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For the African, Asian and South American rallies, a core production team was put together to help keep a consistent quality of event across the continents with the sound (and sometimes choreography) headed up by Dave Shepherd. For Europe, the full sound team and two artics were packed off to put together the largest of the events, this year in Vienna.

It’s probably safe to say that there aren’t many arena shows that start with the CEO of the company arriving on stage in a giant glitter ball that travels the length of the arena before landing in a sea of fireworks. Having provided audio for this annual show for over ten years, Sound By Design are no strangers to creating a bespoke system that is subject to the whims of the production team’s wild imagination, and this year was no different. Indeed the challenge was as great as ever with Viennese orchestras, Ghanaian choirs, Brazilian Capoeira dancers and Austrian musical theatre stars all jostling for position on the Wiener Stadthall stage, amid moving LED walls, show-stopping pyrotechnics and the aforementioned impressive glitter ball.

Due to the show’s schizophrenic nature, switching between corporate speech segments, loud party playback music for recognitions of achievement and breathtaking entertainment spectacles, the PA system not only has to give crystal clarity, but provide even coverage and find the headroom to go ‘one louder’. For this, Sound By Design’s team of David Shepherd and Andy Pennington flew fourty-eight boxes of Meyer Sound MICA and sixty-eight of Meyer M’elodie, with fourteen 700-HP and eight 600-HP sub-woofers. Come show time, this proved once again to be the best system for the job; Dave and Andy did not have to touch their wallets at the bar that night.

With only one day to rig the entire show before rehearsals, the team also had to put in a full monitor rig for twenty-four mixes shared between Shure PSM 900 in-ear monitors and a mixture of Meyer UM-1s, MJF-212As and MSL-4s and flown hangs of M1D UltraCompact Curvilinear array. With the addition of fifty comms packs (a mixture of wired and wireless) and twenty-eight ways of Shure UHF-R radio microphones, it certainly was a lot to contend with. Happily, everything was in place and working ready for the three days of rehearsal (yes, even comms!). The show days soon followed.

Following the final event in Cape Town (and a three day safari courtesy of Forever Living Products and the Forever Resorts team), the client had the following to say:

Dear Dave

I want to thank you so much for the dedication, professionalism and expertise that you have given to Forever and our events. Producing huge conventions in different continents in consecutive months is a big challenge and it is a testament to your ability and commitment that they have all gone so well.

In these series of events, we have worked with over 300 artists, dozens of keynote speakers and to a total audience in excess of 22,000 people and I cannot recall a single negative comment about sound level or quality. This speaks for itself.

On a personal level, it’s just great to have you around and your contribution to the greater good of the events is invaluable. Your impartial, creative eye with regard to stage management, show flow and choreography is greatly appreciated.

I look forward to doing it all again next year... and I hope you do too?

Best wishes, Nick

Nick Woodward-Shaw, Forever Events

See a highlights video below