How The Biggest And Best Immersive Events Are Set To Dominate The Cultural Landscape In Saudi Arabia And The MENA Region

When football’s world governing body, FIFA, confirmed that Saudi Arabia is to host the 2034 World Cup it was a seminal and ‘crowning’ moment for HRH Prince Mohamed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, or ‘MBS’ as he is colloquially known. 

Less than a decade ago, MBS set out an extraordinarily ambitious plan for his country with the aim of attracting more visitors, businesses and opportunities into the Kingdom, which was largely closed for tourism until 2019. Privately, it has been said that MBS wanted to make neighbouring Dubai look like a poor relation compared to what his Public Investment Fund (PIF) promises to showcase across the cities of Saudi Arabia by the 2030s, as part of Vision 2030. 

This development plan is funded by $778bn of sovereign wealth within PIF and is overseeing the construction of futuristic architecture and landmarks which are quite simply, mind blowing. Coined as the Giga-Projects, these impressive edifices and ecological wonders  are set to diversify the economy away from the petrodollar. Neom, in the country’s north-west opened a new airport five years ago and is constructing a 100 mile long (yet only be 200 metres wide) city, The Line. Oxagon will be a futuristic reimagined industrial city and Trojena will be Neom’s skiing destination set to rival anywhere else in Europe. 

But it is in Qiddaya, where MBS is making a further statement in the cultural, entertainment and sporting worlds. This area, which sits just south west of Riyadh, is set to witness the most immersive experiences in entertainment ever seen before by the human eye. 

Qiddaya is set to be a global hotspot for international sports, inviting the very biggest and best in the entertainment and music worlds to host gigs and concerts to the masses. Where not so long ago music events were not permitted, MBS is making a statement that this is where all the top artists will be performing for decades to come.

Theme parks and a multitude of other family attractions are also planned which will be at the cutting edge of what modern technology can offer. 

Entrepreneur Making Footprints in Saudi Desert Sands 

One entrepreneur whose technology and immersive experiences have already made a significant footprint into the Saudi desert sands is London-based Tom Bairstow, who heads up the award-winning creative house and design studio, NorthHouse. 

His team were instrumental for the recent Queen’s Jubilee and Kings Coronation parties where they projection-mapped Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle, respectively. Added to those recent successes, he has been behind 10 years of visuals for Coldplay’s live shows including the last two world tours, Glastonbury (twice), the SuperBowl Halftime show (with Beyonce, Bruno Mars and Mark Ronson) and the UEFA Euros. NorthHouse has won and been shortlisted for dozens of awards along the way including multiple BAFTA and EMMY nominations. 

“Our foundations are built in video and projection design for live shows but we’ve grown to provide all areas of show and experience design with media at our core.” explained Bairstow in an interview at his studio, a stone’s throw from the Shard and London Bridge.

Bairstow has already positioned himself as a potential key supplier to PIF and the Royal family in Saudi Arabia by providing immersive projections at private events, away from the limelight. A VVIP confirmed in an email interview with Rolling Stone MENA: “I first encountered NorthHouse through their impressive work for Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee celebrations. For my event, I wanted to create a futuristic, minimalist and elegant atmosphere using immersive light projections that would build intrigue and culminate in a memorable ‘wow’ moment. I selected NorthHouse for their exceptional creativity and artistry, as well as their thoughtful response to my brief. Their innovative, collaborative approach and technical expertise were crucial in bringing my vision to life, resulting in a spectacular and unforgettable experience for me and my guests.”

The Beginnings in Dubai 

However, it has been in Dubai where Bairstow, 38, initially made his mark in the Middle East. 

A collaborator with one of the world’s biggest bands, Coldplay, since 2015, NorthHouse has pushed the boundaries in immersive music experiences for the band’s innovative Al Wasl Plaza performance, live at EXPO 2020. Their ‘Infinite Nights’ performance captivated the region. The critically acclaimed and award winning director Paul Dugdale worked with Bairstow and his team on that project and continues to do so. In an email interview he explained: “In our field of work collaboration is everything – it’s entirely a team sport. Having the opportunity to collaborate multiple times allows you to develop a shorthand and an understanding of each other that builds in strength each time you work together because you begin to share one another’s values and vision.”

Bairstow and his team have since returned to the Al Wasl Dome to create more immersive experiences, this time for the multiple Oscar and Grammy award winning film score composer and music producer, Hans Zimmer. 

