Outside, each of the front colonnades was uplit in strong red, the central colonnades in magenta and those at the rear of the portico in contrasting royal blue. The archways at the back were highlighted, with the crest of at the top picked out in open white light. Lamps on the first floor balconies were used to light up the first and second floor facades in two different colours. From the mezzanine balconies, the room was washed in steel blue and ultra-violet, creating an icy look with sharp cones of steely blue light cutting through and projecting patterns onto the floor. Tiny dots of white light bounced from mirrorballs created the effect of falling snow. At 9.00pm, the lighting was gently changed to warmer tones, with the UV and mirrorball effects removed to make way for ambers and reds.
Mark Beaver, managing director of EL&D said: "The Royal Exchange is a beautiful venue and it was a pleasure to be able to create this special wintry effect for this event. The lighting was very effecitive and gave the traditional architecture a high-tech makeover."
