AD Port Group Innovation Scenic Fabrication in Abu Dhabi

Building a Coordinated Innovation Environment for AD Port Group

AD Port Group Innovation in Abu Dhabi required a complete temporary environment combining exhibition spaces, presentation infrastructure, branded scenic features and integrated technology. The different areas needed to operate as one coordinated installation while maintaining a consistent architectural and visual language throughout the venue.

Evolution Scenic handled the design, technical development, scenic fabrication, graphics production, installation and de-rig for the 2025 project. The principal scope included 16 custom exhibition booths, a 12-metre-wide main stage, a branded welcome wall with an illuminated logo, modular and illuminated branding elements, boat cladding and bleacher covers.

Evolution Technical supplied the LED screens and their supporting systems, while Evolution Furniture provided all furniture used throughout the project. This required coordination between screen positions, scenic walling, counters, storage units and furniture layouts so the technical and operational elements could be integrated cleanly into the fabricated environment.

The completed delivery brought the scenic, technical and furniture packages together as one temporary environment. Booth walling accommodated screens and cable access, counters and cabinets supported daily booth operations, while the stage, welcome feature, branding elements and specialist cladding extended the same scenic language across the wider project.

Developing Sixteen Custom Exhibition Booths

The principal exhibition environment comprised 16 custom booths arranged across several pavilion configurations. The layout needed to create a clear and consistent scenic identity while allowing individual booth areas to support different branding, screen content and operational requirements. Each booth was therefore developed as part of a wider exhibition system rather than as a standalone structure.

Six booths formed the right-side pavilion, while five were positioned within the left-side pavilion. Two back-to-back structures created a further four individual booth faces, making efficient use of the available floor area. One additional standalone booth was positioned close to the auditorium seating platform, extending the same scenic language into a separate part of the venue.

Thirteen of the booths measured three metres by three metres with an overall height of three metres. Three larger booths measured three metres by six metres and were also three metres high. Using these two standard footprints allowed the project to accommodate different spatial and operational requirements while maintaining consistent proportions across the exhibition environment.

The booth system also needed to support branding, digital displays, visitor interaction and concealed storage within the same compact footprint. Counters, screen positions and internal storage had to be integrated without disrupting the clean scenic appearance of the walls and portal features. This required careful coordination between the structural layout and the functional requirements of each booth.

Maintaining alignment between the platforms, wall lines and repeated architectural details was important to the overall composition. The consistent booth heights and shared construction language helped the different pavilion areas read as one coordinated temporary exhibition environment, while still allowing each booth to carry its own individual graphic identity.

Establishing a Repeatable Scenic Construction System

Custom plywood platforms formed the base of the exhibition booths and created a consistent foundation across the different pavilion areas. Carpet was installed across the platform surfaces to provide a clean finished floor within each booth. This also helped visually separate the fabricated exhibition spaces from the surrounding venue floor.

The booth walls were constructed using plywood internal framing clad with MDF. This combination provided the structural support required for the temporary scenic environment while creating smooth, uniform surfaces for the final finishes. The wall system could then be repeated across both the standard and larger booth configurations.

White paint was used as the principal scenic finish across the booth walling. Applied vinyl graphics introduced the individual branding and content required for each exhibitor without changing the underlying construction system. This allowed each booth to carry its own identity while remaining part of the same overall architectural language.

The repeated construction method could be adapted according to each booth’s operational requirements. Screen positions, graphic layouts, counters and storage elements changed between booths, while the internal framing, cladding and finishing principles remained consistent. This helped simplify fabrication while maintaining flexibility across the 16-booth environment.

Repeated wall proportions, portal forms and white scenic surfaces created visual continuity throughout the pavilions. Rather than appearing as a collection of unrelated exhibition stands, the booths read as one coordinated temporary architecture. The consistency of the underlying construction system supported both the practical build process and the overall scenic composition.

Integrating Screens, Counters and Storage

LED screens formed an important part of the exhibition environment and needed to be integrated directly into the scenic booth construction. Evolution Technical supplied the screens and their supporting systems, while Evolution Scenic coordinated the surrounding wall structures and screen positions.

Cable-management access was incorporated into every wall where a television screen was mounted. This allowed power, signal and technical connections to remain accessible while keeping the visible booth surfaces clear of loose cabling and unnecessary technical clutter.

The access provisions also allowed the screens to be installed, connected and checked without requiring the completed scenic walling to be dismantled. This helped maintain both the operational function of the technical equipment and the clean appearance of the finished booth interiors.

Every booth included a front counter with internal storage. These counters created a consistent visitor-facing frontage while providing concealed space for operational materials, equipment and general booth requirements.

The three larger booths also incorporated rear worktops with fitted storage cabinets. These additional joinery elements increased the practical working capacity of the wider booths while remaining integrated within the same scenic construction and finish language.

Configuring Pavilion and Back-to-Back Booth Layouts

The booth system needed to respond to several different spatial conditions while maintaining the same scenic language throughout the exhibition environment. The right- and left-side pavilions used repeated booth modules to create continuous elevations with consistent proportions and detailing.

Platform edges, wall lines, counter positions and repeated overhead features were kept visually aligned across the pavilion areas. This repetition helped establish a clear architectural rhythm and allowed the individual booths to read as part of one coordinated temporary structure.

The two back-to-back booth assemblies required a different layout approach. Each shared structure supported branding and booth functions on both sides, creating four individual booth faces from two central scenic constructions.

Freestanding branded totems were positioned within the back-to-back booths, while display tables were installed at the front to provide additional presentation surfaces. These elements supplemented the integrated counters without interrupting the shared wall arrangement.

