Commissioned by Bureau of Shanghai World Expo Coordination to assist with the outdoor opening ceremony at the Shanghai Expo, Serious Events was given various challenges including the orchestration of the flagboat parade as well as the build of the Puxi LED screen, reputed to be the world’s largest.

Liaising directly with the Chinese government and local Shanghai authorities, Serious Events’s technical teams were put to the test: the 280-metre long LED screen’s support structure alone weighed 500 tonnes, requiring 160 motors to lift the frames into position and to allow for speedy dismantle in the event of an unseasonal typhoon.

The Flagboat Parade was the first of its kind involving 260 watercrafts and 300 crew, all of which needed to be hoisted in and out of the water for each rehearsal due to operational restrictions in the river itself.

The final responsibility was the design, supply and river management of 6,000 floating LED spheres, which were released from a barge, remotely energised and finally collected downstream of the viewing area.