Visit Saudi Tent Scenic Fabrication for Rugby 7s Dubai 2024

CREATING A COMPLETE VISIT SAUDI HOSPITALITY ENVIRONMENT

For the 2024 Rugby 7s event in Dubai, Evolution Scenic delivered a complete temporary hospitality environment for Visit Saudi. The project extended well beyond fitting out a single tent. It combined a 15-metre by 10-metre external entrance and seating area, a 15-metre by 15-metre main hospitality space and a separate five-metre by five-metre back-of-house catering tent.

Each zone had a different purpose. The outdoor area needed to establish the arrival experience and provide shaded seating. The main tent had to accommodate hospitality, catering, reception, displays, furniture and technical equipment. The rear tent needed to support food preparation and service without interrupting the principal space.

Evolution Scenic handled the design, technical development, fabrication, installation and de-rig. This allowed the scenic walls, ceiling treatment, custom joinery, furniture, graphics, lighting and operational requirements to be considered as one connected environment rather than a tent filled with unrelated rental elements.

That distinction is important in hospitality fabrication. Temporary spaces still need the organisation, finish and practical planning expected of a permanent interior, but they have to be manufactured, installed and removed within a much shorter period. The structure may only exist for a few days, yet it still needs to work properly from the moment it is handed over.

PLANNING THREE CONNECTED OPERATIONAL ZONES

The three spaces were linked visually and operationally, but they could not all be treated in the same way. The external area was open and exposed, the main tent was a controlled interior, and the catering tent functioned primarily as a working support space.

The outdoor zone contained ten six-seater high tables with Arrow barstools, creating the principal standing and seated hospitality arrangement before guests entered the main tent. Four cantilever umbrellas provided shade, while six branded flagpoles and six planted elements helped define the perimeter and strengthen the arrival composition.

Inside the main tent, twelve natural-finished solid-wood round tables created four-seat settings, supported by sofa seating and selected carpeted areas. Four buffet counters, a reception counter and a display plinth organised the principal service and presentation functions. Television screens, four wall-mounted timber shelves, four freestanding air-conditioning units and six fire extinguishers also had to be accommodated within the design.

The back-of-house tent sat behind the principal space and provided the operational catering area. Although less visible, its position affected the main layout. Buffet counters and service routes needed to relate sensibly to the catering support behind them, allowing staff to move between the two areas without disrupting the guest-facing environment.

One of the questions we often ask during hospitality planning is where the operational pressure will occur once the space is in use. A plan may appear balanced when viewed empty, but catering queues, staff movement, furniture and service equipment can change how it performs. Counters, seating and circulation therefore need to be considered in relation to actual use rather than simply arranged to fill the available floor area.

The three-zone layout allowed the project to separate arrival, hospitality and catering while maintaining a clear visual connection between them. The outdoor area introduced the Visit Saudi identity, the main tent developed it into a complete interior and the rear tent supported the practical activity required to keep the hospitality operation running.

BUILDING AN INTERIOR ARCHITECTURE INSIDE THE TENT

The main tent provided the weather enclosure, but the scenic construction established the interior architecture. MDF-clad walls, textured paint, graphics, timber details and a custom ceiling treatment transformed the temporary shell into a defined hospitality environment.

The internal wall system created a controlled backdrop around the space. MDF provided a stable surface for textured paint and selected vinyl graphics, while shaped panels and fitted details allowed the walls to accommodate branding, screens, shelving and operational equipment.

A temporary tent rarely offers the same straight and consistent surfaces as a permanent building. The scenic walling therefore needed to create its own finished geometry rather than relying on the fabric enclosure behind it. This gave the interior a more architectural quality and provided reliable fixing positions for the elements mounted onto it.

At selected locations, wall-mounted acrylic branding panels were installed against barasti backdrops. The contrast between the clean acrylic surfaces and the irregular natural texture gave the branding greater depth than a flat graphic applied directly to the wall.

This layering also allowed the Visit Saudi identity to appear as part of the material composition. The acrylic carried the precise graphic form, while the barasti created a warmer and more tactile background. Neither material had to imitate the other.

Television screens and timber floating shelves were incorporated into the wall arrangement. Their positions needed to be resolved during technical development because the internal support, cable routes and access requirements all affected the construction behind the finished surface.

