The stage type and access features, specified by Duchess Iredale on behalf of MTV Europe, were built over the main gates of Belfast's iconic City Hall facing the main shopping thoroughfare of Donegal Place.
The gates and railings formed integral parts of the completed structure with the stage height set to allow smooth passage of rolling risers between the main gate posts. The construction took place over four days which meant minimal disruption to traffic despite the delivery of some 100t of equipment and use of an 80t crane to assemble the stage.
Ancillary structures including a multilevel front of house and follow spot tower, with an essential cable bridge across the main highway and camera platforms were all deployed during a brief overnight road closures which was carefully controlled by Steve Iredale and Tony Killeen.
Although the weather during the build had been typical for Belfast and the time of the year, with plenty of wind and rain, the conditions improved significantly for the show and live rehearsals allowing the Star Events team headed by Bob Fennel the opportunity to remove the back wall sheets and profiles to let the magnificent City Hall form the back drop for the main show.
Pete Holdich Star Events project manager commented, "It was a real pleasure to be back in Belfast for such a prestigious show and demonstrates the confidence that has grown in the city, the support from the site and production teams has been excellent, combined with our experienced team meant our operation ran to schedule in delivering a world class event."
(Jim Evans)
