The Fujitsu Polar Challenge is race on foot to the North Pole, testing the participants in the ultimate in teamwork, endurance and the will to win. It covers 280 nautical miles in temperatures as low as minus 45 degrees. For those of you who watched the BBC documentary, you will be aware of the amazing obstacles these men and women overcame to compete in this incredible race.

We were pleased to be asked to provide our services for the awards dinner to be held at The Chancery Court Hotel in London some weeks after the race.

A customized set was built which incorporated Fujitsu’s company colours and had their logo projected from behind the set via lighting and custom gobos. The brief for the room lighting was for it to have an icy feel when the guests entered, so a combination of profiles with snow flake and icicle gobo’s were used to cover the tables, while moving heads created a mixture of effects on the ceiling and walls. We used UV cannons to bring out the white table clothes and chair covers, with a mixture of different pale blue up-lighters around the room for extra effect, dry ice and haze was used giving the finishing touches. When the doors were opened the guests entered into a very familiar artic atmosphere once more, “although without the same chill factor”.

The evening was filmed by the BBC, but all of the AV on the night was looked after by our in house team, supplying a mixture of power point, DVD/VHS and live camera to both the main screen and back up Plasmas. Autocue for the presenters was provided, as well as a high quality surround PA system so the 250 plus guest could hear every word.

The whole evening was a great success and something we are proud to have been involved with.