Partner Content: From Ramadan majlises to New Year’s Eve parties, ELECTRA explores how thoughtful design can help create memorable experiences with a smaller environmental footprint.
A beautifully lit Ramadan majlis. A beachfront pop-up that becomes your favourite weekend hangout. A hotel transformed for a spectacular New Year’s Eve celebration. Some of the UAE’s most memorable experiences take place in spaces that exist for just a few days or weeks.
Guests might remember the setting, the atmosphere or the photographs on their phones. What happens when the lights go down and the venue is dismantled rarely gets the same attention. Yet those behind-the-scenes decisions are an important part of making the country’s busy social calendar more sustainable.
For Willean Master, Chief Operating Officer at event production company ELECTRA, creating a memorable occasion starts with considering its entire life cycle.
“Sustainability has to be considered at the production stage, not added at the end,” says Master. “The materials we specify, the way something is engineered, how it is transported and, importantly, what happens to it after an event all make a difference.”
That approach could change how the settings for our favourite nights out come together. A seasonal restaurant extension or festive hotel installation can be designed so that its components have a purpose beyond a single occasion.
At ELECTRA, modular walling and reusable structures allow elements to be dismantled, stored and adapted for future projects. The company’s Cube temporary structure, for example, features principal structural components and panels designed for reuse across different configurations. Its insulated roof system is intended to reduce cooling requirements, a particularly useful consideration when creating comfortable spaces in the Gulf.
For guests, the appeal remains the same: an inviting place to gather, dine and celebrate. Behind the scenes, the ambition is to make better use of the resources required to create it.
The choices extend to the details that shape a venue’s look and feel. Decorative features, greenery, flooring and graphics all contribute to the atmosphere, but their usefulness need not end with the event.
ELECTRA says its projects have incorporated non-PVC graphics, low-VOC paints, reusable greenery and rental assets. For its exhibition build at the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, the company reported that more than 90 per cent of the materials used were reusable or recyclable. That distinction concerns their potential for another use or recycling, rather than confirming how much was ultimately recovered.
“There does not need to be a choice between quality and responsibility. Some of the biggest opportunities come from engineering something more intelligently – using fewer resources, selecting materials with their next use in mind and designing components that can return to inventory instead of becoming waste.”
Comfort also plays a role. Whether you are lingering over dinner or exploring a design exhibition, lighting and temperature help determine how enjoyable the experience feels. Better insulation, efficient lighting and carefully planned cooling systems can help manage the energy needed to keep temporary venues welcoming.
At Downtown Design in Dubai, ELECTRA says its temporary structures incorporated solar and battery-powered solutions, alongside a programme to separate waste for disposal and recycling.
For anyone filling their diary with hotel celebrations, cultural events and seasonal experiences, much of this work will remain out of sight. Its value lies in considering what happens before guests arrive and after they leave, alongside everything that makes the occasion special.
“Our industry creates things that are deliberately temporary, but the thinking behind them should be long term,” Master says. “If we can combine creativity, operational efficiency and responsible production, sustainability becomes part of delivering a better event rather than a limitation on what we can achieve.”
Contact: www.electrasolutions.com