With lighting, pyrotechnics, trucks and tour buses on display, it’s safe to say the experience of the TPi Awards began before attendees even walked through the door of Evolution London for the 24th annual gathering of live production talent. Once all 1,856 guests entered, they were soon engulfed in this year’s jungle theme. Walking through an immersive tunnel dressed in tropical foliage, they found themselves in the main room, featuring vines from the ceiling, a jaw-dropping lighting rig and a main stage video wall where the main LED overhung into the audience and was used for an eye-catching waterfall-inspired look throughout the show.
The origin of this theme began when TPi Commercial Director, Fran Begaj sketched out an idea of a ‘waterfall’ stage design that incorporated an LED wall, in collaboration with TPi’s Alice Clarke and Charlotte Moore and Ryan Esson and Jessica Webb of GoTo Live. “This year, we wanted to incorporate some fun and sun into the TPi Awards,” began TPi’s Commercial Director.
“On what is usually a cold and bitter Monday night in February, when Alice and I were discussing the theme this year, we were immediately aligned on wanting the colours to be bold and bright, and to bring a tropical and Hawaiian essence for the event. After attending a few tradeshows over the past year, and also some fantastic live concerts, I scribbled down a stage design on a scrap of paper and sent it over to Ryan – taking inspiration from clients’ stands and displays of curved screens and flowing corners, and it sparked the idea to have this huge curved waterfall feature for the centre of the stage with accent screens either side to continue this ‘oasis’ inspired look. It was then down to our production teams to make it a reality, and they exceeded our expectations.”
Scenic elements provided a more ‘immersive’ feel to the tropical jungle theme. Fran shared her desire to improve the TPi Awards experience every year: “We always try to design and plan something that we have never done before to keep every experience new and exciting for all the attendees. This year is a standout, delivering something unique. We are so pleased to have suppliers that have backed us with this vision and contributed to create an incredible, impressive and visually outstanding event.”
Despite a brand-new look to the show, there were some familiar elements – namely our host for the evening, Emmanuel Sonubi. After a hilarious opening set, he dived straight into the 32 awards. This year saw the addition of SFX Operator of the Year, which was won by Eleanor Waller, and Laser Operator of the Year, which went to Daniel Briggs.
In the weeks leading up to the public vote, the TPi Academy – largely made up of the previous year’s individual winners – pull together a shortlist for each of the categories with the goal of highlighting crew members who excel in their given fields. Meanwhile, for the company awards, businesses put themselves forward for the related categories with the Academy selecting which of these companies make the shortlist. There are already plans in the works to expand the TPi Academy for the 2026 event – so watch this space.
Other notable winners from this year include Adele in Munich [see TPi #283], which was crowned Outstanding Event Production. Several faces from the camp were present on the evening to accept the award – including Production Manager, Paul English, as well as Adele’s Co-Manager, Rose Moon.
As Principal Sustainability Advocate for TAIT, Carol Scott was recognised for her environmental work with the TPi Industry Recognition Award. Under her leadership, TAIT has embraced a comprehensive approach to sustainability, integrating practices that reduce energy consumption, minimise waste, and lower carbon emissions. Scott was also recognised for her long work in mentorship and education, where for years she has shared her expertise with the next generation, mentoring countless young professionals, helping them secure jobs and develop their careers.
THE BARE NECESSITIES
GoTo Live’s Ryan Esson and Jessica Webb once again oversaw all the technical suppliers for the awards which included; PRG (video), Pixels and Noise (video content ), Area Four Industries (truss), Showforce (crew), TRUCKINGBY (trucking), Robe (lighting), Avolites (lighting control), Sound Of Music (audio), Blackout (drapes), Disguise (media servers), BPM SFX (special effects), and Encore (in-house technical provider).
