Alexander Kotov chooses Ayrton for UAE Pro League Awards 2025-26
When lighting designer Alexander Kotov was faced with creating a visual feast for a live broadcast awards ceremony attended by an invited audience of VIPs in a challenging venue, he turned to Ayrton fixtures to deliver his skillful design.
Co-founder and technical director of Cueline, operating out of Dubai, Kotov opted for 24 Ayrton Rivale Profiles and 46 Ayrton Kyalami fixtures for his design in the ballroom of the Emirates Palace Mandarin Oriental, Abu Dhabi where the UAE Pro League Awards 2025-26 were celebrated on 10 August 2026.
“This was a prestigious event with an array of high-profile guests,” opens Kotov. “There were senior officials, football stars, club representatives and, of course the UAE Pro League Chairman, H.E. Abdulla Naser Al Jneibi in attendance, so we were needed a system that worked equally well for the VIP audience and for the broadcast cameras.”
Produced by the team from No.1 Events & Productions, the creative idea transformed the ballroom into a stadium with tribunes built around a playing field made entirely of LED floor, seamlessly connected to the main LED screen.
“The venue itself presented several significant challenges – load capacity, a roof height of no more than 6m and an unforgiving white ceiling,” continues Kotov. “With only 250kg per rigging point and with those points not located in our preferred positions, we had to make a couple of creative rigging decisions to get every fixture where we wanted it. With the weight limitations and such a restrictive ceiling height, our choice of Rivale Profile was perfect: its 4° – 52° zoom range meant the low ceiling was not an issue. Opting for the Rivale also allowed us to overcome the other issues of the white ceiling, the number of LED screens, and a laser performer with dancers, all of which meant we needed precise control of intensities and sharp shutter cuts to prevent any spill – the Rivale Profiles did exactly what we needed.
“Rivale was our key light – 360° – for all cameras and the audience. Its good CRI held up as broadcast key light, and its speed of movement allowed the fixtures to work as automated followspots: the two MCs (Master of Ceremonies) were followed by a Lumatrack tracking system, so we could keep them well-lit for TV and broadcast wherever they moved, while keeping the content on the floor clean with very little light spill around them.”
The busy space filled with dancers and MC movements, plus the LED screen system that flowed from the upright screens across the performance floor, meant inconspicuous yet effective floor lighting was essential. “We wanted floor-level lighting to break up the top light without blocking the LED content, and around the audience where we couldn’t use bulky fixtures, so it was crucial to have small and neat fixtures everywhere.”
46 Kyalami were rigged in three positions: at floor level behind the performers, around the audience, and on top of the screen.
“The Kyalami really proved their worth, giving us depth behind the performers at floor level, separating them from the top light without ever blocking the LED content, while the units around the audience and on top of the screen extended the same look across the whole room without intruding into the picture.”
The combination of Rivale Profile and Kyalami offered Kotov solutions to the challenges of the event and he is happy to pinpoint the functionalities that allowed him to create such a successful design. “There are so many reasons why we made the right fixture choices. Rivale’s framing shutters that perfectly cut off any spill area were essential; its zoom ratio made the low ceiling workable, and its low weight made the rig possible within the 250kg point limits. Of course, the animation wheel and gobos gave a nice texture and effect in haze, and the CRI of both units let us use the same fixtures as broadcast key light.
“It was really satisfying to see the rig deliver on the day. A huge thanks must go out to the team at No.1 Events & Productions and all the crew involved.”
Full technical credits:
- Show Director: Hassan Abdulhamid @hassan_hamidno1— No.1 Events & Productions @no1_events
- Project Manager: Mohammed Navas — No.1 Events & Productions @no1_events
- Lighting Design and Technical Drawings: Alexander Kotov @kotovlight — cueline.ae
- Timecode & Preprogramming: Konstantin Chaika — www.cueline.ae
- Technical Director: Mirco Resta
- D3 Operator: Alexey Vlasov
- Performer Tracking: Lumatrack – luma-track.com
- Photography: No.1 Events & Productions @no1_events
Text: Julie Harper
