In December 2021, Expo 2020 Dubai introduced Xmas at Expo 2020 as part of its festive visitor programme.

Evolution’s published portfolio identifies the project as a large-scale Christmas environment delivered through full scenic build, design, theming and vendor management.

The creative opportunity was to establish a recognisable festive atmosphere within an operating global Expo, ensuring that seasonal storytelling felt integrated with the wider visitor experience rather than appearing as a temporary layer added to the site.

The Challenge

The environment needed to work for a diverse international public while remaining appropriate to the scale, architecture and daily operating conditions of Expo 2020 Dubai.

Vendor activity, scenic installation and themed elements also had to be coordinated within a live destination. The experience could not interrupt pavilion access or reveal the complexity required to install and maintain it.

The Solution

Evolution connected the scenic build and theming through one seasonal design direction, allowing separate features to contribute to a shared festive atmosphere across the visitor environment.

Physical elements were planned around public circulation and dwell, giving families and visitors recognisable points of interest while maintaining clear movement through the operating Expo site.

Vendor management formed part of the creative delivery process. Installation responsibilities, finishes and handovers were coordinated so the completed environment felt consistent despite involving multiple contributors.

Live-site planning aligned scenic works with access controls and operating requirements, helping the seasonal experience remain visually complete while the wider destination continued to function.

Delivery Highlights

• Festive visitor environment delivered at Expo 2020 Dubai in December 2021.
• Full scenic build, design and seasonal theming.
• Large-scale Christmas environment for Expo visitors.
• Central management of multiple vendors and installations.
• Planning around public circulation and live-site operation.
• Integrated seasonal identity across the completed environment.

Outcome

Xmas at Expo 2020 gave the global destination a clearly recognisable festive chapter. Visitors encountered a coherent seasonal environment rather than a collection of unrelated Christmas features.

The consistency of the public experience came from connecting design, scenic delivery, vendor management and live-site coordination within one programme.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

EXPO 2020

Evolution Events: Led seasonal design coordination, vendor management, visitor-experience planning, live-site delivery and overall project management.

Evolution Scenic: Delivered the confirmed full scenic build, themed environments and installed seasonal features.

Evolution Technical: Provided full AVL solutions around the full installation blending seamlessly into the environment.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Site Services

E1 is the world’s first electric race-boat championship, created to combine competitive on-water racing with cleaner technologies and a greater awareness of coastal environments.

For the Jeddah leg, STAMINA Productions appointed Evolution to oversee project management and deliver a turnkey production package spanning AVL, site services and FF&E.

The strategic requirement was coherence. Technical systems, guest environments and waterfront infrastructure needed to operate as one connected experience, ensuring the championship’s focus on innovation was reflected through the precision, quality and delivery of the live event.

The Challenge

Waterfront sporting events distribute production requirements across large, exposed environments. Audio, video, lighting, power, cabling and guest facilities must remain reliable while supporting clear movement between race operations, hospitality areas and spectator zones.

The event also involved several stakeholder groups, including E1, MOS and SWSDF. Their technical, logistical and operational requirements needed to be aligned early, ensuring different systems could integrate effectively without creating operational conflicts or late changes across the venue.

The Solution

Waterfront sporting events require production systems to operate across large, exposed environments where technical reliability and guest experience must be managed together. Audio, video, lighting, power, cabling and guest facilities needed to remain consistent while supporting the movement of race operations, hospitality areas and spectator zones.

The event also involved several stakeholder groups, including E1, MOS and SWSDF, each with specific technical, logistical and operational requirements. These elements needed to be coordinated early to ensure systems integrated effectively, responsibilities remained clear and the waterfront environment could operate as one unified event space.

Delivery Highlights

• Turnkey production support for the Jeddah leg of the E1 championship.
• Integrated audio, video and lighting systems.
• Confirmed power distribution, cabling and infrastructure management.
• Design, supply and installation of FF&E.
• Coordination with E1, MOS and SWSDF stakeholders.
• Central alignment of technical, logistical and operational requirements.

Outcome

The championship received a unified production environment capable of supporting racing operations, hospitality and stakeholder activity along the waterfront. Guests experienced one consistent event setting, where technical delivery, guest facilities and spatial design worked together rather than appearing as separate elements.

The coordinated approach supported E1’s innovation-led positioning by creating an event environment that felt precise, functional and contemporary, reflecting the character of the electric racing programme.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Ministry of Sport / Saudi Water Sports and Diving Federation / E1

Evolution Events: Led project management in partnership with Stamina, stakeholder alignment, production planning, logistics and live delivery for the Jeddah event.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the confirmed audio, video and lighting systems supporting the championship environment.

Evolution Furniture: Designed, supplied and installed the confirmed FF&E package for guest, hospitality and operational spaces.

Evolution Site Services: Delivered the confirmed power distribution, cabling and infrastructure management across the waterfront site.

The UAE’s 50th National Day celebration at Hatta used the landscape of Hatta Dam as the setting for a performance tracing the nation’s progress and achievements.

