News Blog

Despite the threat of storms and travel disruption, FABULOSO and Brighton & Hove Pride received a rainbow-coloured lining through the clouds as thousands descended on the city for a weekend marking 50 years of campaigning, protest, and celebration. Team PRG was thrilled to receive the call from Lighting Designer Paul De Villiers of Devill Productions again this year to head down to Brighton for FABULOSO, the main Pride fundraiser for the Brighton Rainbow Fund that supports local LGBTQ+ community groups throughout the year.

De Villiers has an established creative presence at FABULOSO, having provided technical designs for the Main Stage and Dance Tent to Event Managers Wilde Ones International since 2016. 
“Being asked to deliver this project by Dean Parker from Wilde Ones International was an incredible opportunity. We managed some really bespoke designs early on, which was really fun as we were able to do our own thing creatively,” he recalls of his design journey, “then as we welcomed more big headline acts like Pet Shop Boys, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue, Christina Aguilera and this year Black Eyed Peas and Steps, I’ve had the opportunity to take on the creative challenge of designing a hybrid lighting rig which still has our stamp on it and delivers the character of Brighton Pride but also accommodates the needs of the headliner’s show.”
 

 
This year’s result? Visitors to the 2023 edition of FABULOSO partied underneath a stunning canopy of lights folded into the Main Stage’s arched curve, complemented by a suite of new PRG investments and proprietary fixtures and GroundControl® Followspot system, which blended visually into dazzling back wall covered in colourful LED. “This year, we’ve widened the back wall of video” says De Villiers, “we’ve used the Elation CUEPIX panels to expand that picture so that it fills the stage for the audience.” 
This rainbow wall of LED extended further as the weekend progressed as headliners took to the stage with an additional floor package of four towers adorned with CUEPIX panels, X4 Bar20’s and Pointes, expanding the concept to fill the stage even further, “keeping form and theme, while creating an illusion of width and expansion is key”.

PRG UK are delighted to have worked with Devill Productions on FABULOSO’s Preston Park Main Stage once again, this year delivering a full house lighting rig of Robe Pointes, Viper AirFX, Wash DX, Mac Auras, IP rated LED fixtures, control & power, LED video tiles, crew, and artist extras for the two knockout shows from The Black-Eyed Peas and Steps across the weekend.
“It is always a huge honour to join Paul’s collaborative team of vendors for this iconic fundraiser,” says Account Manager Gemma Jaques, “Each year the event seems to go from strength to strength and it’s great to be a part of that. It’s a privilege to show our support to the community and we look forward to continuing to do so in the years to come.”

“With Anna Valley doing front-of-house video and media conversion on site the last few years in conjunction with PRG’s LED Team, my team has had an awesome synergy,” De Villiers rounds-off. “It’s been fantastic working with PRG again and I’ve had great service from the team. We’ve got a really strong relationship and they have bent over backwards to make this work for us. The level of kit is excellent. The delivery is prompt. It’s all fantastic – they’re a really great team to work with.”

PRG UK congratulates Paul De Villiers and the Devill Production team for another impressive weekend of shows and extends its wider congratulations to the entire Brighton & Hove Pride team for a wonderful Pride. Here’s to the next 50!

The L Series Deal is Part of PRG’s Continued Commitment to Best-in-Class Audio Investments

NEW YORK, NY (Tuesday, July 25, 2023) –  PRG (Production Resource Group), the world’s leading provider of production solutions for entertainment and live events, has been named one of  two pilot phase partners for L-Acoustics’ L Series Speakers in the Americas, before the technology becomes fully available to the public this October. This year, PRG has made a significant eight-figure investment with long term partner L-Acoustics, underscoring its commitment to bring state-of-the-art audio systems to its productions. PRG is an L-Acoustics Certified Provider Rental (CPr) and the equipment is now available across PRG’s global locations on a rental basis. 

As live events become increasingly more technologically demanding, PRG is at the frontier of next-gen solutions. Its expanded partnership with L-Acoustics makes the brand’s cutting-edge tech available to customers and markets around the world. Legendary metal band, Dream Theater, is the first production where the L Series is being utilized by PRG on tour.  

“Our substantial investment in L-Acoustics products reinforces our commitment to creating outstanding experiences for audiences at live events around the world.” said Doug McKinley, VP, Asset Services, Audio of PRG. 


“We’re delighted that the expert teams at PRG are embracing the revolutionary new L Series, deploying it on leading projects like Dream Theater and helping to ensure a successful public launch later this year,” states Jacob Barfoed, Global Director of Sales at L-Acoustics. “Deepening our relationship with PRG through their reinforced commitment to L-Acoustics products is an exciting and forward-thinking new step in our partnership.”

The L Series output using patented Progressive Ultra-Dense Line Source (PULS), can be perfectly modulated to achieve results that are impossible with traditional line array technology. The power density of the new L Series is unprecedented, and the operating efficiencies of the L Series originate from its shape. The system comprises two elements designed to work together or individually: L2 above and L2D below.  The audio benefits of L Series encompass industry-leading SPL per size, unparalleled consistency over the audience area, and improved rejection everywhere else. Accompanying the audio benefits, L Series revolutionizes deployment with a smaller, lighter footprint that reduces truck space, fuel consumption and requires fewer elements, cutting the number of actions needed for load in and out. Thus, the L Series reduces impact on the environment and increases efficiency in staffing and other resources.
  
