The 25-year celebration of the TPi Awards

OBJECTIVE

The 25-year celebration of the TPi Awards brought the global live production community together in London for a milestone evening recognising excellence across the industry. Held at Evolution London, the event marked a quarter-century of TPi’s awards, celebrating the professionals and companies who shape live events worldwide, with 1,962 attendees joining the celebration.

To celebrate the event’s silver anniversary, the 2026 theme was a disco ball extravaganza, inspiring an immersive environment filled with shimmer, movement and spectacle. The production needed to balance high-energy performances by their host, Emmanuel Sonubi, with formal award presentations while delivering a seamless experience for attendees, presenters, and winners. As the in-house production supplier, Encore collaborated with GoTo Live and leading industry partners to bring this ambitious vision to life.

SOLUTION

Working in close partnership with TPi and their production management team, Ryan Esson and Jessica Webb from GoTo Live, Encore successfully led the technical delivery of the event. Our Technical Director, Tom Ring, worked seamlessly with the production’s suppliers, including PRG, Sound of Music, Robe, Observatory, NEXO, BPM SFX and Visual Architects to bring their cohesive vision to life.

Stage design was delivered in collaboration between TPi and PRG. The inspiration for which was to make the audience feel immersed inside a disco ball, in line with the event’s theming. The stage environment incorporated large-scale LED displays, advanced video systems and a powerful audio infrastructure, ensuring clear communication and impactful visuals created by the team at Observatory, throughout the programme.

The technical difficulties with a build of this scale are balancing the volume of screen and lighting in the room, and the intricacies of spreading the weight throughout the space. Tom was on hand to bring all designs together into a single resource to ensure the team’s needs were met.

Lighting played a key role in creating the celebratory atmosphere, with more than 240 Robe fixtures delivering dynamic effects that complemented the event’s shimmering disco-inspired aesthetic. A comprehensive 3D production plan allowed the technical teams to coordinate efficiently, ensuring smooth transitions between segments of the ceremony.

Beyond the stage, attention was given to the backstage environment to ensure presenters, performers and crew had the facilities and technical support needed to deliver the event with precision and confidence.

RESULT

The TPi Awards 25-year celebration delivered an unforgettable evening with a disco-inspired theme, striking visual production, and seamless technical execution, creating a vibrant and immersive atmosphere that reflected the prestige of the milestone occasion.

Attendees praised the event for its creativity, professionalism and engaging experience, making the 2026 edition a standout celebration for the global live production community.