Powering And Cooling The Ultimate Festival For Millions Of People
Client: Multitude of worldwide entertainment and sports companies
Location: Al Diriyah - KSA
The Challenge
Design, deliver and execute 400+ generators and cooling solutions across multiple locations for millions of attendees
Providing power and/or temperature control at a large-scale event requires planning, and an experienced team, excellent communication and equipment that is perfectly suited to the unique logistical and site demands placed upon them.
Providing power and/or temperature control at a large-scale event requires planning, and an experienced team, excellent communication and equipment that is perfectly suited to the unique logistical and site demands placed upon them. If you were to combine this with many more large-scale events, watched by millions and then throw in an average daily attendance of more than 100,000?
This is exactly what The Diriyah Seasons Festival represents.
An unparalleled event, spanning two months, multiple locations and events from the global sporting and music calendar. Big names providing the entertainment for the masses – and an even bigger need for reliable power and temperature control.
How do you meet the demand for an event on such an unprecedented scale?
With expert planning, allied with a team of technicians, equipment and resources grouped together from Europe and the Middle East
There were plenty of obstacles though. Logistically-speaking, moving more than 400 generators alone would require the need for collaboration with third-party companies, placing a huge emphasis on communication and processes.
There was also the issue of a wide range of voltages and frequencies in use that any equipment in use must adhere to.
With so many people looking forward to this event extravaganza, Aggreko needed to deliver on all facets of the project – with no room for error.
Project fact file
The Solution
Collaboration, expertise, reliable equipment and extensive planning
Teamwork was perhaps the most important element of the behemoth task ahead of us.
Teamwork was perhaps the most important element of the behemoth task ahead of us.
When it came to providing the power and cooling, we gathered our fleet and made the necessary calculations so our installation technicians could ensure all fundamental equipment was on site and tested.
Before a piece of equipment had touched the ground however, our team had divided the ground into sectors and posted a small team to each that would oversee all operations from start to finish.
With an event of this magnitude and the sheer number of generators and ancillaries, we also made the decision to have a large store area, which would make it possible for replacements and repairs to happen rapidly. This was just one of the measures we put in place that enhanced the reliability of our solutions.
When a certain area had one of the higher profile events taking place, such as the Formula E race or a headline act on the music stage? We juggled our resources and made sure that the number of experts on hand to deal with any occurrence was ample.
With our HVAC package, we again had to adapt in accordance with each area. This was quite granular too, even changing room to room in a building – for a boxer’s changing room to a welcoming marquee that contained thousands of people with food and beverages.
The Impact
Unique, unprecedented festival enthralled the world
When each day in the space of two months presents a different challenge – our ability to adapt and deal with anything that came our way allowed for a fluid approach.
Above all though, the planning phase meant that we were more than prepared for the demands that powering and cooling a two-month, massive-scale event included.
From world-title boxing matches to the globally-recognised Formula E competition taking place, with music concerts fronted by household names – the fans could enjoy it all. While they watched, sang, danced and enjoyed the action unfold on the myriad of stages, platforms, structures and grounds – our generators, temperature control and our experts did what they do best in the background.
The size of this challenge was immense – but our people and equipment passed the test with flying colours.