After a welcome drink in the Palladium’s Cinderella Bar, delegates were welcomed to the theatre by L&SI editor Ruth Rossington, before being given a fascinating potted history of the site and the venue by theatre manager Nick Bromley. Following this, the delegates were split into groups to begin the behind the scenes tour, which took in the automation control position, the lighting control room, the lighting rig, FOH sound desk, the under-stage engineering and the radio racks, plus a chance to view the amazing car itself, built by Howard Eaton Lighting Ltd. At each point, delegates could talk to the operators or designers, as well as the equipment and service providers, about their role in the production.
Following the tour, delegates were given the chance to observe from the stalls the stage reset for the evening’s performance, before retiring to the Cinderella Bar once again for food and refreshments. To top off the day, the delegates stayed for the evening performance of this impressive musical production.
L&SI was joined at the event by representatives of companies who played key roles in the production, including Autograph Sound Recording, Stage Technologies, Howard Eaton Lighting Ltd and White Light. Manufacturers including Sennheiser, High End Systems, Flying Pig Systems and Meyer Sound (Autograph Sales) were also represented.
Ruth Rossington commented: "We’ve had great feedback from everyone who attended and plan to do more networking events in 2003. We’re very grateful to all those who supported the day and made it possible. In particular, we’d like to thank the management and crew of the Palladium, and all the sponsoring companies, without whom this would not have been possible."
