Regarded as the unrivalled badge of excellence for the AV industry, the AV Awards recognise the outstanding achievements of individuals, companies, projects and technology across the sector. This year, WL was awarded with not one but two AV Awards: Broadcast and Media Project of the Year and National Integrator of the Year.

WL’s Managing Director Bryan Raven comments: “It’s an absolute honour to have picked up two accolades at the AV Awards. We’re aware of how the Awards celebrate the pinnacle of our industry and are chosen by industry experts, showing how our work is now recognised by our peers. We’re also delighted that the awards reflect two very different disciplines we serve as a company yet two in which we are continuing to excel”.

The National Integrator of the Year Award recognises integrators who serve customers on a nationwide scale and are committed to the complete project; from design, construction and installation to delivery, training, service and maintenance. WL put forward the work it has delivered with h Club, Illuminate, DeepMind, Jaguar Land Rover and att. For each project, WL had to provide an integration system bespoke to the client’s needs, which ranged from an immersive audio system to a tv broadcast studio.

The Broadcast and Media Project of the Year recognises the achievements of those operating AV within the broadcast and media sectors, including studio-based broadcast productions, sports broadcasts, gaming and televised events. WL won the award due to its work with ITV Sport on last year’s coverage of the Russia World Cup. WL worked as the consultant of the design concept for the studios which were based in the HBS Facility in Moscow, due to its stunning views onto Red Square and St Basil’s Cathedral. When it became apparent that the positioning of the set’s windows meant that only the bottom of the Cathedral was visible (and not its iconic ornate spires), WL came up with the concept of creating ‘virtual windows’ to extend the view.

Bryan adds: “With the Russia World Cup, we offered a complete end-to-end solution from initial consultancy, to technical design and on-site support, ensuring that the video and lighting were completely integrated to maximise the effectiveness of the studio set. We supplied everything from the studio lighting package, to the video screens in the studio, to the media server work flow and team of experts to install, operate and support the studio for the duration of the tournament. With viewing figures reaching over 26 million for the England v Croatia Semi Final, it was fantastic to be involved in such a prolific broadcasting event and use mixed realty to deliver a truly innovative studio set solution. The fact that the project was a winner at the AV Awards is a brilliant recognition of the team’s ground-breaking work”.

This year’s AV Awards took place on 11th October at Battersea Evolution with over 1,400 in attendance.

Bryan concludes: “As a company, winning these awards highlights our now recognised place within the broadcast and integration markets. We are a company that has always been renowned for its personal service, use of innovative technology and offering bespoke solutions; something we look forward to continuing as we move forward with a breadth of exciting and ground-breaking projects”.