Event Production for Metro Connect 26 at Castle Malwood

AVE Services was pleased to return to Castle Malwood in the New Forest for Metro Connect 26, supporting Retail Manager Solutions with event production for their annual forum, awards evening and evening celebration.

We have been working with RMS since 2016, supporting their annual customer forum and awards event with AV equipment, lighting, sound, staging and technical crew. Over the years, Castle Malwood has become a familiar venue for the event, so this year felt like a bit of a milestone. With new leadership and fresh plans for the future, Metro Connect 26 marked the final RMS event to be held at Castle Malwood.

The daytime forum brought together RMS customers, partners and industry speakers for a full day of presentations, updates and discussion. It was also a chance for attendees, suppliers and the wider RMS network to meet Mark Gutteridge, the new Managing Director, and hear more about the direction of the business.

Metro Connect has always been more than just a conference. The day moves from business updates and guest speakers into awards, dinner, entertainment and a proper evening social. That means the production has to work across the whole day: clear audio for presentations, reliable display systems for content, lighting that suits both the daytime forum and evening atmosphere, and enough flexibility to move from corporate event to celebration without it feeling awkward or forced.

As this was the final RMS event at Castle Malwood, we wanted the building to have a proper send-off.

For the evening, we lit the castle in red as a nod to the original RMS brand colours. Architectural lighting can completely change the feel of a venue, especially somewhere with character like Castle Malwood. The red wash gave the building a strong RMS identity for the evening and created a great backdrop for guests arriving, networking and celebrating after the forum.

Alongside the event production, we also created a custom 3D printed microphone flag for RMS using our multi-colour printer.

The mic flag was produced in their new brand colours and featured the new “M” logo, giving the handheld microphone a more polished, branded look for interviews, announcements and photos. It was a small detail, but exactly the kind of thing that helps tie an event together visually.

Being able to produce branded items like this in-house also gives us more flexibility for future events, especially where clients want something custom without waiting weeks for one-off production.

For Metro Connect 26, AVE Services supported the event with technical production across the day and evening, including:

• Conference audio and wireless microphones
• Presentation display support
• Event lighting and architectural uplighting
• Awards and evening production support
• Technical crew onsite throughout the event
• Custom 3D printed branded microphone flag

Events like this need the boring technical bits to be handled properly so the client can focus on the audience, the speakers and the flow of the day. From the forum sessions through to the evening celebration, our role was to keep everything sounding clear, looking professional and running smoothly.

It has been a pleasure supporting RMS at Castle Malwood over the years. Since 2016, we have seen the event grow, adapt and become a regular fixture in the calendar for their customers and team.

While this may have been the final RMS event at Castle Malwood, it feels more like the end of one chapter than the end of the story. With new leadership, new branding and new ideas ahead, we look forward to seeing where RMS takes the event next.

If you are planning a customer forum, awards evening, corporate event or branded company celebration, AVE Services can help with sound, lighting, staging, screens, microphones and full technical production.