LIVE Summer 2026 - Web

Diving into Dave’s innovative world tour THE BOY WHO PLAYED THE HARP Heading to Vegas in June? Here are our tips INFOCOMM 2026: SHOW GUIDE Experts talk keeping AV hidden, yet powerful THE SECRET TO INVISIBLE TECH

LIVEMAG.ONLINE SUMMER 2026

We excavate the AV tools stomping into attractions and experiences around the world

EDITOR’S WELCOME 3

EDITORIAL Editor Verity Butler +44 (0) 1223 492246 veritybutler@bright.uk.com Senior staff writer Chief sub editor Matthew Winney Junior sub editors Tabitha John Kezia Kurtz Editorial director Nicola Foley ADVERTISING Sales director Sam Scott-Smith +44 (0) 1223 499457 +44 (0) 7875 711967 samscott-smith@bright.uk.com Katie Kasperson Features writer Oliver Webb +44 (0) 1223 499462 +44 (0) 7376 665779 emmastevens@bright.uk.com DESIGN Design director Andy Jennings Magazine design manager Lucy Woolcomb Senior designer Carl Golsby Junior designer and ad production Holly May Sales manager Emma Stevens PUBLISHING Managing director Andy Brogden FOLLOW US @livemagsocial linkedin.com/company/ livemagsocial MEDIA PARTNERS

V alued at around $146 billion in 2025, and projected to continue to grow significantly, it’s fair to say the global immersive entertainment business is well and truly booming. This, as it happens, is great news for the pro AV industry, which has responded to the success through the innovation of increasingly complex live experience technologies and solutions. The immersive race is certainly on and, given its rate of development, can feel difficult to keep up with. Our new issue is here to help on that front; aiming to dig a little deeper into the immersive landscape by discussing precisely the scale of pro AV’s contribution. From the reimagining of retail and hospitality spaces to the broadcast-grade studios that used to be known more commonly as ‘offices’, experience technology is touching almost every corner of our daily lives. And then, of course, there is the immersified landscape of live entertainment and theatre. As our cover story, which stomps behind the curtain of Dinosaur World Live, exposes: just reading lines from a script and following cues doesn’t quite cut it in theatre anymore. Find out why on page 14. This issue also features the AV scoop on two very different, but equally empowering musicians’ recent world tours. We have a behind-the-scenes look at Dave’s The Boy Who Played the Harp , which uses advanced LED and staging technology to help build a powerful narrative of black experience in the UK. Then there’s a piece on Florence + The Machine’s Everybody Scream tour on page 36, which featured a cleverly thought-out sound system that the band used to bring a liberating story of survival to audiences worldwide. Plus, our round table sees five experts from various sectors discuss the art of ‘invisible AV’, and how teams can deliver subtle yet powerful AV tech, in order to provide that crucial believability. Finally, if you’re heading to InfoComm next month, then be sure to give our annual show guide on page 74 a good read over. We’ve highlighted the booths, talks and panels you won’t want to be missing out on. And, if you’re at the show and have an AV or live production story worth sharing, please feel free to drop me a line and we can get a meeting booked in!

Tap into raw

emotions on page 36 , as we explore the AV behind Florence + the Machine’s world tour

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Verity Butler Editor veritybutler@bright.uk.com

DAVE ON TOUR With eight moving screens and a complex stage design, this tour sets a new AV bar COVER STORY: DINOSAUR WORLD A roarsomely interactive show goes international. We unearth the tech behind it SOUNDING OUT THE SCREAM A complex sound system was a key ingredient in Florence Welch’s recent tour THE SCIENCE OF SOUNDSCAPES Usually loud, innovations in audio have been quiet, yet hugely impactful THEATRE UPGRADE We look beyond shiny, large theatres to the quirkier venues seeking AV updates PRO AV PULSE Our shiny, new industry- focused section – reporting on news, events and more! NEWS & UPDATES From Coachella upgrades to a luminous SXSW, we share key industry developments INFOCOMM ASIA: BANGKOK BRIDGE The July show is APAC’s best kept secret. This is why you should attend INFOCOMM 2026: SHOW GUIDE The US InfoComm build-up is well underway. Here’s our guide BUYERS’ GUIDE: RELIGIOUS VENUES Houses of worship form a huge customer base for AV. These are our top picks

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CONTENTS

This issue’s cover was designed by Holly May at Bright Publishing. Image by Pamela Raith

EXPERIENCE FOCUS

FRESH NEW KICKS: NIKE PARIS STORE Experience and retail blend at a recent shop opening in the world’s fashion capital

AV MEETS MARKETING

Earlier this year, a spaceship materialised in front of the London Eye. Here’s why

STUDIO OR OFFICE SPACE? Corporate experience as we know it is changing. We reveal the scale of that shift

ROUND TABLE: INVISIBLE AV

Immersive requires quiet yet powerful systems. This panel discusses best practice

LUMINOUS LOBBY Union Station’s dazzling projection spectacle gets a technical lick of paint WHAT ABOUT THE MID-TIERS? Often overlooked, mid- tier venues are seeking sophisticated AV set-ups

6 CONCERTS & TOURING

CONCERTS & TOURING 7

R r e a l - t i

8 CONCERTS & TOURING

here’s undoubtedly a particular kind of electricity that runs through a crowd when Dave walks on stage. It’s not just that initial starstruck, sharp inhale of breath when he first appears (though there’s plenty of those as well). It’s something more anticipatory. If you have followed his meteoric rise from Six Paths, through Psychodrama and into We’re All Alone in This Together , you already know Dave doesn’t shy away from putting on quite the show. His past performances have formed a narrative experience beyond the standard usually expected from live music. Known for his socially conscious lyricism and wordplay, Dave is a British rapper and actor that has seen explosive success throughout his still-early career. From winning the Mercury Prize to album of the year at the BRIT Awards with Psychodrama , his music is praised for its raw but powerful challenge to the British political system and society as a

