Gift Reveal Dome – NEOM, Riyadh (2021)
The Gift Reveal Dome was a VIP gifting installation delivered for NEOM in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia in 2021. Instead of handing a boxed present across a table, every guest was seated in front of a sealed sculptural dome that looked like part of the room décor — until a single cue opened all fifteen domes at the same moment. Ultratec4D designed the concept, engineered and fabricated the domes, mapped the projected content to the curved shells, and ran the show on site.
Neom - RiyadhReveal Domes A unique and surprising way to give precious presents to VIP guests. 15 reveal domes were placed as a centre piece on the tables with projection mapping. All domes open together for guests to pick up their gifts.
Project Overview
- Client
- NEOM
- Location
- Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
- Year
- 2021
- Event Type
- Corporate Gala & VIP Gifting
- Industry
- Tourism, Real Estate & Mega Project
- Application
- VIP gifting moment inside a corporate gala — 15 table-centre reveal domes that opened in one synchronised sequence so every guest lifted their own gift at the same instant.
- Solution
- Custom-fabricated projection-mapped reveal domes with a synchronised mechanical opening sequence, driven by a single show-control cue.
- Technology
- 3D Projection Mapping, Custom Mechanical Fabrication, LED & Programmable Lighting, Show Control Programming, Custom R&D
The Challenge & Objective
Gifting at this level is a brand moment, not a logistics moment. The brief was to replace a conventional handover with a reveal that felt deliberate, premium and instantly photographed — while remaining completely reliable in a live hospitality environment with senior guests in the room. Four constraints shaped everything we designed:
- Make the gift itself the moment. The objective was a reveal rather than a handover, so guests needed to understand from a distance that the object in front of them was about to do something.
- Fifteen domes, one cue. The domes were distributed across multiple tables, and all fifteen had to open simultaneously with no visible lag between tables — a split-second desync is exactly what an audience notices.
- Protect the unboxing. Once open, the gifts had to be presented intact, correctly lit and easy for each guest to reach without leaning across a neighbour's place setting.
- Belong to the room. The installation had to sit naturally inside a finished gala stage design, not read as hired AV equipment dropped in at the last minute.
- Zero-risk delivery in Riyadh. A live gala has no rehearsal slot and no second take, so the mechanism, the content and the control system all had to be proven before doors opened.
Our Solution
We designed the dome as scenic piece first and technology second. The shell had to be beautiful while closed and dramatic while active, and the mechanism had to be invisible when it was not being used. That decision shaped the entire build.
Fifteen custom-fabricated reveal domes
Each dome was individually fabricated to the same footprint so it could sit as a table centrepiece without blocking guest sightlines or service routes. The shells were finished to a dark, matte, low-reflectivity surface — chosen deliberately, because a dark shell is what allows a projected image to read cleanly across a curved surface under ballroom lighting. Every dome was dressed to match the surrounding table styling so that, before the reveal, the room simply looked like an elegant dinner.
A single synchronised opening sequence
All fifteen domes were wired and addressed as one group rather than fifteen separate devices. When the show was armed, a single trigger walked the sequence through every unit in the room in the same frame, so from any point in the venue the room appeared to open as one object. Guests lifted their gifts together, which is what turned an individual handover into a shared moment.
Projection mapping built around the reveal
The dome surface was treated as a projection canvas rather than a decoration. Content was designed to look calm and almost dormant while guests were dining, then to build through the cue so the dome appeared to wake up before it opened. The mapping was done to the actual manufactured geometry of each shell, not to a generic model, so the graphics sat on the curve the way they were designed to sit.
Programming locked to the room
The whole sequence was built as a timed show rather than a manual cue, so the build-up, the trigger and the open could not drift apart on the night. One operator, one control surface, one timeline — and a scripted fallback path in case the primary trigger was ever interrupted.
Technology & Implementation
The installation combined custom mechanical engineering with projection mapping and programmed lighting, all under a single show-control layer.
