The COP26 Summit united 197 parties from around the world to accelerate action towards meeting the goals outlined in the Paris Agreement and the UN Framework Convention (UNFCCC) on climate change. NEP Group, the leading media technology partner for content creators around the globe, supported long-term partner Identity, the agency of choice to deliver the COP26 Summit, which took place 31st October – 13th November 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. With the world’s attention focussed on COP26, millions of people around the globe eagerly were looking for a way to watch, join the conversation and feel part of the action. COP26 is regarded as one of the most critical climate change events of our time as world leaders reached a new global agreement, the Glasgow Climate Pact.

Having worked closely with Identity in delivering the visual technologies and broadcast feeds for the G7 summit, NEP was positioned to understand how best to support and deliver a project of this magnitude. Combining its global technology solutions and expertise, NEP group can support Government events of this scale and calibre. NEP UK provided an IP-based routing system and support equipment with nodes for all the Plenary Chambers and areas as part of the host broadcast solution. 31 HD cameras together with 6vision mixer gallery set ups were used in the 5 real and 1 virtual control rooms in the on-site media centre. Comprehensive audio and talkback matrices were also provided to facilitate the provision of the broadcast backbone for the world-wide distribution of signals.

Anna McInerney, Media & Broadcast Director, COP26, said, “Working with NEP Group in the planning and delivery of COP26 Broadcast Services should be considered a blueprint for collaborative and innovative agency-supplier operations. Agile and responsive to change, the team from NEP not only delivered on the initial brief but could always be relied upon to find solutions to inevitable last-minute changes in scope. The team's meticulous planning resulted in a comprehensive and robust Host Broadcast technical solution across the event sites, supported by the beating heart of the MCR (Master Control Room) servicing broadcast clients in the International MediaCentre, 24 hours a day."

COP26 was a true collaboration, featuring live events, production and broadcast teams uniting to deliver daily live coverage of discussions, negotiations, and accomplishments. NEP collectively adapted throughout the event, supporting Identity by responding to changes in the schedule ensuring full coverage of planned and additional requirements. It was said, that walking around COP26 surrounded by representatives of every nation all there for one purpose, provided an immense feeling of pride for industry professionals who were there to support the delivery of such a momentous event.

Sustainability and climate action were at the heart of the discussions, which was reflected in NEP’s overall commitment to providing a sustainable production and broadcast from Glasgow. With a huge focus on the outcomes from COP26, it was important for the team to do their part in showing more sustainable ways of working with regards the technologies, the deployment and integration of hardware and personnel. Identity had a dedicated team focussed on delivering COP26 as the most sustainable one to date. The project employed many local freelance creatives, and crew were encouraged to use public transport to the event site to reduce their carbon footprint. Identity provided electric shuttle buses on site, and reusable cups were provided to team members. Event Cycle worked in collaboration with Identity and NEP to ensure that anything used in the production of the event was then repurposed. KB trucking also used Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil fuel to reduce emissions, and to accurately measure carbon emissions, a sustainability tracker was used in collaboration with Identity to accurately track the production and event’s carbon footprint.

Several divisions in the NEP UK and Ireland region spent over 18 months supporting Identity in project managing the end-to-end solutions and broadcast delivery, including NEP Bow Tie (specialist project management expertise), NEP UK and Ireland (broadcast and transmission), NEP Connect (connectivity) and Creative Technology (live events solutions).

With the attention of the world upon COP26 and its world leaders to tackle the climate crisis. NEP Group provided its technology and expertise to amplify the messages, dialogues, and subsequent agreements back to the world. Everyone who was part of delivering COP26, a monumental event for the world, felt like they were part of something truly historical and special. COP26 was not just a monumental event for the world, but also one for the technology production teams who supported Identity in delivering such a monumental event. It remains now for us all to continue to work together in collaboration to deliver upon the promises made at COP26 into 2022, and beyond.