Expectations were high for Dave’s first UK tour in four years (pictured), and the production team delivered

whole. In 2018, his song Question Time , which criticises the British government, won the Ivor Novello Award for best contemporary song. Even if you aren’t a fan, a quick Google search will turf up one of his most iconic live performances to date: when he played Black – a compelling song that dissects his experience of black identity, excellence and explores what it is like to live in the UK as a black person – at the 2020 BRITs. It totals 12 million views on YouTube at time of writing. During the viral video, you see Dave use a piano as a narrative tool. He plays it, but he also uses it as a digital canvas on which to cleverly project 3D visuals. So, when he decided to return for his first UK tour in four years, following the 2025 release of his latest album, The Boy Who Played the Harp , expectations were high. As a fan myself, having spent years watching him evolve into one of Britain’s best live storytellers, the idea of how he would translate his next album, after a fairly long break, into a scalable arena show seemed like both a challenge and an opportunity. RECONFIGURING THE FORMULA To understand how this particular show came together, you have to start by abandoning the traditional rulebook. Arena tours tend to rely on a familiar formula: fixed LED walls, cue-based playback and a clear separation between content creation and physical staging. This production, however, which was of course driven by Dave’s own narrative style, needed something more elastic. Ben Annibal,

Universal Pixels’ project manager, tells us about it. “The design was more challenging than usual arena shows that require an upstage screen and I-Mag package,” he explains. “The involvement of tracking screens and real-time content meant we had to look at the overall workflow.” The phrase ‘overall workflow’ is important. Once you introduce moving LED surfaces into a show (especially eight of them!), everything drastically changes. Content can no longer be pre-rendered to fixed coordinates, and lighting cannot assume static reflections. Even camera shots have to adapt to constantly shifting sightlines. This meant the solution had to involve a system that didn’t just play back content to the crowd, but actively understands the space it’s operating in. What this led to was a workflow that connected the dots between automation, tracking and rendering. Positional data from the moving screens fed directly into Disguise GX 3 media servers,

How he would translate his next

album into a scalable arena show seemed like both a challenge and an opportunity

10 CONCERTS & TOURING

enabling the system to maintain a continuously updated digital model of the stage. This ‘digital twin’ means every frame of content could be effectively recalculated on the fly, mapped precisely to wherever each screen happened to be in that moment. Annibal explains the concept in practical terms: “The digital twin aspect of this production was achieved through Disguise software, wherein, a digital model of each LED screen is rendered in the Director in real time, based on the live tracking data supplied to us by the Neg Earth tracking system. “That allowed rendered content outputs to be accurate for each screen’s position within the 3D world, rather than simply playing back a predetermined content stack.” The final result is remarkable. As the screens tilt and glide across the stage, the content doesn’t stretch or skew awkwardly – it sticks. Perspective stays correct and depth is preserved, while visual illusions hold together in a captivating manner. Fans are no longer watching video mapped onto screens, but an environment that behaves as though it exists independently. The resulting depth was achieved through a combination of screen design, content and lighting. The ROE Visual Vanish V8T panels, with their 60% transparency and high brightness, allowed light and imagery to pass through and interact across multiple layers of the system. As the screens

The team created visuals that didn’t just play back, but behaved as though they existed independently of a screen

CONCERTS & TOURING 11

FAMILIAR FACES Following previous collaborations, Universal Pixels were delighted to reunite its working relationship with video director and show creative Matt Askem, lighting and show designer Tim Routledge, production manager Paddy Hocken and Neg Earth Light’s Sam Ridgway, who led rigging and automation.

Pre-production emerged as an

BLOOD, SWEAT AND COLLABORATION

moved and lighting states changed, this created shifting levels of opacity and visibility. In addition, two further ROE Visual Vanish V8T screens were used as static I-Mag screens, again fed via Disguise media servers, and all powered by Brompton Technology’s Tessera SX40 LED video processors. It’s probably unsurprising that pulling off such a feat in a live touring context was not even remotely easy to achieve. Running at 50 frames per second, the system had to process tracking data and render content and output to the screens with minimal latency – all while integrating live camera feeds and generative elements. However, Annibal is quick to point out that this is not about going out and declaring a brand-new universal standard. “The production design required the servers to process and calculate content in real time to achieve the overall show design. This is not necessarily the future of all shows – more an additional tool in the arsenal to deliver shows in the best way possible to satisfy artistic intent.”

