Actavo was contracted to carry out the event infrastructure for US President Biden’s speech in Ballina, county Mayo. The visit to the president’s ancestral home county was the final destination of his official visit to Ireland in April 2023.
Scope of works
Actavo supplied staging, PA towers, screen structures, viewing platforms, press risers, fencing and barriers. The team also supplied full site and barrier dressing including Irish and American flag materials and structure cladding. The install included design, transport, plant, specialist crew and crew accommodation.
Services delivered
- Supply, install and de-rig of 2 screen hangs, 4 PA/lighting towers, 4 media risers, a press riser, 5 PA stacks, a stage, 2 catwalks, 2 truss flag supports, a scaff wall, a crowd riser, an invalid platform and a truss cable bridge.
- Supply, install and de-rig of site dressing, including 573m of fabric, on site fire proofing, carpet, CCB and structure cladding and custom flag graphics.
- Supply, install and de-rig of fencing and barriers, including 1,300 crowd control barriers, 230 Heras and 100 Mojo.
Key successes
- Actavo delivered the project within a very tight timeframe. The team had one week from initial contract to handover. It was delivered on time and in budget.
- Actavo’s industry knowledge and supplier contacts allowed the team to bring in the help of key specialists and increased staff where needed and at short notice.
- An Actavo Project Manager, Supervisor and Site Manager were always on site, as well as a designer for last minute changes to the brief.
Solutions to challenges
- The location of the site on a riverbank meant the height from ground level to river bank level varied. This made building structures challenging.
- Actavo built the press risers and screen hangs over a wall and onto the back of a building, rising 12m from the ground to ensure people viewing from the far side of the river could clearly hear the president’s speech.
- The wind at the higher altitude made the structure vulnerable to damage. The team used increased kentledge supports to secure the structure in place.
- The client requested the construction of 3 additional structures the night before handover. Actavo’s Design Manager was on site to design the structures and the team made them from equipment already there. The additional requirements included 2 custom designed flags and frames, a 2 metre stage extension and 4 additional sets of steps from the stage. The crew under-propped the stage due to the weight of the ballistics glass required by the CIA for the president’s appearance.
- Actavo had to move a screen support structure from its planned location to the river’s edge. Water safety protocol was put into action, health and safety measures adjusted and a tool box talk was held in order for changes to be made quickly and safely.
- The small size of the site made it difficult to store equipment and materials there. An Actavo crew member was employed to remove items no longer needed on a daily basis.
Benefits to client
- The project was executed to the client’s specifications on time and on budget, with a quick turnaround.
- The Actavo Events team were well resourced and flexible in their approach, which allowed the event infrastructure on site to be added to and amended at short notice.