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 

EY appointed Evolution to design and deliver its exhibition stand for COP28 at Expo City Dubai. The environment needed to communicate environmental responsibility through its construction as well as through the content presented within it.

The strategic response was to make sustainability visible at two levels. Modular, recyclable components reduced material waste, while an immersive room used content, screens and spatial audio to communicate the subject emotionally to visitors.

This gave EY a stand that could demonstrate responsible delivery rather than simply display messages about it.

The Challenge

A sustainability-led stand must withstand close scrutiny. Material choices, construction methods and end-of-event planning all needed to support the environmental claim, while the finished environment still had to meet the design and functional expectations of a major international conference.

The project was also delivered within a tight timeframe and under Expo City access controls during COP28. Logistics, permits, technical programming and physical construction had to progress in parallel without weakening the recyclable design approach.

The Solution

Evolution developed the concept around a fully recyclable stand built from modular components. Materials were selected with reuse or recycling after the event in mind, reducing dependence on one-use scenic construction.

An immersive room became the principal storytelling environment. Multiple screens carried environmental content controlled through Ventuz, while L-Acoustics audio created a spatial layer that intensified the relationship between image, sound and message.

Digital signage and presentation screens were integrated throughout the stand, giving formal speeches, information and everyday visitor interaction a consistent visual framework.

Lighting was designed for the stand perimeter and main speech area, with ambient audio supporting the wider environment. Evolution also managed logistics and the permit process required for access to Expo City during COP28.

Delivery Highlights

• Fully recyclable and eco-conscious exhibition concept for EY at COP28.
• Modular construction developed to minimise waste.
• Sustainable materials planned for reuse or recycling after the event.
• Immersive room with multiple screens and Ventuz-controlled content.
• L-Acoustics audio supporting environmental storytelling.
• Integrated digital signage, presentation screens and speech-area lighting.
• Expo City logistics and access-permit management.

Outcome

The stand expressed EY’s environmental commitment through both message and method. Visitors encountered sustainability in the material logic of the build and in the immersive content presented inside it.

The modular environment created a professional COP28 presence without treating circularity as a compromise, while the immersive room gave the climate narrative a more memorable emotional register.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

PROUD ROBINSON

Evolution Events: Led concept development, sustainability planning, Expo coordination, permit management, logistics and live delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Built the recyclable modular stand, immersive room and integrated physical presentation environment.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the confirmed screens, Ventuz content control, L-Acoustics audio, digital signage and lighting systems.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture

For the Expo 2020 Dubai Closing Ceremony, Five Currents LLC commissioned Evolution to create a giant suspended gold ring inspired by the Expo emblem.

The structure needed to serve two purposes: a visually striking symbol above the stage and a fully engineered performance element capable of releasing a seamless curtain of rain during the ceremony.

Evolution translated the conceptual design into a flyable scenic structure integrating concealed water tanks and technical systems. The result was a dramatic transformation moment that remained hidden from the audience until activation.

The Challenge

The ring needed to remain structurally secure while suspended approximately 20 metres above the stage, while maintaining the refined appearance of a simple gold emblem. All engineering components, including the concealed water system, needed to remain hidden from the audience.

Water behaviour, structural loading, surface finish, rigging and live show timing all required precise coordination. Each element had to perform reliably as part of one integrated scenic and technical system to deliver the intended ceremonial moment.

The Solution

Evolution engineered the ring as a combined scenic feature and water-performance mechanism. Concealed tanks and distribution technology were integrated within the form without interrupting its circular profile or refined gold finish.

The design was developed around the requirements of suspension and movement, with stringent safety considerations and coordination with the Al Wasl Dome rigging system informing load paths, connection points and final positioning.

Materials and finishes were carefully selected to preserve the elegance of the Expo-inspired emblem while meeting the durability requirements of a suspended live-effect feature.

Extensive testing aligned water flow, rigging, positioning and show timing, allowing the ring to transform into a continuous rain curtain during the ceremony before returning seamlessly to its role as a visual symbol.

Delivery Highlights

• Giant gold ring inspired by the Expo 2020 emblem.
• Suspended approximately 20 metres above the stage at Al Wasl Dome.
• Hidden water tanks and rain-curtain technology integrated within the structure.
• Engineering for a large-scale flown scenic installation.
• High-quality gold finish concealing the functional systems.
• Integration with the Al Wasl Dome rigging system.
• Extensive testing of water flow, positioning and live operation.

Outcome

The ring delivered a final transformation that turned a familiar Expo symbol into a theatrical rain curtain above the stage. The moment appeared effortless to the audience, yet relied on complex engineering, precise timing and integrated scenic technology.

Its impact depended on concealment. Guests experienced the visual simplicity of gold, scale and falling water, while the tanks, distribution systems, rigging and engineering remained seamlessly integrated within the scenic form.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Five Currents LLC

Evolution Events: Led project coordination with Five Currents, production planning, testing, show integration and ceremonial delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Translated the concept into the giant gold ring, integrating the structure, concealed tanks, water system and finished scenic form.

Evolution Technical: Coordinated the confirmed flown installation, rigging-system integration and technical control required for the live rain-curtain effect.

For the Expo 2020 Dubai Opening Ceremony, Five Currents LLC commissioned Evolution to realise six mechanised scenic flowers beneath Al Wasl Dome.

The elements needed to carry the delicacy and organic movement of blooming flowers at a scale appropriate to one of the world’s largest ceremonial stages. Their purpose was not simply to decorate the performance, but to move with the choreography and contribute to its emotional rhythm.

