The Millennium Point AV Team, the heroes behind the visuals, discuss how they make their clients’ visions come to life.
Millennium Point is a multi-award-winning event venue in central Birmingham. The venue is widely known for its breathtaking Auditorium event space featuring Birmingham’s biggest screen. The screen, formerly an IMAX, has been upgraded and repurposed for conferences, film screenings, and AGMs, offering a perfect alternative to cabaret.
However, a grand screen needs an even greater team to make it work. Millennium Point’s AV team – JP, Matt, and Josh – are the creative and highly skilled team that offer AV solutions from sound and set-ups to fantastic visuals.
It’s 8am at Millennium Point and the team can already be found hard at work finalising set-ups in the building. An all-day conference, spanning the Atrium, Platform, and the Auditorium, is in full swing. Each member is focusing on a different event space, testing lights and microphones. Cables are all laid and connected, with everything double-checked – not forgetting multiple presentation screens for the smaller presentation areas.
“We don’t just push buttons,” says JP. “We are problem solvers, designers, and sometimes even magicians when clients have unexpected requests.”
Matt agrees: “With huge conferences like this, even though it’s a normal occurrence here at Millennium Point, we continually have check-ins with clients on the lead-up to events to ensure the brief is clear and the team know the plan.”
As 10am approaches, delegates start to arrive, and the AV team transforms into live support mode. Josh is stationed in the public spaces, on hand to offer technical support to those who need it: “We get a huge range of clients in the building. Some are well-seasoned exhibitors, but we are always ready for those who need help and are new to the industry, to ensure they have a fantastic experience.”
JP and Matt are finalising the order of the day with the speakers ready to take the stage in the Auditorium. JP is up in the control booth, checking sound levels and ensuring the digital backdrop is ready for the hybrid event, while Matt is micing up guests and reviewing standing spots and where they can see their presentation notes on the screens below.
Now it’s showtime, and the team are well-equipped with constant communication, adjusting lighting cues, managing transitions, and ensuring presenters can be heard clearly. One of the speakers has misplaced their memory stick filled with presentation notes, but the AV team have back-ups for events like this ready to continue the event seamlessly.
It’s now midday and the morning session has wrapped up; it’s time for a quick reset. Changing stage layouts, updating presentations, and running sound checks are vital during breaks.
“Hybrid events are great for clients to reach wider audiences, but there’s a lot of moving parts. You don’t just have to ensure that in-person guests are happy, but those virtually as well,” adds JP. He is currently checking that the background to the hybrid screening matches what is being seen live without any delay.
In modern conferences, many events are now hybrid. The team ensures remote attendees get the same high-quality experiences. Whether that’s managing camera angles, monitoring the virtual chat function, or troubleshooting connectivity issues.
4pm rolls around and the final presenter finishes their keynote speech and guests start to leave; the team’s day hasn’t finished though. Equipment is packed away, footage is sent to the client to share, and a debrief on any problems is discussed for the future.
Matt adds: “We are constantly on the lookout during events for how we can improve and also want to provide our clients with the latest in AV technology.”
Over the years, the building has had several significant upgrades to provide the best for guests. The Auditorium alone has had over £500,000 in upgrades – from a 4K projector to a new stage and lights. The team are now even looking at the use of AI tools to continue providing the best experience.
“We love what we do,” says Josh. “Every event is different, and that keeps our skills current. We’re here to make sure the client’s event is unforgettable.”
Millennium Point is based in the heart of Birmingham and offers first-class events and conferences. Find out more about their venue on their website:
millenniumpoint.org.uk