Entertainment lighting specialist White Light was tapped to provide lighting for a unique brand experience event – the internal launch of Everything Everywhere, the company that runs T-Mobile and Orange in the UK’s, new name and customer brand, EE, to its nearly 15,000 UK employees. With the event, known as EE Live, the UK’s most advanced digital communications company invited employees from across the UK to the NEC Birmingham for an introduction to the branding and vision of the new mobile and broadband provider.
In the spirit of innovative technologies, the event was an interactive experience, immersing employees in all things 4G – and uniting them under the look, feel, and vision of the new EE brand.
Richard Saunders, Project Manager at White Light, oversaw the event planning and completion. The event, produced by WRG, was a huge undertaking, incorporating several experience zones spread across two halls at the NEC Birmingham – Hall 2 (for the employee brand experience) and Hall 3A (for manager training). David MacIntyre, Lead Production Manager for the event, described the unique circumstances of coordinating an event like EE Live. “Working on EE Live with White Light has been so interesting not only because of its size, but because with this event we have been able to visually establish the core values of an entirely new brand in the marketplace. It marks the beginning of an exciting new change in the entire communications market. Richard Saunders’ creativity and his team’s ability to solve any challenges in a calm and constructive manor were contagious and both played a large part in the project being as enjoyable as it was. ”
With the event, EE aimed to engage employees in the playful, purposeful and fun image that the company hopes to carry throughout its corporate and retail interfaces.
Taking employees through the elements of the new brand in groups of about 400, each EE Live session started with what seemed to be an ‘in person’ speech from CEO Olaf Swantee and members of EE’s Board of Directors. The speakers were, in fact, 3D video projections made possible by a large Musion screen, 18 metres wide. Appearing in holographic form, each speaker had the opportunity to be “present” at the event and employees got the chance to hear from the entire Board. After the introduction, employees were free to roam the interactive showcase, learning about brand values by participating in games and activities all tied to the network’s superfast 4G mobile services.
For the event, White Light supplied more than 100 moving light fixtures including Clay Paky Alpha Beams, Martin Mac 700 Wash and Profile units, Vari-lite VL2500 units and Vari-lite VLX LED fixtures. The design also utilised Coemar Infinity S Profile units, available in the UK exclusively through White Light.
The event required special effects lighting for a few of the experience areas. The team from White Light installed fibre optic lighting to simulate fireflies in a “changing seasons” section of the event hall, while another section used UV lighting in the form of Altman UV Fresnel fixtures.
Another experience area had the White Light team using a brand new product – the X Pixel from manufacturer SGM – to create a map of the world showing worldwide communication coverage and connectivity. The new LED product provided White Light with the ability to individually control each LED in every 5-meter strip, allowing the team to easily and accurately achieve the desired effects.
The team from White Light approached the planning of EE Live in sections, identifying key experience areas first and tying them together with unifying colours and textures. Using a mixture of moving and fixed lighting fixtures with a variety of sources, the lighting design covered areas including: Speed, Science, Coverage, Brand, and Commitment. Richard Saunders explained the challenge of the large-scale project saying, “The key to this project was blending all of the different experience areas into one strong aesthetic that represents the values of the EE brand. The addition of colour and texture was important in establishing a fun atmosphere that encouraged participation, while also unifying the entire experience for visitors.”
This visual unity carried throughout the event, but is the basis for something more. This was made clear by Steven Day, EE’s chief of brand and communications, in his speech at EE Live explaining to employees, “This is not just about a change of name or a logo, or the way things look; this is about changing the way we think, and what we do.”
With the event deemed a success by corporate leaders and employees alike, the new EE hopes to carry their brand forth into a new era of mobile communications.
“It was a pleasure to work with White Light on this project,” said Claudia Connelly, Senior Production Manager at WRG, adding “We were very impressed with standard of excellence achieved, especially on an event of this magnitude. The professionalism of the White Light team and the quality of their work is second to none.”