Comtec Presentations

These were the early years for a lot of our engineers.

Young, keen, and thrown into an industry that doesn’t really allow for second best.

Training wasn’t formal.

It happened in the workshop.

In what was, at the time, a large ex-scout hut next to the offices.

That’s where the standards were set.

Long hours.
Learning the hard way.
Getting things wrong… and then getting them right.

And what came out of that group of people has been incredible to watch.

Three have gone on to run their own production companies.

Producing outstanding live events.

One is now Head of Production at a major broadcaster.

Another, Head of Broadcast at a leading network.

We’ve got one touring globally with artists like Harry Styles, Take That and Eagles.

And another running technical at Sphere.

Five of that original backbone are still with us today.

Leading teams.

Teaching in the Comtec Academy.

Passing it all on.

In this industry, people don’t last unless they’re talented, work hard, and keep evolving.

Every one of these guys has done exactly that.

And the shows along the way…

We’ll save those for another day.

But they’ve included:

Driving a 32-ton tipper out of a hole in the ground to reveal a contractor truck.

Hiding a commercial tractor unit behind a waterfall.

Concealing a fighter jet from an audience of 500.

And yes… even a nuclear submarine.

(It hides itself now.)

I don’t get to miss any of them.

They’re always popping up somewhere.

Still doing great work.

Respect to everyone who has trained and worked at Comtec.

We’re proud of all of you.

One of the topics that comes up regularly in the Comtec Academy is projection.

And it always raises a few eyebrows.

The younger engineers can’t quite believe where this started.

Back when we were Barco agents, we were running three-head RGB CRT projectors.

Around 650 ANSI lumens on a good day.

Getting a picture wasn’t the challenge.

Getting a perfect picture was.

Those units had convergence boards with 30 to 50 individual adjustment pots.

All manual.

All critical.

Each one controlling alignment and geometry across different areas of the screen.

The process was slow, methodical, and unforgiving.

You would spend hours, sometimes days, removing colour fringing and lining up red, green, and blue to create a clean image.

And if someone turned the lights on while you were doing it…

You started again.

At times we’d literally have a blanket over our heads to see what we were doing properly.

Different world.

Fast forward to now.

Single head laser projectors.
20,000 ANSI lumens and well beyond.
Auto screen alignment.
Lens calibration at the push of a button.

And yes, the technology is far more advanced.

But that doesn’t necessarily mean it’s simpler.

Because the real skill has always been the same.

Understanding what’s happening behind the image.

Knowing what “right” actually looks like.

And being able to step in when the automation isn’t enough.

That’s what we focus on in the Comtec Academy.

Not just how to operate equipment.

But how it works.
Why it works.
And how to fix it when it doesn’t.

Because technology will always move forward.

But experience is what makes it reliable.

Reserve Your Matchday Screen

England game coming up?
Limited availability remaining on 85” and 100” World Cup screen packages.
Ideal for pubs, clubs and staff viewing events.

Click on the link for more information
https://www.comtec-connect.com/world-cup-2026-matchday-atmosphere

Message Us

Corporate Matchday Viewing

Running a staff viewing area for the World Cup?
We provide large screens for offices, breakout areas and hospitality spaces.
Fast setup. Professional delivery.

Click on the link for more information https://www.comtec-connect.com/world-cup-2026-matchday-atmosphere

Message us for Availability

World Cup Big Screen Hire

Create a proper matchday atmosphere for the World Cup.
Large-screen packages for pubs, clubs and sports venues.
Delivered, setup and collected by Comtec.

Click on the link for more information https://www.comtec-connect.com/world-cup-2026-matchday-atmosphere

Contact us for Pricing

That's a wrap up for another year

Day two in full swing

Great 1st day
Music show by , dance show by T444z and fashion show by Roots to Radiance

Team comtec is all set up and ready for

This takes me back to when my father used to run the workshops at Comtec.

Him and Bill, two ex engineers from the Associated Electrical Industries days at Trafford Park.

My dad, Ken, Manchester born and bred.
Bill, over in Wallasey.

Between them they knew everything.

Wood shop.
Metal fabrication.
Paint bay.
Presentation builds, long before stretched fabric and LED were even a thing.

They were what the lads called the dynamic duo.

Always together.
Always thinking the same way.
Nothing got past them.

They would sit on the wall outside with a brew, pipe in hand, talking things through.

Inside, the place ran like clockwork.
And it really did.

I remember walking in one morning.

“Morning boss,” my dad says, which I will be honest, felt strange then and still would now.

Every engineer was at a bench.

Plugs everywhere.

Ceeform, Socapex, 13 amp, all stripped down.

I asked, what’s going on.

Bill just said, we are visually checking everything.

I said, but it all gets metered regularly.

My dad looked at me and said,

That’s testing. This is inspection. Different thing entirely.

This was long before formal PAT testing.

Then I noticed a pile of fuses on the floor.

Right, and this.

My dad just said,

You spend thousands on equipment,
train people for years,
build a reputation,

and leave it all hanging on a 20p fuse.

Then added,

They get tired. Replace them.

That mindset never left me.

The detail.
The discipline.
The refusal to assume anything is probably fine.

The dynamic duo shaped how Comtec runs to this day.

And I still find myself going back to those lessons more often than not.

RIP Ken and Bill.
The dynamic duo.