Diriyah Oasis operated as the entertainment district for Diriyah Season 2019, a two-month programme that attracted more than one million visitors.

Evolution was appointed to transform a 130,000-square-metre car park from concept to opening day within 90 days. The challenge was not simply to introduce individual attractions, but to create a fully functioning destination with its own identity, visitor journey, atmosphere and operational framework.

The masterplan organised the site into four major zones, allowing diverse experiences to operate together while maintaining a clear sense of place across one large public festival environment.

The Challenge

The existing car park provided significant scale but no established visitor environment. Landscape, flooring, lighting, attractions and operational routes all needed to be introduced within a compressed delivery period to create a destination that felt intentional from opening day.

The completed site also needed to operate continuously for two months. Creative impact, durability, maintenance access, staffing and crowd movement were therefore interconnected considerations, requiring the environment to perform as both an attraction and a fully functioning public space.

The Solution

Evolution developed distinct creative identities for the four principal festival zones, giving visitors different reasons to explore the wider destination while ensuring each area remained connected through one overall experience.

Large-scale custom props created recognisable landmarks, while tailored landscaping and flooring transformed the visual and physical character of the former car park. These elements helped establish a sense of place while supporting visitor orientation across the 130,000-square-metre site.

A complete lighting solution extended the experience into the evening, creating continuity between the different zones after dark. Procurement, installation and supplier coordination were managed through one central delivery structure to maintain consistency across the festival environment.

Large-scale staffing, logistics and daily operations were planned around the two-month operating period, allowing Diriyah Oasis to function as a complete entertainment district with the reliability, maintenance requirements and visitor flow of a permanent destination.

Delivery Highlights

• Entertainment district for Diriyah Season 2019.
• More than one million visitors during the two-month run.
• 130,000-square-metre car park transformed within 90 days.
• Creative design and delivery of four major festival zones.
• Custom giant props, landscaping and flooring.
• Full venue lighting solution across the extensive site.
• Procurement and installation management for festival activations.
• Large workforce and end-to-end operational coordination.

Outcome

Diriyah Oasis became a destination with its own structure, identity and visitor journey. Guests encountered four distinct zones, navigated through recognisable landmarks and experienced the former car park as a complete entertainment environment rather than a temporary event site.

The transformation remained effective throughout the two-month operating period because creative development, infrastructure, staffing and logistics were planned together from the outset, allowing the destination to deliver consistently from opening day through to the end of the season

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Designlab Events FZ LLC

Evolution Events: Led the concept, festival masterplan, activation procurement, staffing, logistics, operational planning and two-month live management.

Evolution Scenic: Created the four zone environments, giant props, customised landscaping, flooring and physical festival features.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the confirmed full lighting solution across the 130,000-square-metre site.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Site Services

In March 2023, the Ministry of Economy hosted the second edition of Investopia at the Hilton in Abu Dhabi. More than 1,400 attendees, including industry leaders and policymakers, gathered over two days to examine emerging investment opportunities and build new partnerships.

The programme required several different forms of engagement to happen within one event: large-scale thought leadership, smaller discussions, press activity, one-to-one business meetings and evening hospitality.

Evolution organised the experience around that progression, creating a spatial hierarchy that moved participants from collective ideas into focused conversation, media engagement and relationship building.

The Challenge

Investopia needed to feel coherent despite operating through three stages, a substantial B2B zone, television studios, pre-function activity and a gala dinner on the hotel's outdoor terrace.

The main stage required enough visual authority for a high-profile international conference, while the breakout and press spaces needed their own functional identities. The B2B environment had to support private, productive meetings without becoming visually detached from the wider event.

The creative response also needed to translate Investopia's themes into film, multimedia and spatial design rather than relying on branding alone.

The Solution

The main stage was built around a 21-metre-wide screen and a circular scenic feature with programmable lighting. This created a recognisable centre for the event while giving multimedia content and speakers a strong shared frame.

Two additional stages supported breakout sessions and press conferences. Rather than repeating the main-stage treatment at a smaller scale, each environment was calibrated to its purpose while retaining the same event identity.

