Olivia PowellAdlib have supplied full technical production to the 2019 Vitality Netball World Cup, which was held at the M&S Bank Arena in Liverpool. Produced by Red Sky at Night, the event saw 16 nations competing to be named world champions.
Adlib used a fully integrated video, lighting and audio package with the ability to broadcast to both BBC and Sky, allowing an international TV audience to view the ten ten day long sporting event from the 11,000-capacity arena.
Adlib provided six Panasonic RZ21K 20,000 lumen laser projectors mounted vertically to project the visuals developed by Iluminos onto the courts below in order to create lighting and video effects designed to impress not only the live audience but those watching at home.
Dave Eldridge, Adlib’s overall project manager, worked with an experienced crew onsite, as well as with host broadcasters Televideo and several other contractors to ensure the event was broadcasted worldwide.
Working with Red Sky at Night Events, the on-site team implemented a complex video playback system, which included a large ‘gondola’ style LED cube – each side measuring 7 x 4 metres and made from Adlib’s 3.9 mm pitch Unilumin product flown in at a 45 degree angle in a diamond orientation provide the best arena-wide viewing angles – as well as court side LED branding system and multiple break-out areas around the arena, positioned so that branding would always be in the camera shot.
Adlib worked with Dominic Main to design the lighting production. The lighting was designed to not only cover the audience but to also provide the right amount of Lux levels on-court without creating any glare or distracting lights, as well as being the right level of light for the live broadcast. Lighting effects for the sports presentations and to highlight important branding around the arena were also part of the design.
Adlib’s crew worked closely with the house riggers from UK Rigging to make the design a reality, using around 200 Martin MAC Viper Wash DX and Viper Profile intelligent moving lights. A pair of ChamSys MQ500 consoles were supplied by Adlib for complete and redundant lighting show control. A custom specified Luminex network backbone ensured all the lighting technology on show operated as specified.
Adlib’s video crew controlled all the screen management and the playback materials being sent to the various sports presentation screens within the arena.
The complex setup enabled control of individual screens, as well as multiple keyed overlays of timers, scores, graphics, information and systems all to be called up on-demand from the data fed graphical replay system.
Adlib co-ordinated and designed the audio system for this event which included multiple flown speaker arrays, together with a control package to cater for various audio sources during the event along with Opening and Closing Ceremonies. A CODA Audio system – ViRAY and AiRAY – was chosen.
The sound design was multifunctional and dynamic to match the video and lighting design, and to deal with the demands of the sporting action and the OC. Kenny Perrin and David Grimes were in charge of the audio for the 11 day event run, working alongside Fabrizio Colucci for the Opening Ceremony, with Max Taylor assisting on the two day load-in and set up.
FOH control was a DiGiCo SD11 located at the back of one of the long end seating areas, and the show was run from there. The backup audio console – for full redundancy – was set up in video world backstage, along with the I/O racks and RF distribution
Dave Eldridge’ lighting rental manager for Adlib, commented on the event: “It was great to be supplier to such a high-profile sports event locally, in home territory for us. It was really exciting to break new ground as a full tech service provider for World Cup level sporting events. It’s been a busy summer with festivals, tours and events and this was a great unique challenge in which we were proud to be involved.”