Now in its 38th year, the London Marathon is the Guinness World Record’s largest annual fundraising event across the globe. It has raised more than £800 million for charity and more than a million runners have participated. This year’s Virgin Money London Marathon takes place on Sunday 23rd April. As a means of preparation, every year London Marathon Events Ltd hold a Meet the Experts day in which runners can meet the marathon experts and ask any questions they may have. This year’s event took place at Central Hall Westminster and White Light provided the complete technical solutions.
The Meet the Experts day took place on Saturday 4th February. Central Hall was chosen due to its Central London location along with the fact that it is literally metres away from the Virgin Money London Marathon’s finish line.
Jonjo Glynn, WL’s Venues Director, comments: “This was a fantastic event for anyone who is participating in the marathon to ensure they are fully prepared for the event. As there would be a lot of talks and interactive Q and A sessions, we wanted to ensure that the best production support was in place”.
The main sessions were held in the Great Hall, Central Hall’s flagship space. As part of the production support, WL supplied ETC Source Four Zooms, DPA d:screet™ Mini Lecture Microphones, Shure Radio Mics, an EM Acoustic PA System along with Christie Projectors.
Alongside the events taking place in the Great Hall, adidas had created stores in both the Lecture Hall and Library area which hosted their official VMLM clothing range and also gave guests an interactive 3D footscan.
Jonjo adds: “All three spaces were extremely busy throughout the day and we realised that there would be those in the adidas stores who would potentially miss out on what was being said in the Great Hall. To address this, we positioned a large projection screen in the Lecture Hall and Library where we relayed a live stream of the talks being given upstairs, ensuring that no one missed any of the action”.
Speakers on the day included the Event Director Hugh Brasher, the London Marathon’s announcer Geoff Wightman and BBC newsreader and marathon runner Sophie Raworth. WL also provided custom-made gobos which featured the Virgin Money London Marathon branding.
Dani Nimmock, Organiser of Meet the Experts from London Marathon Events Ltd, comments: “The Central Hall tech team that worked on the day were thorough and reliable and kept a close attention to detail throughout. They were very professional and a pleasure to work with. I felt that our production was in very safe hands and that nothing was too much to ask for”.
Jonjo adds: “Meet the Experts marks another example of how clients can come to Central Hall, use the varied spaces within this historic location and receive the very best AV support. Hosting conferences on an almost daily basis, we are always able to deliver the clients’ exact requirements; both on time and on budget”.