10 minute read
World Gymnastics Championships | Liverpool, UK
WORLD GYMNASTIC CHAMPIONSHIPS 2022
Liverpool, England
Images: Harry Elliott
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fter nine action-packed days of competition, The World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022 drew to a close with FIG President, Morinari Watanabe, hailing the 51st Championships as an event that ‘turned gymnastics from sports to entertainment’, and ‘the start of the new gymnastics scene’ In his final address. Event technology specialists ADI were pivotal to this transformation, working closely with the Organising Committee to design and deliver innovative presentation solutions, dazzling LED displays, vibrant content and interactive elements across the Arena, Fan Zone and Athlete’s After Party. On the floor, the level of competition also reached new heights, with Great Britain’s men’s and women’s teams claiming an impressive six medals between them and, in turn, surpassing their best-ever World’s medal haul. ADI worked collaboratively with a variety of stakeholders – World Gymnastics, British Gymnastics and Liverpool City Council - to deliver an event that that will be talked about for many years to come.
Spectacular Opening Ceremonies
ADI, who delivered the Festival Sites to the 2022 Birmingham Commonwealth Games earlier this year, were chosen to be the Championship’s Official Event Presentation Provider. The Preston-based company were tasked with managing the full production of the opening and daily ceremonies, from concept through to delivery.
Creative discussions commenced long before the event took place, with ADI’s Sports Presentation team collaborating with Terri Lynam, Creative Director of World Gymnastics Championships, to agree on an achievable but highly ambitious brief. The focus was for Merseyside’s cultural elements to be blended into each of the ceremonies to celebrate the vibrancy of its people and generate atmosphere inside the arena. Interactivity and audience involvement was another goal. With all of that knowledge ADI conceptualised solutions that would bring the brief to life. “Our ambition was to create an unforgettable experience for spectators by combining the sporting elements with engaging digital activations and creative performances across the Liverpool ACC site,” Lynam said. Having established an understanding of what the federation was trying to achieve, ADI’s in-house Studios team began creating content, while ADI’s Sports Presentation Manager Richard Hale storyboarded the ceremony performances. ADI decided to weave Liverpool’s flourishing music scene into each of the ceremonies, with up-and-coming Liverpoolbased singer Pixey kicking off the Championships in style. Her energetic performance, combined with the vibrant LED displays and creative content around her, lit up the M&S Bank Arena and set the tone for the rest of the event. As part of the daily pre-competition shows and in the build-up to the gymnasts entering the floor, ADI delivered synchronised light shows through the official WGC2022 Live app, which over 70,000 people engaged with over the nine days. ADI had customised their QGlo smartphone feature for the event, which utilises ultrasonic audio triggers. When the lights were lowered and the music played, the torches on the audiences’ smartphones flashed synchronously with the beat of the music, which meant that the devices could be held aloft inside the 11-000 capacity venue to create a truly spectacular in-bowl atmosphere. Lynam was delighted with the final product. Reflecting on the ceremonies, she said: “ADI’s vast experience in delivering spectacular sports presentation, technical infrastructure and ceremonies all came together to create an unforgettable show for spectators and augmented the live competition taking place. “Together we turned the sport of gymnastics into entertainment and showcased the dynamism of the athletes in a completely unique way, bringing the fans closer to the action and immersing them in the show with the likes of QGlo – the inclusive and collaborative delivery is something I am very proud of.”
Transforming the Venue
Hailed as the event that changed the landscape of World Gymnastics competitions, ADI’s experienced production team brought new concepts to the arena during the busy competition schedule. Stuart Campbell, COO, World Gymnastics Championships Liverpool 2022, was determined to add innovation and creativity into this year’s competition, and believed a digital revamp of the venue would provide that. “We set the ambitious target to be the best ever World Gymnastics Championships by focusing on key delivery areas
across all client groups with an emphasis on athlete and spectator experience,” Campbell said. “Focusing on innovation and creativity, we have proudly set a new bar for future editions of this Olympic qualifying world championships. Utilising the breadth of in-bowl showpiece LED platforms, on-site producers, camera operators and live screen mixers delivered live feeds, competition standings, official timings, event information and educational content – and incorporated the world’s first delivery of British Sign Language on screen for the duration of a sports competition. A spectacular LED athlete’s entrance, digital signage on the judges’ tribunes and an additional super wide display broadcast carefully coordinated content that inspired and informed the audience, while helping transform the look and feel of the arena. The LED and content provision were combined with engaging presenters to create a high-octane live spectator experience, and encourage crowd participation at key points in the competition schedule. Campbell lauded ADI’s contribution to the in-bowl transformation. “We chose to work with ADI due to their strong reputation in delivering creative event elements across the sport industry and beyond,” he said, “as well as aligning with our sustainability commitments being located within 90mins of the competition venue. “ADI gave us instant access to a team of specialists, who understood our ambitious visions and worked collaboratively with our team to innovate and enable us to deliver world-class standards. “Their use of LED technologies, vibrant content and live acts transformed the look and feel of the M&S Bank Arena, and set the tone for what was an incredible nine days of international Gymnastics, but also a unique entertainment experience.”