Evolution collaborated with LarMac Projects ME Limited to create 100 telescopic lightboxes based on iconic UAE buildings. Together, the structures formed a scenic narrative of national development rather than a conventional architectural backdrop.

The creative concept relied on movement, scale and illumination. Each structure needed to rise from the stage, maintain the recognisable proportions of its architectural reference and perform as part of a synchronised landscape of light that remained legible across the dam.

The Challenge

Every building required its own visual identity while operating as part of one mechanical system. Taller structures needed up to four telescoping tiers, custom lifting mechanisms and sufficient stability for live performers working nearby.

The mountainous setting introduced high winds, rain and humidity. The scenic elements also had to retract into the stage floor and operate reliably within a live performance where timing and synchronisation were critical.

The Solution

Evolution designed, supplied, installed and operated 100 custom lightboxes, each modelled on an iconic UAE building and adjusted to retain relative scale differences within the stage composition.

Heavy-duty industrial tracks and telescopic tower mechanisms allowed the structures to emerge and retract. Multi-tier designs were engineered for taller buildings, translating the varied national skyline into a workable kinetic system.

Independently controlled LEDs created dimensional lighting across each replica. All 100 elements were connected through a single electrical control circuit, allowing colour and sequence changes to be synchronised from a command position approximately 30 metres away.

Structural design, testing and live operation were developed around weather exposure, performer safety and the precision required for the buildings to rise as part of the choreography.

Delivery Highlights

• One hundred custom telescopic replicas of iconic UAE buildings.
• Scenic sequence staged on an artificial pool at the edge of Hatta Dam.
• Up to four telescoping tiers for the tallest building structures.
• Custom lifting mechanisms and heavy-duty industrial tracks.
• Independently controlled LED lighting within every lightbox.
• Synchronised control through one electrical circuit from 30 metres away.
• Engineering for high winds, rain, humidity and live performer safety.

Outcome

The buildings transformed national progress into a live visual event. As the illuminated skyline emerged from the stage, architecture became a moving timeline rather than a static symbol.

The precision of the mechanical and lighting systems allowed 100 individual structures to read as one national image, creating a powerful centrepiece within the Hatta landscape.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

UAE Governement / LarMac Projects ME Limited

Evolution Events: Led project coordination with LarMac Projects ME Limited, production planning, installation sequencing and live scenic operation.

Evolution Scenic: Designed, engineered, fabricated, installed and operated the 100 telescopic building lightboxes and lifting structures.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the LED integration, electrical control, synchronised colour sequences and technical operation of the kinetic skyline.

Santa’s Sustainable House formed a centrepiece of Winter City 2023 at Expo City Dubai, combining a familiar festive attraction with the city’s commitment to responsible living.

The creative proposition was deliberately simple: sustainability should be experienced through the magic of Santa’s world rather than presented as a separate educational message.

Evolution designed and constructed an immersive house in which elves, workshop activity, interactive moments and eco-conscious details allowed families to encounter practical ideas within a playful seasonal story.

The Challenge

Environmental education can feel disconnected from a festive family attraction when information is added as signage after the experience has been designed. The content needed to influence the setting, activities and guest interaction from the beginning.

The house also had to operate as part of the wider Winter City narrative. Its identity needed to feel distinctive while remaining visually and spatially connected to the larger seasonal destination at Expo City Dubai.

The Solution

Evolution designed and constructed Santa’s House using sustainable materials and eco-conscious elements aligned with Expo City’s wider values.

The interior was developed as a fully staged workshop populated by jolly elves. This made sustainable practices part of the action and storytelling rather than a formal lesson delivered outside the festive experience.

Interactive moments invited visitors to participate, giving families a direct relationship with the themes being introduced while preserving the joy and whimsy expected of a Santa attraction. The architecture, décor and programme were integrated with the wider Winter City environment, allowing the house to function as one chapter within the complete seasonal visitor journey.

Delivery Highlights

• Centre piece attraction within Winter City 2023 at Expo City Dubai.
• Santa’s House designed and constructed using sustainable materials.
• Fully staged immersive workshop with live elf characters.
• Interactive experiences introducing practical sustainability ideas.
• Festive storytelling developed around environmental responsibility.
• Visual and operational integration with the wider Winter City narrative.

Outcome

Santa’s Sustainable House made environmental learning feel natural within a festive family experience. Children and adults encountered the ideas through character, activity and atmosphere rather than stepping outside the story to receive information.

The completed attraction retained the warmth and imagination of Santa’s world while giving Expo City’s sustainability commitment a visible and engaging seasonal expression.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

EXPO City

Evolution Events: Led the experience concept, family journey, activity integration, character programming and Winter City coordination.

Evolution Scenic: Constructed the sustainable house, immersive workshop, themed décor and physical interactive environment.

Evolution Furniture:  Full delivery of all details within the house, staging of all decor and finishing touches throughout.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Technical- Evolution Scenic

Monster Jam brought its monster-truck performance to the Liwa Desert for two days on 27 and 28 December 2023. Evolution partnered with Proactive to design and deliver the temporary event environment around the show.

