The Vox is a contemporary conference and events venue in Birmingham, located at Resorts World Birmingham on the NEC campus, about eight miles east of the city centre. It’s part of The NEC Group, alongside venues like the NEC and the ICC, and it can accommodate up to around 900 delegates across a range of flexible suites and boardrooms.
The Installation Brief
The venue’s original setup relied on 104 legacy, fixed Chauvet Colorband fixtures. While these static units served their purpose in previous years, modern conference spaces require greater versatility, movement, and vibrant color palettes. We completely decommissioned and removed all 104 older fixtures to make room for a massive step forward in venue technology.
The Solution
A world-class lighting rig is only as reliable as the cable infrastructure supporting it. To ensure flawless data transmission and optimal safety, our engineers completely overhauled the power and data networks from the ground up:
- 3-Pin DMX Rewiring: We stripped away the old, compromised data lines and rewired the entire system using premium 3-pin DMX cabling. This ensures stable, interference-free communication between the control console and the 136 new moving heads.
- Modern PowerCON Integration: Safety and efficiency were top priorities. We removed all outdated IEC power cabling, replacing the old system with modern, locking PowerCON cables.
- Clean Cable Management: To minimize cable clutter and keep the rig looking exceptionally clean, we utilized 1-meter PowerCON link leads. This allowed us to daisy-chain power efficiently from fixture to fixture without unnecessary slack.
Precision Rigging and Custom Frameworks
- 8 x10m Square, 50mm Truss Frames: Each square frame features 16 total fixtures, perfectly balanced with 8 units rigged per side.
- 1 x 10m x 5m, Half Frame: To accommodate the unique architectural layout of the room, we configured a special half frame featuring 8 fixtures attached along one single side.
Two Days of Expert Engineering
Executing a project of this scale within an active commercial venue requires exceptional teamwork. A dedicated crew of three expert Music Gear Installations engineers lived and breathed this project over two long, intensive days.
Every single one of the 136 new fixtures was carefully hung, addressed, and patched into the system. Following the physical build, our team alongside the conference centre tech team, conducted rigorous cleaning and diagnostic testing. We tested every DMX channel, movement pan, and power link to guarantee 100% operational reliability before handover.
Despite the tight 48-hour window, the project was delivered perfectly on time. The NEC Vox Conference Centre now boasts a future-proof, energy-efficient, and highly dynamic lighting system ready to impress its next audience.
