Central Hall Westminster, part of Central Hall Venues group, has announced it has awarded a new £8m contract to in-house AV production services partner White Light. The news comes at a significant time for White Light as they also announced that the company was joining the newly-formed d&b solutions business in their 50th anniversary year.
The partnership renewal not only marks the continuation of a seven-year relationship between Central Hall Westminster and White Light but a further period of investment into improving the AV infrastructure in the central London building, including its magnificent Great Hall.
Situated directly opposite Westminster Abbey, the venue is renowned for hosting famous occasions and concerts as well as live and recorded Television shows in its Great Hall. As part of the contract, over £600,000 worth of investment will be made into further improving the AV equipment within the venue’s showcase space to blend with its striking architecture, which contains Europe’s largest self-supporting domed ceiling.
First appointed as CHW’s production service partner in 2015, the company has already transformed its spaces with cutting-edge technology for the venue’s hugely varied events from concerts and TV shows to conferences, exhibitions, seminars and graduation ceremonies. The first collaboration between the venue and White Light in 2015 was an award-winning event called Meet the Future which allowed attendees to hear from influential keynote speakers and learn about technology never seen before in the industry, setting the tone for the relationship to come.
In recent years, White Light has used its half-century of expertise and innovation to transform the Great Hall for special events such as the Unicef Christmas Concert in 2018 which raised money for Syrian children affected by war, and Care International’s star-studded March4Women event in 2019. The company also supported James Corden’s Late Late London shows held at the venue for two years running in 2018 and 2019.
Paul Southern, Managing Director of Central Hall Venues which runs Central Hall Westminster, comments: “We are delighted to renew the contract for a further four years with our AV production services partner White Light at a time when events are back in business. We have an excellent relationship with White Light who not only understand the AV and tech demands in an architecturally significant building but have a long-term commitment to investment.
“It is also clear that innovation is key to everything they do, which is crucial for our venue. In addition, they share the same values as ours relating to sustainability and our ethos as an organisation which exists to maintain our magnificent building and support charitable works,” he adds.
White Light’s Head of Venues, Jonjo Glynn, comments: “We are delighted to be continuing our tenancy at Central Hall for the next four years. Having recently joined the d&b solutions business, alongside our strategic partner SFL, our many years of combined expertise will enhance the broad range of events that the venue can accommodate. As part of our continued investment into event technology at Central Hall, we are working with our partners to design and install a cutting-edge PA system, to strengthen the capabilities for world-class live concerts and events.”
To mark the new contract and White Light’s 50th anniversary, CHW’s Managing Director, Paul Southern and White Light’s Director, Richard Wilson sat down in the Great Hall to reflect on their time working together. The full interview can be seen HERE.