It is easy to treat a screen as a rectangular object that can be mounted once the wall is complete. In practice, its position influences framing, power access, viewing height and the alignment of the surrounding graphics and joinery. The timber shelves created similar demands. They needed sufficient concealed support while maintaining the appearance of clean floating elements.

Overhead, an aluminium frame carried a barasti-pole timber ceiling finish. This ceiling treatment gave the tent a strong internal identity and created a direct relationship with the natural timber furniture and barasti wall details.

The visible ceiling also changed the perceived proportions of the space. Rather than looking upward into the standard tent roof, guests saw a designed overhead surface with its own rhythm, texture and lighting. That helped the main tent feel more like a temporary hospitality venue and less like a fitted marquee.

An overhead scenic treatment introduces practical considerations that do not apply to wall finishes. The aluminium frame had to support the barasti poles while maintaining clear relationships with lighting, air movement and the usable height of the interior. The finish also needed to remain consistent across a broad ceiling area, where irregular spacing would have been easy to see.

INTEGRATING JOINERY, LIGHTING AND OPERATIONAL SYSTEMS

The main tent required a collection of custom-fabricated joinery with different operational roles. Four buffet counters created the principal catering interface, a separate reception counter established the arrival and information point, and a display plinth provided a dedicated location for branded presentation.

These elements needed to function properly before their scenic finish was considered. Buffet counters require usable working heights, adequate depth and practical service access. Reception counters need to support staff and equipment without appearing overbuilt. Display plinths may be visually simple, but clean geometry makes surface accuracy and edge quality particularly noticeable.

The joinery was developed in relation to the surrounding walls, flooring, graphics and furniture. Counter dimensions and positions affected circulation, while their surfaces and finishes needed to sit comfortably alongside the textured paint, acrylic branding and natural timber elements.

Four wooden floating shelves were mounted directly to the scenic walls. These introduced additional display capacity without adding more freestanding units to the room, helping the interior remain open and organised.

Custom scenic lighting features were incorporated into the walls and ceiling. Rather than treating light as an independent technical layer applied after fabrication, the fixtures were coordinated with the scenic surfaces and overhead framework.

This allowed the lighting to reveal the material character of the interior. Textured walls, barasti poles, acrylic panels and timber joinery respond differently to light, and those differences added depth to the space.

Integrated lighting also helped distinguish focal areas from circulation and service zones. The counters, branding and principal wall features could be visually emphasised without relying on one general level of illumination across the complete tent.

Operational equipment presented a different challenge. The space required four freestanding air-conditioning units and six fire extinguishers, all of which needed to remain available and correctly positioned while sitting within a carefully designed interior.

Evolution Scenic fabricated scenic covers to reduce the visual impact of this equipment and help it relate to the surrounding walling and joinery. This is a common requirement in hospitality environments, where essential systems can otherwise become the most visually prominent objects in the room.

Concealment must never prevent equipment from functioning. Air-conditioning units still require airflow and access, while fire extinguishers must remain visible and reachable. The detailed ventilation and maintenance provisions for the covers have not been recorded, but the principle remains important: operational systems can be visually integrated, but they cannot be treated as decoration.

This balance between appearance and function runs through the entire project. Screens needed cables. Counters needed service access. Air-conditioning required clear operation. Fire-safety equipment needed accessibility. Scenic fabrication provided the visual control, but the technical and operational requirements continued to shape the finished environment.

EXTENDING THE MATERIAL AND BRAND LANGUAGE OUTDOORS

The external 15-metre by 10-metre hospitality area extended the Visit Saudi environment beyond the main tent. AstroTurf created a consistent finished surface across the zone, replacing the visual character of the event ground with a more deliberate hospitality setting.

Ten high tables, each arranged with six Arrow barstools, provided the principal seating and standing layout. Four cantilever umbrellas introduced shade while allowing the tables to remain flexible and open around their bases.

The outdoor arrangement needed to work as both an entrance and a usable hospitality space. Guests could gather before entering the main tent, but the furniture, flags and planting also needed to guide movement rather than block the approach.

Six branded flagpoles created height and visibility across the area. Because the seating and AstroTurf remained comparatively low, the flags helped identify the space from a distance and established the Visit Saudi presence before the internal architecture became visible.

