Sparkling Sandset
Financial services · 2026

A GCC bank's regional awards gala staged under a desert dome

A black-tie regional awards night for a GCC bank, staged inside a climate-controlled dome with a full stage production, red carpet arrival and a twelve-category awards ceremony.

Client type
GCC banking group, regional corporate communications team
Event type
Black-tie regional awards gala
Guests
320 guests
Location
Al Khatim, Abu Dhabi
Lead time
10 weeks from brief to gala night
Client
GCC banking group (name withheld)

The challenge

The bank needed a five-star gala standard, full simultaneous Arabic-English interpretation and a red carpet arrival sequence for senior executives, all inside a single desert-based evening.

What we delivered

  • Climate-controlled dome seating 320 guests with raised stage and LED backdrop
  • Red carpet arrival with step-and-repeat branding and a dedicated media line
  • Simultaneous Arabic-English interpretation booths for the full ceremony
  • Twelve-category awards run of show with trophy handoffs and video packages
  • Full AV, lighting and stage management team run from a single production desk

Challenges solved

  • A five-star ballroom standard had to be replicated inside a desert dome
  • The two-hour ceremony needed to run to the minute with twelve award handoffs
  • Executive arrivals required a formal red carpet sequence on an unpaved site

Photo gallery

Results

  • Ceremony ran to the minute across a two-hour run of show
  • Executive feedback rated the evening above the bank's previous hotel ballroom galas
  • Contracted for the group's next two annual awards cycles
Our board said it was the best staged evening we have produced in a decade.
Head of Corporate Communications
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