ELP supply lighting for major UK conference

Europe’s largest conference in the learning and development calendar took place during 17-19 April at ExCel, London . A flagship event for the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), this show sees thousands of senior human resources practitioners, trainers, coaches, and people management professionals attend over 30 conference sessions with a line up of over 100 speakers

Working under the stewardship of Lighting Director Mike Farmer, ELP supplied an assortment of Source 4s and Arri Junior 1KW fresnels but as Mike Framer explains it was the introduction of ELP’s range of LED lighting which made the most dramatic impact.

“I chose to use LED lights to provide variety and colour changing options. Many of the delegates attended sessions over all three days and so I felt it important to change the mood of the room every so often to freshen things up. The most flexible way of doing this was to use LED’s so we incorporated Thomas Pixel Pars and Thomas Pixel Lines across the three conference rooms and threw in a few Martin Mac 250s for good measure.”

Mike Farmer is best known for his television lighting work having been at the BBC for many years during which time he received a BAFTA nomination for Animal Hospital . So why, on this project, is he plying his trade on the conference floor?

Mari Ricot, Head of conference production at CIPD explains. “We really wanted to raise the profile and quality of the event and so I brought in Mike to help achieve this. The conference is a premium product for the institute, we have some big name speakers and a lot of senior executives attend who expect to see a polished production. Mike and the ELP team were able to give us fantastic attention to detail”

This years conference programme featured on stage interviews with keynote speakers like Greg Dyke and Bill Bryson. “It was just like lighting a television interview” comments Mike Framer.

The ELP crew comprised Colin Jones, Andrew Stacey and Greg Fitzgerald. All highly experienced technicians. Mike left board operation responsibilities to them in the three conference rooms and was able to dip in and out of each session to make colour changes and adjustments.

“The client wanted this level of detail” remarks Mike. “For example if there was a lady speaker I could pick out and accentuate a colour in her outfit or we could make colour changes according to corporate branding in keeping and sympathetic to the set.”

The stage set was created by Harrison Associates, and over a three day build ELP’s crew gave them a two hour head start then followed round each conference hall setting up the lighting rig.

Concluding Mike Farmer said “ELP’s experienced team had a high level of technical ability and a great attitude….I couldn’t ask for anything more.