Corporate Events Plus

A different approach this year and some new members on the team, what to do to try and bring everyone together on site.

This year I had some branded Tea mugs printed for the Heads of Departments on a project in Barcelona, with crew from Berlin, Barcelona, London and Majorca apart from our collective will to deliver an event together to help bond our team on site there is nothing quite like sharing a cup of tea or coffee.

Only improved if biscuits are supplied too.

The project is going well – with a 2 week build we are half way through now.

Personal Tea mugs on site

Banksman being used while there is working at height.

Truss flown to final position ready for safety’s to be attached by the riggers.

AED (Automated External Defibrillator)

Good link for how to use an AED (Automated External Defibrillator) from St John Ambulance

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UFvL7wTFzl0

In England we are seeing AED units being placed in public places, by village stores or in redundant public telephone boxes.

Working in 2 different venues in Spain recently I came across 1 unit in a hotel reception and another unit in the loading area at the back of an Auditorium.

I was also asked by a client if the venue had an AED – that is the first time I have been asked if I knew if the venue had an available unit. It makes sense to know, particularly with larger audiences, I guess the risk of someone becoming ill increases.

Another mental note to make for future events

Mobile Elevated Work Platforms (MEWPs)

Recently on a recce in Madrid I came across 2 items of access equipment supplied by the venue. What a stroke of luck to have these items ready to be used on site. No need to hire them in and they are free to use within the venue hire as long as the operator is qualified. This made me think it may be of general interest for the blog – not everyone understands when you should be using mobile elevated platforms or ladders or scaffolding. So before work starts on the task to be performed there are some additional questions to bare in mind.

If you are thinking of using a MEWP, consider the following questions:

• Height – How high is the job from the ground?
• Application – Do you have the appropriate MEWP for the job? (If you’re not sure, check with the hirer or manufacturer)
• Conditions – What are the ground conditions like? Is there a risk of the MEWP becoming unstable or overturning?
• Operators – Are the people using the MEWP trained, competent and fit to do so?
• Obstructions – Could the MEWP be caught on any protruding features or overhead hazards, eg steelwork, tree branches or power lines?
• Traffic – Is there passing traffic and, if so, what do you need to do to prevent collisions?
• Restraint – Do you need to use either work restraint (to prevent people climbing out of the MEWP) or a fall arrest system (which will stop a person hitting the ground if they fall out)? Allowing people to climb out of the basket is not normally recommended – do you need to do this as part of the job?
• Checks – Has the MEWP been examined, inspected and maintained as required by the manufacturer’s instructions and have daily checks been carried out?

Images of platforms we have been using this year during builds.

Time spent levelling a false floor on an exhibition booth will pay dividends later.

Why?

If the floor is not level you will struggle to align panels, signage, audio visual screens, infact you would spend more time trying to make something look straight if you are not working from a true base.

We use a laser to project a beam across the booth floor surface and by using a measuring pole we can see if the floor has any high spots by reading off the scale on the side of the pole. We then use a tool to adjust the feet beneath the false floor surface, it sounds simple but depending on the venue floor this can take a little while. But it is still worth doing, after all if you do not put in the ground work at any point of a project you may have problems later on.

Here we are measuring the floor of one of the booths we recently completed in Barcelona. With the laser you can work right across the whole floor from one datum point.

What will Brexit bring?

I have already seen some resentment from the boarder guards in France and in Holland on recent recces for work in the European Union next year when asking if they will stamp my passport – ‘’maybe after the Brexit’’ the common reply.

It is only natural I think when someone wants to leave a group for the group to feel let down.

There is so much uncertainty for the whole country, how will it affect us when Britain leaves the EU?

Will we appear more expensive to our existing and potential customers? Will we be discounted from being invited to tender for business due to our VAT charges?

Will we be subject at boarder crossings to lengthy bureaucratic red tape?

All uncertainty.

The last ten years of business have been tough, the high streets are suffering too with recent main retailers reducing the number of stores in major towns, household names like M&S and Debenhams.

The clocks have changed – darker early evenings.

However – you can be negative but the antidote is to be positive.

We have 2 projects in Barcelona in November and we have projects in Madrid, De Hague and another 2 projects in Barcelona next year to look forward to.

One way or another we are on a journey – being positive and open to new opportunities is the best policy to continue our success.

2 more projects in Barcelona before the end of the year and 5 projects confirmed for next year in Madrid, Barcelona, Cologne, De Hague and Sandown Park. Mainly European work, I wonder what the Brexit outcome will bring for us in the future. So much of our work is abroad in Europe, 95% of our projects infact.

This month we have been to one of the venues we are using next year, It is a Tobacco factory near Rotterdam. Built decades ago but to copy an American car factory that had many windows so workers had a view of daylight to help increase productivity. Once a Tobacco factory this event space is certainly different for a Gala dinner for nearly 2,000 delegates. It still has an aroma of tobacco about it too. I do like working abroad and had the opportunity to visit De Hague where the Conference element of this project will be held, nice atmosphere in the town.

New suppliers and a new build – there is always some anticipation working with new teams especially on a time sensitive project. Adjusting the build sequence on site to keep teams working and not hold up others is a juggling act we thrive on. Great to see Ingmar again from one of our local lighting suppliers, who is clearly pleased with the effect of the architectural lounge lamps we have chosen to make the lounge more intimate. Heinz our resident Security guard a pleasure to work with as usual.

Our booth builders this year were from many countries, France, Germany, Poland, Belize, Czech Republic, America and Slovenia, a real mixed bunch of guys and gals.

We really have not stopped all year. Finishing off our project in London in the first week of July we spent a couple of weeks catching up with ourselves after delivering so many projects in succession. Just as we are getting used to a routine at home we are now into a couple of weeks of pre production before heading out to Germany to build a business centre for XBOX.

Always a pleasure to work in Cologne although this year – new suppliers – not so familiar faces – not quite re-inventing the wheel but not a project that will be as familiar as past years. Let’s hope the new suppliers on the project exceed our expectations :)

A photo from the derig on the Aga Khan Diamond Jubilee project earlier this month with Paul Hutton the project lead at ExCel London.

Amazing,

18,000 worshipers for the Diamond Jubilee visit of the Aga Khan in London.

We were engaged to Technically Direct the project co-ordinating Venue, Audio Visual suppliers, and exhibition contractors. A busy month of production planning meetings to aligning Design, Lighting, Staging, Video, Audio and logistics departments followed by delivering what we said we would do when we said we would do it.

We are very proud to have delivered another successful event on this scale.

These type of projects we thrive on.

Some images of the scale of the event

Conference / Awards / Exhibition / Roadshow

This month we have been involved with four different aspects of live events.

Varied work too, a technology exhibition in Paris with a Space Station Prop to enhance a technology project.

And during the same week a project in Dublin for Conference presentations with double 12metre wide LED screens that included a guest presentation by the Irish Prime Minister Leo Varadkar.

Followed by 7 breakout meetings and an awards Gala dinner including a ‘Riverdance’ cast for the entertainment of 1200 people

Also a small technology Roadshow in Milan and then Portugal continuing on from last months roadshow dates.

Interesting work, the bank holiday will be our break and then we are into some heavy pre production for an Event in London at the end of June – A project for an audience of 18,000 – really looking forward to getting our teeth into this one on the horizon.