Fireworks and drone shows in convention centres.
Congress, convention, trade fair, general meeting, gala evening: your event is being held in a convention centre. We produce the show, from stage effects in the auditorium to fireworks or a drone light show as guests leave, including video mapping on the façade. We prepare the file with the venue’s technical team.
- 1,000 shows produced
- Flights authorised by the DGAC
- Present in more than 20 countries
- We’ll get back to you within 48 hours
The spaces of a convention centre and what we do there.
A convention centre brings together several spaces, each with its own rules. Here are those where we work, from inside to outside.
Indoors
The auditorium
Stage effects triggered in coordination with the venue’s control room: cold sparks, heavy fog, confetti, stage flames, depending on what the safety officer authorises in the hall.
Indoors
The halls
Cocktail reception, trade fair or gala dinner in a hall: confetti, cold sparks as guests pass, video mapping on a wall or a set.
Outdoors
The façade and forecourt
As participants leave: video mapping on the façade, then fireworks or a drone light show, when safety distances and authorisations allow.
Outdoors
The seafront or the park
When the venue faces the sea, a lake or a park, we fire from the beach, a barge or a lawn, at a distance from the building and the audience.
Each venue has its own rules and technical specifications: we base our proposal on these documents.
Events held in a convention centre.
We work for the event organiser, for the agency producing it or for the convention centre itself.
- Professional congress
- Corporate convention
- Trade fair
- General meeting
- Awards ceremony
- Product launch
- Gala evening
- Venue reopening
- Venue anniversary
The opening before a full auditorium
The first highlight takes place in the plenary hall: a short stage effect, timed to the opening music and the stage lights coming up.
Participants leaving via the forecourt
At the end of the evening, the audience leaves the building via the forecourt. That is where we place the façade mapping, the fireworks or the drone show.
The convention centre as client
Reopening after works, anniversary, season launch: the venue also commissions its own show, and sometimes opens it to the local public.
Three disciplines, from auditorium to forecourt.
We combine or separate three disciplines depending on the spaces booked and the venue’s rules. They are produced by our own teams, under a single contract.
I
Indoor special effects
Cold sparks, heavy fog, stage flames, confetti: effects designed for enclosed spaces, set with the venue’s safety officer and control room.
II
Video mapping on the façade
We model the venue’s façade, create animations along its lines and project them at nightfall, in front of the audience gathered on the forecourt.
III
Fireworks and drone light shows
Fireworks synchronised to your music, or a flight of 200 to more than 2,000 drones drawing your logo, on the forecourt or a nearby authorised site.
Six events we work on in convention centres.
We choose the effect according to the event, the space booked and the time in the programme.
Professional congress
A stage effect at the opening of the plenary session, then a finale at the closing evening, on the forecourt or by the sea.
Corporate convention
The announcement of results or a new strategy on the auditorium stage, highlighted by cold sparks and confetti.
Trade fair and exhibition
The opening of the fair in the entrance hall: a short effect at the moment of opening, tested before visitors arrive.
General meeting
After the vote on the resolutions, the members’ or shareholders’ evening ends on the forecourt with fireworks or a drone show.
Gala evening
Dinner in one of the venue’s halls, then the finale outside, as guests leave.
Reopening or anniversary of the venue
Video mapping on the renovated façade, then fireworks or drones, sometimes open to local residents.
For a symposium hosted at the venue, we step in at the opening plenary, the gala dinner and the closing session: we produce fireworks and drone light shows for symposiums.
A file prepared with the venue’s team.
Allow three to six months between the first discussion and the event. Authorisation for a fireworks display takes at least one month, and for a drone flight at least 45 days.
01
The venue’s specifications
You send us the name of the venue, the spaces booked, the programme and the number of participants.
02
Technical visit
Site visit with the venue manager: access, loading bays, ceiling height, fire detection, forecourt.