ABOUT PRG
Production Resource Group realizes the ideas and vision of creators, producers, designers, performers, and business leaders, working in every form of entertainment and experience. It is the leading solutions provider in the production space, leveraging deep expertise and unsurpassed technology to power events of every scale and, with 62 offices in 28 countries, deliver in every corner of the globe. Capabilities span broadcasting, camera, audio, video, lighting, rigging, scenic and automation, digital services, virtual production, and labor. With over 250 patents and trademarks, PRG innovations have won awards and transformed the entertainment industry. For more information, please visit https://www.prg.com/.

ABOUT L-ACOUSTICS
Founded in 1984 near Paris, France, L-Acoustics is the market leader in professional sound reinforcement technologies. With over 550 team members worldwide and offices in Paris, London, Singapore, Los Angeles, and New York, L-Acoustics is present in over 80 countries via our network of Certified Providers. Focused on solutions that elevate the audience experience, more than 20% of L-Acoustics' talent is devoted to R&D in the areas of acoustics, applications, mechanics, electronics, signal processing, and software development. In recognition of creating innovative professional sound technology, L-Acoustics was named as one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies of 2020 and 2023.

Recognized for pioneering the line source array, L-Acoustics continues to shape the future of the professional audio industry with L-ISA Immersive Hyperreal Sound technology, a multidimensional, object-based approach to designing, mixing, and processing sound that results in extremely natural and intelligible audio, and a more vibrant, authentic connection between artists and their fans. Now also available for exceptional private sound spaces with
L-Acoustics Creations designs.
L-Acoustics sound systems can be heard around the globe in venues like the Hollywood Bowl and the Philharmonie de Paris, at the world's top-grossing festivals such as Coachella and Tomorrowland, international special events like the World Expo 2020 and World Cup 2022, and on tour with world-class artists such as Billie Eilish, Post Malone, Arctic Monkeys, and Jacky Cheung, and in the Las Vegas residencies of Katy Perry, Adele, and more.


PRG Media Contact:
Hustle&Co.
PRG_PR@hustleandco.com 

L-Acoustics Media Contact: 
Mary Beth Henson
marybeth.henson@l-acoustics.com

A greener future for PRG UK. After a recent sizeable investment in new sustainable infrastructure, PRG UK is proud to reveal its newly installed 870-unit solar panel system at its UK HQ in Longbridge, Birmingham.
At PRG we are committed to advancing our low emission practices across the business and are conscious of the need to demonstrate our sustainability credentials which we have been awarded by Albert, the leading authority on industrial sustainability in production. This switch to a green energy source has totally overhauled the way we power our UK operations; drastically impacting our emissions as we anticipate saving the equivalent of almost 200,000 car miles and £200k of grid electricity costs each year.
On this latest step in sustainability, Mark Burn, Regional Finance Director UK commented, “Since finishing the installation in April 2023, this system has been generating 330 amps for the running of our operations. Whether you’re working in our office, in our warehouse, prepping your production, using our rehearsal space THE BRIDGE or “plugging-in” anywhere on site, our colleagues and clients can be assured that they are solar powered.”
PRG UK thanks Peter Adler and Philotimo Smart Power Solution for their expertise and guidance during this process.
 

 
For more information on Albert’s advocacy of sustainable practices in the production industry, read here: https://wearealbert.org

Production Resource Group, L.L.C. (PRG), the world’s leading supplier of entertainment and event technology, announces a multi-million dollar investment in assets and personnel at its operation in Saudi Arabia following the group’s strongest performing year in the region, Peter McCann, CEO for PRG in the Middle East announced today. 

Located in the Riyadh Industrial Zone, the 40,000sqft facility is equipped with high-end assets and resources in video, audio, lighting, rigging and staging technologies. 

Tom Van Hemelryck, Co - President EMEA & APAC said, “We are delighted to see our ongoing work with live event producers in Saudi Arabia evolve further and at such pace”, adding, ”This investment is instrumental in guaranteeing that  our globalclients  will have access to world-class expertise and technology when working with PRG across Saudi Arabia and the rest of the Middle East.” 

PRG’s Managing Director for the Saudi Operation, Bruce Mac Lean, commented, “Current client demand and the increasing market opportunities across GCC territories is exciting.  Over the last five years we have seen rapid growth within the event and entertainment sector in Saudi Arabia, featuring both local and international artists and an increase in world-class events.  We’ve enjoyed great success in the region to-date and our mission now is to ensure we can service the increasing customer requirement at good pace and efficiently, whilst also developing the next generation of technical expertise within the local talent pool.”

Media contact EMEA & APAC: Valérie Cuno vcuno@prg.com
Media contact UAE & KSA: Harriet Stewart hstewart@prg.com
Sales enquires in Saudi Arabia: Adam Rhodes arhodes@prg.com  

Production Resource Group, the largest provider of live event technology in the world, is happy to announce the relocation of its London offices to a new space within the historic heart of the city’s West End.

Less than a five-minute walk from Piccadilly Circus tube station, PRG Golden Square offers our staff and clients 24/7 access to a light and airy, modern, and private office and meeting space within an 18th century Georgian terrace managed by Boutique.co. The property is based in the centre of Soho, one of the busiest and most vibrant areas of the city centre, while also offering a shared break out space and café facility for all staff.

As part of our membership with Boutique.co, our colleagues and clients can also enjoy flexible working spaces across the group’s network of offices in London and Birmingham, providing accessibility to several workspaces within our key locations in the UK.

