Travel Counsellors Annual Conference

Thank you to Ian, Mel, Nigel and the team for working in partnership with us - a great group of freelancers supporting you as well. It really was a joy to work with you all!

-Cat Rainey, Head of Events, Travel Counsellors

The Requirement

As regular audio visual hire and conference production suppliers to events at Manchester Central Adlib were delighted to be appointed as the AV and production company for the Travel Counsellors Annual event in 2017. The event took place at Manchester’s’ Central Convention Complex.

Travel Counsellors wanted to refresh the look of their event and asked Adlib to draw upon their previous creative, and technical experience of working on large scale events and adhering to tight timeframes to enhance and further innovate their stunning event with sound, lighting, and video solutions.

The Solution

The Adlib team pulled together to get the set up complete within a very tight time schedule in the two large exhibition spaces with only 19 hours to achieve it. In the conference room, Adlib used eight Panasonic PT-DZ21K Projectors blended with a Barco E2 screen management system handling content to create a visually stunning custom projection mapped stage set.

This solution allowed high-resolution custom content to be displayed across the entire backdrop of the stage and create a high impact look to really set the conference apart. This screen was paired with a discrete audio system of Coda TiRAY. This system provided even coverage across the venue, with high fidelity audio and minimal disruption to sight lines thanks to its ultra-compact design.

In the dinner space, our stage hire department created an ‘in the round’ catwalk stage with four 20ft projection screens surrounding it and a lighting rig of over ninety moving lights from manufacturers including Martin, Robe and Chauvet Professional. These systems were seamlessly integrated with an evenly distributed audio system comprising Coda Audio AiRAY and ViRAY.

A touring grade camera package was also utilised for live to screenshots of the entertainment and speakers. The key to delivering the event to such a high standard was undoubtedly the skill set and vast combined experience of Adlib’s senior technicians and technical project managers.

The Result

The key to delivering the event to such a high standard was undoubtedly the skill set and vast combined experience of Adlib’s senior technicians and technical project managers.

The Travel Counsellors 2017 event was hailed as a resounding success. Adlib’s in depth knowledge of the venue and its capabilities teamed with state-of-the-art equipment, transformed the blank canvas exhibition hall into a space suitable for a high end conference and dinner of this kind.

The combination of the audio visual systems deployed by Adlib ensured that every seat in the house could hear and see clearly at all times – an absolutely essential requirement for this discerning event team. The technical design also ensured that both the presentations and entertainment were suitably enhanced by the latest available audio, lighting, and video technology, creating a visually stunning conference and dinner.

We caught up with Cat after the event. Here's what she had to say.

What was your biggest challenge before you started working with Adlib?

Trusting an AV supplier who wanted to work in partnership with us, talking in a language that we could understand and wanted to help us achieve our creative brief rather than a supplier who worked to their own agenda.

How did Adlib help you overcome those challenges?

I formed close partnerships with the team involved who I had worked with previously – so I trusted them. This was a risky event to switch suppliers, but I trusted the team would deliver my creative vision.

What made you decide to use Adlib over any other supplier?

Adlib tendered for the event and seemed to really understand what we were looking for and were able to bring our ideas to life in their presentation. They had met our critical deciding factors where other suppliers chose to stick to their own ideas rather than taking on board ours.

What was unique about Adlib's approach to the project?

I had a close relationship with the team which meant we worked in partnership and were able to recruit freelancers who had worked on the event before – making the team even stronger and more experienced.

What would you say to somebody who is not sure about whether to start working with Adlib?

Offer the opportunity to tender – you will be surprised!

Anything else you’d like to add?

Thank you to Ian, Mel, Nigel and the team for working in partnership with us - a great group of freelancers supporting you as well. It really was a joy to work with you all!

‍