Clay Paky Inaugurates Ferrari World at Abu Dhabi

Clay Paky was official lighting equipment supplier to MMS srl for the inauguration of Ferrari World, also known as the Ferrari Experience, the first Ferrari theme park in the world, built on Yas Island, Abu Dhabi.

The park was designed by Benoy Architects and is owned by Aldar Properties, the leading development company in Abu Dhabi. It occupies a total area of 2, 153,782 sq. ft. with an area accessible only to the public of 1,076,391. The main tower is 197' high and the whole building has an outer circumference of 7,217' meters. Facilities include a real race track, a theatre, various driving activities, several rides and attractions, multi-sensory video games and three thrilling races. Filmaster Dubai, the production company that oversaw production of the event, was entrusted with the production. The event included a spectacular firework display and a video put together to represent -- in just a few minutes -- the history and development of Abu Dhabi from its pearl divers' past to its present wealth and technology, culminating in the design and construction of Ferrari World. The show featured acrobats and a live orchestra playing original music under the creative direction of Daniele Zambelli.

The event installation and rigging service was provided jointly by Giochi di Luce for the video and MMS srl for the audio and lights selected by FilmMaster Dubai. For the launch of "Ferrari World," MMS srl supplied 105 Clay Paky Alpha Profile 1500s, 34 Clay Paky Alpha Beams, 60 Alpha Spot HPE 575s, 44 Clay Paky Alpha Wash 700s, and the audio equipment.

Michele Duchi, owner of Giochi di Luce, said: "When there are important prestigious international events like this, there is no doubt about the choice of equipment for the rig: you have to go for the very best lights. My company chose Clay Paky some time ago since we often deal with very prestigious and demanding customers. Clay Paky has always ensured utmost reliability, and the lights have such a wide range of features that it is possible to achieve the optimal light setting for every event.

In the opening ceremony, Tom Irthum, the event's lighting designer, used the Alpha Profiles and Alpha Beams to create lighting scenes to fit in with the mega-video projections (a 38,750' of projection surface) that retraced the history of the men, cars, and drivers that have made the Ferrari name a legend.

As a slogan projected onto the cyclorama half way through the show read "Ferrari sells a dream behind which there are exceptional men and women". Sound, lighting, and video projections created a whirlwind of emotions, in which gymnasts, trapeze artists and acrobats twirled with the same speed and elegance as the cars seem to pass before our eyes. "It was a grand event as the extremely pleased final customer had requested," said Gigi Belloni, owner of MMS srl. "Clay Paky's lights were, as usual, a guarantee and a benchmark for International lighting designers. We could define it as a triumph for Italian products in a foreign land: two Italian service companies, with entirely Italian lighting equipment, enhancing the image of one of the most famous and prestigious Italian companies in the world."