Over 300 athletes from more than 50 countries gathered at the Lee Valley Centre for the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships last week, where ADI successfully delivered six days of sports presentation and event production for British Canoeing and the International Canoeing Federation.
ADI were appointed to bring a new level of excellence to the event presentation of the World Championships, which were broadcast worldwide. This included; opening, closing and medal ceremonies, creative content, interactivity and Fan Zone entertainment, venue AV management and networking, SFX and LED Screen solutions – all of which contributed to a fantastic spectator experience and an uplifting atmosphere for the athletes.
Digital Venue Transformation
Lee Valley White Water Centre was originally constructed to host the canoe slalom events of the London 2012 Olympics. However, it is now rarely used for events the size of the World Championships, therefore specialist AV and networking solutions were required to connect the existing systems and additional technical solutions for broadcast.
ADI installed over 2km of fibre for signals distribution on-site, which included feeds connecting timing, broadcast, sports presentation, and LED screen content. In addition to the signal distribution, a Dante network was set up to manage and deliver communications across the different positions at the venue. This enabled the teams to control and manage all the AV communications, including the existing PA system, from one position.
The multi-use iCONIC H, which is a 3-storey mobile hospitality unit, was used in full force, with each floor in use throughout the championship as a Sport Presentation control position. The bottom floor was ADI HQ set up as a mobile outside broadcast unit, managing all video and audio feeds across the multiple systems in the venue. The middle floor and top deck were used as commentary teams positions, with full use of the internal screens, the commentators could see live camera feeds and timing to keep them up-to-speed on all the racing.
In total, there was 138sqm of LED deployed within the venue to ensure all the crowds could see the action happening on the course, keep up to date with the competition results, and take part in various interactive fan zone activities.
Engaging Audiences
To successfully compete for fans and keep them coming back, sporting competitions need to be more than just sport – they also need to be entertainment. This is where a cohesive sports presentation strategy becomes key.
ADI worked in partnership with British Canoeing to ensure all the fans and athletes attending came away with an unforgettable event experience. ADI provided full event scheduling and production services, alongside content creation and content editing on-site – keeping content up to date on our screens for the fans. We provided cameras, floor managers and a presenter, who interviewed athletes and kept fans engaged with interesting and fun content throughout the event.
ADI collaborated with mass-gaming providers Piing to create a special ‘Piing Canoeing’ game which allowed fans to join the game with their phones and paddle a virtual canoe course on our huge iCONIC 60s Screen!
From the Quarter Finals onwards, we also provide SFX during the races and medal ceremonies, with flames and sparklers adding to the drama of the racing and elevating the excitement for the medal winners. A highlight was the start line ‘Oil Rig’ where flame throwers were used as participants started the race from a platform.
TEAM WORK MAKES THE DREAM WORK
ADI are accomplished Federation-level event partners, with projects such as the UCI World Championships, the World Gymnastics Championships, the Commonwealth Games, and the Formula E World Championship successfully delivered over the last few years.
A large part of ADI’s success is the collaborative ethos that runs through all ADI projects – from initial discussions with clients and project planning, through to working with delivery partners and other professionals on-site.
It’s been a real pleasure to work with ADI on this project. Right from our initial discussions, the collaborative approach really came through. This has then continued throughout the planning and delivery phases, and it was fantastic to see it all come together on site.
