UAE: NMK Electronics joined forces with the Sharjah Performing Arts Academy (SPAA) as the exclusive technology partner of the Pause & Play stage at World Stage Design (WSD) 2025 — an international celebration of design where technology and artistry meet.

Hosted for the first time in the Middle East, WSD 2025 brought together participants from more than 80 countries, featuring 140 exhibitors, over 300 facilitators and participants, and close to 1,200 attendees. The Pause & Play stage embodied SPAA’s commitment to creativity, education, and sustainability, seamlessly interwoven with cutting-edge technology.

“Hosting World Stage Design 2025 was a truly significant milestone for Sharjah and for SPAA. It marks the first time this global event has been held in the Middle East, opening new cultural dialogues and creating opportunities for exchange between international and regional designers, educators, and students,” said Jacqui George, Director, World Stage Design 2025. “It celebrates creativity across borders and showcases the UAE’s growing role as a hub for innovation and collaboration in the performing arts.”

She added, “Pause & Play invites reflection and renewal, an opportunity to pause, reconsider our practices, and then play, experiment, and create with new perspectives. The theme mirrors our commitment to both tradition and experimentation, encouraging artists to explore how design can shape more sustainable, inclusive, and imaginative futures for performance worldwide.”

The Pause & Play stage became a vibrant hub for conversation, performance, and contemplation, powered by NMK’s seamless integration of L-Acoustics loudspeakers, Shure microphones, Allen & Heath mixers, and Chauvet Professional lighting. Together, these technologies created a harmonious ecosystem of audio, video, lighting, and control — transforming the stage into a living canvas where design and performance converged.

“For SPAA, hosting World Stage Design 2025 has been both an honour and a milestone event; it shows that world-class design, education, and collaboration can thrive in this region. Pause & Play was our way of bringing the world together through performative arts expressions,” said Diego Biagioni, Lead Tutor – Technical Skills (Sound), Sharjah Performing Arts Academy.

What unfolded between SPAA and NMK was a partnership rooted in creative innovation and artistic intent. “At NMK, we see our role as more than a technology advocate, we are enablers of creative expression,” said Alex Kemanes, Regional Director, Middle East, at NMK Electronics. “Collaborations like this bring together technical innovation and artistic vision. We’re proud to support institutions like SPAA that are shaping the region’s creative future. Our mission is to create spaces where education, performance, and imagination thrive together.”

Held every four years and now in its sixth edition, World Stage Design places the UAE firmly on the global creative map. As Jacqui George noted, “World Stage Design 2025 reflects Sharjah and the UAE’s vision for a vibrant creative economy and performing arts sector. By bringing together global artists, designers, and educators, it fosters collaboration, innovation, and talent development. Through Sharjah Performing Arts Academy, WSD 2025 showcases the UAE’s commitment to world-class artistic education, cultural exchange, and positioning the country as a hub for creativity and performance.”

Through Pause & Play, NMK affirms that it has aligned its mission with that of SPAA and the UAE – of creating ecosystems where art, sound, and technology unite to inspire. The initiative underlines NMK’s dedication to bridging education with industry, connecting talent with opportunity, and positioning the Middle East as a rising force in creative innovation.

Beyond the event itself, this collaboration underscores NMK Electronics’ long-term commitment to nurturing young and emerging talent within the region’s performing arts and live events industries. Students who participated in WSD 2025 gained first-hand experience working with world-class technologies and received mentorship from industry professionals — learning how creativity, when paired with technology, transforms ideas into performance.

“Our collaboration with SPAA is about nurturing a creative community that doesn’t just use technology, it understands it and transforms it into art,” said Dino Drimakis, Director of Strategic Development at NMK Electronics. “By investing in young talent today, we are helping shape the cultural and creative identity of tomorrow.”