Prompted by a record trading year and £40m turnover for 2014, the company has taken on a third building in Leeds, expanding its important Central Resource Unit. The growing CRU team supports Saville's national network of AV hire branches with a large stock of staging and display technology plus a highly skilled team of creative designers and technicians.
The company's confidence in the live events industry is reflected in a significant new commitment to sustainable LED technology, including large format videowalls and lighting. A £300k investment in new videowall kit makes Saville's stock of Absen display technology one of the largest in the UK. This has led to new technical staff plus further investment in new storage racking and equipment tracking systems to help with the increasing demand.
Saville CRU manager Richard McCartney explained, "We've added 400 Absen Pro LED panels to our videowall range. Their high brightness is perfect for indoor use where space is limited or in areas of high ambient light. The unique locking mechanism means large displays can quickly be assembled, creating engaging detailed displays even where the audience is relatively close.
"We recently used the 400 panels to create a three-sided immersive presentation experience for a new product launch by a major global ICT manufacturer held in Germany. The client had made a major investment in the creative media for the event and the Absen delivered perfectly the results they were looking for" continued McCartney.
To realise the full potential for the new screen investments the company has also just taken delivery of a Barco E2 screen management and presentation system.
"Fully 4K native throughout this unit's flexibility will allow us to create UHD projection blends whilst also offering up to 8 PiP mixes and multiple scaled outputs. We will be putting this to the test in the next few days for an event with the E2 controlling 900 Absen panels making four 12M x 4M video walls plus a 2 x HD wide LCD preview monitor wall," adds McCartney.
The extra space has also enabled new offices for the company's thriving Digital Event Services (DES) team. This pioneering range of digital event services and solutions has been a key factor in the company's growth, adding a valuable interactive dimension to conferences for a diverse range of global clients.
DES services include the Saville eStream webcast and recording service, plus Saville iDEA, a bespoke delegate collaboration package. Head of digital events, Jim Young, said, "For events around the world, the key to our success, is our investment in widely available technologies and the ability to build them into a bespoke total event interactive recording and evaluation service. We can also manage any local suppliers to ensure consistency and an outstanding end result."
Extra jobs have also been created in a new operation for the company - Saville Concepts and Display, which provides bespoke stage set design and manufacture, build and installation services, plus custom exhibition stand design and installation, something that is increasingly requested by customers.
The growth at Leeds is the result of sustained strong teamwork, claims business manager Ann Seddon. Speaking about the new facilities, she said, "This is a totally new venture and a unique addition to our conference and live event services, helping us to provide our clients with a total technical solution."
(Jim Evans)
