Cold Storage for Large-Scale Outdoor Festival

Background

Trane Abu Dhabi delivered a turnkey Portable Cold Storage solution for a large-scale outdoor festival in the Liwa desert, supplying 48 brand-new 20-foot cold rooms on a two-month rental. The installation included bespoke, corrosion-resistant racking, in-house service support, and 24/7 maintenance to ensure safe food storage and uninterrupted operation.

The Challenge

An organiser in Abu Dhabi required reliable, hygienic temporary cold storage to support extensive catering and concession operations across a remote desert event site. The project demanded rapid mobilisation, robust corrosion-resistant storage, and guaranteed service throughout the festival period, while entrenched supplier relationships and strong competition increased procurement scrutiny.

Industry: Events and entertainment
Application: Temporary cold storage for perishable food supplies at a large-scale outdoor event

Challenges We Faced
  • Entrenched supplier relationship: The event had historically used the same cold storage provider, so Trane had to establish credibility quickly.
  • Competitive tendering: Several established refrigeration providers were bidding, raising the bar for technical capability and aftercare.
  • Structural design: Internal rack design needed to support heavy loads, resist corrosion, and prevent contamination risk.
  • Site logistics: Remote site access, constrained delivery windows, and a strict mobilisation timetable required careful planning.
  • Operational range: The solution required reliable performance across a wide temperature band to suit diverse food storage needs.
Considerations for the Replacement Plan
  • Food-safety compliance and hygienic materials to avoid contamination.
  • Corrosion-resistant rack materials and protective finishes to prevent rust formation.
  • Redundancy and robustness to maintain stable temperatures for the event duration.
  • Rapid transport and installation logistics, coordinated by Trane Abu Dhabi.
  • Provision of an in-house service team to remove dependency on external contractors, ensuring prompt troubleshooting.
The Solution

Trane Abu Dhabi proposed a fully managed, turnkey temporary cold storage system delivered as a single-source service. The approach combined new, purpose-configured cold rooms with customised racking, regional logistics coordination, and Trane’s in-house service capability to provide continuous operation and rapid response during the event.

Proposed Solution
  • Supply of 48 new 20-foot cold rooms, pre-configured for rapid on-site commissioning.
  • Operational capability across a broad temperature band, from -40°C to +30°C, to accommodate diverse storage needs.
  • Custom, corrosion-resistant racking designed for load-bearing capacity and food-safety hygiene.
  • Turnkey delivery including design, transport, installation, and commissioning.
  • Dedicated, in-house service team providing 24/7 maintenance and repair coverage for the full two-month rental.
  • Single point of contact for project management, with support from regional MEA offices to meet tight deadlines.
Key Advantages of Choosing Trane
  • Brand-new fleet providing predictable, reliable performance.
  • End-to-end delivery with a single point of contact, simplifying coordination.
  • In-house service professionals avoid outsourcing and ensure fast troubleshooting.
  • Custom rack design that addressed load, hygiene, and corrosion concerns.
  • 24/7 maintenance is included, guaranteeing continuous support during the event.
  • Proven ability of Trane Abu Dhabi to mobilise quickly and manage projects under challenging conditions.
The Result

The turnkey cold storage deployment met the project timetable and operated continuously for the two-month event. Custom racking and corrosion-resistant materials supported hygienic storage practices, and Trane Abu Dhabi’s in-house service team maintained reliable operation with rapid response capability. The outcome delivered safe, stable storage for perishable goods across the festival, while demonstrating Trane’s capability to provide a single-source, managed solution under tight logistical constraints.