On the recent move for PRG UK, CEO Richard Williams said: “By adding PRG Golden Square to our portfolio of locations in the UK, we are pleased to maintain our strong and steadfast presence in London while updating our facilities to what our teams need in this new post-COVID era. This new space gives our staff and clients a comfortable, flexible, and convenient place to work together, and we are looking forward to welcoming them through our doors.”

Production Resource Group UK (PRG) is the world's leading technology provider in the entertainment and event industry. The range of services extends from support in event conception, planning and implementation to the technical equipment and follow-up of events of all kinds. A comprehensive consulting and support service guarantees customers creative and professional implementation of their events. The PRG equipment pool is one of the largest in the world. Depending on the customer's requirements, PRG supports individual trades or acts as a general service provider with a comprehensive 360° service.

August bank holiday weekend 2022 brought with it the 25th Anniversary of Europe’s leading dance music festival, Creamfields North. Opening its gates to 70,000 fans, the festival welcomed a line-up of the best DJs in the world, featuring jaw-dropping headline sets from: Armin van Buuren, Calvin Harris, Eric Prydz, Camelphat, Carl Cox, David Guetta, Hardwell, MK, Fatboy Slim, Martin Garrix, Nina Kraviz, and Pete Tong.

PRG has a long-established relationship with the festival’s production management team at LarMac LIVE & PROJECTS. The team returned for this anniversary year to provide video, rigging, lighting, automation, and an extensive crew of over 100 technicians to six of this year’s stages, including the mighty Arc, Steel Yard, and Horizon main stages. 

Design/Visualisation 

PRG’s journey with the festival team began at the design stage, as our Design team provided WYSIWYG and MA3D drawings for the Arc, Horizon, and Steel Yard stages having used Depence² for internal pre-visualisation rendering. These detailed drawings were then used by the incoming festival lighting designers and programmers to previz several headliner’s shows before turning up to site. In the lead up to festival load-in, the PRG Design team also worked closely with the PRG Events Services team to provide technical screen drawings to assist in the design and build of the LED screens across the festival.

Video

On PRG’s tried and tested operation with LarMac LIVE & PROJECTS, Account Manager Ian Jones says, “We have worked with LarMac for several years on Creamfields. This has nurtured a great level of familiarity and trust between our two organisations on the project. All our on-site managers and heads of department understand the different structures and best ways to work the site to allow us to rig efficiently. We have a great team and are delighted with the faith LarMac show in us to deliver as part of their team year in-year out.”

To cover the festival’s video requirements, PRG supplied just under 3000 m² of LED across six stages, including the three main stages, and supplied a camera package for Fatboy Slim’s closing set at the Fatboy Slim Loves… tent on Sunday. At Steel Yard, the team delivered a series of bespoke packages for artists like Martin Garrix and MK, as well as facilitating an additional transparent screen for Eric Prydz’s 3D show HOLO on Friday night.

This extensive video package also included site wide VJ support for the festival. Media Servers and VJs were delivered on 9 stages, where PRG oversaw the management of content download, conversion, and playback for over 100 visiting artists over the 3 days. Control systems were set in place at front-of-house positions to allow seamless changeovers between visiting and house VJs throughout the weekend.

Lighting and Automation

Nearly 2000 fixtures were delivered across the Arc, Steel Yard and Horizon stages at the festival, with 1000 fixtures alone being installed at Steel Yard where PRG helped realise the Eric Prydz creative team’s designs for the venue. This design required an additional automation service, so PRG supplied 36 Movecat hoists throughout the venue, managed by 4 dedicated automation specialists. For Camelphat’s festival closing set at Steel Yard on Sunday evening, PRG delivered an additional rig for the venue which comprised of an 8m diameter circle loaded with magic blades. Throughout the three-day event, each headliner at the Arc stage and Horizon stage received their own bespoke rigs, which were turned around each night by the PRG Lighting crew.

On this mammoth project, Event Services Lighting Head of Department, Luke Jackson notes, “Our ongoing collaborative relationship with Ian Greenway and Matt Smith from LarMac is crucial to our design of this huge lighting package. We work incredibly closely with them to design these headlining stages around headliner requirements. This requires a great deal of flexibility and adaptability, and a level of technical expertise and shorthand to deliver additions and new set requirements on-site even up to, and including, production week. The PRG team are very well prepared to deliver this assurance for the festival’s complex lighting rigs.”

Logistics and Crew

Given the vast scale of the technical production, the logistical challenge is a meticulous undertaking for the PRG team. After prepping in-house at PRG’s Longbridge warehouse, the Creamfields North package was loaded in over the course of a week, managing and scheduling the arrival of equipment with precision. Ian Jones adds, “Creamfields is a massive site and detailed planning is essential to ensure the right kit arrives at the right time. We need the equipment to arrive as the crew are ready for it. If it’s too early it congests the site and we want to avoid the PRG and LarMac team having to wait around, so the key is the ongoing communication between site and operation in Longbridge to pace the deliveries correctly.”

Once on site, the Creamfields North package of 42 trucks of equipment was installed and managed by a quantifiable army of PRG crew. A total of 125 members of crew worked across Video, Lighting, Automation and Rigging on 6 stages and included members of the PRG Event Services team, freelance colleagues, and several students from PRG UK’s education partners: Birmingham City University, The BRIT School, and Rose Bruford College. 

