Fáilte Ireland’s National Conference Ambassador Awards, Christ Church Cathedral.
Through a competitive tender process, we managed this prestigious awards ceremony in Christchurch cathedral. The audience comprised 250 leaders in academia and industry who were being honoured for their role in bringing large scale International conferences to Ireland.
It says a lot about the event that this privileged and influential audience were stunned by the event. There were many challenges involved in delivering a world class event in a nearly thousand-year-old building.
The exterior was washed in green light with a moving gobo of the event and 12 flambeaux scattered on the new entrance platform. Digital mapping illuminated the interior, highlighting the complex vaulting. Pre-dinner drinks and canapes were served in the Crypt and the ringing of the cathedral bells called the guests to dinner in the nave of the cathedral. The nave was a big reveal to guests as they entered by another door.
The lighting, table décor and the beautiful cathedral itself created a “wow” for the event. The catering (which entailed transporting and setting up all equipment including ovens etc.) was superb, and the entertainment included the Hit Machine drummers greeting guests outside, the Christchurch choir and wonderful Affinity which culminated in a very special rendition of Katy Perry’s “Firework” by both Affinity and the choir, with fireworks lighting exploding behind them as they performed.