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XL Video’s Grand Opening
XL Video UK hosted a massive party to celebrate the Grand Opening of its new 42,000 sq ft premises in Hemel Hempstead.
Over 350 friends, partners, competitors, freelancers, clients and others flocked to Eastman Way to enjoy XL’s superlative hospitality in a fun-filled night of social interaction, banter, drinking, eating, live music and dancing.
Revellers also included large contingents from XL’s operations in Belgium, Germany, Amsterdam and Paris.
The car park was converted into a barbecue, burger bar and hog roasting area. Greeting guests inside was a champagne reception, cocktail bar, and sushi bar, complete with posing tables.
This end of the warehouse featured a long SoftLED backdrop, and the Cisco Globe – a unique 7 ft high MiPix construction commissioned by Cisco in the US – suspended in the ceiling. This is an excellent example of the bespoke in-house LED engineering for which XL is renowned.
Three warehouse aisles featured Nintendo Wii machines hooked up to Christie S+20 Roadsters and 14 x 8 rear-projected screens, so gamers could get right into their different worlds – which was mostly boxing – by the end of the night!
At the far end of the warehouse – normally used for LED screen hanging and testing – a full stage, dance floor and raked sofa seating was built, creating a dual-purpose area. This started out as an early evening chill out zone, and later on become a grandstand viewing area for the band.
Before the band commenced, XL’s MD Lee Spencer rounded up the guests to thank everyone present and those unable to attend, for their support in making XL a favourite video services company in the seven quick years since its foundation.
The band – Los Pacaminos, including some of the best known names in showbusiness – fired up at 9pm with a stonking set comprising their signature Tex-Mex classics, plus Spanish songs and original material, guaranteed to get everyone in the party mood – not that they weren’t already!
The stage backdrop was a striking mix of four columns of Chromatek 6mm LED, interspersed with three columns of MiTrix LED. Flanking the stage were two flying 20’ x 15’ projection screens fed by Christie S+20 Roadsters.
XL’s new and unique modular High Definition PPU was used, along with its five High Definition Grass Valley LDK8000 cameras for IMAG, all relayed to the stage and flanking screens along with other material stored on two Hippotizer and four Catalyst digital media servers. A digital sound console was used to mix audio for the band.
XL did a full ISO record of the band’s performance. The HD PPU’s location at the back of the seating allowed interested guests to take a closer look – with the addition of a 20’8” x 11’11” front-projected screen and a high definition image from a sole Digital Projection 35HD Lightning projector.
XL’s new HD PPU debuted on The 2007 Brit Awards; was then used by a blue-chip corporate client along with a 12-HD projector, Encore and media server rig to create a 76 by 7 metre blended screen; it has also featured on Roger Waters’ most recent tour, and is shortly heading out on Muse’s summer stadium shows.
Los Pacaminos were followed by DJs Matt Gourd and Warren Galt (also XL’s Head of Projection) who moonlighted on the turntables until the early hours, seeing the last guests out.
30th May 2007
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