On Dave’s tour, Universal Pixels weren’t just responsible for the media servers or content playback, they also handled the entire video ecosystem, including its infrastructure and integration. This holistic approach proved to be essential in a production where so many different elements needed to work together.

unsung hero of the project. Long before the tour hit rehearsals, extensive testing was carried out

WATCH ME Scan here for Dave’s live performance of Black

CONCERTS & TOURING 13

For all the talk of rendering

range, the cameras fed live imagery into the Disguise servers, where it needed to be colour-matched with both rendered content and LED output. This is while six Blackmagic Micro Studio 4K G2 cameras worked to deliver cutaway shots. The feeds were mixed by Askem on one of Universal Pixels’ Kula PPUs, bringing the live performance into the server system and supplying real-time imagery to both the media servers and screens. “There is a lot of colour science going on in the background in order to keep everything looking consistent,” James Morden, technical specialist at Universal Pixels, explains. Then there are the practical realities of touring. Eight moving tracking screens introduce significant complications in terms of power and data distribution. The project used cable runs stretching beyond 150m in some cases, raising concerns around voltage drop and system sustainability. “Cable management over longer- than-normal distances was the largest technical challenge,” admits Annibal. “Fortunately, in collaboration with our long-term distro supplier, StageSmarts, we were able to deliver power to the screens in a safe manner, without having to disable any of the safety features we normally would expect to.” It is a strong reminder that, for all the talk of rendering and digital twins, live production still lives and dies by its fundamentals. “The Dave tour has not necessarily taught us anything specifically new.” Annibal reflects, “It has highlighted and reminded us, however, of the benefits of communication that goes beyond our sand-box, so when someone plugs a network cable into the wrong socket, the whole show doesn’t stop.”

and digital twins, live production still lives and dies by its fundamentals

“With multiple layers of technical equipment in the show, there had to be communication on all changes and updates during the design and pre-production process,” says Annibal. “The internal meetings with our technical and production teams were key to keep the flow of information going and make sure delivery stayed on track with the desired outcome.” Pre-production emerged as an unsung hero of the project. Long before the tour hit rehearsals, extensive testing was carried out in collaboration with Neg Earth, ensuring all aspects of the systems spoke the same language. “The early-stage pre-production work was a significant factor in making sure everything ran smoothly,” Annibal notes. “We will definitely transfer the knowledge gained from testing and collaborating with others to future projects and tours.” That collaborative mindset extended across departments. The lighting, video, camera, automation and sound teams all had to align when approaching a project of this magnitude. There was an alternative coping method available. As Annibal puts it with unwavering honesty, ‘mostly with a lot of swear words’. Putting humour aside, the complexity here is truly substantial. The integration of Panasonic UC4000 cameras, for instance, added another layer of nuance. Shooting in log to retain a wide dynamic

The project had complex practical elements, such as managing cable runs that stretched beyond 150m

By the time the tour reached its final show dates, the system had evolved into something finely tuned yet still flexible, a platform that could adapt and, with each subsequent show, push closer to the creative ideal. “It’s about that continual push to get it as close to perfect as possible,” Annibal concludes. And that ethos is the clearest takeaway from this production.

14 COVER STORY

COVER STORY 15

66 million years later, the ultimate comeback tour is well underway. We reveal the invisible tools powering the dino show that refuses to go extinct Words Verity Butler

PAMELA RAITH

16 COVER STORY T here are certain aspects of Be it greedy Henry VIII and his six wives, the grave World Wars of the early 20th century or the majestic lions and giraffes of the Savannah, there are some things that, simply put, just make great telly. One topic that has been a timeless favourite is the Jurassic world. With both adults and children forming captivated audiences the depiction of dinosaurs just never seems to get old. The obvious example that boosted history, the animal kingdom or famous characters that always make for great entertainment. these prehistoric creatures meteorically into the mainstream (excuse the pun) was, of course, the blockbuster Jurassic Park and Jurassic World franchises that together comprise a stonking seven full feature-length films. The latest released only last year. Beyond that, dinosaurs have served as a reptilian muse for the iconic likes of old-school Doctor Who , The Flintstones , Barney & Friends (do purple puppets count?) and many, many documentaries throughout the years. Despite their world-wide appeal, it has been a little trickier to take dinosaurs from screen to stage. Given their sheer scale and complex features, it has often seemed that theme park rides and attractions – which deploy animatronic creatures – were the best way to bring them into a live context. Nonetheless, dinosaurs did in fact make their theatre debut back in 2018, at the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre in London, with the now Olivier Award- winning family show, Dinosaur World Live . Having recently evolved into an international touring production, April 2026 saw the show complete a successful leg in the US. But crucially, what AV tools were used to resurrect these legendary creatures almost 66 million years post-extinction? A DINO-MITE DEPICTION Full of prehistoric wonder, Dinosaur World Live features a host of impressive creatures, from dino-babies right up to the fan-favourite – the murderous Tyrannosaurus rex . Life-size puppets are central to this production, allowing audiences to meet an incredible line-up of dinosaurs, from a Triceratops and Giraffatitan to a Microraptor and Segnosaurus . Designed by Max Humphries and created by Unit 9 Puppet Workshop, they are operated by expert puppeteers and crafted from lightweight aluminium, foam, cloth and treated fur – all of which are made to achieve realistic movement without electronics – very similar to the puppetry deployed in productions of The Lion King . Max Humphries is a renowned puppet designer who has worked with the Royal Opera House and Cirque du Soleil. His

The Viper NT has a critical

role to inject the moment of the T. rex’s entrance with a wow factor

Talented puppeteers use rods and mechanisms to animate the life-size dinosaurs at Dinosaur World Live

working as a company stage manager. I loved it!” For Dinosaur World Live , Camidge is not just heading up the company as a whole. “I am also the show’s re-lighter – responsible for recreating the lighting design in every tour venue – and I have to mix sound for all of the performances.” The dinosaur-world set is created on a clear stage, and the production has to be streamlined for a touring context. That meant having the correct tools for the job was absolutely essential. Camidge chose to employ Look Solutions Unique 2.1 to deliver haze and create atmosphere for the lighting states. The Viper NT has a critical role in adding atmosphere, too, to inject the moment of the Tyrannosaurus rex ’s entrance with a wow factor. “We use the Viper NT to create a dense fog effect for the entrance of our T. rex , Titus,” Camidge continues. “It is normally utilised for a few seconds at full to make a powerful blast of fog and to punctuate his entrance into the space.”