A custom B2B area provided 35 individual meeting booths for one-to-one discussions. In the pre-function space, two television studios and interview branding turned media activity into a visible part of the event ecosystem rather than hiding it backstage.

Evolution also produced the opening film and multimedia content, using the event's visual language to set context before the live programme began. The final gala on the Hilton terrace shifted the mood through ambient lighting and tailored scenic treatment, closing the event in a more relaxed hospitality setting.

Delivery Highlights

• Two-day investment conference for more than 1,400 attendees.
• Main stage featuring a 21-metre-wide screen and circular programmable-lighting feature.
• Two additional stages for breakout sessions and press conferences.
• Custom B2B area with 35 individual meeting booths.
• Pre-function environment with television studios and interview branding.
• Opening film and multimedia content supporting the conference narrative.
• Outdoor terrace gala with ambient lighting and tailored scenic elements.

Outcome

Investopia gave participants a sequence of environments suited to different levels of engagement. The main stage created a shared investment conversation, breakout and press spaces supported focused content, and the B2B area converted that momentum into direct meetings.

The terrace gala completed the progression by moving the audience from formal dialogue into hospitality, without losing the identity established across the two-day programme.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Ministry of Economy

Evolution Events: Led concept design, event planning, programme integration, B2B and media-area coordination, onsite management and gala delivery.

Evolution Scenic: Fabricated the main stage, secondary stages, B2B booths, media environments and gala scenic elements.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the screen, programmable lighting, multimedia playback, television-studio requirements and wider AVL production.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Site Services

From 24 March to 2 April 2016, the inaugural Mother of the Nation Festival celebrated the values and achievements of Her Highness Sheikha Fatima bint Mubarak across more than 1.4 kilometres of the Abu Dhabi Corniche.

The programme brought Emirati culture, healthy living, environmental awareness, creativity, emerging artists, charitable giving and national pride into one family-focused public event.

Evolution conceived the festival as a sequence of experiences rather than a single entertainment programme. Layouts, themes, installations, activities and international performers were curated so different audiences could find their own route through the values being celebrated.

The Challenge

The ten-day festival needed to engage families and visitors of different ages across an unusually long waterfront site. The themes were broad, but the experience had to feel coherent rather than like unrelated zones placed along the Corniche.

The build also faced severe weather. Storm damage required last-minute repairs and adjustments without compromising the scheduled public opening or the quality of the completed environments.

The Solution

Evolution developed the overall festival concept, master layout, themes and activity plan around the intended values and audience mix. Individual zones could therefore offer different content while still contributing to a single cultural narrative.

Interactive activities and original content were designed for a broad public audience. International performers and activities expanded the cultural range, while customised installations and activity environments gave each programme strand a clear physical identity.

Full lighting, rigging, audio and video systems supported the 1.4-kilometre site, creating continuity and live capability across the festival rather than concentrating production in one central location.

When storm damage affected the build, Evolution reorganised repair and production activity around the fixed opening date. The recovery effort protected both the guest-facing design and the operational readiness of the festival.

Delivery Highlights

• Ten-day festival from 24 March to 2 April 2016.
• More than 1.4 kilometres of the Abu Dhabi Corniche transformed into a public experience.
• Complete festival concept, master layout, themes and activities.
• Original interactive content for families and visitors of different ages.
• International activities and performers sourced from around the world.
• Custom installations and activity-zone environments.
• Full lighting, rigging, audio and video across the extensive site.
• Rapid repairs and adjustments following storm damage during the build.

Outcome

The festival gave a wide set of national and social values a tangible public form. Visitors could move between culture, creativity, wellbeing, environmental awareness and giving while remaining within one recognisable celebration.

Its scale was matched by its resilience: the event opened on schedule despite severe weather during the build, allowing the Corniche to operate as a complete cultural destination for ten days.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Crown Price Court of Abu Dhabi

Evolution Events: Led the festival concept, master planning, content, activities, international entertainment, operational recovery and live management.

Evolution Scenic: Created the customised installations, festival zones, activity environments and physical thematic treatments.

