Expo 2020 Dubai: World's best broadcasting tech used to beam opening ceremony

Dubai - The show is supported by one of the biggest immersive video, sound and light systems in the world

The opening ceremony of the Expo 2020 Dubai will use the biggest, never-before-seen broadcasting technology to beam the stunning 90-minute show, officials have said.

Tareq Ghosheh, chief events and entertainment officer at Expo 2020 and one of the creative brains behind the opening ceremony, said: "We have utilised different technologies for the broadcast that haven't been used in live entertainment ever before at the capacity and the intensity that we're doing it now."

The star-studded ceremony, which will be attended by a select few VIPs, will be live-streamed across more than 430 locations across the UAE.

“It will be one of the very few ceremonies that will happen in a garden supported by a dome, which is the world’s largest projection surface. It is supported with one of the biggest immersive video and sound and light systems in the world,” Ghosheh said at a Press briefing ahead of the gala ceremony, which begins at 8pm tonight.

“In order to make this happen, we had to invest in each and every possible technology that will enable us to give a lifeline to Al Wasl from the opening ceremony to the last day of Expo,” he added.

The first investment was 253 projectors. He said it is supported with the "biggest immersive sound and light system in the world to give the audience an unforgettable experience."

“In addition to that, the stage that you will see today, it has each and every trick and drawing that any creative director would like to have. It has props, lights and sound, special effects, revolving stage... that has enabled us to integrate many tricks," Ghosheh said.

The 360-degree stage has a performance diameter of 16 metres and the outer circumference can rotate at a speed of 100 millimetres per second.

The secondary staging areas, nestled within Al Wasl’s garden, provide up-close viewing experiences for the audience.The powerful stage lift has a weight loading of 250kg per square meter and the stage and ramps are composed of 28 structural parts.

In addition, Ghosheh said the garden inside the Al Wasl Dome is supported with very specific, programmed lighting systems.

“By this, we can literally influence the emotions of the people who are at the show, by involving them in a sensory experience,” he said.

The execution of the opening ceremony is an example of how things can be perfected even under the impact of the pandemic, Ghosheh added.

"What you will see today is very special in terms of story and execution, and it is created in two formats: One format that people will see on streaming and live TV, and the other one for the live audience present at Al Wasl. And each one of them is as good as the other," he said.

The ceremony is directed by Franco Dragone, one of the world’s greatest creative visionaries who specialises in the creation of large-scale theatre shows.

He is known for his work with Cirque du Soleil and Celion Dion. He had earlier created and directed the 'Story of a Fort, Legacy of a Nation’ in 2013 as a centrepiece event for the Qasr Al Hosn Festival in Abu Dhabi.

• Dubai