approach to the puppets’ structure was to utilise lightweight foam to form the muscles, which he then would cover in cloth or treated fur, to simulate skin and feathers. Crucially, the life-size puppets are not animatronic. Instead, they are ‘voodoo’ puppets, meaning they are operated by dedicated puppeteers who use rods and other mechanisms to control head movements, blinking and breathing – while drivers inside navigate them. A ROARSOME EFFECT To add key layers of drama, emphasis and anticipation to the show, the production crew turned to Look Solutions, travelling with a Viper NT and Unique 2.1. Hayden Camidge the company stage manager explains what it was like to keep a show like this on the road and make it a hit time after time. “I studied lighting design and production at drama school in London,” he comments. “A couple of months after graduating, I changed course and began

COVER STORY 17

The Look Solutions Viper NT is a 1300W fog machine and is available in 120 or 240V versions. It is the most frequently used of all Look Solutions’ fog machines, due to its reliability, impressive output and maintenance-free cycle. It is able to generate fog at full output for 40 seconds or run continuously at a reduced output level. The Viper NT has a digital timer, stand-alone controls and a five-pin DMX interface, giving many options for control. The team at Dinosaur World Live use Regular Fluid for the Viper and Unique Fluid for the Unique 2.1, bought directly from Look Solutions USA. As Camidge concludes, working with dependable, local suppliers means the world when you run into difficulties while on tour. “I would absolutely recommend Look Solutions,” he emphasises. “We have had great success with the machines. They are reliable, dependable and create great atmospheric effects.” The US tour continues until the beginning of May before stomping back to the UK this summer.

18 RETAIL & HOSPITALITY

EXPERIENCE

As retail shifts from transactions to experiences, AV is reshaping the shop floor – satis&fy talks powering the ever-evolving campaigns inside Nike’s House of Innovation in Paris Words Oliver Webb W hat better way to explore AV’s growing impact on the retail sector than by looking at one of the

whose backbone of integrated AV and systems enables continual reinvention. Since the 2020 house opening, satis&fy has supported the interactive brand culture across four dynamic floors. The company has been working alongside Nike for the best part of 25 years. “It’s a really long-lasting relationship,” begins Julia Böge, senior project manager at satis&fy, “that began with corporate events and product releases. “When satis&fy itself started in 1993, it was only a technical supplier. We were approached for the House of Innovation (HOI) project in 2019. From there, retail

design began to develop in our portfolio, and now it’s a six-year success story.” The idea behind HOI is to create a combination of a concept store and a product apparel store. Böge admits satis&fy has learned more about what is and what isn’t possible in the store as the campaigns have progressed. “We can work around those limitations to achieve the goal and original creative intention,” says Böge. CREATIVE CAMPAIGNS Michael Schaefer serves as satis&fy’s senior technical director for HOI Paris.

world’s biggest brands? On the Champs- Élysées in the heart of Paris, Nike’s House of Innovation has become a distinctive proving ground for immersive retail. Its ever-changing façade and campaign- driven interiors use digital storytelling, lighting and interactive displays to transform a traditional store into a brand experience. Powering the campaigns is satis&fy, the project’s long-term technical partner,

RETAIL & HOSPITALITY 19

Nike’s HOI has seen many impressive AV campaigns since opening in 2020, such as Air Max Day (top left) and Air for Athletes (above), all powered by satis&fy

was not allowed to escape the space, so everything had to remain fully contained within the built structure.” For the project, 100 moving lights were installed in the ceiling, which functioned almost like motion tracking. “As a person walked through the space, the lights would follow them or guide them along a specific path,” says Schaefer. “The entire system operated using live feedback from the shoes in combination with a touch-sensitive floor.” Nike also partnered with Uncanny Valley Studio, which is based in Paris and does all the programming behind House of Innovation. “For a project like this, we usually pre-build in our warehouse in Frankfurt,” says Schaefer. “There’s only a very short in-store set-up time because we have to do all of the set-ups during business hours. So, we work overnight. When the store is closed, we go in and work. That’s why we pre-build everything, do the programming in our warehouse and then just install the final product in the store.” AIR MAX DAY 2025 Nike celebrated Air Max Day 2025 on 26 March last year by launching the Air Max Dn8, shoes that feature eight-tube

He explains how the project was initially new territory for the company. “When we started working on HOI, it involved a lot of exposed technical equipment,” he says. “In the past, we would be working on things like corporate events, which would usually require a really clean set- up. You weren’t allowed to show a cable, so you are hiding cables everywhere.” Nike took an altogether different approach because it wanted to stress the importance of innovation. “It wanted to emphasise this with the campaigns,” says Schaefer. “Nike did not want to have the LED back wall covered for example. Instead, it wanted the cables and the structures to be visible for it to really appear like a technical house of innovation. We even ended up adding fake cables for show.” At the time of writing, satis&fy has delivered 35 campaigns for Nike’s House of Innovation, and the number is set to grow. “Each campaign is unique,” adds Schaefer. “Some are simple. From a

technical standpoint, we maybe just provide power for some LED strips and simple LED tubes. Then there are the more complex campaigns, such as the Air for Athletes store takeover for the 2024 Paris Olympics.” With the sports event taking place just down the road in Paris, it was paramount Nike stay ahead of the curve. The focus was on four brand-new models of sports shoe: Pegasus 41 and Alphafly 3 (running shoes), Mercurial Vapor (football boots) and GT Hustle 3 (basketball footwear). Schaefer explains how that campaign was all about users being able to try on shoes and go into a special try-on space in the retail store. “We created a room- within-a-room installation featuring a high-res LED screen at the back. It had a 1.2mm pixel pitch, mirrored side walls and surround sound.” According to Schaefer, the most challenging element was incorporating haze into a retail environment. “Because of the sprinkler fire alarm system, the fog