Evolution Technical: Delivered the confirmed lighting, rigging, audio and video systems across the 1.4-kilometre festival site.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Scenic

On 16 November 2023, the Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum International Photography Award presented its 12th-season ceremony at Dubai Opera under the theme Diversity.

The subject demanded more than a conventional awards set. Evolution’s creative approach used difference itself as the organising idea: changing screen proportions, global musical references, varied image formats and a gallery that allowed winning photography to be encountered before the formal ceremony.

The result was an awards identity designed around perspective. Every touchpoint, from the VIP invitation and online registration journey to the stage and gallery, reinforced photography as a way of seeing the world through many viewpoints.

The Challenge

Photography carries its own visual authority, so the event environment needed to elevate the images without competing with them. The theme Diversity also had to be expressed through real design and content decisions rather than relying on a single graphic motif.

Dubai Opera introduced exacting venue, loading and presentation requirements. Seven screens, custom gallery structures, live content and a formal guest programme had to be integrated with the precision expected of both an international photography award and a landmark performance venue.

The Solution

Evolution designed the stage around seven screens in different sizes and orientations. Their varied composition created an immediate visual expression of Diversity while giving photographs, category films and winner content flexible formats within the same scenic frame.

An introductory film was developed with a bespoke musical composition that combined recognised classical influences with sounds drawn from different parts of the world. This gave the ceremony an emotional opening rooted in cultural range rather than a generic awards fanfare.

Four custom gallery installations, each carrying two screens, created an immersive showcase for award-winning work. The gallery shifted the audience from social arrival into active viewing, allowing the images to establish the artistic context before guests entered the auditorium.

A physical VIP invitation was designed as a Polaroid photo box, while a dedicated online registration platform streamlined RSVPs. Together, these details extended the photography concept into both tangible and digital parts of the guest journey.

Delivery Highlights

• Creative direction for the HIPA 12th-season ceremony under the theme Diversity.
• Dynamic stage architecture featuring seven screens in varied sizes and orientations.
• Introductory film supported by a bespoke globally influenced musical composition.
• Four custom gallery installations, each incorporating dual screens.
• Photography-led VIP invitation designed as a Polaroid photo box.
• Dedicated online registration platform supporting guest RSVPs.

Outcome

The ceremony allowed Diversity to be seen, heard and experienced rather than simply announced. The seven-screen stage gave each category a distinctive visual treatment, while the gallery placed the photography itself at the centre of the arrival experience.

From the Polaroid invitation to the final winner presentation, the event remained connected to the act of image-making and the many perspectives celebrated by HIPA.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

HIPA

Evolution Events: Led the creative concept, ceremony narrative, introductory film, original music, VIP invitation, registration platform, guest experience and live-event management.

Evolution Scenic: Fabricated the seven-screen stage architecture, four gallery installations and supporting branded environments.

Evolution Technical: Integrated the stage and gallery screens, audio systems, playback and presentation technology required for the ceremony.

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Scenic

In April 2024, His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq of Oman was welcomed to the UAE at Qasr Al Watan.

The visit celebrated the close historical and cultural relationship between the UAE and Oman. Evolution’s production approach used that shared heritage as the foundation for the official welcome, connecting the traditional animal parade, cultural performances and palace ceremony through one carefully controlled sequence.

Behind the public experience, a dedicated operational compound at Emirates Palace supported more than 250 horses and camels, their carers and the rehearsal process required for the live ceremonial programme.

The Challenge

The occasion required grandeur without excess. Cultural performances and the animal parade needed to communicate respect and shared identity, while remaining precisely aligned with official protocol, security and the arrival sequence.

More than 250 animals introduced substantial welfare, holding and movement requirements. Large-scale support structures and carer facilities had to operate close enough to the ceremony for efficient deployment, yet remain completely separate from the guest experience.

The Solution

Evolution planned the reception as a progression from formal arrival into a culturally rooted welcome. The traditional horse-and-camel parade acted as a visible expression of shared regional heritage, while supporting performances reinforced the occasion’s diplomatic tone.

At Emirates Palace, a dedicated compound was created to accommodate more than 250 animals. Holding zones, large-scale support tents and cabins provided operational space for carers, rehearsals and animal preparation before movement to Qasr Al Watan.