The central idea was visibility. Spectators needed clear views of the truck action, VIP guests required a premium elevated experience, and the operational compound needed enough infrastructure to support heavy machinery, guest services and performance activity in a remote desert location.

Evolution organised the site as a complete motorsport venue, connecting the obstacle course, grandstands, VIP hospitality, crowd-control systems, lighting and power within one operating plan.

The Challenge

Liwa provided the scale and landscape for the spectacle but little permanent event infrastructure. Seating, hospitality, fencing, cabins, lighting, power and operational support all had to be introduced temporarily and perform reliably in desert conditions.

The truck obstacle course also required machinery and specialist site activity close to the live performance area. Public circulation, vehicle movement and guest facilities needed to remain clearly separated without weakening the audience’s connection to the action.

The Solution

Evolution developed the overall layout around the truck performance zones and spectator sightlines. Grandstand seating for 4,000 guests created a defined public arena, while fencing established crowd boundaries and protected operational routes.

A custom VIP hospitality structure was built from scaffolding and equipped with a working elevator. The elevated format gave premium guests strong views while creating a complete service environment within the temporary venue.

Machinery was supplied and operated for construction of the truck obstacle course, aligning the physical performance landscape with the requirements of the show.

Main and secondary power, distribution and supporting infrastructure were delivered across the venue, while full event lighting, cabins, tents, buggies and containers enabled the site to function throughout the two-day programme.

Delivery Highlights

• Two-day Monster Jam event in Liwa Desert on 27 and 28 December 2023.
• Overall venue layout covering seating, VIP hospitality and truck performance zones.
• Grandstand seating for 4,000 spectators.
• Custom scaffold VIP hospitality structure with a fully functional elevator.
• Machinery supplied and operated for construction of the obstacle course.
• Crowd-control fencing and temporary operational support facilities.
• Main and secondary power distribution with full venue lighting.

Outcome

The temporary site operated as a complete motorsport destination rather than an isolated performance track. Public spectators, VIP guests, production teams and heavy vehicles each had clearly planned spaces within the same desert environment.

The spectacle remained the focus because the seating, infrastructure and operations gave audiences a reliable way to experience the scale, noise and movement of Monster Jam safely and comfortably.

Project Ecosystem

Delivery partner: Proactive

Evolution Events: Led venue planning, Proactive coordination, obstacle-course operations, temporary facilities and live event management.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the confirmed full-venue lighting required for evening operation and spectacle visibility.

Evolution Site Services: Provided the confirmed main and secondary power, distribution, cabling and supporting event infrastructure.

For Saudi National Day 2022, Cirque du Soleil presented a large-scale performance in Riyadh built around expressive stage design, performers and custom scenic objects.

Evolution collaborated with renowned stage designer Stéphane Roy to translate the creative vision into a complete physical production. The role was one of disciplined realisation: preserving the artistry of the original designs while resolving how every component would be engineered, fabricated, transported and installed.

The result was a scenic system in which structural performance and visual storytelling were inseparable. Props, automated elements and stage components needed to feel theatrical onstage while meeting the practical demands of an international touring-standard production.

The Challenge

Complex scenic concepts often begin as expressive forms rather than construction packages. Each design had to be converted into buildable geometry, material specifications, structural details and mechanisms without losing the movement or character intended by the stage designer.

The production was fabricated in Dubai and delivered to Riyadh. That made transport planning, packing, reassembly and installation part of the design process, because every element had to arrive in sequence and perform exactly as intended on the Saudi stage.

The Solution

Evolution developed the technical design for the complete scenic package, converting the supplied creative direction into detailed fabrication and construction solutions.

The build drew on metalwork, carpentry, 3D production, fibreglass, automation, electronics and specialist painting. This mix allowed structural scenic components and bespoke stage props to carry both the visual detail and physical resilience required by the performance.

Automation and electronic systems were integrated into the scenic construction where movement or live control formed part of the design. These systems were tested alongside the physical components rather than treated as separate technical additions.

All elements were prepared for cross-border transport from the UAE to Saudi Arabia, then installed and assembled in Riyadh through a coordinated production sequence designed around the show programme.

Delivery Highlights

• Creative collaboration with Cirque du Soleil stage designer Stéphane Roy.
• Complete technical design and scenic production package.
• Metal fabrication, carpentry, 3D production, fibreglass, automation, electronics and specialist painting.
• Bespoke props and structural scenic components built to exacting performance standards.
• Full stage construction and scenic installation.
• Cross-border transportation of the scenic package from Dubai to Riyadh.

Outcome

The finished stage retained the imaginative quality of the original concept while operating as a robust live-performance environment. Audiences experienced an expressive Cirque du Soleil world rather than the engineering, logistics and fabrication systems behind it.

The strength of the delivery lay in faithful translation: the creative vision remained visible, while the complexity required to build, move and install it stayed embedded within the production.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Cirque du Soleil

Evolution Events: Led project coordination, cross-border logistics, installation planning and delivery liaison around the Cirque du Soleil production schedule.

Evolution Scenic: Developed the technical design and delivered the complete fabrication, automation, scenic construction, transport preparation and onsite installation package.