We reuse a lot of materials, and there are lots of displays that, once built and used,

are then implemented into future designs

20 RETAIL & HOSPITALITY

dual-pressure units in 14 colourways. The campaign effectively highlighted the Air legacy, which was inspired by the Paris Centre Pompidou. “Air Max Day was a perfect example of how our physical and digital departments work together,” notes Schaefer. “In the Champs-Élysées window we had a big shelf with Air Max Dn8 shoes in eight different colours. We had a Kuka robot arm in front of it that runs on an x-axis track on the floor. The robot arm had a round LED screen mounted to it.” Throughout the project, satis&fy also collaborated closely with BoraBora Studios. The installation featured four interactive stations, each designed to bring the Air Max Dn8’s core innovations (air, movement and design) to life via kinetic storytelling. By blending motion- driven interaction, responsive sculpture and real-time 3D visualisation, the resulting campaign translated product innovation into an immersive, dynamic narrative experience. Everything is 100% remote control, Schaefer tells us. “So, even if something happens, we can check from Frankfurt or with our guys on other productions

SVEN BIERWIRT

over all floors,” says Schaefer. “We have a grandMA3 system that runs all the lights and sometimes the screens. We have a BrightSign network system in there too. It’s all pre-installed so we can just adapt to the individual campaign, which makes things faster and easier for us.” Sustainability is always at the forefront of how Nike and satis&fy operate. “Our goal is to find equipment and material that look and perform the same but are produced in a more sustainable way,” states Böge. “We reuse a lot of materials, and there are lots of displays that, once built and used, are then implemented into future designs with small tweaks or new graphics. The lifetime of the materials we employ is very long.” Based in Frankfurt, satis&fy has an additional warehouse in Paris where many displays are stored for reuse. “When you are acting out of Germany, you need to work with local partners as well. Otherwise, you would have to drive every cable from Frankfurt to Paris,” says Böge. “We made sure to do this early on in order to create a business network in Paris that means we can be quicker and more agile.” Although satis&fy is unable to delve into its future campaigns, there will no doubt be a campaign surrounding the FIFA World Cup 2026 coming up in June. “Every party plays a role in making the campaigns happen,” concludes Böge. “From Nike as the client with all of its big visions, to the creative partners like Random Studios and Hotel Creative – and then of course satis&fy with all of its technical knowledge. It takes a lot of teamwork to bring the HOI to life.”

wherever they are. We can check in, change schedules, fix things, update content and so on.” SUSTAINABLE SYSTEMS When satis&fy first got involved with the House of Innovation, it did not have any infrastructure inside the Paris store, which comes with limitations as it’s housed in an old building. “Now we have a fully set-up system with a managed network arrangement

A pre-installed system in the Paris store helps satis&fy quickly adapt the space to each campaign, from Air Max Day (above; top right) to Air for Athletes (top left)

22 ATTRACTIONS & EXPERIENCES

ATTRACTIONS & EXPERIENCES 23

An ambitious AV marketing campaign (left) marked the exciting launch of the Galacticoaster at LEGOLAND Florida (above)

O n a cold February evening in London, the iconic, circular staple of the city’s skyline glows as expected. The London Eye’s capsules incrementally make their orbit above the Thames river. On this particular night, however, something unusual happens. The image of a spacecraft begins to assemble itself mid-skyline, hovering impossibly in front of the circular structure, its visual crisp yet faintly ghostlike. Meanwhile, thousands of miles away, the exact same apparition is formulating beside its transatlantic counterpart: the Orlando Eye. What’s taking place is a zesty blend of experience technology and marketing expertise. Not only are we seeing the use of augmented reality, we are watching it synchronise across continents. Key to this spectacle was a strategic collaboration between Merlin Entertainments and Pixel Artworks, a partnership that has turned a rollercoaster launch into something far more expansive. INTERGALACTIC INTENTIONS The occasion is the exciting launch of Galacticoaster at the LEGOLAND Florida Resort. It’s a space-themed indoor family ride and is positioned as a milestone investment for Merlin. But rather than rely on traditional marketing, the team opted for something more experiential. With ten days to go before opening, the brief for the Pixel Artworks team involved a transatlantic countdown: a synchronised projection event that

When a spacecraft recently materialised above the London Eye, it wasn’t sci-fi. It was a transatlantic marketing spectacle Words Verity Butler

