition content and then into a moment of recognition, with each part of the day carrying a distinct but related emotional tone.

The design's restraint kept attention where it belonged: on the leaders, organisations and achievements advancing the fight against infectious disease.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Ministry of Presidential Affairs

Evolution Events: Led the forum strategy, audience journey, registration, exhibition and awards production, technical coordination and live delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Designed and produced the main-stage environment and museum-quality outdoor exhibition elements.

Evolution Technical: Provided AVL for the forum and the lighting, sound and video systems used for the REACH Awards.

Evolution Furniture: Delivered the full scope of Event furniture for the main plenary, majlis and breakout spaces.

Culture Summit Abu Dhabi 2019 brought 450 delegates from 90 countries together under the theme Cultural Responsibility and New Technology. Panels, performances and workshops were delivered across Manarat Al Saadiyat, the Cultural Foundation, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Island.

The strategic task was to create cohesion without imposing uniformity. Each location had its own architecture, atmosphere and programme role; the summit needed to be recognisable everywhere while still allowing those differences to contribute to the experience.

Evolution developed an adaptable event language across branding, scenic design, staging, furniture and collateral. The city and its cultural venues became part of the delegate journey rather than simply a collection of locations.

The Challenge

Every movement between venues risked weakening the summit identity. Delegates encountered different entrances, room types, technical conditions and operational teams, while the programme itself moved between intellectual debate, live performance and participatory workshops.

Each location also brought specific HSE protocols, access requirements and physical restrictions. Supporting 450 international delegates required a delivery structure capable of maintaining creative consistency while responding to local conditions at each site.

The Solution

Evolution created a design system that could be adapted rather than copied. Branding, event collateral and recurring visual cues established recognition, while scenic and furniture treatments were adjusted to the architecture and function of each space.

Manarat Al Saadiyat acted as a principal gathering point for panels, workshops and delegate interaction. Other venues expanded the cultural narrative through different settings, allowing the summit to move through Abu Dhabi's cultural landscape without feeling fragmented.

Spatial planning supported the shift between listening, discussion, performance and hospitality. This gave each programme format an appropriate atmosphere while maintaining a consistent standard of presentation and guest experience.

Evolution expanded the delivery team to address venue-specific HSE protocols, restrictions and logistics. Central coordination ensured that decisions made at one location remained aligned with the summit's wider identity, schedule and delegate communication.

Delivery Highlights

• Event design and production for 450 delegates from 90 countries.
• Programme across Manarat Al Saadiyat, the Cultural Foundation, Louvre Abu Dhabi and Saadiyat Island.
• Adaptive scenic, staging and branding approach tailored to each venue.
• Furniture and spatial planning for panels, workshops, performances and hospitality.
• Custom event collateral maintaining continuity across locations.
• Expanded delivery team addressing venue-specific HSE protocols and restrictions.
• Central logistics and production coordination across the multi-venue programme.

Outcome

Delegates experienced Culture Summit as one programme carried through several distinct cultural settings. The changing venues added texture and context, while the adaptable identity ensured that every arrival still felt connected to the summit's theme and community.

The result was not uniformity, but continuity - a shared event character strong enough to travel across the city without erasing the qualities of each venue.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Abu Dhabi Department of Culture and Tourism

Evolution Events: Led the multi-venue strategy, delegate journey, design coordination, production management, logistics and live delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Delivered the customised scenic, staging and branded environments adapted to each cultural venue.

Evolution Furniture: Provided furniture supporting panels, workshops, performances, delegate interaction and hospitality across the summit programme.

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.