MCA Australia’s audiovisual upgrades debut at AV1’s Long Summer Lunch

Foundation Hall at Sydney’s Museum of Contemporary Art Australia (MCA Australia) recently hosted the 10th AV1 Long Summer Lunch, with the event showcasing the venue’s new audiovisual upgrades.

The events industry came together for the annual summer shindig on 24 January 2025, with AV1 showing off its newly installed AV infrastructure at the harbourside venue’s ground-floor space.

The 10th Long Summer Lunch theme was “Emerald Reflections” to celebrate AV1’s 20 years of operation, with guests arriving dressed in green to celebrate.

The AV upgrades to Foundation Hall include:

Flexible projection screens: Three drop-down screens adaptable to diverse room layouts.
L-Acoustics audio system: Premium speakers, subwoofers and amplifiers for exceptional sound distribution in all orientations of the space.
Dynamic lighting: More than 60 moving headlights, LED fixtures and pin spots to create immersive lighting effects.
Digital backbone: Luminex digital infrastructure for all forms of audio, visual and lighting, allowing for maximum flexibility for changes on the fly.
Installed truss system: Strategically placed trusses for flexible and secure rigging.

*Guests were enthralled by the performance of aerial singer Ms Bird at AV1’s Long Summer Lunch at MCA Australia’s Foundation Hall. Photo: Oneill Photographics.*

These AV1 upgrades are designed to keep MCA Australia at the forefront of technology, provide cost-effective, versatile solutions for clients, and support a range of events, including conferences, exhibitions and live performances.

“We are incredibly proud to unveil the upgraded AV capabilities in Foundation Hall,” says AV1’s managing director, Nigel Mintern.

“This investment reflects our commitment to raising the bar in event production and ensuring our clients have access to cutting-edge tools for their most important moments.”

Guests at the 10th Long Summer Lunch were greeted upon arrival with an “Emerald Elixir” cocktail before enjoying lunch curated by MCA Australia’s hospitality partner, The Big Group.

Two installations onsite included a custom-built, three-metre ring and an emerald screen installation. The ring displayed AI-generated artworks based on attendees’ favourite event memories, while the emerald showed their predictions for the future of events, which were submitted with their registration.

“The Long Summer Lunch is a fantastic demonstration of the versatility of Foundation Hall and the possibilities created by our new AV setup,” says Kirsty Esson, head of venue and events at MCA Australia.

“It’s a privilege to partner with AV1 to deliver such a dynamic and memorable event.”

Photo at top: Oneill Photographics.