Aztec Event Services provided a full suite of AV, sound and light systems for Media 10’s three day sci-fi convention Destination Star Trek at ExCeL London.

This landmark event brought the five Star Trek captains (William Shatner, Patrick Stewart, Avery Brooks, Kate Mulgrew and Scott Bakula) together for the first time at a Trekkie convention outside the USA. The London event hosted a Klingon blessing, broke the record for the largest number of people gathered in one place and dressed in costumes from the sci-fi franchise (1,083) and attracted more than 12,000 visitors in total.

Aztec’s senior account manager, Gavin Haughey, designed and built the main stage and the production concept for the Captain’s Talk, hosted by John Barrowman. The 2,500 seater auditorium was completely sold out and featured a space age theme; the stage had five seats on a raised dais, an enormous starcloth stretching across the back of the stage and a massive 12m screen to relay close up shots from the three broadcast cameras via a high definition projector. It was possible to see everything that happened on stage in clear detail, with the audio relaying every word crisply to the back of the venue. As the captains were introduced by Barrowman they were illuminated by a tight spot and ‘beamed’ onto the stage in a shaft of light and accompanied by the familiar sound of the Enterprise’s transporter system.

Aztec’s Gavin Haughey said, “Star Trek fans are so enthusiastic it was very important to us that each of them had the opportunity to see and hear all of the talks and discussions clearly. I am very pleased to say that the production went as planned and it looked and ran as I had envisaged. All the crew were incredibly enthusiastic which helped to deliver smooth and slick shows. We’ve all come away feeling a little like Trekkies.”

In addition Aztec also delivered AV support to the two 800 seater theatres within the exhibition area that hosted a number of talks and discussions throughout the weekend. In the evenings Aztec provided sound and lighting for the party area, one hall at ExCeL London containing 2,000 people for Friday night’s Klingon inspired party and the Federation party on Saturday night.

The weekend-long convention witnessed the first Klingon blessing in the UK as Jossie Sockertopp, 23, and Sonnie Gustavsson 29, from Skåne in Sweden, tied the knot dressed as members of the warrior race.

Media 10’s marketing director Rob Nathan said, “This event was a very high profile event for Media 10, being the first time that the five captains have ever appeared together in Europe. The technical production for the event had to be flawless and I’m delighted that Aztec delivered in every respect.”