The latter elements are a particular area of Protec's strength, as a tour around its facilities reveals. Everywhere are the remnants of large-scale motorized set pieces, waiting to be called upon. There are set pieces purchased from the selling off of the Millennium Dome's contents; there are large, customized, articulated truss sections, huge spheres and steel and aluminium forms of all kinds of construction; it's like a giant's Meccano kit, with lots of bits that you can't get from the shops. There's enormous potential for creativity here.
Protec is owned by Stephen Lakin, the industry veteran who founded Gearhouse in 1988. Lakin purchased the VLPS Dubai office, along with its extensive moving light inventory, in 1999. Lakin, who has now lived and worked in Dubai for 12 years, has built a respected reputation among the region's wealthy elite clients. Protec's involvement with the launch event for the Lord Foster-designed Al Faisaliah tower in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia became the subject of a fascinating television documentary aired in the UK. For this massive project, working with lighting director Nick Jones, Protec dressed the tower with what became known as 'Lakin Battens' - custom-designed mountings which were bungee-strapped to the tower, with rubber-faced clamps to protect the building's delicate aluminum surfaces. The Lakin Battens can still be seen in Protec's yard.
In the predominantly desert environment, the choice of kit is a vital consideration. The two biggest factors are heat and dust. Dust gets everywhere: smoke machines awaiting servicing in the warehouse looked like they'd been abandoned for years, but were only awaiting servicing after a job. As for heat, summertime temperatures reach to around 55°C. Damien McGurn, who has spent six years with Protec, recalls working in Saudi in temperatures that topped 60°; that's dropping down dead weather. In such conditions, kit has to be super-reliable, and expert servicing is a constant. So it's interesting to see Protec's choice of one of the more susceptible pieces of kit - moving lights - which are predominantly from Clay Paky: "Bombproof", explains business development director Rick Wade. Power distro is also a fundamental, and here Protec holds masses of stock from SES Film& Television ("Best distro in the world," says Wade). For PA, Protec carries a vast stock of Turbosound Flashlight and Floodlight systems (although they are currently considering a certain compact line array system) and mainly MC2 amplification.
Wade says that business in the region has now picked up after the slumps caused by 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, and things are currently "booming". "We're constantly busy," he adds. Protec has a varied workload, but the increasing numbers of conferences, exhibitions, corporate events and product launches coming into the area are a welcome addition.
Sourcing crew can be difficult locally, so when extra help is needed, freelancers are flown in from the UK. Wade finds that some of the ex-pat technicians offering their services in Dubai have never actually experienced the UK's professional levels of working practice, but have just picked up a bare knowledge of the often dubious local practices. "There's definitely room for more quality freelancers out here," he says.
Protec carries out projects not just in the UAE but across the region, and the company has the wherewithal to go further afield: "We'll work anywhere," says Wade. It's a theme Lakin returned to later, stressing that the company does not limit its sights to the Middle East, but indeed has well justified global ambitions: "We'd like to think that we're as good as anyone in the world," say