The back-to-back configuration made efficient use of the available floor area while still allowing each booth face to retain its own graphic identity and visitor approach. The standalone booth near the auditorium seating platform followed the same three-metre-high scenic language, keeping it visually connected to the larger pavilion environment.

Constructing the Main Stage and Scenic Backdrop

Evolution Scenic fabricated a custom main stage measuring 12 metres wide by four metres deep. The stage formed the principal presentation area within the project and needed to provide a stable, finished platform that could coordinate cleanly with the scenic backdrop and technical screen systems.

A custom steel stage-deck system formed the primary supporting structure. Plywood decking was installed above the steel framework to create a continuous surface, before carpet was applied across the top to complete the visible stage finish.

This layered construction allowed each material to perform a specific function within the build. The steel deck provided the structural support, the plywood created a smooth and usable scenic substrate, and the carpet delivered the final presentation surface across the full stage area.

Comfort monitors were positioned along the front of the stage as part of the presentation setup. Their placement needed to be considered alongside the stage edge and scenic arrangement so that the technical equipment remained functional without disrupting the overall appearance of the presentation area.

The stage backdrop was fabricated from an internal timber-framed structure clad with MDF and finished with paint. The deck, backdrop and screen systems were coordinated as one presentation environment, helping the scenic and technical elements appear integrated rather than added as separate components.

Creating the Illuminated Welcome and Branding Features

The entrance environment incorporated a custom branded welcome wall that established a clear focal point within the project. The structure was fabricated from timber framing and clad with MDF, creating a smooth scenic surface suitable for the required graphic and lighting treatments.

Vinyl graphics were applied across the visible wall faces to introduce the project identity and maintain consistency with the wider exhibition environment. The scenic walling therefore worked as both a structural feature and a large-format branding surface within the entrance area.

A CNC-cut logo was integrated directly into the wall and illuminated from behind. The backlighting added depth and visibility to the logo, transforming it from a flat graphic element into a more dimensional scenic feature within the reception environment.

A custom counter with internal storage was positioned in front of the welcome wall. This provided a practical reception point while remaining visually connected to the surrounding scenic architecture and branded backdrop.

Illuminated branding panels and modular branding panels were also included within Evolution Scenic’s confirmed scope. These additional elements extended the visual identity beyond the main welcome feature and helped create a more consistent branded language across the wider temporary environment.

Fabricating Boat Cladding and Bleacher Covers

The boat cladding required a different construction approach from the prefabricated exhibition structures used elsewhere in the project. Rather than arriving as a completed freestanding scenic element, the cladding had to be developed directly around the existing boat and its installed position within the venue.

A plywood supporting structure was formed around the required area of the boat and then clad with MDF. This created the scenic surface needed for the final finish while allowing the structure to follow the shape and proportions of the existing feature more closely.

Vinyl graphics were applied across the completed MDF cladding to create the visible branded finish. The entire scenic assembly was fabricated on site, allowing the framework, cladding and graphics to be adjusted in response to the actual installation conditions rather than relying only on workshop measurements.

This site-based fabrication process required the structure to be measured, formed and finished around an existing object. It differed from the booth and stage packages, where a larger proportion of the scenic construction could be developed as repeatable fabricated components before installation.

Bleacher covers were also included within Evolution Scenic’s scope. These covers helped visually complete the auditorium seating infrastructure and allowed the bleacher area to sit within the same coordinated scenic language as the exhibition booths, stage and wider branding features.

Coordinating Scenic, Technical and Furniture Delivery

Three Evolution divisions contributed to the completed environment, each delivering a defined part of the project. Evolution Scenic handled the design, technical development, fabrication, graphics production, installation and de-rig, while the technical and furniture packages were coordinated alongside the scenic build.

Evolution Technical supplied the LED screens and their associated support systems. This required close coordination with the fabricated booth walls so that screen positions, supporting structures and cable routes could be accommodated without disrupting the finished scenic surfaces.

Evolution Furniture provided all furniture used throughout the project. Furniture layouts needed to work alongside the booth counters, storage areas, circulation routes and presentation spaces so that the operational use of each area remained practical within the temporary environment.

Coordination between the three packages was particularly important at the interfaces between scenic construction and technical equipment. Screen dimensions affected wall construction, cable routes influenced access provisions, and furniture placement needed to remain compatible with the booth layouts and visitor circulation.

The same approach applied to the main presentation area, where the stage structure, scenic backdrop, screens and comfort monitors needed to function as one coordinated system. Bringing the scenic, technical and furniture packages together helped maintain consistency across the exhibition booths, stage, entrance environment and auditorium areas.

Installing and Delivering the Complete Environment

Evolution Scenic handled the complete installation and subsequent de-rig of the project. The installation sequence needed to coordinate booth platforms, wall structures, counters, stage components, graphics, screens and furniture so that each package could be completed without disrupting the surrounding finished work.

Booth platforms and primary scenic walling were positioned before the final technical equipment and furniture were integrated. Painted, carpeted and vinyl-finished surfaces also needed to be protected during the remaining installation stages so that the completed scenic environment maintained a clean and consistent finish.

The boat cladding introduced an additional site requirement because its plywood support structure, MDF cladding and vinyl graphic finish were all produced at the venue. This required the scenic team to fabricate and finish the structure directly around the installed boat while working within the operational conditions of the site.

All installation and de-rig activities were completed in accordance with the client’s rules and the restrictions applying to the venue. The supplied project information does not confirm the installation programme, working hours, crew size, access routes or lifting requirements, so these details should not be described as confirmed project facts.

The completed environment brought together 16 exhibition booths, a custom steel-deck stage, painted scenic backdrops, integrated screens, storage counters, an illuminated welcome feature, modular branding, furniture and specialist cladding. Together, these elements created a coordinated temporary environment in which the exhibition, presentation and reception areas shared the same scenic construction and visual language.