On his experience with PRG during this anniversary year, Ian Greenway, Director of LarMac LIVE concluded, “It’s been another summer of fine-tuned and exciting collaboration with the PRG team at Creamfields North and South. After years of working together on the festival, we’re very confident in PRG in their capacity to deliver the expertise, equipment, and dedicated manpower to make our designs a reality on such a vast scale for our artists and festival goers’ year in and year out."

Birmingham Ceremonies chooses PRG to supply lighting and rehearsal space for colourful and historic Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

The summer of 2022 was a huge moment for the city of Birmingham, as it played host to the 2022 Commonwealth Games, as well as the competing athletes from 72 nations. Taking place in the newly updated Alexander Stadium, the Opening and Closing ceremonies colourfully book-ended the largest multi-sport event held in the UK since London 2012, and was broadcast live to billions around the world, in addition to a 30,000 strong live audience.

Both productions delivered a high-octane, multi-genre and multi-cultural tribute to the history, culture, and pride within the region, featuring a now infamous 10-metre-tall mechanical bull, and musical performances from iconic West Midlands artists like Duran Duran, Dexy’s, Apache Indian, Beverly Knight, Goldie, Jorja Smith, Laura Mvula, Panjabi MC, UB40 and the one and only Black Sabbath.

Positioned to light the festivities was Al Gurdon of Incandescent Design, who called upon the PRG team once again to help deliver the technology and crew to achieve his vision. On assembling his team to deliver the lighting design, Gurdon selected “Richard Gorrod at PRG” for his “design associate in the planning stages…who put together and led a great team, as always, in the stadium.” 

Director of Events and Special Projects Richard Gorrod worked closely with the Incandescent team to create a rig able to reliably withstand exposure to the elements for several weeks at the open-air stadium, all while delivering the power, reach and flexibility to deliver the spectacle the occasion needed.

To fit these criteria, PRG supplied a huge number of fixtures from the IP65 Elation Proteus range, including the Proteus Maximus™, Proteus Excalibur™, and new Proteus Rayzor Blade™ luminaires. Headed up by PRG Crew Chief Tim Probert, a team of twenty-nine lighting techs and operators joined the production, including local students looking for experience in our industry, to prep, install, and manage the equipment for over two months leading up to the two productions.

“Rich and the PRG team were fantastic throughout the process,” notes Birmingham Ceremonies Executive Producer Zoe Snow, “They worked closely with us from early in the production planning stages, hosted an R&D session at the warehouse (not only lighting but supporting other FX departments and suppliers too) and were incredibly supportive to both Al and the wider technical team. Rich joined production meetings as needed and was integrated with the technical team throughout to ensure seamless planning and detail.” 

On PRG’s experience at the Birmingham Ceremonies, Gorrod said, “Working with Al Gurdon and the design team is always great. The PRG team has a long working relationship with Al and his team, and this familiarity definitely helps us to deliver an exacting and adaptive service to them as a client.” “As with all Ceremonies” he adds, “the management and communication of the client’s developing needs is a great challenge, particularly when dealing with inevitable last-minute additions. The PRG team has the internal processes to adapt to these challenges well and quickly, from pre-viz and asset management, to our expert Event Services and Operations teams.”

Based in Longbridge, PRG has also been extremely well placed to handle the massive logistical undertaking for both productions, providing quick transport, local talent and convenient rehearsal and filming space. Leading up to the colourful, nostalgic Closing ceremony, PRG’s new multi-purpose rehearsal space, THE BRIDGE played host to a very special pre-record. The iconic Birmingham nightclub, The Rum Runner was beautifully recreated in the space, allowing the production to draw its audience into the depths of centre stage and through the doors of the New Romantic stomping ground. To enhance the illusion, PRG supplied a lighting rig of GLP x4s and Titan Tubes in-house, as well as a spacious Artist Dressing Room for the performers and a pre-viz studio in THE BRIDGE’s Gallery Space.

Looking back on his work with PRG, Birmingham Ceremonies Technical Director Gary Beestone concludes, “The PRG team were essential to the vision of these ceremonies, bringing world class kit and crew, vast experience in stadium environments but also bringing local people and resource to the production. Being rooted in Birmingham, PRG were able to showcase the local talent in the area and keep a major part of the technical execution rooted locally.” 

It goes without saying that this project was a true honour for the PRG UK team to collaborate on. As a local business, we are proud to have invested our resources and talented colleagues to deliver a piece of history for the West Midlands with the Birmingham Ceremonies team.

PRG was honored to support lighting, video, and crew for the Taylor Hawkins Tribute Concert on Saturday September 3rd at Wembley Stadium.

Lighting:

PRG delivered a comprehensive lighting rig containing over 450 fixtures for Production and Lighting Designer Dan Hadley. We utilized our new stock of Aryton Huracans, over half a mile of PRG BAT truss, four of PRG’s GroundControl® Longthrow follow spots - the only remote-control fixture capable of achieving 80-foot candles over such a long distance, and ten of our Best Boy® Ground Control fixtures to allow TV Lighting Director Nathan Wilson complete control of levels over a huge array of performers.

Video:

PRG provided the entirety of the LED screen package (including CB5 and Galaxia WAR tiles) for the show as well as 2 Disguise GX2C servers. In addition, we also provided an IMAG camera package, and broadcast truck (including camera package) to facilitate all broadcast needs to the millions of viewers worldwide.

