Blackout supervised the installation of all locally supplied support structures for all of the audio visual, lighting, and sound equipment required to stage the official opening of the Casino Grand Lisboa in Macau city, China on February 11.
The event, coordinated by UK-based production company RS Live, was designed primarily for television broadcast drew some 600 VIP guests, together with a local public audience of thousands. .
The event used four L-Acoustics V-DOSC line-array loudspeaker systems, together with two giant LED video screens each measuring 9x8m high, and a huge array of automated lighting, with the LED encrusted dome of the Hotel Grand Lisboa—the tallest building in Macau, when complete— being used as a backdrop.
Ken Nock, project manager for Blackout, gives an insight into the structures required to stage an event of this scale and prestige. “The LED screens that were supplied locally weighed a hefty 5-tons each,” says Nock, “while the line-array systems, which were also supplied locally but installed and operated by Delta Sound from the UK, weighed between 800kg and 1,200kg each.”
“To support the whole AV setup, we used a combination of locally supplied Layher and RMD spreaders which were cantilevered and counterweighted to support the flown V-DOSC systems. The finished structures were 11x8m wide by 5m deep, with a 2m high, fully decked outstand to support a massive LED screen.”
In addition, Blackout supervised the installation of two 10m high spotlight towers and one 12m high laser tower, complete with ballast weights and struts installed at their bases for additional stability. Press coverage was a key component of the event, and three media platforms of various sizes were constructed, the smallest of which was 4m x 3m.
Numerous truss structures were also required for lighting and cable management. These were installed on the roofs of adjacent buildings or built as free-standing structures, depending on location.