Hay Festival

CPL, experts in technical production, lit up the main stage at the 2024 Hay Festival of Literature & Arts with stunning LED screens and top-notch vision control. Held in the lively and vibrant town of Hay-on-Wye, Powys, Wales, this renowned annual event brings together diverse voices from the worlds of art, literature, science, politics, music and comedy to listen, talk, debate and create, and is celebrated as a “leading festival of ideas.”

In its spectacular 37th year, the Hay Festival dazzled with over 500 vibrant live events across 11 days. The star-studded lineup included appearances by Jools Holland, Gary Lineker, Stephen Fry, Ruby Wax, Hugh Fernley-Whittingstall, Marian Keyes, Clive Myrie, and more. These events brought readers and writers together in sustainable gatherings designed to inspire, provoke thought, and entertain.

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This year’s program showcased some of the most exceptional new fiction and non-fiction works, offering profound insights and sparking debates on today’s most pressing issues. Award-winning authors, policymakers, trailblazers, and innovators from around the world came together to explore solutions for critical challenges such as the climate crisis and global conflicts.

CPL set the stage in the main arena with a stunning visual display: a central LED screen measuring 4.5 meters by 2.5 meters, flanked by two relay screens, each 2.5 meters by 1.5 meters. These screens, built with Roe LED and powered by Brompton SX40 processors and XD Boxes, created an immersive experience.

CPL has been a key technical supplier for the Hay Festival since 2018. Project manager Mike Radford shared his excitement: “It was fantastic to contribute to this thought-provoking and enjoyable event from so many angles. Beyond the great ambience and vibes and the significance of the interaction and events, it was brilliant to witness live audiences and feel that energy once again!”

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CPL was enlisted as the LED supplier for the event by Stuart Dowdell, one of the production managers and video technicians overseeing the proceedings.

The goal was to deliver razor-sharp, high-definition visuals. To achieve this, they chose the Roe LED screen, meticulously designing the systems to ensure every attendee had a perfect view of various presentations. These ranged from PowerPoint and Keynote slides to VT playbacks, live camera feeds, pre-show rolls, sponsor loops, stings, and event-specific info during on-stage debates and discussions.

For PowerPoint or Keynote presentations, the main screens displayed the content, while the side screens showed live camera feeds. When talks or interviews didn’t include video elements, all screens broadcasted live camera relays.

Brompton processors and XD Boxes provided a fully redundant system via a Fiber Optic Network.

A dedicated CPL crew installed and flew the screens, ensuring seamless connections to the playback and camera setups. Stuart coordinated the team to manage operations throughout the festival.

Photo credits: Sam Hardwick, Adam Tatton-Reid, and Hay Festival.

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