Local Production Support for Agencies and International Producers
Your technical team on the ground in Mexico: venue advance, equipment, crew and live operation, working to your direction and your workflow.
ICON · Global hybrid event, local hub
ICON global hybrid event: the Mexico City hub
An international broadcast producer needed a local team to build and run the Mexico City hub of a global hybrid event around its own workflow.
Delivered by Castelein AV, the team behind First Impact. First published on casteleinav.com.
Project facts
- Client
- ICON
- Format
- Global hybrid event, local hub
- Location
- Mexico City
ICON offices: main cafeteria and auditorium - Date
- 6–8 October 2026 (set-up, rehearsal, live)
In short
In October 2026, Castelein AV, the team behind First Impact, built and operated the Mexico City hub of ICON’s annual global hybrid event. The Irish broadcast producer DV4 designed the global architecture and directed the show from its Zoom studio; the local team connected two spaces on different floors into that workflow after testing it in a two-room warehouse simulation.
Who did what
- ICON
- Client. Annual global hybrid event connecting its offices.
- DV4
- Broadcast producer (Ireland). Designed the global architecture and directed the global broadcast from its Zoom studio.
- Castelein AV
- Local audiovisual production partner in Mexico City. Built and operated the Mexico hub around DV4’s workflow.
Overview
ICON runs an annual global hybrid event that connects its offices into one program. DV4, an Irish broadcast producer, designed the architecture and directed the show through its Zoom studio. For the hub serving the Americas in Mexico City, DV4 needed a local partner to build and run everything on the ground, and selected Castelein AV.
The lesson of the project is simple: we integrated into the producer’s workflow and made the local production work.
The challenge
An international production team needed coordinated local execution in Mexico, inside a workflow it had already designed.
The hub served two audiences. ICON colleagues in the room needed to see and hear presenters, panels and remote speakers clearly. Everyone watching the global program needed Mexico City to arrive clean: the right camera, the right feed, no echo, no interruption.
The format added complexity: two spaces on different floors, both feeding one global program, and a run of show that kept evolving until the last week.
Preparation and testing
Before show day the team arranged a two-room warehouse simulation to test DV4’s proposed workflow, so problems could be found away from the client’s building.
- Two rooms set up to mirror the cafeteria and auditorium
- DV4’s proposed connection and switching workflow tested end to end
- Set-up on 6 October and a full rehearsal on 7 October, before the live event on 8 October
Agreed scope
- Local production planning, equipment, technical crew, installation, signal integration, live operation and on-site project management, as DV4’s local partner
- Connecting the cafeteria and auditorium, on different floors, to DV4’s Zoom studio as one coordinated hub
- Clean two-way audio between local presenters and remote contributors
- The correct program or Zoom feed on the auditorium display at the correct moment
- Coverage for every format: main screen position, panel corner, sofa interviews and auditorium contributions
- Hardware streaming integration and main and backup recording
Technical workflow
Built around DV4’s design
DV4 designed the global architecture and directed the broadcast. Castelein AV designed the local connection schematics so the cafeteria and auditorium could connect directly into DV4’s Zoom studio setup.
A dedicated Zoom computer
A dedicated Zoom laptop was built into the local production set-up as the hub’s connection to the studio.
Display switching
Local switching let the auditorium show the multicamera program for most of the event, then switch cleanly to the Zoom feed during its own contribution.
Audio routing
Mix-minus returns, audio delay control and final audio embedding after the Barco S3 kept communication clear between local and remote participants.
One line of communication
An on-site project manager relayed shots and switching calls from DV4’s director to the local crew in real time.
Equipment by function
Only equipment verified in the project documentation, grouped by the job it did.
