Leading technology experts from around the world descended on Barcelona for the annual Cisco Live EMEA conference in January to learn, share and drive our digital future.
For the third consecutive year, Christie Lites UK was commissioned by production company GPJ to design, supply and crew a lighting solution for the conference’s main stage and party area.
It is a huge project, with Christie Lites UK working alongside product managers, technical managers and lighting designers to design a lighting and control package. This year, the team specified more than 850 fixtures and a crew of 27 experts, as thought leaders shared visions and performers including legendary musician Nile Rodgers entertained the crowds.
GPJ’s Head of Technical Production, Mark Bannister, worked alongside GPJ Production Managers John Carss for the Main Plenary and Isobel Webb and Dave Whitty for the Party Area to realise the project. Christie Lites UK Account Rep Andy Strachan managed the delivery of the lighting solution to the event.
“GPJ US and Christie Lites have built up a good relationship over the last decade in the States, and we were keen to develop that with Christie Lites UK, and that is a decision that has delivered huge benefits over the last three years of working together on Cisco Live,” says Mark Bannister. “The kit is well-prepped and the crew work seamlessly with the other departments on site. Simon Grant’s design and Christie Lites’ delivery in the Party Area was breathtaking, and helped the team deliver the best-ever Cisco Live party – as rated by the attendees!”
GPJ’s Isobel Webb continues, “Christie Lites was fully involved in the design, right from the beginning, ready with creative options that suited both our needs and our budget. The Christie team is a delight to work within pre-production and on-site, with a positive attitude and genuine desire to create the smoothest build and best show possible. Their pre-production work was also impressive – in fact, their pre-rigging work saved an entire trucks worth of space, as well as a lot of time on site.”
“Creating a rock and roll show for a corporate client inside a venue that is not built for the purpose had its challenges. We were working with a very large space, the largest footprint for this party to date, without much ceiling height, a fair amount of undruggable areas and some restrictions on build times. Christies Lites worked around all of this, while still delivering ahead of schedule, and their fixture package added the ‘wow factor’ to the live performances, which I know was appreciated by the bands, attendees and client alike.”
Lighting designer Simon Grant kick-started design concepts in response to the original brief from GPJ. Simon focused on the Party area, with 20 lighting crew.
“I was privileged to be asked to light the Party Area show this year, and working with Andy and the team at Christie Lites was a dream,” says Simon. “We delivered this show on budget, using workhorse fixtures from Christie Lites’ Coventry shop, which really helped bring this show together. Seamless transition between LD and crew boss Tony Fagan made for a smooth ride on-site and a happy crew.”