24 ATTRACTIONS & EXPERIENCES

would connect Europe and the US through a shared visual story. The idea was to create a live transmission between the two landmarks, but its successful execution required a quirky fusion of creative storytelling and incredibly precise AV engineering. Elena Uvarova is Pixel Artworks’ experiential production manager, and she describes the concept as both global and immediate: “In terms of the concept itself, it was very much about opening portals where the same content is seen across the globe simultaneously. “Between London and Orlando, it was about creating this viral moment that engages fans globally. Using the London Eye allowed us to speak to the European market as well, not just Orlando’s.” The result is a narrative that unfolds in the sky, where children are invited to build a LEGO spacecraft and ‘save the galaxy’. A major ingredient of this illusion’s recipe was Hologauze, a patented material developed by Holotronica. To the naked eye, it is almost imperceptible. To a camera – and crucially to a carefully aligned projection system – it becomes a luminous canvas. Uvarova quickly dispels a frequent misunderstanding when it comes to the use of this technology. “A common misconception is that the screen is hung inside the landmark we are projecting onto. That isn’t possible,” she clarifies. “It would create a huge sail structure and be dangerous in high winds. Instead, we set up a Hologauze screen in front of a camera at a specific angle to create a perspective-based illusion.” The illusion is not physically embedded in the landmark, but is constructed via the alignment of the projector, camera, gauze and environment. Hologauze is a fully silvered bobbinet fabric, designed specifically for projection-based visual

effects. Its construction gives exceptional brightness, high transparency and minimal moiré. Stuart Warren-Hill, managing director of Holotronica, is the creator of Hologauze. A musician, visual artist, technologist and inventor, his work has consistently explored the intersection of sound, image and experience. As one half of Hexstatic and co-founder of The Big Chill music festival, he was blending audio and visuals long before ‘immersive’ became an industry buzzword. In the late 2000s, while developing his 3D audio-visual project Holotronica, Warren-Hill encountered a key limitation. Traditional Pepper’s ghost systems relied on glass or foil, which were heavy, fragile and impractical for touring. So, he chose to create a new material. Hologauze’s metallic coating reflects projected light while maintaining transparency, allowing the structure behind it to remain visible. The effect is what audiences interpret as holographic. While that term is often overused, in this instance it serves a narrative purpose. “The holographic style really aligns with the campaign,” explains Uvarova. “It speaks to the futuristic, sci-fi and space theme. It’s something CGI can’t fully replicate, especially the interplay

While the visual output appeared seamless, the production realities differed in London versus Orlando

between natural light and the skyline. People want to see real content. They appreciate the craft.” TWO CITIES, TWO CHALLENGES While the final visual output appeared seamless, the production realities differed significantly in London versus Orlando. The key component London offered was space. “In London, we projected from across the river, so we had an abundance of height and width to execute the illusion properly,” Uvarova expands. Orlando, on the other hand, required tricky compromise. “Orlando was more challenging because of the smaller footprint. We also had to contend with ambient lighting. To achieve maximum transparency, the gauze has to be as dark as possible, so we box it in a dark structure to isolate external light.” Anyone who works in the visual effects space is usually pretty quick to emphasise that ambient light is their arch-enemy. Every single stray photon risks revealing the screen, flattening the depth and breaking the illusion’s exciting spell. Managing it requires both technical and logistical coordination.

Pixel Artworks used AV technology (top left) to pull off synchronised visuals at the London Eye (above) and Orlando Eye

ATTRACTIONS & EXPERIENCES 25

Pulling off the countdown required both technological and logistical coordination

TONY MURRAY

“If we cannot eliminate ambient light, we have to design around it – creating structures that minimise it as much as possible,” Uvarova explains. Projection mapping often becomes the staple of a large-scale, public visual event, but what distinguishes this in activation is its emphasis on experience. This is no less true for the Galacticoaster itself, which is also a kind of interactive experience. Guests use touchscreens and RFID (radio frequency identification) technology to design custom spacecraft before boarding, with more than 625 possible ride combinations. LEARNING FROM LANDMARKS Pixel Artworks’ pre-existing familiarity with the London Eye also played a significant role in shaping the project. “We’ve been creating gauze illusions with the London Eye for years,” continues Uvarova. “We know what content works best, what technical specs and what brightness. That knowledge translates to new projects like Orlando.” This accumulated expertise is crucial when iconic structures are your canvas. Landmarks come with great creative potential, but are also fixed, regulated

CLICK TO WATCH See the impressive AV countdown in action here

and often difficult to access. “Having someone on site who understands both the technical and videography aspects of the job is crucial,” she adds. “That’s what ties the whole experience together.” While projection remains central to Pixel Artworks’ catalogue, Uvarova points to emerging technologies expanding its creative toolkit. “We work a lot with LED, especially for permanent installations. A product that excites me is flex LED – fluid panels that can move in ribbon-like shapes. It opens up design possibilities.”

As the countdown on the two landmarks reach their final moments, the projections intensify. The spacecraft completes its assembly and the call-to- action crescendos. Then, as quickly as it appeared, the illusion dissolves, leaving behind only the familiar silhouettes of two observation wheels. It is an impressive demonstration of where things are headed in terms of marketing practice, and of the important and effective role both AV and visitor attractions will play.

26 SPONSORED CONTENT Size doesn’t matter Discover how flexible media server set-ups are making scalable show design the new industry standard D oes venue size matter? Not anymore. Whether you’re working on a private DJ set or string of stadium dates for a show. By using solutions like Disguise’s X range, you can simply plug a USB license key into your laptop to access, edit and playback all live show video files, without “Using X1 made life easy,” he explains. “We could pack light, ease the burden of transporting kit and essentially just open up a laptop and be ready to go as soon as we arrived at the venue.” Disguise X1 provided the team with

global pop star, today’s video technology makes it easy to create live event visuals fans won’t forget. Starting small Growing audience expectations means even the smallest shows need to deliver visual impact. But thanks to portable solutions that pack a punch, video teams can put on a show to remember, even if venue size is restricted. If you simply need to map and playback video from one or two 4K outputs, your laptop could be powerful enough to design and control your entire

needing a high-performance server. You’ll be able to integrate real-time content from Notch or TouchDesigner, trigger effects from MIDI, DMX or OSC devices, busk live shows with Disguise’s Sockpuppet workflow for lighting consoles as well as keep everything locked to the beat – all while putting on an intimate show. Off the back of a string of arena dates in Europe, video programmer Alex Loftie utilised Disguise X1 to programme and power a run of smaller North American shows on Central Cee’s Can’t Rush Greatness World Tour , scaling the visuals down to fit onto a single 4K canvas. For Alex, prioritising portability and keeping costs down for these small shows was key.