From a video perspective, PRG UK worked hand-in hand with PRG LA to provide the I-Mag screens and playback rig, as with the normal touring Foo Fighters shows, but to fit in with the live broadcast and film record, all cameras became UHD/4k, numbering some 23 chains, split between full broadcast chains, PTZ remote heads and PoV shots.  To accommodate the extra needs of this event, PRG UK hired in an OB truck from TimeLine TV, that handled the I-Mag cameras, cut by long-time Foo Fighters director, Josh Adams, with their touring Engineer Dan Albert. Hayden Katz, assisted by Tom Denney, ran content and effects for the I-Mag screens, from 2x Disguise GX2c, with a dedicated PTZ rig for certain shots and cutaways.

Silva Artist Management

John Silva

Gaby Skolnek

Kristen Welsh

John ‘JC’ Cutcliffe

Sacha Bambadji

Sara Sigman

PRG US

John Wiseman - Executive Vice President, Worldwide Sales

PRG UK

Yvonne Donnelly Smith - Sales Director

Ben Holdsworth - Account Manager 

Steve Major - Project Manager

Catherine Meyers - Music Support and Sales Coordinator 

PRG UK Lighting Crew

Mark Jones-Roberts - FOH Assist

Matt Morris - LX Systems

David Mathieson - LX HOD

Lestyn Thomas - LX 2

Tom James - LX 3

James Tomlinson - LX 4

Chris Wilkes - LX 5

Molly Hayden - LX 6 AUD

Lewis Young - LX 7 AUD

James Spooner - LX 8

Matt West - Load Out

Lee Threlfall - Load Out

PRG UK Video Crew

Tom Denney - Media Servers

Simon Schofield - Camera

Devin Turner - Camera

Rob Wick - Camera

Chip Wood - Camera

Mark Cruickshank - Camera

Danny Sheldon - Camera

Cedric Vandepitte - LED

Devin Turner - LED/Camera

Jens Couckuijt - LED/Camera

James Morden - OB Liaison

Jordan McMahon - OB Technician

PRG US/Tour

Sean “Sharky” Harper - Video Project Manager

Steven “Waffle” Lemahieu - Video Crew Chief

Josh Adams - I-Mag Video Director

Dan Albert - I-Mag Vision Engineer

Hayden Katz - Media Servers

Tim Clohessy- Camera

Tom Matthews - Camera/Utility

OB Truck (from Timeline TV)

Gareth Wildman - Engineering Manager

Jack Sowerby - Vision Guarantee

Hamish Perks - Vision Engineer

Simon Hul - Vision Engineer

Dan Regan - Sound Guarantee

Hugh Pollard - VT Guarantee

Haydyn Bevis-Knowles - Camera Guarantee

Jodie Haertel - Camera Assistant

Jamie Airs - Camera Assistant

Kevin Street - Rigging Supervisor

Ray Yates - Driver/Rigger

Matt Tyler - Driver Rigger

The year 2022 marks the Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II and in honour of this historical anniversary, the United Kingdom enjoyed a roster of events celebrating her 70-year reign, the UK and the Commonwealth. Kick starting this season was The Royal Windsor Horse Show, which presented an opulent, expanded edition of its annual Pageant broadcast live on ITV. The three-hour performance at Windsor Castle showcased all the pomp and ceremony befitting of a royal event, featuring the royal military, 1,300 performers, 500 horses and an all-star cast of British and international talent including Helen Mirren, Damian Lewis, Omid Djalili, Alan Titchmarsh and Tom Cruise. 

PRG has a long history with the Royal Windsor Horse Show and Producers HPower, having provided lighting rigs for the illustrious equestrian show for over 12 years. Head of Event Services, Rich Gorrod and team PRG were on hand yet again for this special edition of the show, working with Lighting Designer Paul Cook and delivering a vastly increased lighting rig of 600 fixtures, 130 hoists and 500m of truss. 

“The nature of this particular Pageant meant that everything had to be bigger,” says Gorrod, “our long history with the show really gave us the upper hand in our ability to confidently enhance the show’s design to deliver the spectacle it needed, as well as being able to adapt our technical delivery to the production as it grew.” This year’s rig featured a vast number of Elation Proteus Maxiumus fixtures, updating the rig to a more sustainable LED option and offering much needed waterproof protection for any rainfall on show day. Further to this, PRG also provided several extra rigs for the production, including lighting for the VIP boxes and break out dining areas for guests and dignitaries at the event.  

On his experience with PRG on this Platinum event, Production Director Harry Guthrie said: “Rich Gorrod has led the PRG team at Windsor for a number of years and there isn’t anyone I know of who could have done the job better. The challenges of creating a dramatic and theatrical lighting rig on an arena scale with 3-day rehearsals and a daily Horse Show running concurrently was always going to be a massive challenge. Going into that process you need a team that will not only be reliable but, most importantly, one that you can trust and know will work as part of the wider production team. Rich and PRG provide and deliver just that.” 

It was Team PRGs honour to light up such a historic celebration. PRG congratulates the HPower team on an impressive show and sends huge thanks to Harry Guthrie, Nick Brooks-Ward, Simon Brooks-Ward, Paul Cook and the wider PRG team for their collaboration with us.

For their 40th anniversary, the French band Indochine certainly didn’t do things by halves. Originally scheduled to take place in June 2021, the 45m high tower with a diameter of 30m has been in the works for 2 years. With 6 concerts on the agenda, the Indochine Central Tour performed in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille and closed with two concerts in Lille for their fans from Belgium to be able to come and sing along.

