Central Hall Westminster, part of Central Hall Venues Group, facilitated broadcasts of His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation across the world when the venue was transformed into a media centre. The ceremony saw The King crowned alongside his wife Camilla as Queen. Over 180 CHW staff and their contractors assisted major national and international broadcasters to provide round the clock coverage of the momentous occasion including ABC News, NBC News and News UK.
Image credit: Dan Forshaw
Due to CHW’s close proximity to Westminster Abbey where the Coronation ceremony was held, broadcasters were able to provide a bird’s eye view from the Grade II* Listed building’s roofs, balconies and its unmistakable dome. The crews were also able to use the venue’s extensive spaces to edit and produce their footage before sending off via dedicated data lines and a satellite dish specially installed for the event. One broadcaster also used an outside broadcast truck to facilitate speedy communications.
Image credit: Chris Philips
To facilitate the broadcasters, CHW’s in-house AV partner, White Light provided the necessary technical equipment, knowhow, and electrical power for the operation. Due to the extraordinary amount of power needed for the media teams’ camera and broadcasting equipment, the broadcast teams also provided a generator to guarantee continued coverage.
Security for the event has been key and CHW’s security contractors, SBS, were involved in every step of the meticulous planning with heightened security measures for such a high-profile occasion as this. Meanwhile, CHW’s in-house caterers, Green & Fortune, kept everyone fed with hearty but healthy food in line with their values on sustainability and use of local produce. This was a logistical challenge in itself to sustain the teams over four different meal periods, day and night. Meanwhile, the cleaning and facilities teams provided their services 24 hours a day.
Image credit: Dan Forshaw
Within the building, TV studios were also set up with live streams of the Abbey from 3rd May and throughout the weekend to remote controlled cameras. Over an 11-day period which included setting up and de-rigging, staff worked on a 24-hour rota to support the crews and ensure events ran smoothly at all times.
Sarah Ainsworth, CEO of Central Hall Venues which runs Central Hall Westminster, comments: “We were so excited to play a part in this once in a lifetime event and assist major national and international broadcasters in showing the Coronation of King Charles III to millions of people across the world. A huge thank you to all our staff and contractors who worked tirelessly around the clock to ensure everything ran smoothly from technical support and security to the catering, events teams and everything else in-between.”