Six planted elements softened the edges of the area and provided a transition between the event surroundings, the furniture and the tent entrance. Planting can be particularly useful in temporary environments because it introduces irregular natural form against repeated furniture and fabricated structures.

The use of timber, barasti and planting created a material connection between the exterior and interior. The outside area did not repeat the scenic wall system or ceiling construction, but it still felt related through natural textures, branded elements and a controlled floor treatment.

Branding was carried through the complete project using several methods. The external entrance and flagpoles established the identity outdoors. Inside, vinyl graphics, printed banners and acrylic panels extended it across the walls, counters and display features.

Using more than one branding technique prevented the environment from feeling overly repetitive. Printed graphics were appropriate for larger surfaces and information, while acrylic panels provided a more dimensional treatment at focal positions. Barasti backdrops gave those acrylic elements a distinctive material setting, and the custom joinery allowed branding to be incorporated into physical objects rather than applied only to walls.

In practice, a hospitality space feels more resolved when branding follows the hierarchy of the architecture. The entrance needs clear recognition, focal walls can carry stronger identity treatments and smaller joinery elements can use more restrained details. Repeating the same logo at the same scale throughout the space would not have produced the same result.

INSTALLATION, HANDOVER AND DE-RIG

Evolution Scenic delivered the complete on-site build-up of the environment. The wall systems, aluminium ceiling frame, barasti finish, flooring, counters, shelves, acrylic panels, television screens, scenic lighting, equipment covers, furniture and external elements all needed to be assembled in their final positions.

The three zones required different installation sequences. The main tent fit-out depended on establishing walls, overhead construction and floor finishes before much of the fitted joinery and furniture could be completed. The outdoor area required AstroTurf, furniture, umbrellas, planting and flagpoles, while the rear catering tent needed to be prepared around the operational requirements of the service team.

The overhead frame and wall systems would naturally influence much of the main installation programme. Once those elements were in place, graphics, lighting and fitted details could be completed without major structural work continuing around finished surfaces.

Flooring also needed to be coordinated with the scenic footprints. Carpet had to finish cleanly around walls, counters and furniture positions, while AstroTurf needed controlled edges across the external area.

A complete hospitality environment is not ready for handover simply because the scenic fabrication is finished. Television screens, lighting and cooling equipment need to be checked, furniture must be positioned, and catering and reception teams require access to prepare their areas.

This is one reason early coordination with the operational teams matters. The scenic installation defines the physical space, but the people using it need sufficient time to stock counters, test equipment and understand how the environment works before guests arrive.

Following the event, Evolution Scenic completed the full de-rig. The walling, ceiling treatment, counters, shelves, graphics, lighting features, furniture and outdoor elements were removed after the installation had served its operational period.

De-rig is not simply installation in reverse. Some connections become less accessible once finishes and operational equipment have been added, and the sequence must prevent partially dismantled overhead or wall structures from becoming unstable.

The temporary nature of the project therefore affected the construction from the beginning. Elements needed to be strong enough for use, refined enough for a hospitality environment and practical enough to remove once the event had finished.

WHEN A TENT BECOMES A COMPLETE HOSPITALITY ENVIRONMENT

The completed Visit Saudi installation brought together temporary architecture, scenic fabrication and operational fit-out within one coordinated project.

The barasti ceiling, textured walls, acrylic branding, natural timber furniture and custom lighting established the interior character. Buffet counters, reception joinery, screens, cooling equipment and fire-safety positions were integrated into the same environment rather than treated as unavoidable additions.

Outside, AstroTurf, umbrellas, high tables, flags and planting extended the project beyond the main tent and created a clear arrival space. Behind the hospitality environment, the separate catering tent provided the practical support required to keep the principal areas operating.

Evolution Scenic’s role covered design, technical development, fabrication, installation and de-rig, allowing the architectural, scenic and operational decisions to remain connected throughout the project.

The result demonstrates an important point about temporary hospitality construction. A tent provides shelter, but it does not create an environment on its own. The quality of the finished space comes from the way walls, ceilings, materials, furniture, branding, lighting and practical systems are developed together.

When those elements are coordinated properly, the temporary structure stops feeling like an enclosure filled for an event. It begins to operate as a purpose-built hospitality space.