grandMA3 is Beautiful for World Cup

grandMA3 is Beautiful for World Cup posted: 24/02/2023

grandMA3 control systems were the lighting control of choice for leading Qatar technical production company Qvision to run lighting and SFX for the infotainment elements in all eight stadiums utilised throughout the 2022 FIFA World Cup QatarTM.

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One of the highest profile sporting events globally, this was the first time the World Cup has been hosted in the Middle East region, where Qatar ensured it was one of the most memorable in the history of The Beautiful Game'.

Sharif Hashisho, CEO of Qvision, explained that 16 x grandMA3 consoles - all running on the latest grandMA3 software - were installed in total, two in each stadium, to provide the most flexible and powerful control with fully redundant backup.

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In each case, the first console controlled approximately 300 stadium legacy' LED lights while the second ran 24 x moving lights, powered via strategically located customised mobile battery bank stations'; plus eight flame FX and a range of pyros including fountain jets and single shot EFX which were added specifically to facilitate the style and aesthetic of the infotainment segments.

These special moments accompanied the thrills and excitement of all 63 World Cup matches and action, helping ramp up the already electric atmosphere.

Delivering the production involved Qvision's purchase of eight new grandMA3 consoles, a mix of grandMA3 full-size, grandMA3 processing unit XL and MA Network Switches, which were added to their existing fleet of eight grandMA3s.

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Already a big investor in grandMA, Sharif explained that it was a completely logical decision to double the number of consoles in Qvision's inventory.

grandMA3 features many ground-breaking concepts from top industry visionaries in a refined user interface that is designed to make practical tasks very intuitive, he stated. He thinks the grandMA3 range's physical design detail is extraordinary and focused on giving the best possible user experience.

The match infotainment sections featured entertainers performing before kicking off and during half time, with lighting controlled by the first grandMA3 - controlling the stadium house' lights - located in the venue's control room.

The second console was installed on the field-of-play (FOP) and used to control the moving lights, flames and pyro effects rushed on and off the FOP during the pre-match ceremony intro which was followed by the player entrances.

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Both these consoles were programmed with identical showfiles covering both parts of this specific infotainment segment and synchronised so one could provide full back up for the other in case anything failed, a smart precaution which, happily, was not needed!

The infotainment was carefully curated to ensure that the thousands of footie fans could enjoy a mega-mix of different targeted beautiful game experiences, the goal being to help encourage them back for the next match and offering a wider fan experience and sense of community that extended far beyond buying merch and other memorabilia products.

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The pre-match ceremonies included a central inflatable trophy surrounded by moving lights, flame effects and pyrotechnics all synch'd to music. The stadium lights would dim, and the show began. It is the first time in the history of the FIFA World Cup that a 1-minute-high energy show like this has been presented to fans for every match. As the rounds moved to the quarter and semifinal stages, the show runtimes were slightly extended offering even more value.

At the end of each pre-match show, the competing teams entered the FOP, took their positions for the national anthems, then the game commenced.

It was 2018 when Qvision first invested in MA Lighting products and with the release of the grandMA3 in 2019, it was the first company in the Middle East region to place an order and receive two consoles.

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These were used for the first time to control lighting for the launch ceremony of the Al Janoub Stadium. The striking curvilinear postmodern designed facility was the second of the eight world-class stadiums that were renovated or built from scratch by Qatar for the World Cup.

The grandMA3 consoles were such a big hit with all the regular lighting designers, programmers, and operators, so Qvision kept expanding the stock, knowing that they would be needed ahead of delivering the World Cup.

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Qvision, under Sharif's direction, is a trailblazer when it comes to investing in the latest and most relevant technologies, so they were very happy to continue along the grandMA route.

All eight stadiums were installed with a DALI (Digital Addressable Lighting Interface), offering a dedicated protocol for digital lighting control to facilitate robust and seamless lighting management networks that are scalable and flexible.

As MA Lighting had all the necessary products and tools to perfectly communicate through this to the stadium lighting racks, it offered an immediate solution for this part of the pre-show lighting equation, which was how to hook the existing house lighting into a temporary show system.

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In addition to providing the 16 x grandMA3 consoles in the 8 stadiums, Qvision also installed an MA Network Switch, a grandMA3 processing unit XL and a grandMA3 8Port Node DIN-Rail in each one.

This powerful hardware and software enabled us to communicate perfectly with the stadium lighting racks and every single lighting fixture installed in these venues, noted Sharif.

Using grandMA3, the various lighting designers involved in the infotainment project could program their entire shows offline using WYSIWYG Perform which was also connected to the grandMA3 console. This assisted greatly

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