West Midlands based technical solutions provider Central Presentations Ltd. (CPL) delivered full technical production – including lighting, sound, cameras / PPU, AV and staging – to the high profile 2012 Gastech Conference & Exhibition at ExCeL in London, UK.
CPL was working directly for Swindon based Live Communications and event organiser’s dmg :: events on the exhibition, which is a premier event on the gas industry calendar.
The project involved three artics worth of equipment from CPL and 50 crew deployed over the get-in/out and set-up periods as well as during the show itself.
CPL Project Managers Nick Diacre and Jimmy Smith worked closely with Andy Staley from Live Communications to deliver a slick, efficient production package encompassing all technical disciplines.
This included designing the two main spaces - the main Auditorium for plenary sessions as well as a multiple breakout area in the Capital Suite for the conference elements – and producing all the relevant CAD drawings and specifying the equipment.
The Auditorium saw up to 3500 delegates attend the plenaries on the first day of the four day event, with a series of keynote addresses from leading gas industry figures and panel sessions.
CPL installed a striking multi-screen solution to control play back content mapped across three high definition front projected screens, together with a camera system and PPU.
The centre screen measured an impressive 12 metres wide by 5 high and was flanked by two 6.6 metre wide by 5 metre high screens, all built on site by Telford-based Imascreen and fed by CPL’s fleet of Panasonic projectors including the new 20,000 Lumen DX221.
Presentation footage – co-ordinated and supplied by Live Communications - was shown on the centre screen, with camera IMAG of the speakers and audience on to the sides.
The multi-screen video content was all programmed into one of CPL’s quad-head Pandora’s Box media servers, and a selection of show laptops - Macs running PlayBack Pro and PCs running PowerPoint - were supplied for use in the presentations.
These, together with feeds from CPL’s Panasonic mini-PPU and Sony D50 cameras were all routed into a Christie Spyder x20 system, distributing signal to screens and onstage monitors, operated by Adam Jones.
The backgrounds and motion graphics were sometimes spread across all three screens acting as a single canvas, while at other times the screens would receive different images.
The PPU was engineered by Neil Laws, the cameras directed by Barry Eyre and Neil Stratton operated slides. Projection and media servers were looked after by CPL’s Lee Gruszeckyj and Nick Diacre.
CPL utilised the in-house d&b Q Series line array audio system’s speakers to save time on the set up, and patched in their own Yamaha CL5 console. They also supplied a 16-way Shure UR radio mic system.
The house lighting rig was boosted with the addition of Martin Professional moving lights and LED uplighters, all operated by LD Tim Saunders using an Avolites Pearl console.
Outside the Auditorium, the main Conference in the Capital Suite comprised ten breakout areas, five of which served as main conference rooms into which CPL supplied widescreen projection systems, set, lighting and audio, cameras and hard disk recording facilities.
CPL also supplied sound, lighting, AV and staging to the five other areas and ensured that there was a coherence and a smart signature continuity across all spaces.
The equipment supply was completed with more laptops plus printers and other IT accessories for the Press Office and the extensive Speaker Preview lounge facilities.
Nick Diacre started work on Gastech 18 months in advance and comments, “Thorough preparation really was the key to everything working quickly and slickly on site. The client had very specific requests for the delivery of their video and we made sure that these were seamlessly achieved”.
A comprehensive and meticulous prep at CPL’s warehouse was followed by a 12 hour get in on site for the Auditorium and one day get-in plus rehearsal day in the Capital Suite. Expedient for the amount of kit involved!