Embarking on his eighth year at the helm of the event, Esson said: “It’s always great working with TPi. We have gone from strength to strength under Fran Begaj’s guidance. She’s brilliant with the creative, has a great vision and attention to detail. Jess and I love working with her on the awards,”
He continued: “Every year we try to push the envelope of production and do more to improve what the attendees expect. It can be quite daunting to put on an award show for your peers, but it is so rewarding when it works. Sitting back after the last award, once everything has gone off without a hitch, is a highlight but I always get goosebumps during the intro VT.”
Fran added her thoughts: “This year guests will have seen some returning suppliers and some new suppliers, that we have been very excited to work with. Year on year, we aim to include key suppliers into the decisions and the design for the event so that everyone can feel confident and comfortable putting their best foot forward to what is an extremely high-pressured event to deliver. The support and input from all these individual companies have made this year’s awards a joy to work on and I think once again, the whole team has delivered an exceptional event.”
CREW
Along with providing crew for the event, Showforce celebrated a calendar year of hard work by walking away with Favourite Crew Company on the night. “Every year, the TPi Awards bring together the best of the best in the world of events and entertainment. To be involved in the delivery of the awards ceremony itself when so many of our peers’ attend is an honour,” commented Showforce’s Michelle Tayton. “It was a fantastic opportunity to showcase the skillsets of our crew chiefs and crew, who have a wealth of experience in delivering for major events all over the world. We also assigned a crew manager to the project, who conducted several site visits and signed crew in to demonstrate our approach to projects of 30-plus crew and highlight our commitment to customer service. To receive glowing feedback from both GoTo Live and TPi’s other suppliers is fantastic and we’re already looking to working on 2026.”
VIDEO
The focal point of the production was a curved LED screen in a waterfall configuration. A further curved video screen was flown above the bar, assembled by PRG who also supplied a comprehensive camera set-up that included four Sony HDC-2500 cameras, four Panasonic UE160 PTZ cameras and two jibs to capture wide-angle walk-up shots, the crowd and action on the main stage. The output was controlled by PRG’s latest camera system – a 4K Ross Video Carbonite Ultra PPU partnered with a Ross Video Touchdrive TD2S panel.
“It was a new year working with PRG and even though that meant new dynamics in the team, we also saw everything come good during the process and PRG were great on this,” Esson said, praising the video supplier’s involvement.
“It’s fantastic to be involved with the TPi Awards for the first time,” stated PRG’s Nick Clarke. “Fran approached us with a cool concept for the main screen and we got to run with the creative idea for both the main room and the screen hung above bar. Although both were technically challenging, our event services team got stuck in. Overall, we’re happy with the outcome, especially the curved screen over the bar!”
“It’s been a pleasure working with TPi and the other suppliers to pull off a fantastic evening!” With the theme centring around a jungle theme, 2024s Content Creator of the Year, Pixels & Noise created a tropical rainforest of video content with images of the TPi jungle during the day, transitioning into night amid the meal, before for returning to brighter, bolder colours as returning compere, Emmanuel Sonubi took to the stage. The opening VT featured everything from supporter logos, through to swinging monkeys and a headbanging parrot – with Lewis Kyle White behind the screens, making the magic happen.
Extending the story told through the video content further into the venue was coverage of vines, trees and all-around greenery – not forgetting multiple parrots and other jungle wildlife, courtesy of Visual Architects.
LIGHTING
Accompanying the tropical content was an impressive lighting design devised by Robe’s Lead Creative Designer, Nathan Wan, who employed an all-Robe rig including 40 LED Pointe, 60 SVB1, seven SVOpatt, 36 Forte LTX, 36 iSpiider X, 20 iBolt, 32 Tetra X, four T2 Profiles, three T1 profiles, six LTX FS solutions and six RoboSpot systems, controlled by two Avolites D9 consoles.
Additional fixtures featured around the bar area, with a special appearance from Avolites’ new Diamond 7 console that was paired with a Quartz console. Outside iBOLTS powered from an Avolites Tiger Touch II console greeted arriving attendees in the car park, while a secondary Tiger Touch II was utilised to light Robe’s famed VIP bar.