more flexibility, letting them scale shows down for smaller gigs and back up for server-powered arenas. If changes were made to song visuals at the small venues, they could be used again on larger arena shows without having to re-programme. Middle ground Mid-scale shows often suffer from a case of the middle-child problem: needing to output more than a laptop can handle, but potentially lacking the budget for a top-spec server rack. A powerful solution is to cluster servers to create a tactical advantage. By grouping mid- range media servers like Disguise’s EX machines together in a single session,

Central Cee (below) and Brand New (right) used Disguise products on tour

ALEX LOFTIE

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“Using X1 made life easy. We could just open up a laptop and be ready”

show teams can seamlessly increase outputs to support larger canvases that fully immerse audiences, taking on venue capacities ranging anywhere from 2000 to 20,000+ with ease. Coupled with the impressive ability to support more complicated visual effects than lightweight portable solutions, a clustering approach allows teams to scale processing power to the specific needs of each venue, securing high-tier production values without extortionate stadium-sized overheads. This is evidenced in a recent project where Brooklyn design studio Eye Garden utilised two Disguise EX 3+ media servers to power the concert visuals behind Brand New’s US tour. “The biggest technical challenge was creating the pipeline for our video content to work on a 40ft wall and a 12ft wall,” Eye Garden’s Austion Woolfolk reveals. “With Disguise EX 3+, we resolved this by having the power to create a pixel map significantly larger than what we needed, which gave us the extra flexibility to select what we displayed during the shows.” This flexibility empowered the team to capture and display live footage of Brand New’s performance, with the multiple inputs of the EX 3+ providing plenty of different feeds to choose from.

Thinking big At a stadium level, the stage transforms into a complex architectural environment. When teams are handling wraparound LED geometries, towering canvases and massive ‘data weight’, the primary challenge shifts from simple playback to system stability under extreme loads. High-performance solutions such as the Disguise GX range become essential, with the capability to support complex screen set-ups, minimise IMAG latency and render real-time content to make sure headline acts can put on a jaw- dropping show without risk of a hitch. With a secure system in place to handle the heavy lifting of 8K particle simulations, interactive tracking data and generative content, teams can move beyond pre-rendered loops and explore next-generation show visuals at scale, facilitating the creation of truly reactive environments: visuals such as smoke that swirls as a performer moves or water that ripples in sync with live tracking, all while maintaining frame- accurate synchronisation required for global broadcast.

The team behind Grammy Award- winning singer-songwriter Laura Pausini’s current world tour utilised on-stage LEDs, Disguise’s GX 3+ and Notch to create an epic three-dimensional castle. “We wanted to set up the castle stage across multiple levels – with several columns as well as a central door through which to enter and exit,” begins Carlo Barbero, Disguise team lead on the tour. “At the same time, we needed to be able to adapt the castle quickly, with content that would look good no matter what venue we were at.” With Disguise’s GX 3+, the team could handle multiple camera feeds, IMAG effects, 8K particle simulations, background removal and upwards of 50 Notch layers to put on the ultimate large- scale, real-time spectacle.

To learn more about Disguise, visit disguise.one/en

EYE GARDEN

28 CORPORATE & EDUCATION

THE CORPORATE EXPERIENCE, REINVENTED EXPERIENCE

AV tech is on the rise everywhere, including corporate environments. Hybrid collaboration, pro-grade production, intelligent space design and large format displays are all transforming workplaces into immersive, content-driven communication hubs Words Katie Kasperson

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I n the past few years – ever since the pandemic – we’ve been inundated with the phrase ‘the new normal’. It seems there’s a new normal every day, whether it’s to do with artificial intelligence, sustainability or something else entirely. For employees, this new normal has largely meant a hybrid work format: some days in the office, others at home. Coupled with expanding globalisation, hybrid workflows have forced us to collaborate asynchronously and adapt constantly. Technology defines today’s corporate experience, which is being

reinvented on a daily basis. From broadcast-grade camera equipment to large format LED displays, we explore how audio-visual tech is transforming the workplace, wherever it may be. REMOTE CONTROL In today’s corporate world, “hybrid work continues to shape the agenda,” begins Adam Dover, senior trade and segment marketing manager at Sony Professional Displays and Solutions. “Businesses are still working hard to bridge the gap between in-office and remote participation. High-quality audio and

