A team dedicated to making it happen

This annual outdoor event is a must-go-to event for tank enthusiasts from across Europe and beyond and is attended by over 23,000 people. PEP has collaborated with Bovington Tank Museum for several years helping to evolve the event into the successful national event, it has now become.

Visitors can expect to see military vehicles of all types in live combat reenactments and experience the sounds, smells and drama of tanks negotiating the challenging terrain all from the comfort of grandstand seats.

The Brief:

The main objectives were to provide a closer and more in-depth view of the action for the audience, and increase audience engagement in the event whilst they were in the food and refreshments areas. The aim of this was to spread the footfall at the event so that visitors could take refreshment breaks at any time without missing out on the action. This would reduce large movements of people in the intervals and would therefore increase safety levels.

The Challenge:

As the event has grown from a smaller one to a larger one, there was no precedent set with regard to equipment specifications. PEP had to work with the client to develop an offering that considered the unique challenges of the event. It is an all-weather event so the equipment recommended and installed by PEP had to be robust enough to withstand challenging weather conditions.

The terrain and surroundings of the event also had to be considered when specifying a technical solution. It is a noisy event with plenty of fast-moving action that needed to be captured and broadcast to the audience. The terrain of the ground was uneven so consideration needed to be given to where and how the LED screens would be set up and housed without compromising on the audience experience.

The Result:

Our team installed a network of screens across the site allowing the audience to get indepth, up-close coverage of all the performances across the entire event. These included a 45sqm screen located on a hill with a bespoke structure built by PEP’s own experienced in-house team from pre-drawn plans. A 28sqm LED trailer broadcast the action across the whole arena, giving spectacular camera shots from static cameras positioned amongst the action, as well as close up drone footage. The network was further extended to another trailer screen located in the refreshments area. We also placed a screen next to the presentation stage where we supplied a conference control set up for presentations from historians and military professionals.

PEP have assisted Glaxo Smithkline Beecham to win the ‘Best in show’ award in Milan for 5 years running, working alongside their agency to come up with creative stand-out designs whilst utilising ground-breaking and cutting-edge technology rarely seen in the AV and exhibition worlds. This journey starts long before the event itself with PEP’s in-house team helping to refine and drive the creative ideas from the very start, help with stand design, cad drawings, content creation and content testing prior to the event.

The Brief:

We were tasked with providing LED, small screen, tablet and audio technology, as well as creative content, that would elevate the client’s exhibition stand in a very busy marketplace that included a number of other very high profile pharmaceutical brands. We were to work with the creative agencies to ensure brand integrity across the entire stand. We were to ensure a consistent quality level for the duration of the event. We were to ensure that there were adequate health and safety measures in place. Visitors needed to not only be engaged with the main screens but also needed to be engaged with the network of small screens and ipads, the latter needing to be interactive.

The challenges:

The challenges were complex: Multiple creative agencies were involved representing different brands so our team of technicians and account handlers had to communicate well and have a robust set of procedures and timelines to ensure actions were affected efficiently and accurately. The technical specification meant that content had to be tested so any issues could be addressed prior to the event. There were logistical challenges too – not just making sure all the equipment arrived in Italy on time, but also being able to control all of the various LED displays and stand visuals, so that everything displayed correctly and at the right time.

The outcome:

A full content testing day was organised prior to the event using the same equipment that would be used at the event to ensure the content worked without any errors. PEP tested all the equipment prior to loading onto the transport and loaded spare equipment as replacement in the event of any unforseen breakdowns.

The stand was delivered with over 200sqm of LED screen ranging from 1.5mm bespoke totems with back-to-back screens 300mm apart, full curving banners 90m in length surrounding the whole stand, forum and presentation areas including large touch LED screens and brand take-overs bringing every screen on the stand to life.

The visuals on the stand were centrally controlled from our advanced Pixera system, operated by our own Pixera trained in-house staff. In a world where understanding visitor participation is vital, we also helped with data analytics and content creation across the touch screen networks, as well as with live camera production and audio interaction for forums, a journey to the show video for the clients and their staff and interviews for the brand leads attending the event.

Gameshow Scouts approached PEP with an interesting challenge. To supply all of the LED and Audio equipment needed, along with full technical support, to produce a memorable on-stage event for the scouting movement. The event was being hosted at Basingstoke Theatre and is an annual signature event, as well as a highlight of the young peoples calendar.

Brief

The main objective was to create an LED backdrop and stage set that could be utilised for multiple scenes presented by the Gameshow Scouts. The backdrop had to remain for the duration of the performance so had to be controlled quickly and easily with smooth transitions between each scene.

Challenges

Space on stage was at a premium. The biggest challenge presented was to install a full LED backwall that minimised the amount of structure needed to house the backdrop, which would in turn give the performers the maximum amount of space to perform in.

Outcome

A well designed and fully planned solution that offered a comprehensive, high quality screen set allowing the client to perform the entire production with one set. This enabled quick set changes at the flick of a button with minimum interruptions to the audience experience whilst also offering the client the desired flexibility, maximising the space on stage through clever structure design. Space was also optimised backstage as there were no big, heavy sets to store in the wings or backstage which later translated into zero set waste and no set storage problems – the set was effectively packed back into flight cases and stored back at PEP HQ!