Mubadala Sail GP Scenic Fabrication and Temporary Venue in Abu Dhabi
Building a Complete Waterfront Venue for Mubadala SailGP
For Mubadala SailGP 2024, Evolution Scenic designed, fabricated and installed a complete temporary scenic venue beside the docks at Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi. The project required the existing tent structure to be transformed into a coordinated scenic environment rather than functioning as a standard temporary enclosure.
The scope extended beyond the principal presentation stage. The full interior and exterior were developed to support presentation, hospitality, display and interactive activity areas, with the different spaces connected through a consistent architectural, material and graphic language.
Evolution Scenic handled the complete scenic scope from design development and technical planning through workshop fabrication, graphics production, installation and de-rig. This allowed the stage, walling, display elements and bespoke interactive features to be developed as parts of one integrated temporary scenic system.
Evolution Technical supplied the LED screens, while Evolution Furniture provided the furniture for both indoor and outdoor areas. These related packages were coordinated within the wider scenic installation so that technical equipment, furniture placement, circulation and fabricated scenic structures worked together across the venue.
The completed environment combined a curved stage, custom scenic backdrops, three-metre-high walling, branded display plinths, a water-play feature, a Marlin Spike knot-tying station, tent graphics and external flags. Together, these elements established a complete waterfront venue with a consistent scenic identity across the presentation, hospitality and activity areas
Converting the Temporary Tent into a Scenic Environment
The temporary tent provided the basic venue enclosure, but the existing structure did not create the required interior environment on its own. Evolution Scenic introduced a three-metre-high walling system around the venue. The walls concealed or integrated the existing perimeter while establishing a controlled surface for graphics and dimensional finishes.
Each wall was constructed around a plywood internal structure and clad with MDF. Freestanding walls received MDF cladding on both faces because both sides remained visible. Sections positioned against existing tent walls were clad on one face only.
This distinction was important to the manufacturing strategy. It allowed the amount of material and workshop labour to respond to each wall’s actual position without reducing the quality of the visible surfaces. The finished elevations incorporated prefabricated plastic wood-effect slatted panels across the upper and lower sections. Branded vinyl graphics occupied the central zone.
The horizontal arrangement gave the walls a consistent structure throughout the venue.
Dimensional slats provided texture and shadow, while the central vinyl areas carried the principal graphic content. Repeated datum lines were required across adjacent wall sections so the three finish zones remained aligned after installation.
Curved Stage Scenic Architecture
The principal stage measured 13.5 metres wide by 3.8 metres deep and was developed with a curved front edge to create a broad presentation platform within the hospitality environment. The curved geometry gave the stage a more architectural profile and helped establish a clear focal point within the wider temporary venue.
The stage deck was finished with vinyl flooring, creating a continuous and controlled surface across the full platform. This finish also provided a clean visual base for the presentation area and supported the coordinated graphic treatment used throughout the surrounding scenic environment.
A custom MDF display plinth was positioned on the stage as part of the overall composition. Its top surface was finished in white vinyl, while branded vinyl graphics were applied around the visible faces, allowing the plinth to sit naturally within the same material and graphic language as the stage and adjoining scenic elements.
At the centre of the stage, a 4.5-metre-wide by 2-metre-high LED screen supplied by Evolution Technical formed the principal digital focal point. The display was supported on a steel deck structure, while Evolution Scenic fabricated scenic return panels around the installation to conceal the technical depth and create a more resolved architectural finish.
The scenic return panels were finished in white paint and incorporated an access door within the side return wall. This maintained the visual continuity of the stage elevation while allowing technicians to reach the area behind the LED screen without leaving an exposed service opening within the scenic composition.
The curved stage, display plinth, LED screen, steel support and scenic returns were coordinated as one integrated assembly. Accurate workshop setting-out and on-site positioning were required to maintain the stage geometry, screen centreline, return-panel alignment and relationship with the surrounding scenic backdrops.
Scenic Backdrop Composition
Two custom MDF scenic backdrops were fabricated to frame the central LED screen and complete the overall stage elevation. Positioned on either side of the display, the backdrops helped establish a defined architectural composition across the full width of the presentation area.
The backdrop surfaces combined branded vinyl graphics with painted strip detailing, creating greater visual depth than a single flat graphic finish. This mixture of applied graphics and painted elements introduced variation across the scenic surfaces while maintaining a controlled and consistent finish.
The linear painted detailing also connected the stage treatment with the wider architectural language used throughout the venue. Repeating this visual approach helped the backdrops relate to the surrounding walling, display elements and other fabricated scenic components rather than appearing as isolated stage features.
Because the two backdrops were positioned on opposite sides of the LED screen, dimensional and graphic consistency was important during both fabrication and installation. Their overall heights, graphic positions, painted strip details and spacing needed to remain visually balanced around the central display.
Once installed, the twin MDF backdrops, central LED screen and curved stage operated as one coordinated scenic composition. The relationship between these elements created a complete presentation elevation in which the fabricated backdrops framed the technical display while reinforcing the wider scenic identity of the venue.
Creating a Family of Branded Display Plinths
Evolution Scenic fabricated a series of custom display plinths in different sizes to support object presentation throughout the venue. Although the units varied in scale, they were developed as one coordinated scenic family so they could be distributed across different areas without disrupting the overall visual language.
Each plinth was fabricated from MDF, providing a clean and stable substrate for the applied finishes. The upper surfaces were finished in white vinyl, while branded vinyl graphics were wrapped around the surrounding faces to connect the units directly with the wider project identity.