Imagined and sketched by the singer and leader of the band Nicola Sirkis himself, the design of the system presented a particular challenge. The entire rigging construction and sound system had to be invisible whilst still providing the best audio experience for the audience in the stadium. This meant that all the speakers needed to be placed inside the tower, behind the massive 360° LED wall, a groundbreaking concept in event technology.

Based on Nicola’s design, PRG France & PRG Projects worked tirelessly to make his dream a technical reality. Built in conjunction with StageCo, the tower was composed of specially manufactured Titan-X LED and PRG’s latest innovation of the SoundBlast Solution definitely is one for the books! “Nicola wanted to offer an unforgettable experience to all the fans. Building a 360° tower in the middle of the stadium with the audio and lighting inside would allow everyone to see better and be immersed in the pure musical performance and the artistic presence,” says Stéphane Desch, Director of Production. He adds, “He sent me multiple sketches of what he had imagined about two years ago and we started from that. In fact, the end result is very close to his original concept.” 

While part of the PRG team started drawing up technical plans and diagrams of the tower, PRG Projects started developing and manufacturing an LED product that would make this endeavor possible. In response to Nicola Sirkis' vision, the 360° tower would need to be fitted with a customized LED screen, specifically developed and manufactured for the Indochine Central Tour, providing a solution that integrated the entire sound system, lighting and all of the cabling within the tower behind the LED screen, to be as streamlined as imagined. 

“When we saw Nicola's first drawings, we immediately saw that there were some challenges. Firstly, we had to find a solution to place the sound behind the video screen and there was no solution to that at the time. Secondly, it was the height of the screen. The height of the screen meant that we had to create a new, very light product that had all the features of the PRG SpaceframeTM, including wind bracing, built into it,” says Frederic Opsomer, General Manager of PRG Projects. “At the same time, we needed a product with a transparency of over 70% to allow the sound to penetrate from the back of the screen into the stadium. This meant that we needed to develop a new product.”

INFiLED and PRG worked together closely to develop the TITAN-X. From the first drawing to a 1850m2 setup for the Indochine Central Tour, the collaboration and the combination of the PRGs know-how and INFILEDs agile developing capability has played a major role. R&D teams from Belgium, the UK and China worked tirelessly during more than 9 months on this project and created the ultimate, robust, mesh rental & touring solution with the foldable X-frame structure for a new level of stability. We’re delighted to have collaborated with such a long-term and strong partner like PRG on this impressive project!”, stipulates Michael Hao, CEO at INFILED.

The next challenge was to install the complete sound system behind the LED wall. This would allow for the images on the tower, fitted with 360° LED, to be enjoyed to their fullest, without any audio stacks obstructing the video content. PRG Projects carried out numerous tests with several audio manufacturers and developed the SoundBlast Solution which uses the weight of the audio as a ballast behind the LED screen to support the weight and structure of the LED installation.  

“The Titan-X and the PRG SoundBlast Solution will allow us to take a step forward in the development of large videos and video content design because being able to place the sound behind the video screen has been the dream of all designers!” adds Opsomer.

Standing at 45m tall, the Indochine Tower was fitted with 2500 m2 of Titan-X, creating a video wall that was 30m in diameter and 24m high. This gigantic construction in its whole  takes about 3 days to assemble and weighs 260 tons. The LED setup weighs 65t and takes 16h to be installed. With its 26, 542, 080 pixels (9216 x 2880) the images on the Titan-X as well as on the central screen in ROE CB5 below, were processed by 7 disguise GX2 servers.

PRG's Technical Director, Romuald Beaufour, who drew up the plans and initial diagrams of the tower comments: "The installation of our Titan-X in stadiums was sometimes complex because the tower protruded from certain stadiums (in height) which posed problems for the municipalities. In order to comply with the relevant legislations, the tower had to withstand a 72km/h wind speed for 3 seconds.”

The lighting kit was made of 1360 lighting fixtures, including LED Striplights and Floods, MAC Viper Wash, Movinghead Impressions X4, LITECRAFT OutLED AT10.plus, ELATION Proteus Smarty Hybrid IP65, and last but not least, 8 PRG GroundControl Longthrow Followspots.

Lighting Designer Jean Christophe Aubrée describes: “There were a lot of challenges in terms of lighting, which is mainly due to the 360° configuration of the tower. The idea was to be able to create some volume in all of this and to use the surfaces, the seats, and the structures of the stadium a little differently. We positioned lighting all directions, from both inside and outside of the tower. We also had to carefully consider the size and weight of our fixtures, since they all had to fit into the tower. Working with a 3D model allowed us to visualise the project more effectively, since sometimes you tend to lose the feeling of distance and dimensions a little.”  

In total, 250 technicians were mobilised for the entire Indochine tour and more than 950 shift workers were hired. The PRG touring crew represented 9 different nationalities. “Whether it was PRG Belgium, PRG Projects or PRG France: everyone got involved in this beautiful project. Everyone did a great job. We brought people together from all over the world to grow this team for the tour. It was wonderful to see the synergies and sharing of know-how. But the success of this adventure is also a choice of companies with whom we collaborated. Everyone contributed to this. Whether it's StageCo for the structure or MPM for the sound, this all is a big part of the success of the adventure!” finalizes Laurent Boillot, Production Director, PRG France.

During the concert on June 25, 2022 at the Groupama Stadium in Lyon, 22 digital cameras recorded the show, allowing Indochine to offer a retransmission of the concert from November 24th, 2022 in IMAX cinemas, the world's first live concert filmed in its entirety for IMAX.