Evolution translated the conceptual design into engineered scenic objects that combined material craft, kinetic movement, colour-changing light and mobile operation.

The Challenge

Organic movement is difficult to reproduce through mechanical construction. Petals needed to spiral, twist and open naturally while the complete objects remained durable, controllable and safe around performers.

The flowers also had to maintain visual presence inside the vast Al Wasl Dome. Light, colour and motion needed to remain legible at ceremony scale without making the engineering visible.

The Solution

Evolution engineered the six flowers using wood, metal and fabric, selecting each material for its contribution to structure, flexibility and surface character.

Fibre-optic lamps and cables introduced colour-changing illumination along the sides and ends of the floral forms. The lighting was integrated into the construction so the petals could glow and change without losing their sculptural quality.

Repeated testing refined the kinetic sequence until the flowers could spiral, twist and bloom with a more natural progression. Mechanical systems were tuned around the choreography rather than operated as isolated effects.

Custom mobile bases offered manual and battery-powered wireless movement, allowing performers to reposition the scenic elements and maintain the relationship between the flowers and the live stage picture.

Delivery Highlights

• Six mechanised scenic flower elements for the Expo 2020 Opening Ceremony.
• Engineering developed from the supplied conceptual designs.
• Construction using wood, metal and fabric.
• Colour-changing fibre-optic lamps and cables integrated into the petals.
• Kinetic motion enabling spiralling, twisting and blooming sequences.
• Continuous testing and refinement around the live choreography.
• Manual and battery-powered wireless mobile bases.

Outcome

The flowers introduced a living scenic language into the opening ceremony. Their changing colour and unfolding motion complemented the performers while remaining visually strong within the scale of Al Wasl Dome.

Artistry and engineering were concealed within the action: audiences saw flowers bloom, while the structural, mechanical and wireless systems supporting the moment remained out of view.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Five Currents LLC

Evolution Events: Led project and client coordination with Five Currents, production planning, testing schedules and ceremonial delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Designed, engineered and fabricated the six flower structures, kinetic petals and mobile bases.

Evolution Technical: Integrated the fibre-optic lighting, colour-changing systems, wireless functionality and controlled scenic movement.

ENACT Majlis brought more than 110 VIP leaders, policymakers and decision-makers together for invitation-only discussions on climate, technology and energy. The conference was conceived in a majlis format, prioritising comfort, proximity and strategic exchange over the conventions of a large auditorium.

Evolution's task was to create an environment in which influential participants could contribute freely across several rooms while still experiencing one coherent event. The design needed to feel discreet and hospitable, but technically capable of carrying complex content and simultaneous conversations.

The resulting format treated dialogue as the central experience. Scenic design, content, audio systems and hospitality were organised around the quality of the exchange rather than around spectacle.

The Challenge

A closed-door conference depends on intimacy and audibility. More than 40 handheld microphones were required to support discussion across multiple rooms, while over 160 square metres of LED walls had to present content without making the majlis feel like a conventional broadcast studio.

The event also required substantial technical infrastructure, including a large ground-support rigging system, room transformations, custom carpeting and a dedicated VIP group-photo platform. These elements needed to work together without interrupting the calm and composed character of the setting.

A private VIP dinner at Em Sherif in Rosewood Abu Dhabi added a separate hospitality experience on the evening before the conference, requiring continuity in service and guest management across both occasions.

The Solution

Evolution transformed the space into a series of connected discussion areas designed to encourage open dialogue and collaboration. Custom carpeting and full room transformations softened the conference environment, creating a more intimate and welcoming setting while maintaining clear circulation and visibility between participants.

The technical delivery was designed around the interactive nature of the majlis format. A backstage-operated system of more than 40 handheld microphones enabled delegates to contribute seamlessly from their seats, supporting a more open and conversational style of discussion.

The 160-square-metre LED installation provided a clear visual platform for supporting content while complementing the overall room environment. Tailored screen content reinforced the ENACT narrative under ADNOC, providing a consistent visual reference throughout the discussions.

A bespoke VIP group-photo platform created a formal moment of recognition and documentation while remaining aligned with the wider event environment.

Evolution also managed the pre-event dinner, extending the guest journey beyond the formal programme and creating an opportunity for relationship-building before the closed-door discussions began.

Delivery Highlights

• Invitation-only conference for more than 110 VIP leaders and policymakers.
• More than 160 square metres of LED walls across the event.
• Ground-support rigging system carrying substantial technical loads.
• More than 40 handheld microphones supporting multi-room dialogue.
• Complete room transformations, custom carpeting and VIP photo platform.
• Custom ENACT screen content aligned with the conference narrative.
• Private pre-event VIP dinner at Em Sherif, Rosewood Abu Dhabi.

Outcome

ENACT Majlis gave a high-level policy audience the conditions for focused and direct exchange. Technology remained present and capable, but the room continued to feel conversational rather than performative.

By connecting the private dinner, majlis environment and multi-room technical system, the event supported both relationship building and structured dialogue within one discreet guest experience.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

ADNOC

Evolution Events: Led the turnkey concept, operational management, content production, VIP dinner, hospitality coordination and live conference delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Delivered the room transformations, custom carpeting and bespoke VIP group-photo platform.

Evolution Technical: Provided the LED walls, ground-support rigging, microphones, audiovisual systems and technical integration across the discussion rooms.