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video are rapidly becoming baseline infrastructure rather than premium add-ons. The expectation now,” he adds, “is parity. Remote participants must feel as present and influential as those in the room. That’s a high bar, and it demands the latest technology.” Dover notes that, while remote work has become an employee expectation, “more organisations are asking people to return to the office.” The disconnect between workers and employers has resulted in “a real push to make sure workspaces justify the commute.” This is where AV tech comes in. “The demand is for purpose-driven office time and seamless hybrid experiences,” says Dover. “People aren’t coming in to sit at a desk and do the head-down work they could do at home. They are coming in for collaboration, culture and creativity. The office has to be designed and equipped to deliver on that.” Márk Hilóczki, product manager at Lightware Visual Engineering, agrees hybrid work has become the default. “Meeting spaces are expected to support frictionless participation for those both in the room and at home. Organisations are prioritising consistent ‘walk-in-and- work’ user experiences,” he says. BYOM, short for ‘bring your own meeting’, is a throughline – employees are increasingly using their own devices, which makes security and standardisation more challenging for IT teams. VIDEO ABOVE ALL Whether companies have the tools to support a flexible work format is another issue. Investment in tech that promotes productivity and efficiency is key – and one such example is AI-driven AV. Automated meeting summaries and AI transcription services have become indispensable tools for many employees. In-built AI-based features, such as auto- framing and intelligent speaker tracking, are now standard camera tech. “These technologies are moving from novelty to necessity as the bar for hybrid meeting quality rises,” suggests Dover. PTZOptics’ director of global marketing, Claudia Barbiero, is noticing passive video is more active, intelligent and responsive. “Traditionally, AV focused on capturing and transmitting content. What is now emerging is a layer where video systems don’t just show what is happening, but understand and act on it.” PTZOptics dubs this phenomenon, according to Barbiero, ‘visual reasoning’ or ‘the ability for camera systems and AI to interpret live video, extract meaning and trigger automated workflows’. In corporate environments, visual reasoning “will define smarter hybrid collaboration, automated production, searchable video intelligence and operational awareness,” she says, with video behaving “more like a teammate than a tool.”

AV technology helps companies such as Sony produce compelling podcasts (top) and powers ambitious team events like Caudalie’s (above)

minimal intervention – exactly what busy corporate environments need.” SU-SUSSTUDIO PTZ cameras are not just useful for video conferences between colleagues; they are also cropping up in corporate communications. “Organisations are increasingly reaching for broadcast- grade technology to tell their stories,” according to Christie Patel, European marketing lead – B2B at Sony Europe. “The results are transforming what corporate content looks like.” Video podcasts are one significant example. “Audience expectations have risen sharply, and the reputational cost of low-quality content is too high for brands to ignore,” says Patel. “Video has become non-negotiable, even in a format that began as audio-only.” Businesses are

Barbiero agrees with Dover that AI is gaining real traction in the workplace and organisations that incorporate this AV tech are primed for innovation. PTZOptics’ robotic camera systems provide broadcast-grade performance, over-IP control, auto-tracking abilities, cloud-based management and an open integration approach. By partnering with Moondream.AI, PTZOptics is equipping industries with intelligent infrastructure. So, too, is Sony. Its SRG-A40/A12 and BRC-AM7 PTZ cameras can “adapt intelligently to what’s happening in the room,” Dover states. “The latest firmware updates add even greater flexibility, with enhanced framing options, improved face registration, OIS (optical image stabilisation) and more refined sensitivity settings. The result is a consistently high- quality capture experience that requires

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Better-equipped, more intuitive workspaces foster more productive, more efficient and more engaged workforces

producing professional-grade podcasts using high-end equipment – PTZs, as well as Sony’s FX series (from the Cinema Line) and even the BURANO. While these devices “were built with broadcast DNA,” says Patel, “they are now finding a natural home in corporate podcast studios.” Rather than discussing heavy topics via email or company-wide conference calls, businesses are turning to video content to share important updates, internally and externally. In today’s visually driven, entertainment-heavy era, this should come as no surprise – high-quality, bite- size videos are easier to consume. Many organisations host virtual, livestreamed town halls, while others use their own studios to film asynchronous employee training content. In-house studios are a large upfront investment, but they save time and money in the long run, and they keep everything on-premises. This reduces the security risk and the general uncertainty of outsourcing – some of the biggest blockers to adopting new AV tech, according to Hilóczki. SMARTER SPACES When offices closed during Covid, many never reopened. Some companies opted

to rent shared spaces rather than more traditional stand-alone buildings. Others got creative with what real estate they already had, transforming old meeting rooms into multi-purpose spaces that could serve as studios or even host immersive experiences. According to Dover, the audio-visual industry has been experiencing some serious investment in these types of hybrid spaces. “Meeting rooms double as production environments, equipped with intelligent cameras, automated framing and real-time switching to deliver higher- quality meeting experiences and in- house content creation without the help of specialist crews.” The appetite is also growing for what Dover calls immersive collaboration – “solutions that go beyond traditional video calls to genuinely blend physical and virtual presence,” such as Sony’s Spatial Reality Display. As organisations make peace with the reality of remote participation, they are creating better, more experience-driven rooms that lend themselves to driving productivity and employee performance. It’s crucial that these spaces, and the impressive technology within them, are intuitive for both employees and

employers. “A technically capable room that is intimidating, confusing or uncomfortable to use will underperform a much simpler set-up people actually engage with,” argues Dover. “Consumer- grade simplicity is a very substantial competitive advantage.” Hilóczki believes organisations that ‘design around the user journey’ with ‘fast, intuitive connection’ are the most primed for success when it comes to AV implementation. “They create repeatable room templates, validate interoperability and roll out consistent workflows across sites,” he states. This standardisation helps IT support teams too, allowing them to troubleshoot with greater speed and effectiveness. “The payoff for getting it right is measurable,” echoes Dover. “Better- equipped, more intuitive workspaces foster more productive, more efficient and more engaged workforces.” And the results can already be felt around the world. Thanks to Lightware’s switchers, transmitters and AV-over-IP technology, offices in India, Hong Kong and the US (to name just a few) are seeing greater consistency, reduced complexity and improved reliability in their AV operations.

AV is not just about hybrid workflows, but also improving in-person learning and working environments, like teaching (above)

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