The Awards, hosted by Ronan Keating, attracted a veritable A-List of pop stars, from Best Newcomer Will Young, to double- winner Kylie and Lifetime Hall of Fame winner Sir Elton John. They also performed live sets alongside Miss Dynamite, Blue and the Manic Street Preachers.
The set, designed by Miranda Jones of Mermaid Design, was in keeping with the look of the televised weekly programme, but expanded to fit the dimensions of the enormous Manchester Evening News Arena. Star Hire was contracted to supplement the Arena’s own staging system to house the huge production. This included building the awards platform sited to one side of the stage and a temporary ‘bridge’ and red carpet walkway connecting the platform to the VIP and artist seated area.
The familiar figure of Pete Holdich was Star Hire’s project manager through the staggered build schedule. Firstly, Star Hire’s team extended the in-house stage, creating one large level. The rigging and lights were then installed before Pete and the team returned to create the tiers, awards platform and bridge. Features such a safety handrails were integral to the system.
"This was our second year working on the event, which meant the whole team of suppliers knew what to expect going into the job. As a result, this year’s production was slicker," said Holdich. "Aspects such as marrying our equipment to the in-house stage is always a process that requires close attention, as they each have their own technical characteristics, so second time round was a lot easier." Star Hire also supplied camera platforms to the BBC, filming the show for prime-time broadcast the following evening.
(Ruth Rossington)
