Supplier Corner
July 2010
Cue Media in the spotlight at Wembley
CUE MEDIA share with Direct Selling News Europe what was involved in the production of the recent Forever Living Rally held at the Wembley Arena.
After ten years, 2010 saw the Forever Living Products European Rally return to Wembley Arena. Cue Media were invited to provide production support to the two day event, which involves over 9000 participants each day in an eight-hour show incorporating presentations, training, recognition and entertainment.
Mark Gocher, technical production manager for Cue Media gave Direct Selling News Europe a few of the statistics surrounding this massive event:
- 100 set-up and break down crew
- 9 articulated trucks
- 140 Wembley staff
- 115 artists/band members/dancers
- 6 tons of PA flown overhead
- 50 channels of radio microphones including 10 handhelds and 40 headworns
- 30 wired comms and 12 wireless units
- 24 Motorola walkie-talkies
- 1 mega watt of power consumption at peak times of the show
- 9,000 translation headsets
- £4m insurance to cover equipment loss
- 100sqm of 30 pitch led panels
- 490m of truss
A central visual element of the event was a circular projection screen which was tracked up and down stage with the capacity to tilt through 90 degrees whilst in use! This screen was used primarily for set piece speeches whilst a 100sqm LED screen provided the backdrop to the stage. With a constantly changing mixture of photographic and graphic imagery, the LED backdrop was used to transport the audience on a journey across the UK, complemented by appropriate live entertainment acts and the occasional three dimensional set piece, such as two giant red telephone boxes. Four broadcast standard cameras were utilised to relay the action to the big screens, including a Jimmy Jig, (essential for those dramatic sweeping overhead shots which make the audience part of the event), to relay the action to two 7.3m side screens.
As one would expect from so many direct sellers, the ambient noise level is always very high and this presented a significant challenge in providing quality speech reproduction for training, whilst having the volume and impact of a pop concert for the entertainment sections of the show. The speaker solution employed 146 Meyer Sound loudspeakers. Systems Engineer, Dave Shepherd took control of the entire system using a DiGiCo mixing desk, the only console on the market that could handle a show of this size (140 inputs). One of the busiest moments was mixing audio from 30 Grenadier Guards Bandsmen as they went on stage after a 30-second stage change and without prior sound checks. The Forever Living Products executive team commented that they had never heard such a clear, great sounding gig.
Health and Safety ran to over 1,000 pages with risk assessments covering every technical activity including the 2 ton hydraulic platform which formed part of the dramatic opening of the event when Forever Founder, Rex Maughan was propelled 5.5m above ground level.
Pyrotechnics always pose a challenge as every country or local authority and venue have a different take on what is acceptable. In order to be able to use the line rockets which ran 100m from the back of the arena to the stage in three seconds, clearance was secured from Wembley and Brent council, achieved only after a live demonstration the day before the event.
Wembley may look like a big venue but fitting in all the services and technology was a squeeze, a temporary set construction workshop and lighting control dimmer racks were accommodated under the stage, vision/camera control units were operated from an empty chair store, and a specially constructed 150sqm marquee housed 28 translators, who fed 14 languages into the arena via infrared transmitters.
Cue Media Director, Alastair Baker said, “Forever Living European Rally and Profit Share event continually presents different challenges as it changes not only venue, but country every year. We are delighted to have been the lead supplier to Forever Living throughout the past decade. On this occasion we brought together twenty one technical partners to provide the equipment required for this event.”
Asked for his advice to any other company considering staging an event of this scale, Managing Director Chris Perkins said, “A project such as this represents a significant financial investment, it would be foolish to not plan early, I would say at least 12-18 months in advance. Seek out a production partner with not only the appropriate level of skills and experience but who also understands the unique characteristics of an international direct selling audience, and appoint them to your team as early as possible.”
Cue Media, who are supplier members of the UK DSA, work with a number of other direct selling companies including Arbonne, The Pampered Chef and Mary Kay. As well as collaborating with Forever Living on a series of regular monthly events, each for around 1000 delegates, in the UK. The company is currently engaged on a number of projects across Europe and in the USA.
Key Associate suppliers:
Sound and Communications: Dave Shepherd - Sound by Design
Projection & Vision: Martin Clowes - Cue Media Lighting: Mark Roberts – Prism Lighting
