Crew
Pinnacle Crew worked with Signature Systems europe on London 2012
together with daily communication with Signature and LOCOG representatives. They also managed the large numbers of crew that Pinnacle sent to the various sites to install and complete the project. On many occasions these numbers exceeded 160. This project brought the company some unique challenges that included extremely tight deadlines, last minute time changes effecting huge numbers of crew brought about by the unseasonal weather, varying volumes of crew, transport difficulties due to heightened security and constantly evolving accreditation procedures. Due to the nature of the challenges, Pinnacle identified that consistency and familiarisation would best facilitate the successful delivery of the project. This was achieved by creating three additional teams of 20 crew whose sole responsibility was to focus on the project. As the crew now consisted of an 80-man team, working at more than 24 venues, six days a week, the company appointed a project director whose responsibility was to liaise with the client directly and ensure that all requirements were effectively implemented. Commented Tony Booth, director, Signature Systems Europe: “I had known Pinnacle Crew for some time and always had it in mind that I would want them to be my first choice in terms of labour should we secure some of the Olympic work. We took them all the way with us through the tender phase with the intention to use them exclusively, however it did not pan out that way – as our contract nearly doubled prior to the Opening Ceremony we had to ensure that we had other companies in place. We used Showstars and Showforce too, as our work increased massively. We envisaged 20,000 man hours but as the contract grew
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so did the man hours to over 50,000. Not one crew company would have been able to facilitate our needs but Pinnacle always had first refusal on all our requirements.” Booth continued: “I had multiple project managers working on the contract, however we did have many great members of Pinnacle, which if required did liaise with some of our clients and other commodity suppliers – I guess in some respects they did not only manage their own teams but also had our back too because as the contract grew and the quantities increased and plans were being changed and amended almost every hour, we found that many of the Pinnacle Crew staff really stepped up to the plate. They understood that whatever happens it was in all of our interests to get things done, and get things done well, even if it meant going above and beyond.”
An essential element According to Mark Bannister, lead production manager on Cisco Live, which was managed and delivered by George P Johnson, having a reliable, capable and hardworking team of crew, on an event is essential, as crew is integral to the successful delivery of an event: Having people on hand who are able to help out with any emergency situation is invaluable. Showforce assisted George P Johnson with Cisco Live, the large-scale conference for IT and communications professionals, held at London’s ExCeL in January. Showforce crew assisted with many aspects of the production carrying out a variety of roles and tasks. The crew worked 276 shifts and clocked up 2,631 man hours in total, supporting many aspects of the build-up and breakdown of the live event and exhibition for Cisco professionals.
The team involved in the conference’s main auditorium was split into groups to help Frames build the set; assist PRG with the lighting, rigging and cabling; work with Creative Technology to rig projectors for the large screens and assist Four Audio with the sound. In addition, qualified MEWP drivers were on standby to help out with any odd jobs that required plant. Four stage crew provided support during the event, making changes to the set, re-arranging furniture and ensuring the high profile speakers were on stage at the correct time. Once the keynote sessions were finished the auditorium had to be immediately broken down and turned into a beach-themed party. The crew worked closely with all the technical departments again and also moved the props and scenery into position. In addition, two crew chiefs were on standby throughout the show days to keep things running smoothly – essential when clients cannot be in two places at once. But such quick turnarounds are commonplace when time pressures dictate, and clients expect value for money. Silverback Crew recently assisted Fresh Group with a large-scale conference for more than 1,500 delegates at Manchester Central – the venue’s main reception was used for pre-dinner drinks, Central Hall One hosted a dinner and Central Hall Two was the location for a dedicated exhibition area for 30 suppliers. Silverback provided a dedicated team of crew over six days to deal with all deliveries and logistics. This included a forklift driver to handle all deliveries on-site and a crew chief to work alongside Fresh Group’s Nick Pain to orchestrate delivery systems and distribution. All products were unloaded, checked, signed in and stored in a secure area. These included temperate controlled products. Silverback’s team ensured that all products were stored safely and then the exhibitors were notified that their products were being held. Silverback then liaised with individual suppliers to get products to their display areas at a specified time, essentially managing vital event elements and proving that crew are key to successful events. According to Booth, labour is a big part of any contract, as crew have to get the products on the ground, in the right place and on time. However, an event cannot be completed if there is no team effort. A point with which Grecian agrees – in order to manage and motivate a well-oiled crew on any event site, communication is key, which is more than lifting a few boxes.