Earlier in June, I headed to Manchester for the very first Nexus Summit, a new event bringing together live events professionals to talk tech, sustainability and the future of how we work as production companies.
Hosted at the superb 100 Embankment, the afternoon was all about sharing ideas, exploring smarter ways of working and hearing from some of the people driving innovation in our industry. It was a packed agenda with keynotes, panels and loads of chances to catch up with familiar faces (and meet a few new ones too).
First up, Tom Agar shared Nexus’s vision for the Nexus Marketplace, a new platform that connects rental vendors and integrates directly with our existing setups. One of the most interesting ideas was how future quotes won’t just look at cost but also factor in the environmental impact of transport logistics. It’s a clever step forward that could really change the way we approach jobs.
Next, we heard from Cyril Union at lighting specialist Ayrton, who gave us a peek at the software it is developing to help improve prep time and give more visibility into fixture performance. That was followed by Oliver from event technical services company dbnAudile, who talked about how it and other companies are using radio frequency identification (RFiD) to streamline warehouse operations – great to see real-world examples of tech being put to work.
Later on, there was a session on sustainability with Tom Agar and Matt Hallard from Ayrton, which really hit home. They discussed what manufacturers are doing to cut emissions and the growing need for us as production companies to take responsibility for sustainability reporting, CO₂ tracking and understanding environmental, social and governance (ESG) frameworks.
There was also loads of time to chat properly, swap ideas and hear what others are working on. And it all wrapped up with drinks and pizza on the rooftop, looking out over Manchester. I hope it becomes a regular fixture for the industry.
At Production Light & Sound, we’re already putting some of these ideas into practice, whether that’s
finding more efficient ways to prep shows, cutting down on emissions, or just working smarter with the tools we’ve got.
If you’re planning an event and want to talk through lighting, sound, audio and technical
options, please do get in touch with me, Sarah Buckmaster, we’re always happy to chat