Custom mechanical reveal mechanism
The reveal was engineered rather than adapted. The lid movement was designed to be slow enough to read as deliberate and fast enough to feel like a single event, with the actuation hardware hidden inside the base of each unit so nothing mechanical was visible from guest eye level. Fifteen identical units were built and bench-tested as a set before shipping, so their behaviour matched.
3D projection mapping onto the dome shell
Projectors were positioned and calibrated to the manufactured curvature of each dome, with corner-based geometric correction used to hold the image steady across the shell. Content was produced specifically for the reveal arc — dormant during dinner, escalating through the cue — rather than repurposed from a generic loop, because generic loops flatten out under a curved, low-reflectivity surface.
Show control and programme integration
All dome units, the projection feed and the room lighting were placed under one show controller. Lighting levels were managed around the projection so the projected content stayed dominant while the domes were closed, then rebalanced for the unboxing so the gifts themselves became the brightest thing in the frame. This is standard practice across our [projection mapping](/best-projection-mapping-dubai/) work in the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Fabrication, logistics and installation in Riyadh
The domes were fabricated, tested and crated as complete units, then shipped and installed in Riyadh with our own engineers on site. Because each unit arrived pre-tested, the on-site install window was reduced to positioning, calibration and a final synchronisation pass — which is what allowed the sequence to be ready for a full dress rehearsal with the client before the room was released.
Results & Impact
The gift reveal became one of the most photographed moments of the evening, and it worked because the drama came from engineering rather than from volume.
- All fifteen domes opened on a single cue across the full room, with no visible timing difference between tables.
- The installation read as part of the gala's scenic design rather than as temporary event technology, which is what allowed it to be photographed and shared without any additional staging.
- The reveal sequence was programmed to run on cue from the show timeline, meaning the room team did not have to improvise a technical moment in front of guests.
- The same dome architecture was reused as a platform for later gifting and activation work in the region, making the 2021 build a foundation rather than a one-off.
Services Used on This Project
Event Technology by Location
Related Projects
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about this NEOM project and how Ultratec4D delivers similar event technology.
What is a gift reveal dome installation?
A gift reveal dome is a custom-fabricated sculptural object placed as a table centrepiece that conceals a gift and opens on a cue, usually alongside projection-mapped content. The reveal replaces a conventional gift handover with a shared, synchronised moment — in this project, all fifteen domes opened together so every guest lifted their gift at the same instant.
How were the fifteen domes kept in sync?
Every dome was wired and addressed as a single group under one show controller, so the sequence was triggered once and executed across all fifteen units in the same frame. Each unit was also bench-tested as part of the set before shipping, which is what keeps the timing consistent between tables rather than relying on a per-table operator.
Which technologies were used for the NEOM Gift Reveal Dome?
The installation combined a custom mechanical reveal mechanism, 3D projection mapping calibrated to the manufactured curvature of each dome shell, programmed LED lighting and a single show-control timeline. Ultratec4D handled the concept, engineering, fabrication, content, logistics and on-site operation in Riyadh.
Can a similar reveal concept be built for our event?
Yes. The Gift Reveal Dome is one example of a custom experiential activation, and the same approach scales — fewer or more units, a different mechanism, or a different surface treatment. We can adapt the concept for a gala dinner, a corporate launch, a product reveal or a brand activation in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh or across the GCC. Send us your venue and guest count and we will propose a buildable version.
How long does a custom reveal installation take to build?
Timeline depends on mechanism complexity, unit count and venue build schedule. Because every unit in this project was fabricated, tested as a set and shipped complete, on-site installation was reduced to positioning and calibration. Share your event date and we will map a production schedule against it.
Planning a VIP gifting moment or a custom reveal for your event?
Tell us your venue, table count and reveal cue. We will come back with a buildable concept, a unit count and a production schedule — whether the event is in Riyadh, Dubai or anywhere in the GCC.
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