CPL (Central Presentations Limited) was tasked with designing, specifying, and producing a spectacular architectural lighting scheme – primarily utilizing battery powered LED luminaires - for the exterior of the Crowne Plaza Hotel at the Heythrop Park Resort in Oxfordshire, UK.
The west Midlands based creative and technical production specialist was commissioned for the project by a leading Belgian production company for their end client, a major pharmaceutical brand.
They wanted a special evening treatment for the front entrance of the hotel to welcome their 250 conference delegates.
CPL’s team was led by Mike Radford. The brief was to illuminate the front entrance of the property and bring a touch of magic for guests arriving to Heythrop on two evenings.
The primary elements walls were highlighted with a selection of wireless LED fixtures and moving lights with custom gobos in weather-domes.
The front entrance itself is an area of around 50 metres wide incorporating walls, arches and pillars, for which Mike chose a CORE Point30 LED flood to colour and highlight the wall sections. “I needed something with power, punch and a really nice quality of smooth light” he explained.
For a feature wall which also includes the Crowne Plaza logo … they used eight Clay Paky GlowUp Strip wireless battens. These were a neat and tidy solution to getting lighting tight to the wall. In differentiating it from the main walls, this added a striking three dimensionality to the visual picture.
The pillars of the porte-cochère (covered porch drop off area for vehicle passengers) were up lit with 12 x ProLights SMARTBAT LED uplighters.
Eight Clay Paky Mythos moving lights housed in Towair 180 inflatable domes were positioned on the ground opposite the entrance and focussed onto the building fascia. All eight fixtures were fitted with two different custom gobos - four with one type and four the other - which were beamed onto the wall and cross faded. Mythos were spec’d for their intensity and crisp projection capabilities.
Another two Mythos were located under the porte-cochère and programmed to scan the roof, all adding more razzmatazz and excitement for arriving guests.
An Avolites Quartz console, picked for its “simplicity and portability” was the control surface, which was programmed and operated for the duration of the installation by Martin Poole.
The power requirements – needed just for the 10 Mythos and control - were minimal and easy to accommodate. “It made sense for numerous reasons to go with as many self-powered wirelessly controlled fixtures as possible” explained Mike, “They are all extremely bright, less power is needed, cabling is minimised, the installation and de-rig time is extremely quick and efficient … all the advantages of using LED lights and batteries”.
CPL has an extensive stock of wireless and battery powered LED fixtures which are in constant use.
Inside Heythrop, where the event’s conference sessions and first night gala dinner were staged, CPL additionally supplied a full technical production package comprising sound, lighting and video equipment and crew.