Produce. Rehearse. Go Live.

The Bridge is an exciting and unique addition to the PRG UK network, opening a hub for productions of all sizes in the heart of the country. The space has been designed to be completely flexible and has the power to support whatever your production needs. Located just next door to the PRG UK headquarters in Longbridge, the space richly benefits from a direct link to PRGs wealth of equipment and expertise onsite. From truck splits and prep to full studio productions and pre-production rehearsals, The Bridge can deliver.

Production teams have complete privacy at The Bridge, with access to the space and the resources to run their projects through from planning to show day.

Backstage, it offers a spacious 170sqm office space including: a modern kitchen, showers, accessible bathrooms, bright and comfortable green room and artist dressing rooms, plus spacious production offices, a board room and a gallery viewing space.

Downstairs, The Bridge is home to a 17m x 35m clear floor production area with a minimum 6.2m height clearance. Wall and ceiling drapes line the space and spray insulation has been provided to ensure heating and soundproofing. The space includes a 400A 3 Phase Powerlock, dedicated highspeed production internet, 24hr secure access, and parking for cars, tour buses and trailers. 

“With the introduction of The Bridge to our Longbridge location, we are harnessing the power, space, technical capability, and world-class experience of our business and people. It really is a flexible space that offers solutions for live event productions.” Yvonne Donnelly Smith, Sales Director – Music, PRG UK.

To see how The Bridge can help your production, contact the team at thebridgeuk@prg.com.

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The team at PRG UK are delighted to back supporting a beloved local charity this month – The Mary Stevens Hospice in Stourbridge.

The Mary Stevens Hospice, who have been offering their patients the opportunity to enjoy their lives to the fullest for over 30 years, are putting on their annual Pantomime at Stourbridge Town Hall Theatre. This year’s show, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, takes place over February half term and stars Stevi Ritchie, Bradley Hunt, and an onscreen performance by Beverley Knight as the Magic Mirror.

PRG have supported The Mary Stevens Hospice Pantomime Company for the last 2 years and this year are providing a full lighting package for this year’s show, including Design, Operation, Equipment and crew.

“Working with The Mary Stephens Hospice on their shows is always a good laugh,” says Project Lead Alec Corbett. “It’s nice to see so many friends from local armature dramatic societies who dedicate their time to this charity. COVID put a stop to the many fundraising activities the hospice relies on so it’s exciting to be back supporting them again. Every individual involved should be immensely proud of what they have achieved for such an amazing charity.”

On the ongoing supportive relationship between PRG and The Mary Stevens Hospice, Amanda Bowen, Producer and Head of Fundraising and Lottery at The Mary Stevens Hospice said, "We are extremely grateful to PRG for supporting our fundraising Pantomime once again and for the value it brings to the performance and the sustainability of the hospice.  Not only will the fabulous lighting effects wow our audiences, but it will also ensure they will want to return year after year, which will in turn ensure our community has access to the best care should ever they need it.

A baddies appearance, Snow White's solo and the entrance of the pint-sized seven dwarves, just would not be the same without the drama, fun and expectation fantastic stage lighting can bring. As you see, your generosity, time, vision, and expertise, all given to the hospice free of charge, really will make a difference to the lives of our patients, their families and our community, both now and in the future."

We are proud to be back on stage with The Mary Stevens Hospice Pantomime Company and are thrilled to see yet another charming production come to life all in aid of such an excellent and important cause.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs runs at the Stourbridge Town Hall Theatre from 16th – 23rd February 2022. For more information, and to purchase tickets, visit The Mary Stevens Hospice website. 

After an impressive debut in 2019, EDM fans have waited with bated breath for the return of MDLBEAST Soundstorm – the world’s largest (and loudest) festival. The wait was certainly worthwhile, and Soundstorm 2021 roared back into the Saudi Arabian capital, Riyadh with an even grander and extraordinary second edition. The line-up across the four-day festival featured the biggest names in dance music, including: Martin Garrix, David Guetta, DJ Snake and Tiësto, as well as 11 of the Arab world’s biggest stars, from Nancy Ajram and Elissa to Tamer Hosny and Amr Diab. These performers and over 700,000 fans partied across eight stages, including the behemoth main stage “Big Beast” which stood at 250m wide and 42m tall – one of the world’s tallest and largest stages! PRG were on hand yet again to provide 360° technical support for Big Beast, as well as site-wide EVAC PA and lighting activations for one of the site’s “VIB” entrance gates and projection mapping of the MDL Town Sculpture.



This epic vision for the main stage was a huge undertaking for the PRG team. PRG supplied gear from its newly established Riyadh warehouse, and this was then supplemented by various European depots. Over the course of our 7 months of continuous prep and planning and almost 3 months of set up on site, we delivered nearly 600 tons of technology; including the stage’s entire video, lighting, audio, comms and rigging package.

The record-breaking, continuous screen comprised of over 4,000 sqm of LED, and around 70 million pixels. For the screen’s centre, PRG supplied 2,200sqm of its brand-new Titan-X panels which were developed by PRG and Infiled this was supplemented with ROE MC-7H for the mid wing sections, plus ROE CB5 for the DJ Riser. To cater to the mass of stock, weight, power and pixel considerations that come with such a large single screen project, PRG designed a comprehensive control system, delivering a large yet flexible sync network solution for all artists.

