TechRig produced an amazing AV spectacular on a recent annual sales conference for Boehringer Ingelheim (BI) Middle East division. The conference was held in Barcelona, Spain over 5 days with 500 delegates in attendance. The W Hotel was the key venue and base of operations.
With a successful track record on the previous BI sales conference held in Rome, Italy, 2013, this year the technical had to be bigger, better and brighter. As with all sales conferences the number one priority is to convey the business message in an engaging and consistent manner throughout the venue. It was a complex project with multiple elements, all productions carried the conference theme of “BI ONIC’ through to all elements including; visuals, stage, guest speakers and entertainment. In order to do this successfully from a design side a variety of AV sources were enlisted, to keep the audience engaged over a three-day period.
The main function room was a 27m x 22m space, it had to accommodate a vast stage, tiered seating and five screen surfaces. Due to the different sized screens, it was required to match the brightness by selecting the right light output per projector for each screen. On the long end of the venue was a massive window, which was covered with Cyclo 200, installed by Showtex. This was done in order to use the space for projection. Images of the view (palm trees, beachfront and the Mediterranean Ocean), were projected onto this surface at intervals throughout the conference. This meant the technical team had full control over the light in the room and kept attention where desired. The room was designed in a landscape format. Two 6m x 3.375m rear projection surfaces were erected on both sides of the stage, with Christie 14K projectors giving feed. Due to everything being full HD, the image was crisp and bright and looked superb. A 1.5m x 1.5m square screen was used above the stage, used predominantly for digital signage, which reminded the audience of the presenter’s topic, or displayed game show categories etc. An 8K Christie projector was used. The final projection surface was a 2m circular screen which was ingeniously crafted atop a Robe moving head fixture, this allowed for a revolving disc display giving access to the stage from the back, while also revealing certain surprises. On the back of the disc 3D Cut Out letters were attached which was used for projection mapping, when the conference logo was revealed at the start of the show, it appeared to jump out at the audience. A Christie 12K projector was used.
Designing the content, programming the show and controlling all of the screens was no small feat. It took three months of pre-production design time to create all the mind-blowing visuals and three solid days of programming once on site. Dataton Watchout 5 was used as the playback option due to its extreme manipulation capabilities, capture possibilities and durability. An Akai APC40 Midi Controller, allowed for cueing critical elements at exactly the right moment; as well as adjusting any effects live, making the AV possibilities endless. From the Watchout Display Servers, the final output to the projectors was through a Vista Spyder X20 making control of the eighteen different presets for scene changes throughout the conference days that made for easier elements. The Spyder also provided the capture sources into Watchout, which was anything from Live Camera Feed, PowerPoint, Keynote, Apple TV and AV Stumpfl Wings, which were used for last minute video additions during the conference run. Two separate sources were provided to the confidence monitors at the stage, so that the presenters were comfortable with what was happening behind them. These sources could be changed with the presets created on the Spyder according to each presenter’s needs. A countdown clock was set up at the back of the room giving the opportunity to communicate with the presenters if necessary.
Using the available technologies to their fullest capabilities is necessary when trying to overwhelm an already intelligent audience, who have likely seen some exorbitant productions previously. The success of any event depends largely on the standard of the audio-visual media selected and the way in which it’s put to use, not to mention a team of consummate professionals to pull it all together.
There were specially selected entertainment interludes from incredible dance acts to magicians, performers who interacted with the screens to musical masterpieces ensuring a smooth flow through the days where, often, the audience was bombarded with a heavy overload of product and process information.
From a PA perspective, a JBL line array was installed for the 450 guests, ensuring that the bottom end was full; with a few additional double 18’s brought in to give the videos extra impact. There was also monitoring for the dance performances and Q&A sessions. Mic wise there were ten E6 headsets to cater for the panel discussions and presenters as well as eight Shure Hand Helds for Q&A and Voice of God announcements.
The multi-faceted set contributed greatly to the presentation and entertainment flow with optimal views for all delegates at all times, throughout the conference. From a lighting side, Kosie Smit set and lighting designer (in conjunction with a local operator) created some idyllic looks over the predominantly white set, giving each speaker their own scene, creating one of the most photogenic conferences ever seen, with gentle gobo movements keeping the unique sets alive.
“Working with a great crew always makes these demanding conferences that much easier, notes chief technical Stefan van der Walt “and it must be said that the local boys were up to the task, but the core team, from South Africa, worked effortlessly together to pull off an astonishing event which understandably blew the client away. Thank you to TechRig Technical Solutions Agency SA, the Barcelona Crew and everyone involved.’ Mike Fynn from CI-Nation.
“TechRig has once again proved their mettle as the leading technical solutions agency both locally and abroad.’ Notes Michael Collyer CEO.