Production and design teams coordinated the palace programme with the operational base, mapping animal releases, performer cues and transport against the fixed state-visit schedule. This prevented the ceremonial content and support infrastructure from becoming disconnected workstreams.

Protocol, security and venue requirements were incorporated from the start, allowing the cultural sequence to retain its meaning while every transition remained controlled.

Delivery Highlights

• Official state reception for the Sultan of Oman at Qasr Al Watan in April 2024.
• Attendance by more than 1,000 dignitaries and guests.
• Traditional horse-and-camel parade celebrating shared regional heritage.
• Dedicated Emirates Palace compound supporting more than 250 animals.
• Holding zones, large-scale support tents and cabins for animal carers.
• Integrated production, design, logistics, protocol and security coordination.
• Live management of cultural performances and ceremonial movement.

Outcome

The official welcome used familiar cultural forms to communicate the depth of the relationship between Oman and the UAE. The parade and performances felt integral to the diplomatic occasion rather than decorative additions.

The extensive animal and rehearsal operation remained discreet behind the ceremony, enabling the guests to experience a confident and culturally meaningful state reception.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Presidential Protocol  and Strategic Narrative Authority

Evolution Events: Led production and design, cultural programme coordination, animal and carer operations, transport, protocol and security liaison, rehearsals and live ceremonial delivery.

Site Infrastructure:

Evolution Site Services

Technical Production:

Evolution Technical

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Scenic

For the South Korean state visit in November 2025, Evolution was appointed to manage performer and animal logistics for the official ceremonies at Qasr Al Watan.

The project’s strategic value lay in control rather than visual intervention. Screening, transport, holding, animal welfare and palace movement all had to operate with enough precision that the official welcome could retain its dignity and natural ceremonial flow.

Evolution treated the complete route from Zayed Sports City and Emirates Palace to Qasr Al Watan as one protocol-led movement system, connecting people, animals and show cues through disciplined planning.

The Challenge

Performers needed to pass through screening and travel securely to the palace within tightly controlled time windows. Delays at any stage could affect line-ups, animal readiness and the formal state programme.

Camels and horses required stable and farm management across rehearsals and live moments, while the Emirates Palace back-of-house hub needed to support holding, welfare and onward movement without compromising security or protocol.

The Solution

Evolution coordinated performer screening and transport from Zayed Sports City to Qasr Al Watan, creating a clear sequence from verification through boarding, arrival, holding and palace release.

Emirates Palace operated as the central back-of-house hub for rehearsals, holding areas and stable coordination. This allowed animal and performer operations to be managed from one controlled base before entering the ceremonial environment.

Camel-farm and stable management focused on welfare, safety and readiness throughout the project. Carers, transport teams and show managers worked to shared timings so animal movement could remain aligned with the official programme.

Inside Qasr Al Watan, on-ground show management controlled line-ups, internal routes, entrances, exits and transitions, maintaining discretion while every movement remained precisely timed.

Delivery Highlights

• Performer and animal logistics for the November 2025 South Korean state visit.
• Secure performer screening and transport from Zayed Sports City.
• Central back-of-house and rehearsal hub at Emirates Palace.
• Camel-farm and stable management across rehearsals and live operation.
• Animal welfare, safety and readiness coordination.
• Palace line-up, routing, entrance, exit and transition management.
• Protocol-led show control throughout the official ceremony.

Outcome

The project created a controlled operational framework around the ceremony without adding visible complexity to the official welcome. Performers and animals arrived in the correct order, at the correct time and through the correct routes.

That precision allowed the state-visit programme to remain calm and dignified, showing that disciplined movement and welfare planning are fundamental parts of ceremonial experience design.

Project Ecosystem

Client:

Presidential Protocol  and Strategic Narrative Authority

Evolution Events: Led performer screening, transport, back-of-house operations, animal welfare and stable management, palace routing, show management, protocol coordination and live delivery.

Site Infrastructure:

Evolution Site Services

Technical Production:

Evolution Technical

Additional Project Support:

Evolution Furniture - Evolution Scenic