Reflecting on the brand’s involvement, Mick Hannaford, Robe UK Managing Director, commented: “It is with great pride that Robe supports the TPi Awards – celebrating the incredible talents within our industry. It is always a pleasure to see our fixtures light up Evolution, London for the evening, facilitated by our brilliant in-house creative team who take great care in programming and designing the show, start to finish.”
SFX
BPM SFX brought the fire, literally, to Evolution, London with eight G flames and four Eco2 Jets bringing the party to those before stepping in to the venue. The SFX specialist also provided two MDG Low Fog Machines and six Sparkulars for the main stage. The company also scooped its sixth TPi Award for Favourite SFX Company, with employee Daniel Briggs also awarded Laser Operator of the Year. “It’s the best feeling in the world winning a TPi Award,” stated BPM SFX’s Rikki Bent commented.
SOUND
Sound of Music deployed an all-NEXO sound system. The main area boasted two flown left and right hangs of six GEO M1210 and a pair of GEO M1220 loudspeakers, supplemented by two flown hangs of GEO M1012 and GEO M1220 as infills. Left, centre and right delays came in the shape of three flown hangs of four GEO M1210 loudspeakers.
A sub array, hidden under the stage and LED risers, featured 16 MSUB18 horizontally arrayed in OMNI mode. A trio of three ID24 lip fills were positioned across the front of the stage with backstage monitoring for the green room handled by two ID24s. GEO M12/M10 and MSUB solutions were powered by 4X4MK2 amplifiers fed from Dante inputs, while ID24s were powered by NEXO 4X2MK2 amplifiers fed from Dante inputs. Four further flown NEXO P15s and eight P8 sounded out the main bar area, while Robe’s VIP bar was soundtracked by a pair of ID24s and IDS110 aside.
The control and radio microphone package included an Allen & Heath dLive S5000 console with Sennheiser EW-DX handhelds and headsets over Dante. Area Four Industries supplied 12 Dynamic wireless load cells to monitor two LED screen installations for in-house technical specialist, Encore and PRG. Encore deployed 12 real-time cells to monitor lighting trusses around the bar area. As a collective, Encore, Area Four Industries and Blackout worked closely to position draping and rigging solutions that transformed Evolution, London into the home of excellence in the live events industry.
LOGISTICS
As has become a staple of recent iterations of the event, TRUCKINGBY showcased its trucks outside the venue, while ensuring that the kit was in the right place, at the right time, 30 hours before the industry’s best walked through the door. “TRUCKINGBY has been proud to support the TPi Awards for the past seven years, providing reliable trucking services for this prestigious event. This year, we’ve supplied four trucks to transport suppliers from across the country, ensuring smooth operations for everyone involved,” commented Melissa Ness, Live Event Office Manager. “Additionally, we are thrilled to showcase some of our specialist fleet outside the entrance to Battersea Evolution – giving industry professionals, colleagues, and friends a firsthand look at the impressive vehicles that transport the shows throughout the UK and Europe. It’s an honour to collaborate with TPi, playing our part in making the event not only a success but also a memorable experience for all involved. We look forward to continuing our support for many years to come.”
In the lead up to the build, Vans For Bands and Phoenix Bussing transported the TPi and MONDO-DR teams from Stockport to London for the event. Company Director of Vans for Bands, Tarrant Anderson, commented: “This year’s TPi Awards were the best yet, providing a fantastic opportunity to see old friends and make lots of new connections; we can’t wait for next year!”
Phoenix Bussing’s Andy Gray echoed: “It was great to be involved in the TPi Awards and providing a sleeper bus for the Mondiale team to travel on, to and from the event. Well done to TPi for organising a great night!”
With yet another successful TPi Awards drawing to a close at 4am, Esson was keen to praise the 100-plus crew and supporters involved in the project. He concluded: “This event wouldn’t come together without the crew and the suppliers working in harmony. It’s a massive undertaking, but the suppliers and their staff cannot be thanked enough.”
Photos: Joe Okpako
www.brianyeardley.com/live-event-logistics
