Venue: World Retail Congress & World Retail Awards 2018
Event type: Marriott Auditorium in Madrid
About the event:
The World Retail Congress brings together the leaders of today’s global retail industry from the established market leaders to the most innovative start-ups and disruptors; from national market leaders to the most international. What unites them all in this fast changing new retail landscape is their focus on serving the needs of today’s consumers and ensuring that their businesses are dynamic, evolving and focused on delivering innovation. For three days each year, the Congress provides an unrivalled high-level forum for these retail leaders to meet to share insight, form powerful connections and to help shape the retail future.
Brief:
This is now the 3rd consecutive year we have been involved with the event and client. The relationship has grown to become the world leading event for Showcase so the pressure was huge to deliver another successful but equally more challenging landscape for production.
After two years of the event being Dubai it moved to Madrid and our work started immediately by having to create jaw dropping stages for each area that would be the glitz, glamour and size of Dubai.
The clients theme was “Innovate to win” for 2018 so the use of technology was key, especially that they wanted every stage different whereas previous years the breakout sessions were always the same as each other! Also another challenge was delivering not only the main event at Marriott Auditorium, we also had 3 fringe events along with an awards ceremony all over that 3 days which were spread through the city.
Solution:
Having advised and supported the client with many site visits on venues for the event, we started planning the multiple sites and individual stage themes. The use of traditional stage sets was not over looked a few stages but we made the breakout sessions just as innovative as the main stage that was a curved back drop. The event designs included projection mapping, edge blending, content creation and an awards built in the round. Content creation including individual background layers for each stage for each day (21) and agenda signage was this year a fully networked solution to individual screens around the venue.
All designs were supported by the teams design team with full visualisation’s, space planning and fly through of the space which included lighting states.
Delivery:
Congress – event saw the largest team mobilised by AVi in its time of operating. The team consisted of 4 senior member of the UK team to deliver all of the events and 80 staff over the three days from Technicians to stand builders.
Main stage that was to hold 1400 capacity audience included an 18m x 6m curved LED screen, 108m2 of 2.6mm SMD panels. The largest built by the team for an event. The screen had the capability for full screen content and two Picture In Picture (PIPS) opportunities.
Lighting included over 40 LED moving headlights in the space with 20 generic wash lights. A full D&B acoustic line array system to give equal coverage around the space and 132 channels of wireless microphones.
The breakout rooms know as Tracks consisted of a 15m edge blended projection system showing multiple content split across the room, a 3D stage set the was also mapped and blended as individual content into the 3D boxes created on stage. A 12m x 3m 4mm LED screen as a backdrop (36m2 of screen), a mini in the round session which created an intimate environment with digital screens as support and two smaller traditional back drops.
All background layers were digitally animated to enhance the viewing when delegates arrived in to the rooms. Full camera support systems was shot with a 3 camera shoot into the main plenary and content downloaded for editing after each day
All audio in the tracks was point source D&B again with wireless microphones, a total across the streams 36 channels split across 6 rooms.
Lighting for the tracks was a mix of stage wash and spots with generic and moving heads, a total 70 fixtures used across the space.
Other areas of the event also saw three feature areas which included a creative short list entry area for the awards themed on viewing in a photography “Dark Room” and small round table area and start up pods (8 total) with 20m fabric back drop in the exhibition space.
Exhibition – As always with the congress we are official AV supplier for exhibitors but this year we were tasked with building to stands from design to full fabrication and build. One of these stands were the clients headline sponsor so a pivotal client for not only Showcase and the client. The challenge for us was that we were only appointed seven days out from the event which meant we had to create designs and sign off with client who was located in China and fabricate.
Fabrication was all be-spoke and included veneered finish curved paneling with inset lighting, Gloss polished floor and furniture along with an LED content screen.
Fringe Events – Four fringe events were completed simultaneously with the main congress over the three days.
The opening party, which was the first time World Retail Congress had undertook this particular evening saw it being hosted in an old theatre which comprised 4 floors for delegates and speakers. We managed the client and headline sponsors content on the venues multiple LED screens around the venue.
We were also show called the opening part of the show before the networking sessions started.
The tree other events held in different venues had small intimated stage sets & AV which supported the functions, all this had to be installed within 3 hours each time before each show started, which did not give any room for unforeseen circumstances.
All events went live on time with success and was managed solely by one of the UK team.
Awards – On the 3rd day of each year of the congress and awards is ran to close the three days. Normally the show is held in the main plenary of the congress but this time it was being held separately to the event. The added pressure of this event was that it was in a temperature lead glass building from tropical plants and was also open to the public.
This meant he team only had 1.5 days to build a complete infrastructure as it was not an event space. Due to timings of the event rehearsals were not able to be done until after congress closed which gave only 1.5 hours to rehears script, acts and presenters.
All stage management was delivered by Showcases team.
We installed over 240 meters of truss for the event and managed all power into the building for production and catering by self-generated power.
The stage was positioned in the round with back drop for photograph opportunities and silks to divide the drinks reception off from the main space.
A four screen system 3 of which were individual laser projection flown and one screen a ground stacked 3.9mm SMD screen. The LED screen enabled us to seclude an area of the round for drinks reception and after party. All content including holding slides, backgrounds, award slides and opening sting were created by Showcase AVi.
Lighting saw the use of all LED moving head fixtures installed to the truss system and also the ground including each step to stage. Everything being programmed through the night before the event due to the venue being so bright and impossible to plot through the day as it was a glass building. A total of 120 lights were used for the event.
Audio was a zoned system to allow for the different areas to have sound when required, this catered for the drinks reception, main awards and after party. The system was point source system to manage the acoustics and acts that were on stage
Dismantle – With all events through the three days we had to remove its entirety all at once at every site within 5 hours of event close. This meant we had an even larger team of crew on site to achieve this. At the key point through the dismantle we had 120 crew running at once, the UK team split across the areas to complete the dismantle and got full sign off within the clients tenancy and no issues with the venues approval of sign off.
Project Summary:
Event success was again met with the high expectation. Comments from both the client, exhibitors and delegates was the event was the best they had seen and better than Dubai, an accolade that we knew we had to meet.
The comments were very positive and again the NPS score was again increased which showed testament to the great partnership with the client on this event.
