KFC Franchise Awards

Brief

For the 4^th year running, Premier were tasked with managing and designing an awards evening for over 100 guests to celebrate excellence within KFC’s franchise businesses.

As with previous year’s, Premier worked with Inspired Thinking Group to manage all event logistics and AV production for the event.

The venue brief was for a South of England location, close to KFC’s headquarters. After extensive research, the client opted for Mercedes Benz World, a venue that had been used for a previous awards ceremony with great feedback. The nearby Brooklands Hotel was chosen for guest accommodation with it only being a few minutes’ walk away.

 

Process/Event Management

The large scope of this event meant that our Event Management and Production teams needed to work effectively to bring all elements together seamlessly.

An extensive site visit was very beneficial for both teams to gain a good understanding of the capabilities of the venue and how it could fulfil the vision we had for the event.

Premier looked after all delegate management for the event and built a custom website to enable guests to register for the evening. This also meant that we were able to effectively manage the accommodation at Brooklands.

The team also liaised with the venue on a regular basis and arranged additional visits to Mercedes Benz World for food tastings to ensure the menu was perfect for the evening.

On the evening itself, our team were on hand to welcome guests to the drinks reception and show them through to the dinner space.

Entertainment was a huge part of the event and the event management team worked hard to use their extensive network of suppliers to source the very best bands and acts for the awards ceremony. It was also imperative to keep in mind the demographic for the evening and tailor the entertainment to the guest’s taste.

This paid off on the evening as the surprise dancing waiters, funk band and duelling pianos chosen went down a storm and ensured that guests were on their feet after dinner.

Production

The AV solution for the event included both a physical set structure as well as a central video wall. Our in-house team created a 3D render initially with our proposed AV solution for the event, once this had been approved, we then set about sourcing the elements required to create the set.

With no space for rear projection and only the option of a truss goalpost for front projection the team installed a 6m x 3m video wall for the content and all inputs were processed with a Barco S3-4K. Two 50” repeater screens were installed behind the pillars allowing those with limited sightlines the ability to see the content.

Having plotted the venue in L-Acoustics sound vision software, it was agreed that the best solution for audio was to install a system comprising of X8’s, 12XT’s and SB18’s. Al inputs were ran through a Yamaha QL5 digital desk. As well as laptop inputs and a DJ, we also had a number of mic and IEM inputs to deal with from the numerous entertainment acts throughout the night.

The lighting for the show consisted of a mixture of beam, wash, uplighting and spot fixtures, 64 in total. An Avolites Quartz with touchscreen wing was used as the primary desk to control these fixtures. As well as this, we also installed 20 illuminated tubes on the set which looked really effective in low light.

For the set, we wanted to create something that looked industrial which is in keeping with the clients brand guidelines. Either side of the screen we used Layher scaffolding to create the core of the structure. Behind this we installed set panels with a distressed look and feel to them. In front of the scaffolding we positioned a mesh material which we used to fix the illuminated tubes to. A number of lightboxes and neon flex signs were created and secured to the scaffolding structure to add additional detail to the finished design. Bolo Tie’s made from a Perspex were applied to the remaining set panels to complete the look.

To complete the look and feel in the room, we used a T3 structure to clad the pillars in a tension fabric material to tie them in with the set panels. We also provided a number of rustic looking barrels and a KFC branded drum kit.

In the drinks reception area, which also doubled up as a late night entertainment space we installed a stage for the Duelling Pianos who performed after the awards. A separate PA system and lighting system was installed along with pallet style furniture which guests could chill out on and whilst watching the entertainment.

To deliver all of the above we provided 3283 items of equipment with a replacement value of over £400,000. A team of 17 from Premier were on site for the build, show and de-rig as well as 8 local crew for the install and de-rig. Two articulated lorry’s were used to transport the 15 Tonnes of equipment to and from site.