As East London’s iconic Troxy turned red in aid of Comic Relief, a host of celebrities joined Theo Paphitis for a night of fundraising at the Ryman and Robert Dyas Red Nose Day Gala Ball, on Friday 10th March 2017.
Theo Paphitis is a director of Comic Relief and the Theo Paphitis Retail Group (TPRG) has been raising all-important funds for the charity since 2009, with this event the jewel in their fundraising crown this year. The evening was headlined by Gary Barlow, hosted by comedian Jason Manford and featured a set by Fleur East. The Red Nose Day Gala Ball also welcomed a host of high-profile guests including comedic, music and sporting stars.
Troxy’s in-house production team worked with Owl Live brand experience agency to transform the venue for an evening of fundraising which included live music performances and an auction chaired by rugby legend Martin Bayfield. With a number of different acts performing, the team was required to accommodate three different audio systems; Gary Barlow’s touring kit, sound equipment for Fleur East and Troxy’s in-house audio equipment, which was used for Madhen’s finale performance. With each act bringing their own equipment and dancers, the transition between each performance was tightly scripted to ensure a seamless switch between each element of the show. With the ground floor being used to seat guests, Owl Live built a new front of house area in the Circle to accommodate the lighting, audio and video, and a second front-of-house area was created amongst the VIP dinner guests for Gary Barlow’s sound and lighting desk.
A 10m wide Absen A3 Pro LED screen was installed to display auction prizes, performance graphics and Comic Relief branding. The screen was also used to reveal Troxy’s unique upper-stage later in the evening which housed Madhen’s DJ and band, whilst the singers performed on the main stage below. The upper stage was hidden behind the LED screen throughout the evening, which was then lowered using Kinesys motors to a pre-set position, allowing performances on both stages simultaneously.
To illuminate the event, Troxy’s in-house lighting rig was supplemented with equipment sourced by Owl Live, and lighting designer Tim Routledge was on hand to ensure creative lighting displays throughout the evening.
Custom made Red Noses were also placed in Troxy’s logo on the front of the venue, along with red searchlights and a red carpet to welcome guests on their arrival. The venue doors were vinyl wrapped to feature Comic Relief branding and a wall was built at the entrance with a welcome message. In the foyer a branded step and repeat board was built for photo shoot purposes.
Lauren Crabtree, from Owl Live brand experience agency commented: “Accommodating the requirements for each act and combining these with the variety of events which took place throughout the evening did pose a few challenges. However, we facilitated all the requirements, transformed the venue and undertook the rehearsals all in one day. The team at Troxy were really supportive, and their vast knowledge of events spanning music to conferences meant they could give us plenty of guidance on what works well in their venue for a number of potential issues, such as crowd flow, and the team liaised brilliantly with us throughout the whole event.”
Paphitis said: “It was a fantastic evening and I’ve never seen so many Red Noses in one place! The money raised here will make a dramatic difference to those helped by Comic Relief and I would like to personally thank the incredibly generous support from Gary Barlow, Fleur East, Jason Manford and Martin Bayfield who have made the night so special.”
Will Poole Troxy Events and Compliance Manager commented: “We were delighted to be chosen by TPRG to host its prestigious Comic Relief Gala Ball. Both TPRG and Owl Live teams were a pleasure to work with on a complex event, for which the end result was a huge success.”