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Launched with a stunning opening ceremony of sound and light, for one night only the Olympics came to Suffolk!

Fifteen county businesses went for gold as they competed in the 2011 Olympics – or rather the Wii Olympics – on Thursday, March 17.  Hosted by AV Unit, the leading audio visual company in the East of England, and Milsoms at Kesgrave Hall, Ipswich, the event was designed to bring local companies together for a fun evening.

AV Unit managing director Adam Clark said:  “We have traditionally held a fun evening of entertainment for local businesses at this time of year but for 2011 we thought we would raise the competitive stakes.

“With the proximity of the real Games next year, we decided to have an Olympic theme and, co-hosting with Milsoms, were able to organise the first Suffolk Wii Olympics.”

The Opening Ceremony included a rousing speech delivered by Mr Clark, with just a hint of parody, encouraging all athletes to give of their best, in line with the true Olympic spirit.

Garth Wray, general manager of Milsoms' Kesgrave Hall, carried an iPad simulating the torch into the hall and lit the digital Olympic Flame to start the games.

Teams of six competitors took part in 11 sports, ranging from swimming and archery to track and field events.  Using Wii games controllers, individuals competed at six separate Wii consoles using large plasma screens with the support of their team members and the presence of a live video camera to record the action.

Competition was keen throughout the evening with BBC Look East Sports Presenter Shaun Peel giving regular updates of the points table.

White-Space Design eventually overcame a strong late challenge from Archant to claim gold by one point.  Third place went to Kyrene Marketing after another close battle and a final count back of event victories.

Neil Prentice, managing director of White-Space Design, commented on his company’s victory:  “Although I was drafted in to represent the Suffolk Institute of Directors’ team, I am naturally delighted with our win.  It was a fantastic fun evening, exceptionally well organised with great food representing a range of nations.  The AV Unit staff officiating each of the events were very professional and blessed with considerable patience when dealing with competitors who had not taken their training as seriously as others!”

The event was held in The Hangar at Kesgrave Hall, a new venue for events and meetings. Ipswich-based AV Unit installed the complex audio visual and lighting set-up required to produce the live evening event and Milsoms delivered an array of fine food from around the world.