Event Production – O2 Rugby

Event production is at the core of what Scanarama does. Coming from a background of live television and music you learn quickly that world standard event production is at the centre of top class media production. Scanarama’s event production secrets are attention to detail and access to an amazing roster of great people to help make anything happen, even under the tightest deadlines.

We learnt from Feargal Quinn that you shouldn’t expect anyone to do what you wouldn’t. As event production crew bosses, Scanarama’s principals are always first to arrive on-site, the last to leave and the first to pick up a sweeping brush and tidy up afterwards. Treating our crew like we’d expect to be treated has yielded results time and time again.

Event Production is the sum of its parts and Scanarama has been privileged to work with some of the best set designers, lighting designers, sound engineers, graphic designers, safety experts and riggers working today. It’s a great feeling after weeks of planning when the big day comes. All the event production paraphernalia starts rolling out of the trucks and it all comes together. Event Production is a hugely satisfying experience. We refer to it as making a jigsaw backwards.

We were over the moon when the incredible O2 Rugby sponsorship team of Enda Lynch and Jo Donnellan came to Scanarama and asked us to produce a unique rugby event for them. The brief was ambitious and challenging. O2 wanted to screen the Ireland Vs Australia rugby match on a giant screen in The O2.

Normally when big screens are needed in a venue like The O2 there are multiple ones used. For this event production O2  wanted the audience to all be looking at the same screen for a truly communal experience. First step was to make a 3D graphic model of the venue so we could decide what was the biggest screen we could physically fit. The screen was so large it had to be made specially and took eight giant projectors working in sync to deliver perfect picture quality. Then our sound, set and lighting designers worked around the screen size as the plan was hatched to dress The O2 up as a rugby arena – complete with pitch. The event featured a live pundits panel with audience competitions and interaction which was sent via satellite to RTE who incorporated the content into their match coverage which was sponsored by O2.

Using the 3D model we had built, all aspects of the event production, including branding, the screen, set design and even camera angles were available for approval by O2 in advance.

Scanarama worked with O2 on every aspect of the event, from liasing directly with RTE on technical and content issues to coming up with a dynamic mood enhancing lighting strategy. Event production is incredibly satisfying and this was no exception.

Ireland had a fantastic victory over Australia and the entire event production really struck a chord with the mood of the nation. Irish Team captain Brian O’Driscoll and team manager Declan Kidney referred to The O2 event in their post match interviews. National TV from Ireland, Australia and New Zealand featured pictures from The O2 which we were able to feed to them.

O2 were delighted with our event production as Enda Lynch testified: “We’ve worked with Scanarama on a number of occasions over the years and the results have always surpassed our expectations. In word word: reliable!”