Tag Archive: Conference Lighting

1. White Light Supplies EMEA Trading Conference for 11th Year Running

   12 April 2019 12:25 Leave a Comment

   

   White Light recently supplied the complete technical solutions for the EMEA Trading Conference at Old Billingsgate. This marks the 11^th consecutive year in which the company has been asked to work on the event.

   The EMEA Trading Conference is one of Europe’s largest one-day electronic trading events. It covers the most pressing issues facing the institutional trading community and provides a neutral platform for attendees to share ideas on how their community can continue to collaborate. It is organised by FIX Trading Community who have a close working relationship with WL.

   WL’s Project Manager Jason Larcombe comments: “We have worked with FIX Trading Community for over a decade now, having been able to deliver their technical requirements year on year. Having developed a close working relationship, we have an understanding as to what they need to achieve and ensure our technical support makes this happen. As an organisation which annually invests £3million in new equipment, this means that FIX Trading Community are able to draw on our extensive resources; which they did this year.

   

   Jason adds: “We met with the client three months prior to the event to discuss their vision and how we can bring this to life. It’s our role to design the exact technical system they need and to manage this throughout the conference; giving them complete peace of mind”.

   The Conference featured exhibitions, presentations and key note speakers spread across the main plenary, exhibition hall and three breakout spaces. Similar to last year, WL provided the audio, lighting, staging and video. This included drawing on the company’s new d&b E8 loudspeakers alongside its Shure Axient stock. Due to the sheer number of presentations, WL had to utilise 36 ways of radio microphones, with the company’s dpa microphones proving to be the perfect solution. WL also supplied the powerful Christie Boxer 4K30 Projectors for the main presentations, alongside over 25 screens which relayed content throughout the venue.

   Alongside this, WL also managed the exhibition services which included power, screens and even laptops. Jason comments: “For many conferences, managing exhibition services is not something expected from a technical supplier. However, as we have the resources to offer this and have done so on other events, it made sense to do it once again on this occasion”.

   

   As the EMEA Trading Conference is a one-day event, this meant that WL also had only one day to install the technical set-up, as well as one evening to de-rig everything.

   Jason concludes: “The EMEA Trading Conference is a great example of what we are able to offer as a company. Firstly, it highlights our ability to collaborate closely with a high-profile client over a sustained period and constantly delivered what they require. Secondly, it shows how we can deliver a large-scale conference in a bespoke location with limited set-up time. Both of these are due to our expert staff, wide range of resources and technical knowledge”.

   Photos courtesy of Elli Dean Photography.

2. White Light Provides Technical Solutions for PiXL Main Conference at Central Hall Westminster

   25 January 2018 15:00 Comments Off on White Light Provides Technical Solutions for PiXL Main Conference at Central Hall Westminster

   White Light recently delivered the complete technical solutions for the PiXL (Partners in Excellence) Main Conference, held at Central Hall Westminster on 18^th January.  The Conference marks another instance in which WL has worked with PiXL, with the technical solution experts frequently collaborating with the education organisation to deliver unforgettable events.

   WL’s initial brief from education experts PiXL was to make their events more ‘theatrical’. In response,  the company injected a totally fresh look and approach, focusing on its ethos that technology should complement a room rather than dominate it. WL worked closely with PiXL’s Operations Team to refine and develop the offering as their requirements for each event developed. Within the venue, WL has recently implemented a streaming solution that allows content to be sent from Central Hall Westminster’s Great Hall to various rooms around the venue, allowing PiXL’s events to be as interactive as possible.

   PiXL is a not-for-profit partnership of over 1,700 secondary schools and aims to share the best practice to raise standards and give students a better future and brighter hope. WL is the in-house supplier for technical equipment and AV support at Central Hall Westminster, one of five venues it currently provides in-house services for. PiXL has been a client of Central Hall Westminster for the last five years, delivering around 25 different events a year. The venue, in its prime location opposite Westminster Abbey, offers PiXL not only the large capacity of the stunning Great Hall, but also the versatility of the numerous break out rooms on offer.

   James Thurlow, Venue Technical Manager for WL, comments: “PiXL made good use of all the built-in technology available to them at the venue for the Main Conference. This included the large format projection, relay screens, and filming facilities in the Great Hall as well as laptops in all 13 break out rooms which have all been prepared with the client’s content. Support wise, we offered a full complement of AV technicians to run the main show, including backstage audio technicians to mic up presenters.

   He adds: “We also had a few floating technicians to assist clients in the breakout rooms. In addition to this, we always have a dedicated Project Manager on each event and this remains constant for all of the PiXL conferences throughout the year. Our aim is to provide a turnkey, effortless operation that is consistent for PiXL every time they come into the venue”.

