Maestra Helps Make Waves for Queen Mary 2 Relaunch

	Queen Mary 2. Photo by Sarah Brimley, courtesy, Quintessentially & Co.

Maestra London was asked to provide technical production and solutions by Quintessentially & Co. for an event in Southampton Docks celebrating the relaunch of Cunard Lines' newly refitted and re-mastered flagship transatlantic ocean liner, Queen Mary 2.

A glass fronted marquee with a substantial terrace and panoramic views across the harbor was built along the dock in front of the 345m long vessel. Guests arrived, passed through the passenger terminal entrance and onto the boat, where they received a full tour of the amazing new interiors before entering the marquee to enjoy the event hospitality.

The glass fronted design allowed a magnificent view of the boat and a snapshot into the glory of luxury cruise travel. The intention was to evoke a bright, breezy, light ,and summery mood to the event -- although the actual weather on the day was somewhat more irascible -- and it certainly didn't dampen any sprits in the slightest!

Maestra's team was project managed by Aisha Tarayan, Edwin Higgins was technical manager, and Adam Jones worked on technical elements across all disciplines including coordinating power distribution and cable management.

They started with the installation of an all-white d&b audiotechnik sound system, a combination of T10 and Y7 speakers which were installed on smart stands, 12 for the inside and eight on the terrace. The cables were all concealed neatly in the lining of the marquee in keeping with the slick and stylish ship-shape look to the space.

The Yamaha QL1 sound desk was in a dedicated technical ensconced in a void right at the back of the marquee, which was masked in white drapes to blend in seamlessly.

A selection of Sennheiser mics were supplied for speeches and announcements and background music was also piped through the system.

An information display related to the Queen Mary 2 was lit by Maestra and 24 CORE ColourPoint Mk 2 uplighters supplied by Wireless Lighting were deployed around the room on all four sides. Glowing up the two bar backs at either end of the room were Miltec LED battens, also integrated into the tent lining for optimum neatness.

A small stage was built along one side with the fascia painted in dove grey and topped with light grey carpet to match the environment.

Outside, an impressive 16' wide 6mm pitch HD screen was specified and set up by Maestra.

It was fed with a mixture of time-lapse footage from the marquee and event site build, edited highlights of the ship as it was made ready for the first voyage and footage from the day as guests toured the vessel. There was also live camera relay of the speeches and presentations.

The main challenge for Maestra was "ensuring that the technical infrastructure respected the beautiful design and architecture of the marquee space and that everything was meticulously finished. The detail was everything on this one" commented Tarayan, adding, "We also enjoyed some great teamwork with Quintessentially & Co."