Following the end of the United Kingdom’s Jubilympic summer, PODS (Post-Olympic Depression Syndrome) set in at my household for quite some time
Audio, video and lighting were all impressive in the main venues (all pictures: Blair Parkin)
Blair Parkin Visual Acuity
I BEGAN writing this on the way to New York, having left home at 4:00am on Monday 10 September after the closing ceremony of the Paralympics. This travel plan was my attempt at minimising the impact of PODS (Post-Olympic Depression Syndrome) as I had been in the UK glued to the television, visiting live events and cheering like a madman for the previous two months. All through my extended
stay in the UK, our international clients were fascinated by first the Queen’s Jubilee and then the Olympics. It was the topic of choice at all our project meetings for eight weeks. Discussions of the weather and holiday plans, the staple conversation starter for the British summer, were banished into banalities. Greater issues such as Prince
Philip’s bladder, Usain Bolt’s fitness and the amazing Olympic Stadium were all up for debate. The conversation has now moved on to ‘legacy’ and gradually the British media have now reverted to their more familiar tone of doubt and suspicion mixed with cynicism. However, for eight glorious
weeks the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (the actual name of the country caused more confusion with international clients than any other point…) shone on the world stage. This has undoubtedly helped our business with the admiration that our customers are expressing for the UK’s ability to pull off such an extravaganza. The reflected glory from the wonderful efforts of the staging and pro- AV communities has notched up a peg or two the reputation and profile of what is actually a global community of technologists, designers, writers and assorted talent that make events of such scale memorable, enjoyable and – perhaps more than anything – fun.
I was privileged to be able to attend 12 medal ceremonies and a host of sporting events during the Olympics and the Paralympics. Through this sudden-found passion for competitive sport I visited several Olympic sites, ranging from the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wembley Stadium, Horseguards Parade, Lancaster House, Hyde Park and, in the Olympic Park, the Aquatic Centre and the main Olympic Stadium itself. The audience experience at all venues, except one – more of which later – was
stupendous. The sport and spectacle rose way above expectations and the crowd and the volunteer Games Makers were cheery, smiley and supportive of all.
THE DETAIL So leaving these superlatives aside, how was the sound, lighting, video and other associated technologies at these events? My first experience of attending an Olympic venue was the British Olympic Business Embassy at
The popular Pixels
Lancaster House. The UK government took the opportunity to host an outward-looking international event to discuss British design and service industries on a global stage. Luminaries such as Sir Jonathan Ive from Apple and Martin Sorrell of WPP rubbed shoulders with government ministers, international delegates and even a representative of the pro-AV world, Electrosonic’s Bob Simpson. With a giant screen on the lawn, every break from the conference was spent checking up on the progress of the national team
in the pool and on the track that morning. The event was clearly wrapped in the Olympic sprit, with everyone being nice to government ministers, the press being positive, and fearsome competitors sharing the speaker platform. Curiously the technology sponsor was Samsung. Throughout the main
Olympic sports venues there were a number of huge deployments of sound, lighting and video equipment. On top of that was the record-breaking live coverage of every event by Olympic-