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.

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.

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.

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.