Twenty thousand people moved, grooved and kicked 2007 off at the fantastic New Year's Day event, Norman Cook's first public performance on the beach since his ground-breaking Beach Party of 2002. To avoid a repeat of the chaos caused when 250,000 people descended on the south coast resort, this time around, the audience was very tightly controlled, and ticket sales were restricted to people with a local BN post code.
Summit was asked to provide the SmarTmasts by audio suppliers Britannia Row. Brit Row's Roly Oliver and Summit's Jay Call co-ordinated rigging the masts and the main Outline Butterfly line array PA system that was flown from them. They were positioned either side of the stage, 16 cabinets per side.
The biggest challenge was the prevailing weather conditions, which were always scheduled to be stormy, with blustery winds forecast both on the day and in the lead up to the event. Jay Call stayed at site throughout the event, providing active monitoring of the environmental conditions, and at the ready to lower the PA should it have been required.
With winds gusting up to 40mph as Fatboy Slim's set commenced, Call was poised at the base of the masts, ready for action should things deteriorate further. SmarTmasts are rated to withstand wind speeds of up to 50 m.p.h., making them ideal for the job. Thankfully the event passed without incident.
Summit works to a bespoke set of SmarTmast wind calculations that vary according to the type of PA rigged on them, which dictates the ballast required. A comprehensive wind monitoring procedure is followed by all Summit's crew, adhering strictly to the guidelines laid down for temporary structures by the Institute of Structural Engineers.
Call says: "It was great to be involved in a high profile event like this, and it to see it go ahead. It was straightforward for us in terms of supply, but dealing with the elements was a challenge for everyone, which we all overcame pooling experience with a sensible and logical approach."
(Chris Henry)
