Universal Event Production was asked to design, produce and supply all necessary technical infrastructure for the high profile Association of Exhibition Organisers Awards at ExCeL in Canning Town, east London. The technical elements included sound, lighting, lasers, video, stage sets and hydraulics, room dressing and rigging.

Working for ExCeL itself, the show was one of the most challenging to date this year for Tring, Hertfordshire-based Universal Events, as event producer Steve Butcher stated: "The eyes of the whole events industry were on us to produce spectacular results."

Universal did not disappoint. It prepared two areas - a reception and main dining room - for 1,200 guests and VIPs to enjoy themselves for an afternoon of fun and enjoyment that also honoured the very best talent in the UK exhibition industry. The main room consisted of a traditional dinner table format, complete with two stages - one for awards and one for bands. Universal's brief was to design a slick, elegant presentational production.

ExCeL's preferred rigging contractor Melville Presentations provided 425 metres of box truss, suspended on 68 motors, from which all sound, lighting and AV equipment was flown. The room was blacked out by S&H, which was brought in by Universal to handle the 'soft' aspects of the event. S&H also provided 228 metres of starcloth hung around the room.

Universal supplied all sound, lighting and AV elements from stock, and sub-contracted Def Lasers for the show's laser-based, excitement-enhancing opening sequence.

Mike Day and Fraser Munroe teamed up to design the audio systems. Sound for the Awards stage consisted of a high clarity, unobtrusive EAW KF730 SLAM line array system. The Band stage used an EAW KF850 & SB850 system, complete with EAW SM122s, which Munroe mixed with an Allen & Heath ML4000 console. Lighting for the main room and both stages was designed by James Ficking. He used Martin MAC 600s, Vari*Lite VL3000s and 2002s for the primary moving elements, plus 90 Pars and 20 ETC Source Four Zooms. Four James Thomas Pixelline LED battens were used for stage effects. A dancefloor lighting scheme was achieved using 24 Futurelight fixtures - all operated by Fickling using an Avolites Pearl 2000 console. The reception area was lit in a more formal architectural style, using Studio Due Mini Cities and Source Four Pars and zooms. This was controlled by second Pearl desk.

Universal built and installed the Awards stage, a 24 foot diameter sphere, complete with a 6 x 4 hydraulic platform in the centre and CO2 jets under the stage grills, so the Awards could be dramatically 'revealed'. On the video front, Universal supplied three live Sony DVCam cameras and seven screens and data projectors for around the room, plus a PPU unit. The central onstage screen was a 3.3 metre diameter circle, encased in Pink Floyd-style trussing. The live I-Mag was directed by Steve Hardcastle and vision mixed by Jay Martinez using a Analog Way Octo Fade. The Awards show also contained projected graphics, stored on PowerPoint, which were designed and produced by Dave Woolley. The show was called by Lynn Nelson and floor managed by Ali Dyer.

The Universal team worked closely with ExCeL's Senior Event Manager Angie Evans throughout the whole production process. Evans said: "Universal Events were very thorough, imaginative and extremely supportive. The team's enthusiasm for the event was contagious and instilled a sense of confidence, and I never doubted the AEO Awards would be anything but a success. The presentation and production was second to none and nothing was too much trouble, and Universal definitely helped contribute to making the 2004 AEO Awards a greater success than the 2003 event. I'm looking forward to working with the team again soon."

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