Could you talk through the origins of Bigabox?
“We saw that there was a gap in the market and a need for dedicated video rental companies. At the time, there weren’t a huge number of businesses that were offering this, apart from companies that focused on large events.
“We also had the ambition to be a complete production house where people could come and get everything that they needed, instead of using multiple suppliers to deliver events. Coming from an extensive production background, we understood that there was a massive need for this. We believe that this really sets us apart because we remove a lot of the challenges that event organisers face by offering complete solutions from video, lighting and audio to SFX and event production services.”
What advantages are there to working in multiple market sectors?
“It gives us a huge depth of experience and enables us to constantly learn and develop ourselves. We’re used to applying strategic thinking and problem solving in multiple scenarios, working with a diverse range of clients and businesses. It also keeps us entertained for the whole year, rather than just being seasonal. We do a lot of corporate events and live events to maintain that variety and balance and we believe that it really adds a great dynamic to these industries. We know how to put on a proper show, it’s in our DNA.
“Having a product catalogue like we do means that we can enhance every show that we do with years of music experience and SFX, delivering some of the best conferences and after shows that you’ve ever been to! Ultimately, we are consistently broadening our knowledge for ourselves so that we can continue being great at what we do.”
What are some landmark projects that Bigabox Productions has been involved in?
“We’ve done everything from live tours for Flux Pavilion in the US along with concerts at The O2 and Wembley from artists such as Daddy Yankee and Armen van Buren. We’ve got more of that coming up this year.
“We’ve also delivered complete production solutions for Sundown for years alongside Reading and Leeds Festivals, Nocturne, Love Supreme – the list is endless! We do festivals that enable really creative output and production from our team.”
How were the years of 2020/21 for Bigabox?
“The most interesting thing about the COVID-19 pandemic was that it gave all company directors the time to step back and look inside the business properly. We assessed what is profitable, what we want to do, what we are happy doing and how we might want to diversify our offering.
“It was challenging and rewardingbut also provided us with an opportunity to take a third person perspective on our business and cultivate ideas that we were looking at. We didn’t see it as a totally negative thing and we got through it because of the diversity of our products and portfolio. We also were able to offer streaming services for clients and put emphasis on communications and products that people needed at the time.”
What challenges does Bigabox face and how are you and the team overcoming them?
“A lot of independent contractors left the industry during the COVID-19 pandemic, so there are still a lot of staffing issues. This has helped us create more of an internal training programme, one where we can promote and grow young talent in the local area. Like everyone in the industry, we have seen a huge increase in costs for transport. This has made us look at how we can be more effective in the delivery of our shows. We’ve started looking at how we can become more sustainable as a business. I think a rise in costs in general and equipment shortages have been an enormous challenge but again, this just supports our thinking on how we need to diversify and grow as a business.”
Run us through some of the available inventory at Bigabox Productions…
“Our stocks boast a massive range of LED video, lighting, audio, SFX, processing equipment and staging/ rigging. Servicing corporate and live events for both indoor and outdoor. Our kit is premium, and I believe we have some of the best on the market. We are about to move into larger premises in Q4 because we are running out of space! Staffing wise, we have an internal PAYE structure and we use our great freelance database for delivery of larger scale events.”
What does the rest of this year look like at Bigabox Productions?
“We are busy working on some projects for the summer festival season, as well as delivering European tours and arena shows in Q4.”