For lighting, the main stage rig included over 1,000 fixtures, with 130 Universes of DMX, 6 x 400A Supplies and 26 km of cable. Fixtures included GLP X Bars, JDC1’s, Robe Pointe, Hybrid fixtures, and LED Bars. For audio, PRG supplied and distributed L-Acoustics K1, K2 and KS28 systems across the main stage and the delay towers which ran using L-Acoustics LA12X controllers and were monitored using P1 processors. Carrying it all were PRGs master riggers with a truss 3.3km long, and 410 hoists.

“The great thing about working with the 360° from PRG is that each department can draw upon its own wealth of expertise and resources, and each team comes together to deliver one exceptional event. This is a bespoke project, and so PRG built a bespoke team. Such a vast production really needed the internal workings and conversations between all our expert technicians to flexibly develop solutions smoothly. From a production point of view, this certainly makes things a lot easier and has definitely been appreciated on this show.”  Yvonne Donnelly Smith, UK Sales Director Music.

PRG Middle Beast Team 2021

To match and deliver the increased scale of the 2021 festival, PRG mobilised its global workforce. Working over 3000 man days, 130 members of PRG crew headed to the event site from our offices in Riyadh, UK, Dubai, Belgium, Germany, and Spain.

“What I see we are doing here is we're at the very forefront of the formation of the entertainment industry in Saudi Arabia. We've insisted that our vendors have a Saudi Arabian presence because we can't continue to support events unsustainably. We have to get going here and everyone has shown a willingness to do this and PRG have now moved into Saudi Arabia.” – Michael Jobson, Executive Director – Events, MDLBEAST.

In the spirit of the Saudi 2030 vision, this focus on supporting the region and its wealth of talent is certainly shared by PRG. Thanks to our newly launched Riyadh office and warehouse, PRG now has a pool of regional assets and resources for future events. After proudly supporting the Saudi Arabian F1 Grand Prix in Jeddah and Soundstorm 2021 for MDLBEAST, PRG has established a regional depot which already houses a great selection of assets, building a foothold for accessible equipment in Saudi Arabia to deliver exceptional events in the future.

“Part of our drive within Saudi Arabia will be to make sure that we are enabling and empowering and recruiting local Saudi resources and training them to ensure that they develop the skills to help deliver the events of scale that we put on. And that's one of the key drivers where we've been aiming our expansion within Saudi over the last three years.” Bruce MacLean, Manging Director PRG Middle East.

PRG would like to congratulate and thank MDL BEAST, Production Glue and Silent House for this outstanding second edition of the festival and give special thanks to our incomparable global PRG team for their incredible work.

After a glittering opening on Broadway, picking up 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical and Best Lighting Design along the way, Moulin Rouge! The Musical is finally bringing Paris to the West End. The show, inspired by Baz Luhrmann’s hit film, is set in the world-famous cabaret club in the heart of Paris’s night life district and has transformed the Piccadilly Theatre into a lavish spectacle.

PRG first supported the musical on Broadway, where PRG North America played a large part in building the now iconic set by crafting the 15-foot FOH elephant and Moulin Rouge neon sign, creating all scenic drops, providing the 30’x14’ rotating platform for Satine’s dressing room, and providing the Stage Command system for all automation control. Now, the show goes on for PRG as our UK team have worked closely with Lighting Designer Justin Townsend and UK Associate Lighting Designer Chris Hirst to deliver all lighting for its West End debut, all installed by Production Electrician Fraser Hall and his team.

“This is our third production of Moulin Rouge! The Musical working with PRG.  Only PRG can provide the worldwide service and support in such a chaotic moment as we come out of lockdown,” Lighting Designer Justin Townsend said, “Peter Marshall (Sales Director, Theatre) has worked as a collaborator making this hugely complex musical fit into the Piccadilly Theatre and the budget.  I’m grateful to work with and know another strong department of PRG.”

The Moulin Rouge! The Musical rig is one of the largest PRG UK has ever supplied to the theatre market. In total, PRG has supplied a massive 25 tons of lighting fixtures for the West End rig, including over 200 moving lights, and more than 350 LED instruments all controlled from an ETC EOS network programmed by Daniel Haggerty. The rig is largely made up of Mac Viper Performances and wash lights plus GLP X4L wash fixtures with Ayrton Magic Dots and Clay Paky Sharpy washes, as well as Lycian 1295 ELT follow spots.

Our fixtures are even transporting the “Spectacular, Spectacular” into the audience itself. Moulin Rouge! The Musical, creates a singularly immersive musical experience, transporting its audience to the iconic Parisian nightclub. To achieve this effect, PRG were tasked with supplying an “auditorium rig”, which included various LED pars and battens to light the entire auditorium and create a theatre within a theatre.

On this monumental project for the UK Theatre Team, Peter Marshal said: “This is the largest rig I’ve ever supplied to a West End production and it was a pleasure to work with Lighting Designer, Justin Townsend, Chris Hirst along with Fraser Hall and the team, and I must also mention our Project Planner for this show Jason Hodgetts, who’s contribution was invaluable.”

Special thanks to PRG Sales Director, Theatre Peter Marshall, Executive Producer Patrick Murphy (Global Creatures), Lighting Designer Justin Townsend, US Associate Lighting Designer Nick Solyom, UK Associate Lighting Designer Chris Hirst, Production Manager Matt Towell and Production Electrician Fraser Hall.

Moulin Rouge! The Musical started it’s run at the Piccadilly Theatre London on 12 November.