Reimagining Ashton Gate: Stadium to Conference Venue.

Epic Systems brought more than 650 delegates together in Bristol for their 2025 EGM. Held at Ashton Gate Stadium, the event was split across a central plenary in the West Concourse and three additional breakout rooms in the Lansdown Suite.

The venue, while expansive, posed a number of challenges. As a working football stadium, it lacks the infrastructure of a dedicated event space. There are no built-in rigging points, the ceiling height is restricted by HVAC and fixed lighting, and the room itself is long, narrow and structurally interrupted by steel pillars.

Despite these limitations, we delivered a full-scale, live broadcast-ready conference environment, including all scenic, print and technical requirements. The build was delivered in just six working days, with a 28-strong crew operating across multiple zones of the stadium. Each part of the venue was transformed with LED display systems, flown lighting, live camera control, printed scenic and fully branded finishes.

Every part of the production was managed in-house, with a single delivery team overseeing all areas. This included video control, switching, audio, rigging, power, staging, set construction and print. The approach allowed for a fully coordinated delivery, both in planning and on site, with no handovers or conflicting workflows. 

Working with the Space

In the West Concourse, the team needed to work with the space rather than against it. The only viable layout involved building the stage along the longest wall, which reversed the usual room orientation. With ceiling height restrictions and exposed infrastructure overhead, the flown system had to be built with care. Every rigging point was plotted to avoid aircon units and steelwork, while still providing clear coverage across the space.

A full CAD plan was created, mapping every seat, line-of-sight and technical zone. The flown rig spanned 66 metres, suspended from 20 chain motors, and carried lighting, PA and soft goods. Three LED walls, each five metres wide and three metres high, were ground-supported and spaced to maintain visibility across the full room.

Audio was delivered through a combination of d&b T10 arrays, Q7 fills and E8 front fills, all powered by D20 amplifiers and controlled via a Dante-connected Yamaha QL5.

Video switching was handled by a Barco E2 Gen2 system, with three URSA G2 camera channels running over SMPTE fibre to a dedicated gallery at the rear. That gallery, built from pipe and drape, housed comms, multi-view, ISO record and show caller control, running as a self-contained control hub.

The stadium concourse reworked into a plenary space, complete with flown rigging, LED walls, full PA, lighting and live camera control.

Complimenting Scenic and Print

The plenary set itself ran the full width of the room, measuring 30 metres across and fully wrapped in printed branding. The design included LED surrounds, camera decks, DSM monitor hides, facias, directional signage and floor covering, all produced and installed by our scenic and print teams.

Every element was constructed using LiteDeck, wrapped in fitted carpet, branded facings and digital print finishes. Drape was used to block open access points and create tunnel entrances for presenter flow.

By managing print and scenic delivery alongside technical, each piece was built to specification, aligned with CAD drawings, and installed in sequence with the wider production build.

Branding the Breakouts

While the plenary carried the largest footprint, the same attention to detail was applied in the breakout spaces. Three rooms in the Lansdown Suite were reworked into branded conference environments, each fitted with LED displays, full switching control, compact camera channels and local show systems.

Each room included printed scenic backdrops, under screen LED panels, branded lecterns and signage. Technical delivery mirrored plenary coverage with d&b Q7 audio systems, Yamaha control desks and Barco S3 video switchers. Streaming, recording and cueing were all built in, enabling content delivery to match the main room, both in quality and format.

This consistent setup gave presenters and delegates a seamless experience across sessions. Systems, layout and branding were maintained from room to room, creating a single, joined-up conference experience across the entire venue.

One of three branded breakout rooms, each delivered with consistent technical setup, scenic build and event graphics for a cohesive delegate experience.

Planning Around a Live Site 

Stadium access presented further challenges. Load-in was restricted to designated windows around the stadium’s operational hours. Three artic lorries and crew movements had to be timed around venue access, restrictions and internal space constraints.

Each production department operated to a shared schedule, with crew assigned to zones and build sequences mapped in advance. Technical, scenic and print deliveries were phased to reduce conflict, and shared services such as power and access routes were allocated before arrival on site.

Every part of the system was tested ahead of schedule, allowing for a full day of rehearsals before show open.

Introducing Anthony Taggart 

The project was led by Project Manager Anthony Taggart, who had joined us just the month prior. With over two decades of experience in live events, corporate AV and broadcast environments, Anthony brought both the technical depth and the planning discipline to grab a hold of this project and lead from day one.

He has previously delivered large-scale video and control system projects with Universal Pixels and 4Wall Entertainment, alongside earlier roles in broadcast engineering, touring and studio builds.

He was the perfect candidate for a brief of this kind, combining senior delivery experience with a practical understanding of how to run large teams across multiple workstreams. That combination meant he fitted straight into our way of working, quickly becoming a strong lead for the project.

Anthony’s ability to balance project control with on-site decision-making allowed the team to respond to constraints while keeping to programme.

Single Leadership & Specialist Teams 

A major factor in the success of this project was having a single lead across all areas of delivery. Anthony served as the key point of contact for technical, scenic and print, providing the client with clear communication and confidence throughout. His leadership ensured consistency across every part of the project, through pre-production and on-site.

That level of joined-up management only works because of the teams behind it. With each division led by specialists, and the business now built around established crews brought together through acquisition, our structure gives project leads the support they need to plan with confidence.

Every part of the event production is delivered by teams with deep subject knowledge, shared standards and clear accountability. The result is a delivery approach that performs under pressure, adapts to the venue, and gives the client a reliable partner across the board.

Video showing the transformation of Ashton Gate Stadium’s West Concourse and Lansdown Suite into a fully functioning multi-room conference environment, built and broken down over six days.

Bringing It All Together 

This project didn’t succeed because of one element, it worked because every part was planned together and delivered as one.

With dedicated divisions in technical, scenic and print, supported by senior project leads, we manage every part of production as a single coordinated service. This structure gives clients confidence, even in the most complex or unfamiliar spaces.

If you’re planning a large-scale event in a non-traditional venue, speak to us. With specialist teams working together, we’ll give you the structure and support to deliver a complete event with confidence.