Interactive Fan Zone
ADI activated a number of bespoke interactive experiences inside the official Fan Zone for visitors to engage with. Across nine days, it received more than 18,500 visits with over 2,500 people experiencing the interactive digital wall.
Hosted inside the Liverpool Exhibition Centre, adjacent to the M&S Bank Arena, it offered a space for collective celebration. World Gymnastics Championships Ambassador and former gymnast Beth Tweddle MBE said: “The Fan Zone in particular was incredible to be a part of, there was so much for kids to get involved in. “For children who have never done gymnastics, it was an opportunity for them to have a go and wherever they live around the country, they can go home and find their local club.” Positioned at the entrance point of the Fan Zone, ADI’s LED wall gave visitors the chance to pose for photos alongside popular GB gymnasts Joe Fraser and Alice Kinsella, in front of an animated flag of their home nation, or even dance to the sounds of LIMF musicians - all of which fans could select from an iPad. Aside from providing the hardware and connectivity, ADI also delivered full concept design and content production, with their Studio’s team filming and editing the athletes and musicians. A digital podium was also a popular spot for pictures, and multiplayer mobile gaming, delivered in partnership with video game experts Piing, was available for some light-hearted competition. The innovative gaming solution has been purposely built to allow a stadium-sized crowd to participate and play a shared game at the same time on their smartphones, without the need to download an app. For Tom Taylor, ADI’s Head of Sales, creating immersive and interactive
experiences for everybody to enjoy - not just the avid gymnastics fan - was a huge part of the delivery. “The bespoke content we created and delivered across the different canvases was innovative, but also educational. We knew that not everybody attending the Fan Zone would have lots of knowledge about gymnastics and for a large percentage it would probably be their first experience of a live gymnastics event, so the space had to be built for all types of visitors. We wanted spectators to leave having had a brilliant experience, but also knowing more about the sport.”
Journey to the Venue
In the modern day, spectators hold an expectation to be entertained from the moment they arrive at the venue to the moment they leave, and therefore fan activation solutions have become a fundamental part of any elite sporting event. It was something that Jen Falding, Strategic Lead Sports Events at Liverpool City Council, was keen to get across in the early discussions. “The vision was to make the visitor’s journey to the 2022 World Gymnastics Championships world class, “ Falding explained. “We wanted the city’s culture to form the basis of the event experience, both inside and outside of the venue, and ADI were the key to achieving that.” With that in mind, ADI deployed a number of digital applications outside of the venue. Floor art and digital LED totems featuring Liverpool’s best up-and-coming musicians were in place to create a warm welcome for ticketholders on arrival, and further celebrate the region’s diverse range of talent. Mobile LED screens from ADI’s iCONIC fleet were also in position across the ACC Liverpool complex, where they broadcast sponsor videos, event branding and other colourful, engaging content. Falding added: “Their digital platforms and custom screens created unique spectator experiences and showcased our long, proud musical history perfectly by working with our city’s most exciting up-and-coming musicians. “ADI also made the Fan Zone uniquely digital and immersive, deploying lots of interactive applications for visitors of all ages and nationalities to engage with.”
A Sport-Changing Event
The monumental success of this year’s event marks the beginning of a new era for World Gymnastics – one where the spectator is placed at the heart of the occasion. For ADI, the end goal was always to deliver creative solutions that would transform the look and feel of the ACC Liverpool complex. The key to achieving this was being in constant dialogue with the client and key stakeholders leading up to the event. By working with all parties many months in advance, it enabled ADI’s multidisciplinary team to have creative input. The end product speaks for itself. Vibrant LED displays, creative content, dazzling ceremonies and bespoke audience involvement solutions came together to create something special. For ADI’s Richard Hale, who led on the sports presentation elements, it was the perfect project for ADI to showcase themselves. “Being able to manage the full production of the ceremonies, content and LED screens, we were able to put our own stamp on the event. That is so important for us as creatives,” he explained. “It makes a huge difference when we are involved at the event conception stage because we can bring our engineers, technicians, project managers and producers into the conversation. “It’s not often that we get handed that level of creative freedom, but when we do, the results are really impressive. “It was rewarding to see all of our concepts and ideas being enjoyed by so many people inside the arena and at home. The feedback has been extremely positive and it proves that we have the power to deliver massive sport-changing events.”
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