The European Athletics Golden Tracks 2015

Cedric Hale-Woods
Cedric Hale-Woods
Every year, The European Athletics Golden Tracks awards the best European athletes of the year and the Rising Stars. This event brings together athletes and sports figures from all over Europe.

This Gala evening started with an aperitif in the Foyer Campus. To get there, a red carpet and a path of flowers and lanterns bringing them to the main entrance of the SwissTech Convention Center guided the guests. They later joined the Auditorium A where musicians were waiting for them. A new configuration of the auditorium was used for the first time for this event : the cabaret configuration which is one with very few levels (in this case, there were only three). Tables were arranged on these three levels where the guests were served a gourmet diner by Eldora Caterer SA.

The dinner was paused for the awards ceremony, which took place on stage and was broadcasted live on many international channels. One hour later, the guests got back to their meals, which they enjoyed until 11 pm, the time at which this great evening ended.

What are the memories of Marie-Hélène Blain, the Event Manager in charge of the organisation and optimal execution of the event ?

«The live broadcast was an interesting challenge. First, it required the establishment of a complex audio-visual infrastructure and many hours of setup. Because of the various cameras, there were more security and technical constraints.

Second, this broadcast required a great precision. There was no space for improvisation or for rough estimates but only for precision, timing and careful attention to detail. The collaboration with with the team from European Athletics and with Swisscom Media who was in charge of the live broadcast was a great success. This good teamwork was the key to the achievement of the event. Eldora Caterer SA also had many responsibilities: the quality of the dishes had to be particularly high, the service efficient but quiet due to the broadcast and they had a very precise timing.»