Redbull Contested at McEwan Hall, Edinburgh 2023

In partnership with WeAreCollider, we were given the task of delivering a venue rigging package for the UK’s first Fortnite Major event, Red Bull Contested, hosted at Edinburgh’s historic McEwan Hall. Built in 1894, this Grade A listed building boasts ornate, hand-painted panels on its grand dome — a stunning visual but also a nightmare for rigging specialists! 

One of the first obstacles our team encountered was suspending a 3t 10mx10m LED wall from roof structure, WER found pre-existing hatches that hadn’t been used in decades hidden in the paint work and worked closely with the venue structural engineers, who had serious concerns regarding the additional load on the venue’s intricate wrought iron framework and archways supporting the free-standing glass dome.

Further complications arose from hidden unsupported voids beneath the auditoriums timber floor in the front of house area that posed floor loading risks, as the production required two 10m free stand LX Booms had to have significant ballast, these areas had to be carefully avoided.

The greatest challenge was manoeuvring spreaders and equipment into a space with only 40cm of clearance to access the dome’s internal structure. Working on and around listed glass panelling, WER worked closely with venue and engineers to removed select glass panels and navigated through a complex network of small steel frames and beams — protecting the building and our equipment, positioned 22 metres above ground.