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Full audio production for a 100-guest event at the Embassy of Switzerland, London
Client
Embassy of Switzerland in the UK
Event
Lecture Hall event, 19 May 2026
Location
Embassy of Switzerland, 16-18 Montagu Place, London W1H 2BQ
Scope
Full audio production including four-speaker Nexo PS8 PA system, twelve-channel wireless microphone setup with RF signal management, live mixing on an Allen and Heath QU16, cabling and control infrastructure, and dedicated onsite audio technician.
CLIENT BRIEF AT A GLANCE
The Embassy of Switzerland in the UK was hosting a 100-guest event at its Lecture Hall in Marylebone, London, on the evening of 19 May 2026. Doors opened at 17:30, and the event ran through to 20:30, with same-day setup from 15:00 and derig at the close of the running order.
The audio brief was specific in its detail. Speech intelligibility across the seated audience was the priority. The wireless microphone setup needed to support ten speakers wearing discreet lapel headsets alongside two floating handheld microphones, giving twelve live channels ready to run through the evening.
The wireless system also needed to work reliably inside a working embassy environment, where RF conditions and building fabric present real considerations for a live production. One further specific requirement shaped the day. The event speakers were scheduled to arrive at 17:00, 30 minutes before doors opened, so the EMS audio technician could fit and check the ten Sennheiser lapel headsets before the guests arrived. That meant the PA, mixer, receivers, antennas and control position had to be fully installed and RF-checked by 17:00, ahead of the speaker headset fittings.
EMS Events was brought in as a single audio production partner responsible for the specification, planning, delivery, testing and live operation of every audio element on the day.
ABOUT THE EMBASSY OF SWITZERLAND LECTURE HALL
The Embassy of Switzerland in the UK is Switzerland’s diplomatic mission to the United Kingdom. It is located at 16-18 Montagu Place, W1H 2BQ, in Marylebone in central London, close to Marble Arch. The building hosts the Embassy’s diplomatic operations alongside dedicated public function spaces, including the Lecture Hall used for the event.
The Lecture Hall is used for formal talks, panel discussions, cultural evenings, receptions and other Embassy-hosted events. Because the space sits inside a working diplomatic building, external productions arriving on the day must plan carefully around building access, security procedures, cable routing and RF conditions specific to the venue. A production designed for a public conference centre does not translate straight into an embassy setting.
For an audio-led event with twelve live wireless microphone channels, that context shapes every choice, from the speaker system used to cover the room, to the wireless receiver setup, to the position of the mixer and the routing of cabling.
Guests supported across the evening
Live wireless microphone channels
Speaker Nexo PS8 PA system
THE BRIEF: TWELVE WIRELESS MIC CHANNELS READY TO RUN INSIDE A WORKING DIPLOMATIC VENUE
The production challenge was engineering a wireless-heavy audio package that would run reliably inside a live embassy setting, with the setup and RF-check completed before the speakers arrived at 17:00. Twelve wireless microphone channels running simultaneously is well beyond a typical corporate event setup. It requires careful RF planning, frequency coordination and antenna placement to prevent dropouts or interference during live speaking.
The microphone plan itself had to support the flexibility of a multi-speaker event. Ten Sennheiser lapel microphones with beige headset kits allowed speakers to wear their microphones discreetly, so the visible setup stayed clean and there were no cables running from body-worn units. Two Sennheiser handheld microphones sat alongside for audience questions, remarks from the floor or switch-outs during the event.
Beyond the microphones, the room itself had to sound right for a 100-guest audience. The PA had to be sized and positioned for even coverage across the seated area, without over-driving the space. All of this had to arrive, be installed, be RF-tested, run through the evening and be cleared inside the same working day at a live diplomatic building.
BUILDING THE AUDIO PRODUCTION FOR THE EVENING
EMS Events treated the Embassy audio brief as one coordinated production. One project plan covered the PA specification, wireless channel plan, mixer setup, RF signal management, control-position placement, cabling, live operation and derig. The Embassy team had one accountable audio partner and one technician on the ground for the whole evening.
A FOUR-SPEAKER NEXO PS8 PA SIZED FOR THE LECTURE HALL
The main system was a four-speaker Nexo PS8 PA driven by a matched four-channel Nexo amplifier. The PS8 is a compact, high-output cabinet chosen for its clarity on speech at the sound-pressure level required to cover a 100-guest audience across a lecture-hall footprint.
All four cabinets were mounted on square-base steel stands, positioned to give even coverage front to back and side to side of the room. The four-cabinet configuration meant sound level could be lifted where needed without over-driving any single position in the audience.
The amplifier and speakers were tuned together for the room before doors opened.
The four-speaker Nexo PS8 PA was in position at the Embassy of Switzerland Lecture Hall, sized for even speech coverage of the 100-guest audience.