03
Choosing the effects
We select the effects the hall accepts and those that work outdoors, with the layout plan.
04
Authorisations
Declarations to the prefecture and town hall for the fireworks, a request to the DGAC for the drones, approval from the safety officer for the hall.
05
Set-up
Installation during the set-up slot set by the venue, then tests with its sound and lighting control room.
06
The day of the event
Our control desk and the venue’s follow a single running order, in contact with the organiser and the emergency services.
Authorisations, safety and venue rules.
Our pyrotechnicians hold the qualification certificate required for category F4 fireworks and theatrical pyrotechnic articles, under decree no. 2010-455 of 4 May 2010. For drones, we operate in the specific category of European Regulation 2019/947, with DGAC authorisation. Indoors, effects are decided with the venue’s safety officer, who sets what the auditorium and halls accept. We carry operational responsibility for the show.
- F4 and T2 certified pyrotechnicians
- Drones: DGAC authorisation
- ICPE-licensed storage facility
- File approved by venue security
Our control desk and the venue’s.
Celesta designs, produces and runs its shows with its own teams. On site, we work with the venue’s technicians, who know the hall and its equipment.
A shared running order
Our effects fit into the venue’s sound and lighting running order, with a trigger cue shared between the two control desks.
Our equipment and our teams
Our fireworks are prepared and stored at our ICPE-licensed depot in Aigremont, in the Yvelines.
In France and abroad
Our teams work in more than 20 countries, in Europe, the Middle East and Asia.
Façades, a stage and an inauguration.
Mapping on a town hall, flames on a stage, the inauguration of a tramway: three set-ups close to those of a convention centre.
Video mapping
A giant mapping display from Puteaux Town Hall
The façade modelled in 3D, then the mapping projected live in front of the audience gathered on the forecourt.
Special effects
Heavy Week-End Festival: Three Days of Flame Effects
Each flame jet placed on a riff or a chorus, in coordination with the control room and the emergency services.
Multimedia shows
A multimedia show for the Le Havre tramway
Lighting and video mapping, timed to the first official run of the new tram.
Preparing the show for your event.
Send us the name of the convention centre, the date and the programme. We will get back to you within 48 hours with a costed proposal and a list of points to confirm with the venue, with no obligation.
Your questions about a show in a convention centre.
Can pyrotechnic effects be used in a convention centre auditorium?
Yes, with articles designed for stage and indoor use: cold sparks, stage flames, confetti, heavy fog. The venue’s safety officer sets what the hall accepts (fire detection, distances to the audience, capacity) and we adapt the effects to that decision.
Are fireworks possible outside a city-centre convention centre?
It depends on the safety distances available on the forecourt and around it. If they are insufficient, we propose video mapping on the façade, a drone show from a nearby site authorised by the DGAC, or firing from the beach or a barge when the venue is by the water.
Do we need the convention centre’s approval?
Yes. The venue remains in charge of its spaces: we submit the list of effects, the layout plan and the set-up schedule before filing the applications with the prefecture, the town hall or the DGAC.
How much does a show in a convention centre cost?
A drone light show starts at €10,000. The cost of fireworks, indoor effects or mapping depends on the set-up and the venue: we price it after studying the venue’s technical specifications and send the proposal within 48 hours.
How far ahead should we plan?
Three to six months for a bespoke show. Authorisation takes at least one month for fireworks and at least 45 days for a drone flight: contact us as soon as the venue is booked.
Do you work for convention centres themselves?
Yes. We work for an event organiser, for the agency producing it or for the convention centre, for a reopening, an anniversary or an evening open to the public.
Can you project video mapping onto the venue’s façade?
Yes. We model the façade, create animations along its lines and project them at nightfall, on their own or as the opening of a fireworks display or drone show.
Do you work outside the Paris region?
Yes, throughout France and abroad, in more than 20 countries. Our depot in Aigremont and our presence in Normandy allow us to reach convention centres in every region.