Dreamed up by Dutch nightlife organizer ID&T, the indoor dance festival’s DJ lineup included Mr. White, ErikE, Joris Voorn, Nic Fanciulli & Fedde Le Grand, Martin Solveig, Sander Van Doorn and others. It also received support from production management specialists LarMac LIVE (LML).
The sold-out 9,000-capacity venue was transformed into an aquatic-themed dreamscape with extensive water effects surrounding the circular stage set, built with two 20-meter catwalks leading off both sides. The visuals included an array of lasers, pyro effects, inflatables, aerial artists and an impressive lightshow.
Anthony Norris, working with Ceire Deery as the event assistant, managed the project for LML. “It was really refreshing to see a large dance event based on pure live drama and spectacle as the main visual aesthetic,” said Norris. “The concept really worked,” Norris added, noting that LML was working for RPM, the brand communication agency for event sponsor Smirnoff.
Sensation supplied all their own touring technical production elements — set, staging, lighting, sound, pyro, etc. — and LML’s role was to liaise between them and the venue, ensuring that all the technical and production infrastructure was in place to stage the event.
Their brief included compiling the health and safety package documentation, ensuring that the O2’s stringent requirements were met, including obtaining samples of the set, props and draping materials involved for testing, seeing that the requisite risk assessments were produced and tests undertaken and coordinating all the associated administration.
Norris worked with Sensations’ technical production manager Remco Hendriks, project manager Brenda Munsterman and their production manager, Joris Joosen. LML’s previous experience of producing shows at the O2 proved an asset, along with their familiarity of the venue and its detailed working practices.
LML made sure the house power and rigging packages were arranged to accommodate the event and ensured all the water requirements were on tap. The show needed 15,850 gallons of clean water, which was hooked up to the Sensation system and deployed around the set through their intricate design of hoses, jets, nozzles and fountains.
To distribute power to the center of the stage set area, O2 needed to bore new holes in the floor of the arena. LML also helped the organizers source a local pyrotechnics partner, Quantum Special Effects, to work alongside the Sensation crew, and used Show Force for all the local crewing and stage hand services. Eat To The Beat came onboard for all crew and production catering.
LML also organized and handled the logistics for the load-in and load-out, which involved 10 trucks for Sensation’s production equipment, and a traffic management plan so artists, VIPs and special guests, including competition winners, could into and out of the venue and in the right places at the right times.
