CLIENT
David Atkins Enterprises
LOCATION
Doha, Qatar
YEAR
2015
PROJECT TYPE
Opening & Closing Ceremonies
Scope
Audio system design, show control and communications design
Services Provided
- →Ceremony and concert audio system design
- →Roll-in / roll-out deployment strategy
- →Show control and replay systems
- →Communications system design and programming
- →System modelling and optimisation
- →Tournament event support
The Brief
The Qatar 2015 Men’s Handball World Championship was the largest international event staged in Doha since the 2011 Arab Games. Alongside the sporting competition, the programme included an ambitious Opening Ceremony, a series of concert-scale entertainment events throughout the tournament, and a Closing Ceremony staged in a separate venue.
Auditoria were engaged by David Atkins Enterprises to design the audio systems and show control architecture for the ceremonial and entertainment elements.
The challenge was to create a system capable of transforming a sporting arena into a performance venue repeatedly, without disrupting the tournament schedule.
The Challenge
Indoor arenas present a different set of problems from open-air stadiums.
The building itself was acoustically difficult, with reflections that required careful management. Roof loading capacity was limited, restricting the weight and quantity of flown loudspeaker systems. Access to the field of play was also constrained. Compared with a stadium, the available footprint for ground-stacked systems was minimal.
In short, there was limited space overhead, limited space on the floor and a reverberant acoustic environment to contend with.
Compounding this was the operational requirement. The venue’s house system was used for sporting fixtures. For ceremonies and concert events, Auditoria’s system needed to roll in, deploy efficiently, and then roll out again within a tight tournament schedule.
Our Approach
Using EASE and Soundvision modelling, the team developed a loudspeaker deployment that worked within the available rigging constraints while maintaining even coverage across the seating bowl. L-Acoustics K2 was selected as the primary system, balancing output capability with manageable weight.
Given the limited roof capacity, the design carefully balanced flown elements with strategically positioned ground support, all while ensuring sightlines and field-of-play access were preserved. System tuning was approached cautiously to manage the arena’s acoustic behaviour and avoid excessive build-up in problematic frequency ranges.
Control systems were built around DiGiCo consoles, with Optocore handling signal distribution. Dual-redundant Ovation replay systems managed multi-channel playback and timecode integration. In addition to audio and show control, Auditoria also designed and programmed the communications systems for the production team.
The roll-in / roll-out strategy was a defining element of the project. Equipment infrastructure was planned so that it could be deployed quickly for ceremonies and concerts, then removed cleanly to return the arena to sporting mode. This required disciplined cable management, clearly defined connection points and robust system configuration snapshots.
Technical Highlights:
Audio Design
L-Acoustics K2 main system
Weight-managed flown configuration
Limited-footprint ground support deployment
DiGiCo consoles for FOH and event control
-Optocore signal distribution
EASE and Soundvision modelling
-Roll-in / roll-out operational strategy
-Acoustic
Tuning within a reflective indoor arena
Show Control
Dual-redundant Ovation replay systems
Integrated communications design and programming
The Results
Across the Opening Ceremony, tournament concerts and Closing Ceremony, the system operated reliably within a challenging venue environment.
The roll-in / roll-out approach allowed the arena to transition efficiently between sport and performance use, while the control and replay architecture ensured synchronisation across all show elements.
Despite the building’s acoustic limitations and rigging constraints, the audio delivery supported both high-energy entertainment moments and broadcast requirements throughout the tournament.
Qatar 2015 demonstrated how careful system planning and operational discipline can adapt a complex indoor arena to serve both international sport and large-scale live performance.
Acknowledgements
Our Client
David Atkins Enterprises
Our Team
Scott Willsallen – Audio Director
Chris Johnson – Systems Engineer
Luis Miranda – Replay Operator and Editor
Steve Logan – Replay Operator
Nick Macfie – Technical Manager (Audio)
Martyn Ward – Mix Engineer
Our Supplier
Agora
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