   Moving into 2018, WL will look to expand its portfolio of managed venues, providing clients with the latest technology in event and conference production, complemented by the support of a dedicated production team.

   Photos courtesy of PiXL.

3. White Light on Right Track for IAAF Congress and Dinner

   6 September 2017 08:59 Comments Off on White Light on Right Track for IAAF Congress and Dinner

   The IAAF World Championships London 2017 were the biggest sporting event in the world this year and the biggest event to be held at the London Stadium since the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games. With this being the first time the Championships have ever been held in the UK, the event witnessed the retirement of legendary sprinter Usain Bolt and the major championship track farewell of British great Sir Mo Farah. The Championships achieved an official Guinness World Record for the number of tickets sold with over 705,000 recorded while over 150,000 spectators lined a landmark filled marathon course in the city. With the IAAF World Championships taking place in London, this meant that both the IAAF Congress and Gala Dinner were also held in the Capital. White Light was called upon to provide technical solutions on each event.

   This year’s IAAF World Championships London 2017 were held from 4^th – 13^th August and saw 2,200 athletes from 203 nations compete. The official opening of the IAAF Congress, which featured a Gala Dinner, took place at London’s Tate Modern on Tuesday 1^st August and welcomed more than 200 of the IAAF’s 214 Member Federations. WL’s Senior Accounts Manager Dominic Yates comments: “The official opening was presented by IAAF President Lord Sebastian Coe and had some extremely high-profile guests in attendance. It took place in Turbine Hall of Tate Modern; a space we are now extremely familiar with due to our approved supplier status”.

   For the opening Gala Dinner, WL was called upon to provide the full production support. With a team of 25 technicians, led by Project Manager Martin Strods, the company supplied the lighting, audio, rigging and scenery. Dominic states: “We drew on our extensive inventory to help create an unforgettable start to this year’s IAAF Congress. For the lighting, we drew on the Martin MAC Viper Performances and MAC Auras, CORE Lighting ColourPoints all controlled via a Grand MA2. We also supplied the audio system which consisted of the EM Acoustics HALO C Line Array, the EM 81s, 121s and 218s speakers along with Shure Radio microphones. For the content that was being relayed as part of the speeches, we drew on our Christie 4K30 Boxer Projectors as well as providing 2 x 95” Panasonic Plasma screens to ensure all of the delegates felt part of the evening”.

   Regarding timescale, WL installed the lighting and audio system the previous evening, whilst they had 45 minutes before the actual event to fly the projection screens and set up all elements on the floor of the Turbine Hall. Dominic states: “The Turbine Hall is in constant use, as it was during the day of the event, so we had to plan intricately to ensure we could turn up at 6pm and have everything ready for that evening”.

   Following the opening Gala Dinner, the IAAF then held their 2017 Congress at ExCeL on 2^nd – 3^rd August. During the two days, they welcomed more than 800 international delegates from more than 200 member federations. Lord Sebastian Coe once again opened proceedings. Dominic states: “It was a busy few days with both projects running concurrently. The Congress was essentially a two-day conference in which the IAAF could review their previous year and look at putting forward proposals to their future constitutions”.

   Such was the scale of the event that WL worked in three of the ExCeL spaces – the main auditorium, the Capital Hall and the Capital Suites. A team of 20 were led by crew chiefs Hadyn Williams and Tony Simpson, with Mark Cuniffe and Quentin Jarman providing the lighting design.

   Dominic comments: “In order to realise Mark and Quentin’s design, we drew on 110 x SGM P5 Floods, 70 x ETC ColourForce 12s, 55 x ETC ColourForce 72s, 22 x Martin Mac III Performances and 16 x Martin Mac Viper Performances. This was all controlled via a Grand MA 2 Control System. This was all flown from nearly 100 motors and 420m of Prolyte H30V Truss”.

   Both the Gala Dinner and Congress were huge successes; prefacing what would be an extremely successful IAAF World Championship London 2017. Dominic states: “It was fantastic to be involved with two major IAAF events that both received global recognition. It was a busy three days but our resources and equipment ensured we delivered everything on time and to our client’s exact specifications”.

4. White Light ExCeLs at Google Cloud Event

   7 June 2017 08:12 Comments Off on White Light ExCeLs at Google Cloud Event

   Google Cloud NEXT, the internet giant’s largest European Cloud conference, recently took place at the ExCeL Centre in East London. Designed and fulfilled by independent events agency WONDER London, Google Cloud NEXT invited tech leaders, developers and IT decision-makers to explore the latest innovations in cloud technology, while experiencing what it feels like to be part of the Google community. WONDER London were tasked to design a free, interactive conference experience with a flexible agenda, allowing delegates to personalise content to meet their specific needs, and approached White Light to provide the lighting and rigging services.

