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Brits ‘08: An Awarding Week for Stageco
It’s been a week strewn with awards ceremonies for the international staging specialist Stageco. As the proverbial curtain fell on Sir Paul McCartney and all the other winners at the Brit Awards this Wednesday, Stageco were starting to dismantle several enormous structures they had erected at Earls Court for the internationally broadcast ceremony. Earlier in the week, as they were building the Brits, Stageco had won a respected industry award for their work.
The company worked with show producers MJK Productions to build three separate projects, turning the blank canvas of the empty Earls Court floor into a world-class venue:
a) The Main Stage: an intricate and beautifully finished structure designed by legendary set designer Mark Fisher, which had to combine enormous visual impact with access for television crews. The 80 x 22 metre scaffolding structure included ground supports for the video systems.
b) 5,000 square metres of tiered restaurant mezzanine which supported the tables of the many VIP guests – one of the few events in the world to present their guest seating in this way.
c) Two banks of tiered restaurant seating elsewhere at Earls Court for the after show party, again highly finished in a “Punks and Glam” theme.
Although this is the 12th year Stageco and MJK have worked together on the Brits, the event always presents new challenges. In 2008 the venue had a split tenancy with another event, offering late access to parts of the hall, meaning much of the work had to be organised into two highly intensive shifts of 25 hours each. “We had to get this right first time,” says Stageco’s project manager Dirk de Decker. “The logistics of the schedule were planned well in advance, with technical drawings, structural calculations and certification presented before Christmas. In spite of the long shifts, we insisted on the most professional working practices and attention to health and safety was second to none.”
“Stageco are the best at what they do and I couldn’t imagine working with anyone else on the Brits,” says Mick Kluczynski of MJK Productions. “This ceremonys always presents bands at a very special level and, as ever, Stageco has played its part in one of the world’s best pop awards shows.”
As if to confirm Mick’s high opinion of the company, Stageco scooped an award earlier in the week when they were voted Favourite Staging Company by readers of TPi magazine, which organises the live music production industry’s own version of the Brits. This is where the unsung heroes behind the scenes of major live music productions get the chance for a few minutes of their own under the spotlights and Stageco were present at the Grosvenor House Hotel to pick up their award for TPi Award.
22nd February 2008
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