Tag Archive: Event Tech Awards

1. WL Blog – Keeping Ahead of the Game

   16 March 2018 15:32 Comments Off on WL Blog – Keeping Ahead of the Game

   White Light looks at how clients are approaching event production differently in 2018.

   As the event industry heats up for a busy year, here at White Light, we are starting to see some key trends appear in production and event technology. The overarching theme is an ever-increasing demand to deliver a fully immersive event experience. However, with budgets continuing to tighten, we look at how to deliver events with minimum input but resulting in maximum impact.

   In the planning

   This immersive experience starts as early as the planning stages. Advances in technology has allowed WL to improve its sales tools and offer clients the chance to visualise their event prior to the actual build. Clients get to view the room set up and the effects of any production within the space. This, in turn, saves a huge amount of time and can reduce costs during the design process.

   

   The University of Cambridge Fundraising saw WL transform Banqueting House to create a fully immersive experience. The event went on to win two awards: AV Technology Europe Best Small to Mid-Scale AV Project and Best Use of AV Technology at the Event Technology Awards.

   Clients expect more from venues

   There continues to be a growing demand for new and unique settings that reflect the key messages of an event. For public-funded buildings, this is welcome news as they find themselves relying more and more on commercial avenues to increase their income. For the client, London offers up an amazing choice of stunning venues and very little is needed to be done to enhance the physical space.

   There is an increasing demand for the live streaming of events and it is expected that 63% of planners will be looking to invest more in live streaming this year. There is also a greater demand to bring in video feed and for events to communicate to a wider audience through social media channels such as YouTube. In addition to this is the desire to hold simultaneous events throughout the world. With restricted budgets, clients look to venues to have the necessary infrastructure in place to support these events. If not, they find themselves faced with costly solutions to overcome such hurdles, or may simply look elsewhere for a venue that delivers such solutions. In response to this issue, WL now has a growing portfolio of ‘managed’ venues where it has invested in both the equipment and resources to ensure venues are fit for purpose and offer great value for clients.

   Further advances in lighting, audio and video technology help the team at WL to deliver more in a shorter time which is extremely valuable in venues with a tight get in. These tools are becoming simpler and faster to set up while providing the designer with a wider range of capabilities. The advances in technology also limit any potential risks of equipment failure.

   

   WL supplied the complete technical solutions for the European Space Agency Space for Inspiration event at the Science Museum. The event was live-streamed across the globe.

   Creative not costly

   With the fast moving pace of technology, it is often an assumption that clients need to be solely focused on using the latest equipment to stay ahead of the game. This may be true for some brands that naturally align themselves with the latest tech but, for many, the focus needs to remain on the key messages and understanding guests well enough so that they become fully engaged with the event. These messages can often and very effectively be communicated by making use of the venue itself, working in synergy with the aesthetics of the building. For example, with the University of Cambridge Fundraiser at Banqueting House, WL replaced the actual windows inside the space with projected versions, allowing guests to be transported to different environments. The technology worked holistically with the historic building’s architecture creating an immersive environment without the AV equipment being obtrusive. The event has since received global recognition and has won the AV Technology Europe Best Small to Mid-Scale AV Project Award along with the Event Technology Awards’ Best Use of AV Technology accolade.

   Clients now have the ability to enhance the experience of their guests by delivering more meaningful interactions as well as gaining invaluable insights into their behaviour and expectations, leading them to deliver a far better event experience. Communicating messages via guest participation is becoming more popular, with interactive displays engaging tactile senses, the sending of information from large screens to handheld devices and the use of projection mapping; which has become increasingly more cost effective and is still a captivating experience.

   Joined up thinking

   Working across so many sectors of the production industry, WL has the unique capability to make use of new technologies and processes currently being used in theatre and television. WL’s clients are being introduced to a more interesting and diverse range of products as many of these new technologies can now be adapted and utilised for their events.

   2018 has seen a rise in smaller production agencies and creatives who are reaching out to WL to support them with their technology requirements, particularly in the experimental event market. WL works very closely with these agents, providing each client with a collaborative approach and responding creatively to their brief.

2. White Light Wins Best Use of AV Technology at Event Tech Awards

   10 November 2017 17:07 Comments Off on White Light Wins Best Use of AV Technology at Event Tech Awards

   The 2017 Event Technology Awards took place on Thursday 9^th November at the Troxy, East London. This year, more than 100 innovative companies were shortlisted into 28 categories covering a range of different disciplines in the world of event tech. One of the Awards included Best Use of AV, which recognises one company’s use of audio visual technology on a single event. This year, it was awarded to White Light for its work on the University of Cambridge Fundraiser at Banqueting House.

   Now in its fifth year, the Event Technology Awards are a globally recognised awards ceremony, with entries coming as far away as New Zealand, Australia, Russia and Mexico. The winners are chosen by twenty-one expert judges who work across the events spectrum. WL was nominated following its work with the University of Cambridge at Banqueting House back in May this year. The company was approached to provide the technical solutions on a celebration event which had to engage key stakeholders.

   WL’s Creative Producer Richard Stirzaker comments: “We worked closely with the event’s Production Manager Vaughan Roberts, University of Cambridge’s Events Manager Rachel Mortimer Holdsworth, and creative agency johnson banks to offer an ideal solution. Banqueting House is a very traditional, historic space and we were determined to transform the interior into a fully immersive environment”.

   It was WL’s innovative use of AV technology which saw them take the crown at this year’s Event Technology Awards. WL’s Technical Solutions Director Andy Hook comments: “The system we created was built around d3 – the world’s first integrated video production suite. Based around a real-time 3D simulator, it is the single solution needed to design, present, sequence and playback a show. We drew on the server to deliver content to eight Christie HD Projectors which created a digital canvas around the whole room inside Banqueting House”.

   There were eight live guest speakers at the Fundraiser, including Steven Fry, who delivered speeches that were accompanied by animated graphics synchronised using the d3 system. The content, which related to both Cambridge and the University, was specifically designed to enhance the speeches with a series of animations triggered by key words within the script. Using projection, WL created a wraparound presentation which ensured that the entire room was brought to life and those in attendance were fully encapsulated within this immersive experience.

   Andy adds: “As Banqueting House is constantly in use, this meant we had limited time on site. Using the d3 technology, we created an accurate 3D model of the building by laser scanning it and then imported this into the d3 simulator environment, allowing all pre-production, design and communication with the client to be carried out off-site. We were also able to carry out real-time technical rehearsals of the whole event using a live 3D simulation at the client’s offices in Cambridge”.

   The event also saw WL draw on its extensive audio and lighting equipment, which was synchronised using the d3 technology. This included ETC lighting fixtures, over 40 CORE Lighting Wireless LED Uplighters and EM Acoustics EMS Speakers. These created a surround sound audio environment processed by a Yamaha QL5 Mixer and RIO 32 Way Dante Stage Rack. The d3 platform processed multi-channel audio and fed this via Dante to the Yamaha audio system.

   WL’s Director Richard Wilson comments: “We are absolutely delighted to have won Best Use of AV at this year’s Event Technology Awards. For the University of Cambridge Fundraiser, we truly pushed the boundaries of what could be achieved in that space and showcased what we can offer as a company; something which has now been recognised within the events industry”.

   Photos courtesy of Alastair Fyfe and the Event Technology Awards.