Audio
| Equipment | What it did |
|---|---|
| Bose L1 Pro16 | PA system for the presentation areas |
| DiGiCo SD9 with D-Rack | Digital audio console |
| Allen & Heath CQ-18T | Second digital audio console |
| JBL PRX812 | Stage monitor |
| JBL EON ONE | Compact line array |
| Shure QLX (handheld, headset, lavalier) | Wireless microphones for presenters, panels and interviews |
| Audio interfaces | Remote audio connections to the Zoom studio |
Video, switching and displays
| Equipment | What it did |
|---|---|
| Panasonic AG-HPX255 P2 HD | Operated broadcast camera |
| AViPAS AV-1280G + AV-3104IP controller | PTZ cameras and their controller |
| ATEM Television Studio Pro HD + Pro 4K | Video switchers for the local program |
| Roland V-60HD, ATEM Mini Pro | Additional video switching |
| Barco S3 with EC-30 | Screen management: switching what each display shows; final audio embedding happened after this stage |
| MacBook Pro with Millumin | Media server for playback |
| Unilumin Upad III LED, 3.5 × 2 m, 2.6 mm, Novastar | Focused LED backdrop for a presentation area |
| Samsung 55" | Confidence monitor |
| LG 75" | Program reference display |
Streaming, Zoom and recording
| Equipment | What it did |
|---|---|
| Lenovo ThinkPad L15 | Dedicated Zoom computer connecting the hub to DV4’s studio |
| Blackmagic Web Presenter (Brightcove) | Hardware streaming encoder |
| HyperDeck Studio HD Plus × 2 | Main and backup program recording |
Lighting and scenic
| Equipment | What it did |
|---|---|
| Conic / Elation LED Leeko | LED profile fixtures for presenters |
| Chauvet WELL FIT + WELL COM | Wireless uplighting and its wireless control |
| Hedgehog 4 | Lighting console |
| Black pipe-and-drape | Backdrop and masking |
Communication and support
| Equipment | What it did |
|---|---|
| Clear-Com PK-7, wired beltpacks | Intercom between the local lead and crew |
| Tripods, Neewer dolly | Camera support |
Operational challenges and response
The program kept changing until the last week.
Camera positions were revised, and lighting, display and backdrop options were added for each presentation area as the run of show evolved.
The on-camera look had to fit the available budget.
A focused LED backdrop, wireless uplighting, black pipe-and-drape and additional technicians delivered the look; an extra 75-inch display was added to the set-up.
A remote director and a local crew in two spaces.
A single communication line ran from DV4’s director to the crew through the on-site project manager.
Confirmed outcomes
- The cafeteria and auditorium were integrated into DV4’s broadcast system through local infrastructure and connections.
- Multicamera coverage was delivered for presentations, panel conversations, informal interviews and auditorium contributions.
- A Zoom-based set-up was delivered for the live event.
- Equipment and scenic scope were revised to fit the updated program and the available budget.
- DV4’s director had a single communication line to the local crew through an on-site project manager.
Outcomes as documented in the published case. We do not add figures the project did not record.
Protections, and what each covered
- Recording protection: the program was recorded on a main and a backup HyperDeck. This protects the content; it does not by itself keep a live transmission running.
- Live transmission: the hub connected into DV4’s Zoom studio and a hardware streaming encoder was part of the set-up. The global broadcast and its distribution were directed by DV4.
Future opportunities
Ideas identified for future editions. They were not part of this delivery.
- Dedicated network support for NDI workflows was identified as a possible expansion for future editions. It was not part of this delivery.
The lesson
We integrated into the producer’s workflow and made the local production work.
Project photographs
Original source: Castelein AV case study
Questions this project answers
General answers, with this case as a real example.
Can you integrate with an international broadcast team?
Yes. We act as the local production team inside another producer’s broadcast: they design the architecture and direct the program; we build and run the local hub around their workflow.
For ICON’s global hybrid event, the Irish broadcast producer DV4 designed the global system and directed through its Zoom studio. Castelein AV, the team behind First Impact, built and operated the Mexico City hub and connected it into DV4’s setup.
Also asked as: Can you be the Mexico hub of our global broadcast?
· Do you work as a local crew for overseas broadcasters?
We are an international producer with an event in Mexico. Can you be our local team?
Yes. This is one of the main reasons First Impact exists: you bring the production and the creative direction, and we provide the local technical side in Mexico.
That covers equipment, crew, venue coordination, set-up, rehearsals and live operation, aligned with your rider, your signal handovers and your schedule. ICON’s global hybrid event and the Milken Institute symposium, briefed through a UK agency, are examples.
