COLOSSUS `We Have Lift-Off! `Seven, six, five . we go for their truck, and start building it. main engine start . two, one, In the meantime, the display lift-off. We have lift-off. (clip) systems and computers for If all goes to plan (it didnt the exhibition part of the day quite always) our guests at are unloaded, and set up in a events watching Kevin Coleman separate room. Thats always a present new products see a worry in itself at launch events, computer-produced picture of as many of the computers that the space shuttle lifting off, we will use are hand-build pro- complete with enough sound totypes – and we never quite volume to make them feel they know whats happened to them are under the booster rockets! in the back of the trailer! Our worries are nearly always Im not totally clear why I groundless – a tribute to the enjoy doing behind-the-scenes technicians. stuff at launch events. I used to do the odd bit of theatre light- Inn on the Park– Mike ORiordan. ready for the off ing and sound at University, and maybe its a yearning back to The stage itself is now starting to that. Or maybe its a desire to take shape. On the left is a get out on the stage myself – lectern, which, from the audi- subconsciously hoping that ences viewpoint, has a couple someone wont be able to go on of glass plates mounted at an and I can do it .. angle in front. From the presen- ters viewpoint, these are much So, how does the (hopefully) more useful – the script scrolls polished production on the day past on these, so actually you all come together? Ill give you seem to be looking towards the a little flavour. audience, but really, youre When we get to a venue to reading the script! Theres a set up, the first thing that needs large screen that forms part of to be checked is where we are the stage, and two turntables, actually going to put the stag- which are used to reveal new ing, and how we are going to products to the audience. All the seat all visitors. Normally, this is presenters have to do in theory Harrogate– taking a breather easy – but at one event, there is read their scripts – Mike O Harrogate) its a bit tiring. had been a last-minute rush of Riordan, Kevin Coleman, goes blank – Im sure he would people wanting to come, and Terry Shurwood, Mike Fern, appreciate it. The very first day that we set up we had to move to a totally dif- Peter Talbot and Bob Coates all At Birmingham, there was ( at the Inn on the Park (on Hyde ferent room in order to seat did presentations. I say in the- due to local authority regula- Park corner) it was well after them all. ory, because one or two slight tions) a further presentation. midnight that Kevin and I technical hitches did occur. If Sharon Yoxall and Brian Salter decided to get something to eat. Peter Flitton (Acorns multital- you can think of a good clean went on to the stage, and while Shunning hotel food we went in ented haulage contractor) and joke that Peter Talbot could use Sharon read a safety message search of open restaurants. Fail- his sons unload the stage from the next time his prompt screen telling the audience where the ure – we ended up in the fire escapes were, Brian indi- Burger King on Piccadilly Cir- cated them in his best Air Stew- cus. Who said this life was ardess manner. This raised so glamorous?! much of a laugh from the audi- ence that I thought we should Anyway, Ive described how do it again at the next event – the stage looked. What the audi- but I was overruled. ence couldnt see was all the other people involved. At the The whole stage takes about back of the auditorium sits Alex, three hours to set up; sound the stage manager. His job is to video and lighting about four keep everyone in order. With hours, some of which at least him sit Sunil (lights) and John ( can be run concurrently. This sound). Backstage sit Susie ( isnt too bad the first day – but prompt system), Jem (video if you have events on two tape), me (computer graphics), consecutive days a hundred and running around backstage Inn on the Park– the setting-up begins miles apart (Birmingham and sorting out smoke effects, the COLOSSUS continued Harrogate– Bob Coates in expansive mood Kevin Coleman– who said this life was glamorous? turntables for revealing products and they did. There are many and pushing presenters on-stage is unsung heroes. But it did all come Brian Salter. together. And as Kevin said in I wasn't always behind the scenes his presentation, `All these – I had two other 'jobs' –one was products have just got to go with assisting with the demonstrations a bang. If you get behind in the exhibition area – the other us now, then this is what we was as the unofficial are going to do to the opposition' – photographer. I hope the shots followed by a very loud bang with come out! two stage explosions. Ooh – I forgot to tell you that we It's -all a lot of fun, but you needed to get the automatic realise how much work has to sprinklers turned off in the go in from all sections of Acorn presentation rooms, didn't I. to get this sort of show off the . ground. All divisions needed to Harrogate– Mike Fern is put through his paces co-operate to make this work, Alastair France ■ Big Bang Theory Agreed We'd Like This is a summary of how pro- ties associated with it. In the end were physically available and ject Colossus was conceived, the decision was taken to go the ` working. In typical Acorn fash- to Hear designed and executed. big bang approach. To this end ion the amount of hours con- During the early spring of Kevin Coleman was appointed sumed by Acorn staff in produc- 1992, deep in the tin hut other- as overall big bang co-ordina- ing slides, artwork, brochures, from You wise known as the epicentre of tor. As a result of this project video footage, prototype prod- Dont forget that Acorn News is all things good, e.g. Product Colossus was generated. This ucts, packaging, were truly enor- your newspaper. was the name given to all the mous. The trail of empty pizza Marketing, the realisation on If you want your colleagues to launch activities that were to boxes often testified to the pre- everybodys mind was the mag- know about something interest- take place at a date yet to be vious late nights activities of nitude of what Acorn was ing in your department, let us attempting to do in terms of pro- agreed, at a location or locations various members of the market- know about it. Similarly, if you ject Adelaide, project Perth, yet to be agreed, with a list of ing organisations. I suspect that have – or if someone you work project Tasmania. Two alterna- products yet to be agreed. So it some individuals even started to with has – an interesting hobby, tive plans were presented to was quite straightforward. We forget what their wives and chil- management. were going to launch a list of dren actually looked like. wed like to know about that too. yet undefined products, in a yet ■ One was a steady release of undefined number of locations The result and feedback from products throughout the summer to a yet undefined number of virtually every single person and autumn which would have people, on a yet to be defined who had the information from the benefit of each product hav- set of dates. What could be the Colossus launch programme ing its own launch scheduling simpler. activities. The disadvantage of was unanimous – it was the this was the fact that, in isola- most professional they had ever The logistical and scheduling seen in Acorns history. The tion, some of these products effort involved in co-ordinating were, from an external market range of products was wider, the product development, prod- most sophisticated and more viewpoint, potentially of rela- uct launch, manufacturing activi- tively small significance. well targeted than ever before. ties of Acorn, dovetailed into The opportunities for dealers, both market and customer pref- software developers and users of The second scenario discussed erences for announcement and was that of bringing all the Acorn equipment has never availability of products resulted been greater. Of course the only product launch activities in truly a mammoth headache. together into one big bang. problem with having such a suc- This undoubtedly would have a It is a tribute to the Technical cessful launch as this one is the far greater impact on the market and Manufacturing people that fact that the next one will have but had potentially significant at the day of the customer and to be even better to top this one! logistical and scheduling difficul public launch all of the products P. Bondar ■ Acorn Gets New Network At the start of October, Acorn number and we will be able should have a completely new to transfer calls within the network. People using it will company. notice a massive improvement in Both voice and data will share performance — less waiting time the same fibre optic links to — and the company expects to reduce our capital costs. Well be save around £30,000 a year.