Airstar balloons at Eurovision opening
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Before battling it out in Lisbon’s Altice Arena, one of the country’s largest concert halls, delegations from 43 countries gathered at the MAAT to walk on the ESC’s ‘Blue Carpet’, under the light of Airstar’s lighting balloons.
Airstar specified and installed 30 Crystal and Solarc lighting balloons.
Raphael Vaz, head of Airstar’s Portuguese subsidiary, explains: "We had lengthy discussions with the client, and we were able to come back with a solution that was a perfect fit for such a high-profile event, but also perfectly adapted to the constraints of the venue. We wanted to bring out the magnificent façade of the MAAT as much as possible while respect the imparted time and the limited space that was available, so we quickly opted for the Crystal range, since it brings a powerful and efficient light, and can be deployed very quickly and easily.”
The size of the balloons and their arrangement was also particularly important. In order to obtain the required striking visual aspect, the Airstar team worked closely with the ESC’s director of photography. Measuring 160cm in diameter, each Crystal was mounted on telescopic poles around the blue carpet, thus optimizing lighting as well as ground space occupation, while the Solarc lighting balloons – which boast an impressive three metres of dimension – were directly rigged directly above the Crystal on the Museum façade, ensuring a striking yet balanced visual impression.
(Jim Evans)
