Arcadia Spectacular uses FreeSpeak II and HelixNet at Glastonbury 2017

Arcadia Spectacular 2017 at Glastonbury wrapped up on 25th June, and it left audiences around the world breathless, offering a unique, immersive multi-media experience featuring fireballs, lasers and aerial performances. With so many special effects and aerial performances, safety is paramount. Without clear, concise communication the production team wouldn’t be able to operate in a safe way. The show’s technical team relied on Clear-Com solutions to ensure constant communication across the wide and extremely loud set.Clear-Com’s FreeSpeak II wireless intercom system linked to a HelixNet digital network partyline intercom system, with around 20 FreeSpeak II beltpacks and 25 HelixNet beltpacks, converged into one overall system to connect the entire production team. The system was used with two different modes: the ‘performance show mode’ was primarily led by the showcaller, while the second mode allowed each department to have its own separate and private group on the system, including the flame team, management team and performance teams.“From my time in the industry, Clear-Com has been rock-solid through corporate, rock and roll and theatre, so it was the only choice to go with,” Tim Smith, Technical Production Manager for Arcadia Spectacular. “There was no-one else really to compare.”