   Google Cloud NEXT took place on 3rd – 4th May. The event space featured an interactive playground with demo pods from 25 key brand partners, including Accenture, Fastly and Intel, with opportunities to trial Google products such as Jamboard, Pixel, Spanner and Tiltbrush. WL’s Senior Account Manager Dominic Yates comments: “This was a large conference with over 5000 delegates in attendance over two days so we needed to provide a set up that would be able to accommodate the scale of the event, along with get the most out of the various sessions”.

   WL was approached by the production team at WONDER London to provide the lighting and rigging across five of the halls in ExCeL along with the rigging for the main keynote presentation, which featured speeches by Google Cloud Senior Vice President Diane Greene and Vice President EMEA Sébastien Marotte. Dominic adds: “We were working across several vast halls within ExCeL; all of which were extremely busy. As a result, we had to ensure that we planned our technical setup intricately”.
   The lighting design for the event was created by Cy Dodimead and Leigh Porter who worked with Dominic, Project Manager Martin Strods and the WONDER London team to recreate Google’s vision within the ExCeL space. Dominic adds: “We had a team of 22 technicians on site for the installation in what was a three-day build”.
   For Google Cloud Next, WL utilised more than 150 moving lights, including VL3500 Spots, Martin MAC Auras and ROBE Robin 1200s. There were more than 300 ETC Source Fours and Fresnels, along with 130 LED fixtures which included Chroma Q Colour Forces. Alongside this were more than 200 motors and over 1100m of Prolyte truss.
   
   Dominic adds: “As the event was focused heavily on technology, this needed to be reflected in the aesthetics, hence the reason we drew so heavily on both moving lights and LED fixtures. Similarly, as the conference had such a wide variety of events, including demo zones, key note speakers and even networking sessions, we needed to ensure each one could achieve a different feel”.

   The conference was a huge success, following on from the previous Cloud event that was held in San Francisco back in March. WONDER London will now deliver a unique Google experience across 5 more European cities over several months.

   Dominic comments: “When you’re working in a venue such as ExCeL on a high profile event like this, you want to ensure you create as memorable an event as possible. Drawing on our state-of-the-art equipment, along with our expert in-house staff and the WONDER London team, we were able to achieve this”.

   – End –

   Photos courtesy of BNB and WONDER.

5. And The Stage Awards Go to…White Light

   2 February 2017 09:19 Comments Off on And The Stage Awards Go to…White Light

   Since 2011, The Stage Awards have reflected the industry’s best performing theatres and theatremakers. Taking place on an annual basis, the Awards celebrate the various roles within theatre, such as producers, actors, venues and educational teams. This year, the winners were announced at a ceremony at Theatre Royal Drury Lane. Alongside sponsoring the Unsung Hero Award, White Light was called upon to oversee the complete technical solutions for the ceremony.

   The Stage Awards took place on 27^th January in the Grand Saloon which sits at the top of Theatre Royal. Marcus Wadland, WL’s Project Manager, comments: “This is one of the most important dates in the theatrical calendar so we wanted to provide production support that would help make it an afternoon to remember”.

   

   WL provided the complete technical solutions. This included the uplighting of the room alongside lighting the stage area; with the staging being supplemented by WL. The company also supplied the audio support which included a PA system, speakers across the space for even coverage along with radio microphones.

   WL also drew on its extensive video inventory by supplying a camera which relayed the ceremony to 80” plasma screens placed throughout the room and 65” screens placed outside the space; both being supplied by WL. Marcus adds: “There were more than 200 guests within the Grand Saloon and many more outside. The relaying of the event ensured that those outside the space could still experience what was happening inside”.

   The winners at the ceremony included Harry Potter and the Cursed Child producer Sonia Friedman who was named Producer of the Year for the third time in a row. Sheffield Theatres was named Regional Theatre of the Year, the New Diorama won Fringe Theatre of the Year, Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures won the International Award and the Sustainability Award went to Tara Theatre – a venue in which WL supplied the lighting technology.

   The company was also sponsoring the Unsung Hero Award. This year it was won by the Old Vic’s Stage Door Manager, Ned Seago. Ned has worked at the Old Vic for over 30 years and is good friends with WL’s Head of Production Stuart Crane from his time at the venue.

   Bryan Raven, WL’s Managing Director, comments: “It was fantastic that we were able to supply the complete technical solutions on such a brilliant celebration of industry talent. We were also extremely proud to sponsor something as important as the Unsung Hero Award. It is people like Ned who are actually at the heart of theatre, making sure everything ticks over, and we are delighted that he has received this recognition”.

   Photos courtesy of David Monteith-Hodge and Eliza Power.