TWELVE WIRELESS MIC CHANNELS WITH DEDICATED RF SIGNAL
The wireless package comprised ten Sennheiser bodypack and lapel microphones with beige headset kits, alongside two Sennheiser handheld microphones, giving twelve live channels for the evening on UK Channel 38. Receivers were split across one Sennheiser Receiver Set of 8 and one Set of 4, sized to match the channel count.
To keep every channel dropout-free, EMS Events supplied a full antenna paddle setup with two dedicated radio microphone booster paddles, positioned to give a clean line-of-sight signal from every speaker position back to the receivers. The RF system was frequency-planned before installation to avoid interference from the wider building.
The ten beige headset kits were prepared in advance so the audio technician could fit the arriving speakers between 17:00 and doors opening at 17:30.
The twelve-channel wireless microphone setup was engineered to run without dropouts through a three-hour event in a live diplomatic building.
LIVE MIX, CABLING AND A CLEAN CONTROL POSITION
The Allen and Heath QU16 sixteen-input digital mixer sat at the working control position for the evening, with the technical setup kept clean from the audience side of the room. Three AV control hide panels screened the mixer, the DI box and cabling from the guest sightlines.
Cabling ran on BNC 50 Ohm 10-metre runs for the antenna connections, alongside standard XLR audio infrastructure. Boom stands, a two-channel DI box and a full event consumables kit were prepared in advance, so the audio technician could react to any brief changes on the day. A utility exam table was supplied for the control position setup.
The EMS crew during load-in and installation from 15:00, with equipment cases in position and the audio setup taking shape ahead of the 17:00 speaker headset fittings.
A DEDICATED ONSITE AUDIO TECHNICIAN FOR THE FULL EVENING
A dedicated EMS audio technician was onsite for the day. Before the event, the technician led the RF check across all twelve wireless channels, fitted the arriving speakers with their Sennheiser lapel headsets from 17:00, and ran a level check across the seated audience footprint before doors opened.
During the event, the technician ran the live mix through the Allen and Heath QU16 from the control position, managing gain, muting, EQ and any speaker-to-speaker changeovers in step with the running order.
Alongside the technician, an EMS setup and breakdown crew handled load-in from 15:00 and derig at the close of the evening. Delivery and collection ran on a transit-insured van, using the kerbside loading area at the front of the Embassy on Montagu Place.
The Lecture Hall setup in progress, with the EMS crew onsite and the audio setup being taken through pre-event checks ahead of the arriving speakers.
FROM LOAD-IN TO DERIG: THE PRODUCTION DAY
The audio production was delivered as one integrated on-site operation, from initial planning through to derig.
Pre-production
Planning covered the PA specification, wireless channel plan, RF frequency coordination, mixer configuration, control-position placement and cabling routes for the Lecture Hall, alongside venue coordination on Embassy access and installation windows.
Technical setup and check
Full walk-through covering host links, finalist videos, winner walk-ons, music cues and transitions.
Show evening
The onsite audio technician managed the live mix, wireless channel monitoring, gain adjustments and any speaker-to-speaker changeovers during the evening from a hidden control position behind AV hide panels.
Logistics
Equipment was prepared at our warehouse, delivered under transit insurance to the Embassy, installed by the setup crew, operated for the full evening and collected by the breakdown crew at the end of the running order.
Embassy Feedback
The whole evening felt really well looked after. With so many microphones, different speakers and a busy room, we needed the sound to work without becoming something our team had to think about. You handled everything calmly and professionally. The setup was discreet, the sound stayed clear throughout, and the team was always there when we needed them without getting in the way. Embassy event team
HOW THE EVENING SOUNDED
The audio setup supported the full running order at the Lecture Hall from arrival through to the end of the evening.
The four-speaker Nexo PS8 PA gave the 100-guest audience clean, even coverage across the seated area, with speech reading intelligibly from front to back of the room. The wireless microphone package ran without dropouts across all twelve live channels, with speakers moving between lapel positions and handheld handovers as the event required.
The dedicated audio technician managed the live mix through the evening from the hidden control position, adjusting gain, muting, changeovers and mix balance in step with the running order. The AV control hide panels kept the visible room clean, so guests experienced a controlled sound environment without seeing the production infrastructure that made it work.
By bringing the PA specification, wireless channel plan, RF signal management, live mix, cabling and technical support under one production plan, EMS Events gave the Embassy event team one point of contact for the complete audio delivery.
PLANNING AN AUDIO-LED EVENT IN A HIGH-PROFILE LONDON VENUE?
Audio-first events place particular demands on wireless capacity, RF reliability, room coverage and live mix control. EMS Events provides complete audio production for embassies, diplomatic residences, private members’ clubs, professional institutions and other high-profile London venues, from initial specification and equipment preparation through to installation, live technical management and post-event collection.
Whether you are organising a diplomatic reception, cultural evening, professional lecture, panel event or private conference, EMS Events can manage the full audio production under one coordinated plan.