Also asked as: Can you handle the complete AV production for an international event in Mexico?
· I am an international event producer and need a reliable local AV production partner in Mexico.
Production partner in Mexico · Case study: ICON global hybrid event: the Mexico City hub
Can you integrate with our existing production workflow?
Yes. We start from your workflow, including your signal flow, platforms, file formats and schedule, and build the local side to match it.
When a workflow is new to the venue or the team, we test it before show day. For ICON’s global hybrid event we built a two-room simulation in a warehouse to test the producer’s proposed workflow before installing it in the client’s building.
Also asked as: Can a local AV company in Mexico work with our US or European production team?
· Will you adapt to the way our team already works?
Case study: ICON global hybrid event: the Mexico City hub · Local Production Support for Agencies and International Producers
Can you prepare a signal-flow diagram?
Yes, when technical documentation is part of the agreed scope. A signal-flow diagram shows how microphones, cameras, laptops, playback, switchers, screens, recorders and the stream connect, and in which format each signal travels.
It is most useful when several suppliers or a remote production team share the show, because it makes every handover point visible before installation. For ICON’s Mexico City hub, the local connection schematics were designed around DV4’s global workflow.
Also asked as: Can you document the AV system for our technical team?
· Do you provide technical drawings for events?
Case study: ICON global hybrid event: the Mexico City hub · Local Production Support for Agencies and International Producers
Do you work with Zoom and Microsoft Teams?
Yes. Zoom and Teams can bring remote speakers into the room, carry the program to remote employees, or both. We connect them as production sources rather than leaving a laptop pointed at the stage.
Meeting settings, host rights and audio routing need testing with the account owner, because two meetings on the same platform can behave differently. ITP Aero’s All Hands ran on Teams; ICON’s Mexico hub connected into DV4’s Zoom studio.
Also asked as: Can you put Teams participants on the big screen?
· Can a Zoom speaker present at our live event?
Case study: ITP Aero All Hands 2026 · Case study: ICON global hybrid event: the Mexico City hub
Can remote participants interact with people in the room?
Yes, if interaction is designed in and the platform allows it. Remote people need to hear the room clearly and be heard without echo, which takes audience microphones, a clean audio return and someone moderating.
A one-way broadcast with typed questions is simpler than a panel where remote and in-room guests talk to each other. Tell us which format you want; it changes the audio routing, the screens and the rehearsal plan.
Also asked as: Can online attendees ask questions live?
· Can people in the room talk with remote panelists?
Hybrid Events & Multi-Site Production · Case study: ICON global hybrid event: the Mexico City hub
Are site visits and rehearsals included?
Site visits and rehearsals are included when they are part of the agreed scope, and the proposal states how many and when.
For most productions we recommend at least one technical rehearsal with the actual presentations and speakers. Complex hybrid workflows may justify additional tests or a simulation before show day.
Also asked as: Do you do a tech rehearsal before the event?
· Is a venue visit part of the quote?
Relevant services
Hybrid Events & Multi-Site Production
Remote speakers, Zoom or Teams integration, and several rooms or locations connected into one program that works in the room and online.
Event AV & Technical Production
Audio, LED and video, lighting, cameras and crew for conferences, corporate events and launches, coordinated with your venue and run to your show flow.
More case studies
Milken Institute · Mexico City
Milken Institute Global Investors Symposium
Five event spaces at the Four Seasons Mexico City run as one technical production, briefed through a UK-based agency.
Briefed by a UK agency for Milken Institute. Technical production by Castelein AV.
ITP Aero · Querétaro, Mexico
ITP Aero All Hands 2026
A hybrid All Hands on an aerospace plant floor: 125 people in the room and more than 1,500 colleagues on Teams in four countries.
Turnkey production by Castelein AV for ITP Aero.
SiGMA · Mexico City
SiGMA North America 2026
An awards ceremony and two conference days in Mexico City, produced as one video scope feeding room screens and two live streams.
Video production and streaming by First Impact for SiGMA.
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