The evening took place in the Hintze Hall, with 220 invited guests in attendance. As with most award ceremonies, the museum wanted to implement a particular theme for the occasion. Alice Beer, Events and filming manager at the Natural History Museum, comments, "Each year we choose an image from the finalists to establish the theme of the ceremony. For 2015, we chose the image of a pangolin. The colours in this photo provided a warm autumnal feel which is obviously perfect for this time of year. It was important that these hues and textures were reflected in all elements of the event throughout the evening."
Alice adds, 'We wanted the lighting to enhance the architecture of the museum and set the tone for this special event - something which we knew WL could achieve."
Richard Stirzaker, WL's project manager, oversaw the event. He comments, "We have worked on the awards many times in the past and it is a fantastic occasion located within a historic space. Every time we return, we are able to draw on our ever-expanding lighting range to ensure that every ceremony achieves its potential."
WL provided the lighting support across the entire evening, from the moment guests arrived for the drinks reception and canapés all the way through to the after-show party. Richard adds, "For the actual presentation of the awards, the client wanted to create a dynamic, celebratory feel. Therefore we used moving lights and spotlights which were projected onto the stage area."
The evening also marked the launch of the Wildlife Photographer of the Year gallery. Featuring more than 100 images from both the finalists and the winners, this amazing collection will be open to the public until 10 April 2016.
Alice comments, "I had another fantastic experience working with WL. Every time I have called on their services, they have always worked within budget, on time and delivered some amazing results - with this being no exception."
Richard states, "The great thing about this event was that we were able to bring our own creative solutions to it. The Hintze Hall is a world-renowned space and it was our role to transform this into something which would not only be suitable for an awards ceremony but would ultimately make the evening an unforgettable one."
(Jim Evans)
