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The Olympic Opening Ceremony was a fantastic display of all that is best in event production but did you wonder how they managed some of the special effects? A 40ft oak tree rose serenely from a grassing mound and the duvets on 320 NHS beds glowed as 600 volunteer nurses wheeled their patients around, not to mention seven chimneys which rose up 100 ft into the stadium!

The 40ft model of an oak tree that rose above the hill was made of steel and fibreglass and was lifted by a winch. Inside the mound, two spiral staircases allowed actors to emerge from the ground. The stage was set 11.5ft above the stadium floor to allow for the technical crew below. The giant baby in the centre of the GOSH sequence, celebrating the work of the NHS, was made from fibreglass paper and the duvets contained switches to magically light the beds as the patient children bounced on them.

The seven fabric chimneys were inflated with high-powered fans from trap doors in the stage and crews kept them upright using winches whilst trapeze artists used gears and pulleys to secure them from a mesh of wires suspended over the stadium.

Our favourite piece of theatre – the forging of one of the five Olympic rings – was created using amber lights lit in sequence to create the illusion of a 100ft molten steel river, with pyrotechnic smoke and ‘dry ice’ as the steam. The steel ‘flowed’ into a trough to form an aluminium ring which was raised to join four other rings flying in on cables to form the Olympic symbol 328ft above the stadium. The 30-second shower of sparks was real and the actors and crew were protected with fireproof costumes.

AV Unit has a team of technicians, some of whom were at the Games Opening and we would be delighted to talk to you about your dreams of an unforgettable event.

This summer as part of the London 2012 Festival, Dr Who came to Ipswich for a month. Created by Punchdrunk, an award-winning immersive theatre company, The Crash of the Elysium is a live Doctor Who theatre adventure in which the audience is the star of the show. 

On the 15 June the Elysium crashed into Ipswich Town Centre and people from across the East of England and beyond rushed to save the world with Doctor Who.

Upon arrival audience members were instantly immersed into the world of Dr Who and their quest to save the world. Swept away for a 60 minute show in a thrilling whirlwind of participation theatre at its best, working together to search for clues, coming face to face with the villains of Doctor Who and meeting the hologram of Matt Smith; all in an attempt to solve the mystery before the hour was up.

The Media team at AV Unit was asked to film the show rehearsals in London and to interview members of the audience as they came out of the Experience. The film was used as a trailer on the New Wolsey Theatre website.

We come across some amazing event facts – put your feet up and have a quick chuckle over some of these..

Q. What is the longest PowerPoint presentation ever?

A. Prepared over 3 years, Rebekah Rousi hosted what is considered the longest PowerPoint ever in 2007. It went on for three and a half days!

Q. How stressful is it to be an Event Coordinator?

A. An Event Coordinator is the 6th most stressful job of 2012 after airline pilot, fire fighter and policeman. But we love it!

Q. What is the largest wedding cake ever made?

A. 6,818 tonnes (15,033lbs) while the most expensive wedding on record is Lakshmi Mittal’s daughter $55m Versailles Palace 6 day extravaganza!

Q. Where can you have a unique dining experience?

A. In the pitch dark in London at Dans Le Noir where your food tastes quite different when you can’t see it and the flavours become more intense. Or dressed completely in blue in Paris or at other locations with Les Terrasses Bleues – a secret, pop-up event where anyone subscribing to their facebook page gets a chance to be invited to a night of free drinks!!

Q. After PowerPoint fatigue what comes next?

A. PechaKucha 20 x 20. A simple presentation format, where you show 20 images, each for 20 seconds. The images advance automatically and you talk along to the images. First devised by a couple of architects, Astrid Klein and Mark Dytham, who thought that architects talk too much!

Now PechaKucha nights are global – anyone can present and the evenings are often held in fun spaces with a bar. ‘Thinking and drinking’ events where people can share their passion by presenting something they love.

Q. What was the largest number of people bidding to attend an Olympic event?

A. 1 million people bid to attend the men’s 100 metres final at the London Olympics 2012 for only 40,000 seats available!

The Appco Group Convention 2012 was held in Manchester this year at The Lowry Arts & Entertainment Centre, Salford Quays, Manchester. Appco Group is one of the world’s leading sales & marketing companies and each year they organize a massive rally to celebrate the achievements of the divisions in the Group.

The event was held to celebrate the success of Appco, and to celebrate the achievements of divisions and individual Marketing Companies within these divisions. It helps to motivate individuals across the group and helps to showcase and endorse inspiring leaders


With an explosion of light and sound AV Unit provided a high-octane, excitement-fuelled full day of acts and awards. We handled the stage design, liaising with the acts including Soul 
Symphony (band), Feeding the Fish (technical juggling with lasers synchronized with an upbeat soundtrack) and Petebox (beatbox), providing all the equipment and technicians to create the audio visual effects and the PowerPoint presentations. A camera recorded and showed live images from the stage of the speakers and collectors of the awards onto the large screen which stretched from wing to wing. The screen was highlighted top and bottom with a row of LED battens, creating a stunning lighting effect.

A video of the event will shortly be posted on our YouTube channel where you can already view last year’s Appco Group Convention.