Local Authority Building Control Awards
Creative & Technical Production for a UK-Wide Awards Programme
Supporting 12 regional awards events and an 800+ guest Grand Final
The Local Authority Building Control (LABC) Building Excellence Awards bring together the building control sector through a programme of 12 regional events across the UK, culminating in a major Grand Final in London.
The Grand Final attracts more than 800 attendees from across England and Wales, creating a significant national celebration for the building control industry.
Comtec was responsible for the creative direction and technical production behind the awards, developing a consistent presentation environment that could support the programme from the regional events through to the flagship London final.
The Challenge
Producing a single awards ceremony is one thing.
Producing a programme of events across multiple locations creates a different challenge.
The awards needed to maintain a recognisable identity and consistently high production standard while working within different venues and environments.
The Grand Final then needed to take that identity to another level, creating the scale and atmosphere appropriate for an audience of more than 800 guests.
The challenge was therefore not simply to provide event equipment.
It was to create a repeatable awards production capable of working across a national programme while scaling successfully for the Grand Final.
Creative Direction & Event Content
Comtec was responsible for the creative direction and production of the opening and awards graphics sequences.
These elements helped establish the visual identity of the awards and provided continuity throughout the programme.
Opening sequences, presentation graphics and screen content were developed as part of the wider production rather than as standalone creative elements.
That meant the content could be designed from the beginning around the screens, stage, lighting and way the audience would actually experience it.
Stage & Set Production
Comtec designed and built the presentation set, creating the physical environment for presenters, winners and award content.
For an awards ceremony, the set has several jobs to perform.
It needs to establish the identity of the event, provide a strong visual focus for the audience, work effectively with screens and lighting, and provide an appropriate setting for the moment each winner comes to the stage.
By combining set design with the wider technical production, those elements could be considered together rather than independently.
Intelligent Lighting
Intelligent lighting was used to help create atmosphere and change the visual character of the room as the awards programme progressed.
Lighting could support opening sequences, presentations and winner moments while working with the set and screen content to create one coordinated visual environment.
The objective wasn’t simply to illuminate the stage.
Lighting became part of the production and part of the identity of the awards.
High-Definition Laser Projection
High-definition laser projection formed part of the visual production, providing the large-format presentation surface required for award graphics, opening content and other screen material.
The projection system was considered alongside the presentation set, lighting and creative content so that the screen became part of the overall environment rather than simply an additional piece of technology.
Project Overview
Client: Local Authority Building Control (LABC)
Event: LABC Building Excellence Awards
Venue: 12 regional UK events culminating in the London Grand Final
Event Type: National Awards Programme
Comtec Role: Creative Direction & Technical Event Production
Production: Opening sequences, awards graphics, presentation set, staging, intelligent lighting, line-array audio, HD laser projection, flying, rigging and live production
Relationship: Multi-year production partnership
Sound Production
Comtec provided a line-array sound system to deliver clear audio throughout the awards environment.
Presenters, announcements, music, video content and winner sequences all depend on properly designed and managed sound.
For the larger Grand Final audience in particular, the audio system needed to provide consistent coverage while supporting both the formal presentation and the atmosphere of the evening.
Flying & Rigging
Comtec also provided the flying and rigging required for the production.
Rigging is one of the elements the audience should barely notice, but it is fundamental to safely positioning lighting, sound, screens and other production equipment within an event environment.
Integrating rigging into the overall technical plan allowed the production to be designed around the venue while maintaining the visual presentation required for the awards.
From Regional Events to the London Grand Final
One of the strengths of the LABC programme was its scale.
The 12 regional events ultimately led to the London Grand Final, where more than 800 attendees came together for the culmination of the awards.
That meant the production needed both consistency and scalability.
The identity and production principles established across the regional programme could be carried forward while the technical production was adapted to suit the greater scale and expectations of the final.
One Production Team
Comtec’s operations and production teams worked together to deliver the events live.
Having the creative and technical disciplines working as one production team meant that set, graphics, lighting, sound, projection and event operation could be developed around the same overall objective.
It also meant knowledge gained across the programme could be carried from one event to the next.
Comtec successfully supported the LABC Building Excellence Awards programme for nearly five years.
Capabilities Used
- Awards Ceremony Production
- Creative Direction
- Event Graphics & Opening Sequences
- Stage & Set Production
- Intelligent Lighting
- Line-Array Sound
- HD Laser Projection
- Flying & Rigging
- Technical Production
The Result
Across a programme of 12 regional events and a major London Grand Final, Comtec provided a consistent creative and technical production approach capable of adapting to different venues and scaling for an audience of more than 800 people.
The project demonstrates something particularly important about multi-event production:
Consistency doesn’t mean doing exactly the same thing in every venue. It means understanding what must remain consistent and adapting the production around everything else.
Planning an Awards Programme?
Whether you’re producing one awards ceremony or a programme of events across multiple venues, Comtec can provide the creative, technical and production support required to deliver them consistently.