THE STAR’S FRESHEN UP FOR TV ROYALTY
MORE than a year’s worth of preparation is being sprung into action to bring the Gold Coast’s “fresh” take on the TV Week Logie Awards to life.
With the 60th instalment of Australian television’s annual night of nights to take place here for the first time in just over a week, organisers and crew have begun to converge on The Star Casino and Hotel to set up for the glamorous event.
While much of the action will unfold in the coming days, with the Pavilion Ballroom undergoing an intensive five-day transformation ahead of the four-hour live broadcast on July 1, Logies executive producer Brent Williams said the change in location meant “there was a lot more planning involved”.
“The infrastructure is very different … when compared to Crown Palladium where we have broadcast the Logies from previously,” he said. “We’ve had to make several visits to the Gold Coast to ensure we know the venue inside out.”
Mr Williams said the transformation from a live event venue to a television broadcast venue would include a stage build, set build and the installation of lighting rigs, PA and audio systems, and dressing rooms.
The goodies for the guest gift bags have already been wrangled with this year’s including a night’s accommodation and $250 gift voucher for The Star, and a Village Roadshow Super Pass for seven days’ entry to the theme parks.
Meanwhile, all 652 hotel rooms between The Star Grand and The Darling are fully booked to be home to Channel 9’s celebrity guests.
Popular television presenter Shelley Craft, who lives in Byron Bay, said she was excited to see what the Coast had in store. “If you want brash, glitzy and glam, where else would you go?,” she said.