Engineering the London 2012 Olympics opening ceremony

The London 2012 Olympic Games showed off British engineering at its best, from the sweeping designs of the Olympic venues to the rising importance of sports technology in training. But engineering was also vital in bringing to life an opening ceremony that blew away the nation’s cynicism and set the mood for what some international commentators around the world have called ‘the best Olympics ever’.

The Olympics were a chance for a prominent British team of experts who have worked on opening ceremonies across the globe, from Athens in 2004 to last year’s Pan-Arab Games in Doha, to make a triumphant homecoming. ‘The UK is the home of large event production, particularly for ceremonies,’ said the ceremony’s technical director Piers Shepperd. ‘To do it in London in front of a home audience was obviously really good. There was a massive trepidation after Beijing, which was obviously a spectacular and huge ceremony, and we were very keen to try and do something different.’