Summit Steel & Delta Sound Help London Ring In New Year

Summit Steel supplied eight of its 10m-high SmarTmasts for London’s “Heroes” New Year’s Eve event, staged along the Thames and organized by the Mayor of London and the Visit London Tourism office.

The SmarTmasts were used to hang seven V-DOSC and two DV-DOSC cabinet line arrays supplied by Delta Sound. These were strategically placed along the Victoria Embankment in a sound scheme, designed by Jim Lambert of Delta Sound, to amplify the chimes of Big Ben above the noise of the excited crowd as the 60-second pre-midnight countdown began.

The PA also amplified pre-show music and announcements before the spectacular fireworks, lighting and projection kicked off at midnight, featuring the river, the London Eye, Big Ben, and specific areas of the South Bank.

Delta specified SmarTmasts because they offered the most versatile solution to meet the logistical challenges of the site. SmarTmasts are completely self-contained and self-erecting with their “sheer leg” system. They also have a small footprint, which allowed them to be sighted on paths in the parks along the Embankment.

Summit rigged each of the 800kg weight arrays at slightly different heights once flown from the 10m masts. Jon Bray led Summit’s team of four riggers. Summit built the masts on December 28, 2005, and rigged the PA on the 28th and 29th. The Summit crew worked closely with Delta’s team headed by Lambert.

Jack Morton Worldwide designed and produced “Heroes,” with project director Jeremy Garbett and producer Jim Donald.