Delivered by creative agency Imagination, the event was designed around the seven seat Discovery's family and adventure priorities, action man Bear Grylls descending from a helicopter to place the final brick on the structure.
Twelve months in the planning, the Tower Bridge model had to lift and support two Land Rover Discoveries while Ben Ainslie, the most successful sailor in Olympic history, drove his team underneath, pulling a Lego replica of their Land Rover BAR racing boat.
John O'Gorman, director of Setsquare Staging, comments, "Our relationship with Imagination has been getting stronger over the years and having worked closely with Star Events on numerous projects, we were delighted to bring them on-board. Our commitment, joint effort and collaboration has developed into a true synergy. Appointed to produce London's Tower Bridge structure, the automated sailing boat and the sculpted scenic landscapes, we enjoyed every bit of it."
Gavin Scott, Star Events' project manager, says, "It was great collaborating with Setsquare again to bring this amazing project to fruition. We provided all of the sub-structure, which supported the cars and Setsquare's super-structure, as well as the custom bridge hydraulics. Under that, we built the River Thames complete with 0.8m water depth and support for Ben Ainslie's wading Discovery. The execution was seamless. A real credit to Imagination and to all involved."
Star also supplied the launch with a 40m span VerTech ground support for PA and lighting, leaving press and invited guests with a clear view of the action. Live footage was fed to the Paris Motor Show where the Discovery 5 was revealed at a simultaneous event.
(Jim Evans)