The white top surfaces created a neutral display plane that allowed the featured objects to remain visually prominent. At the same time, the branded side elevations linked the plinths with the surrounding scenic walling and stage graphics, helping them read as integrated architectural display elements.
Two separate mannequin base plinths were also produced as part of the scenic scope. These units were finished entirely in white vinyl, giving them a simpler treatment while maintaining consistency with the clean upper surfaces used across the wider display system.
By extending custom-fabricated display elements into the centre of the floorplan, the project identity continued beyond the perimeter walling and presentation stage. The plinths helped connect the display areas with the wider scenic architecture and reinforced a consistent branded environment across the interior.
Bespoke Interactive Scenic Fabrication
Evolution Scenic fabricated two bespoke interactive scenic elements specifically for the project: a toy boat water-play table and a Marlin Spike knot-tying station. Both were developed as purpose-built features and required different structural and finishing approaches from the surrounding scenic walling, stage and display elements.
The toy boat table was constructed around a timber-framed structure with MDF cladding, while the lower section received a painted finish. The raised table portion measured 250 millimetres high and incorporated a shallow water area with an operating depth of 90 millimetres, introducing a functional wet zone within the scenic build.
Fibre layers were applied internally to provide waterproofing, while CNC-cut MDF panels formed the visible external faces of the upper section. This separation between the internal basin and decorative outer treatment allowed the water-play feature to remain functional while maintaining the same fabrication quality and visual language as the wider venue.
The Marlin Spike knot-tying station used a different construction method, with a black-painted steel frame providing the principal structural support. MDF cladding enclosed the frame and created the finished scenic surfaces, while branded vinyl graphics were applied across the visible faces to integrate the station with the surrounding environment.
Eye bolts were incorporated directly into the Marlin Spike structure as connection points for the ropes, allowing the functional elements to become part of the fabricated assembly. Together, the two installations combined timber construction, steel fabrication, MDF cladding, CNC production, waterproofing, painted finishes and applied graphics within two custom interactive scenic features.
Extending the Scenic Treatment Outside the Tent
The exterior of the temporary venue formed an important part of the overall scenic delivery, allowing the project identity to extend beyond the internal hospitality environment. Rather than treating the tent as a neutral enclosure, Evolution Scenic incorporated the external structure into the wider branded architectural treatment.
The complete tent structure was wrapped with branded vinyl graphics, transforming the standard temporary enclosure into a recognisable project environment. This treatment established the venue identity from the exterior and created a consistent visual connection with the graphics, wall finishes and scenic elements used inside.
Freestanding branded flags were also positioned around the external approach to strengthen the arrival experience. Each flag was supported on a square base, allowing the units to remain independent from the tent structure while providing flexibility in their placement across the surrounding area.
The combination of full-height tent graphics and freestanding flags created a clear transition between the surrounding waterfront setting and the completed scenic interior. These elements helped define the venue perimeter and visually guide the approach without relying solely on the internal stage or walling.
By extending the scenic treatment to the exterior, the project maintained a continuous branded language across both indoor and outdoor areas. The tent wrap and flag installations ensured that the temporary architecture operated as one complete scenic environment rather than separating the external enclosure from the interior fabrication.
Integrating Technical Equipment and Furniture
The project required close coordination across the scenic, technical and furniture packages so that each element could operate within the same temporary environment. Rather than being treated as independent components, the stage, screens, furniture, walling and display features were planned around a shared floorplan and overall scenic layout.
Evolution Technical supplied the LED screens, including the principal display positioned within the stage composition. Evolution Scenic integrated the main screen through the steel deck support, white-painted scenic return panels and side access door, allowing the technical installation to sit cleanly within the surrounding stage architecture.
Evolution Furniture supplied the furniture for both the indoor and outdoor hospitality areas. The furniture was positioned within the completed scenic environment so that seating groups, tables and other elements worked with the established circulation routes, presentation areas and display zones.
This coordination was particularly important within the temporary tent, where the stage, custom walling, freestanding plinths, interactive installations and furniture all occupied defined areas within the same interior. Careful placement helped maintain clear movement through the venue while preserving the intended relationships between the different scenic and functional zones.
The completed environment therefore depended on the integration of constructed scenic elements with technical equipment and movable furniture. By coordinating these packages within one spatial arrangement, the venue maintained a consistent relationship between stage architecture, branded displays, hospitality areas and interactive features.
Installing the Complete Venue
Evolution Scenic delivered the complete scenic installation at Emirates Palace, bringing together the stage, scenic backdrops, custom walling, display plinths and bespoke interactive elements within one coordinated temporary environment. The principal components were prefabricated in advance before being assembled, aligned and finished on site.
The walling system was installed according to the conditions established during technical development. Freestanding wall sections received double-sided cladding where both faces remained visible, while single-sided units were positioned against the existing tent perimeter to suit the surrounding venue structure.
The stage installation was coordinated with the LED screen and its steel support system. Scenic return panels were positioned around the display to conceal its technical depth while preserving access through the integrated side door, allowing the screen assembly to remain functional without interrupting the finished stage elevation.
The toy boat water-play table required careful placement as both a fabricated scenic feature and a contained water installation. Externally, branded vinyl graphics were applied across the tent structure, while square-based flags were positioned around the approach to extend the scenic identity beyond the interior environment.
Once the complete venue installation was finished, the stage architecture, walling, display elements, interactive features, technical equipment and external branding operated as one coordinated scenic system. Evolution Scenic also managed the scenic de-rig after the project, while the wider venue delivery included golf-cart transport between the parking area and the waterfront location.