Omar Saab, President of Executive Visions, one of the leading producers of live events in the MENA region, worked with Bairstow on this, and is a big fan: “We partnered with NorthHouse for visual design and creative production of a special film produced with an incredible film score composer in Hans Zimmer, where we wanted to turn the Al Wasl Dome at Expo City Dubai into immersive projection visuals inspired by one of his iconic films, Interstellar. The NorthHouse team’s capability of being aligned with our ‘think big’ approach managed to not only create mesmerizing custom immersive visual design for our film, but to also transform the space into a living art piece that complimented the soundtrack as part of the film production. The visuals are an epic piece in our film that will soon be seen in cinemas worldwide for people to enjoy.“ 

Dugdale, who is also working on the project is equally excited: “The first time we stepped into the World Expo in Dubai it was evident that the scale of these creative and immersive projects is colossal and the potential of it feels exponential.  There is a film in post production that is set for theatrical release in 2025 which is probably our greatest collaboration so far, and I’m incredibly excited for it to be released. NorthHouse were fundamental helping to create a segment of the film, captured in Dubai, and their contribution to the scene was not only entirely visually spectacular on a virtually unrivalled scale, it was also an incredibly challenging brief, producing visuals for a legendary and iconic artist for a performance where getting the imagery right was absolutely paramount to the success of the scene and my overall vision for the piece. I really can’t wait for people to see it, and I’m incredibly proud of what we achieved together.”

From Castle to Castle 

Bairstow and his NorthHouse team must feel like modern day knights as they traverse the globe and seemingly always land at the most iconic castles in past and modern day culture. From Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle to the Disney Castle and even transporting the iconic Disney Castle to Riyadh in 2023 was a feat in itself. Sam Orme, an executive producer and project leader recalls: “I really value the collaborative process with the team and the way their workflow is really built to deliver exceptional creative and technical results. I first worked with NortHouse when I was leading the creative department at Balich Wonder Studio, and I brought them onboard for the mega Disney Immersive Music project we launched in Riyadh in 2023.

“On that project we faced extremely challenging parameters – not least a super fast-track production timeline and highly complex management of existing (and beloved) IP. We just dove right in together and quickly found the right visual language that was both imaginatively bold and surprising, while also respecting all the constraints we had. I’m now always looking for more ways to work with them, whether that’s on the conception of other immersive entertainment projects I have in development, or for large scale shows and events in the Middle East and further afield.”

COP28 

Bairstow is also driven to make a positive difference not just in the MENA region but across the planet, proven by the work NorthHouse accomplished for COP28 in December 2023, with the Reaching The  Last Mile forum, a 360 Immersive Poetry Performance. 

“We worked with Identity Global to create a 360 immersive poetry performance that highlights the need to end ‘neglected tropical diseases’. These diseases cause devastating health, social and economic consequences to more than one billion people in mostly impoverished communities, mostly affecting women and children,” Bairstow said in a post at the time. “As a result of the collaboration of global leaders at COP28, partners pledged a groundbreaking US$ 777 million at the ‘Reaching The Last Mile forum 2023’! Always honoured to be part of a positive movement to better our planet and our connections to one another,” he added. 

The positive movements and upward trajectory are set to continue in 2025 for NorthHouse, some of which will undoubtedly be with the pioneers of the industry in collaboration with the aforementioned Paul Dugdale, Sam Orme, Omar Saab and Identity Global. 

But Bairstow is exercising caution as he continues to evolve his own offering: “NorthHouse knows that we have to move not just with the times, but ahead of the times. PIF has shown the way in this field and it is only the bravest and boldest that they are looking for, so we want to be more than just a facilitator or a supplier, we want to be a disruptor, a game changer and a creative force.  Our mission statement ‘Make Art, Not Content’ is testament to our strive to redefine the world of ‘content’. We want to create beautiful visual experiences through artistry and innovation. Our craft is considered, meticulous and expressive that deeply connect to the heart of our audience and energise the soul,” Bairstow enthuses. 

“Excited by what MBS and PIF are setting out to achieve”

It’s clear that NorthHouse have made a great impact on the region and this is only the beginning, according to Bairstow: “The world should be excited by what MBS and PIF are setting out to achieve in Saudi and across the whole MENA region. There are so many incredible projects in development which are at the forefront of innovation – and with our strong understanding of the region, experience and innovative approach, we certainly have a lot to offer.” 

Dugdale agrees: “What excites me is that it feels as though the region is so willing to embrace really contemporary concepts and design that is incredibly bold and futuristic, and I’m always impressed with how there can be such an exciting relationship between the traditional, and the absolutely cutting edge in terms of design, and how that progressive approach is embraced and encouraged.

Bairstow summarised his ambitions before walking me out of his office: “There are so many fantastic developments and opportunities in the region and we hope to be involved in many more of them. The FIFA World Cup in 2034 will certainly take the world by storm and will come around quicker than we know it! It will probably be the most spectacular sporting event in history, given the plans we’ve already seen in place, and that’s testament to the incredible vision for innovation in the region.”