KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 once again brought together the international cloud native community at one of the most important tech events on the global calendar. For four days, RAI Amsterdam became the meeting point for developers, architects, technology companies and professionals working with Kubernetes and the cloud native technologies shaping modern digital infrastructure.
At an event of this scale, AV production is far more than a technical layer. It is the framework that allows every keynote, session, demonstration and live broadcast to run smoothly. The audience attending KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe expects more than world-class content. They expect precision, stability, visual quality, clear audio and a technical execution capable of supporting an intensive and highly dynamic programme.
For Novelty Spain, supporting Tantalus Productions and The Linux Foundation at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 meant taking on a project where every technical discipline, including event lighting, sound, video, systems integration, broadcast production, fibre optics, cabling, pre-production planning and real-time coordination, had to operate in perfect synchronisation.
The scale of this project was measured in metres of LED screen, kilometres of cable and hundreds of hours of pre-production. But it was also measured in trust, technical expertise, operational safety and the ability to anticipate challenges before they arise.
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 took place in Amsterdam from March 23 to 26, once again positioning itself as one of the leading international events in the technology sector. Organised by the Cloud Native Computing Foundation, the event brings together adopters and technologists from leading open source and cloud native communities.
Event overview
The relationship between Novelty Spain, Tantalus Productions and The Linux Foundation goes back several years. We have been collaborating with both organisations since 2019, strengthening the partnership with every edition of the event. Most recently, Novelty Spain served as the official AV partner for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2024 in Paris and the 2025 edition in London, where ExCeL London welcomed more than 12,000 attendees and showcased a large-scale technical AV production delivered together with Tantalus Productions.
Source: Novelty Spain
In large-scale international events, trust is not built during the installation phase alone. It is built throughout pre-production, through responsiveness to change, compliance with technical specifications and the confidence an AV partner provides to agencies, global brands, technical producers and venues that cannot afford technical improvisation..
For an event like KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026, production does not begin when the first flight case arrives at the venue. It starts months earlier during pre-production, where every technical decision should be documented, validated and aligned with the realities of the space.
RAI Amsterdam hosted a complex project involving multiple audiovisual disciplines operating simultaneously, including event lighting, sound, video, systems and broadcast production. Anticipating risks was not optional. It was essential to make sure that the installation progressed efficiently from day one.
This phase brings together detailed venue plans, 3D modelling, virtual lighting visualisations, 3D sound simulations and video testing.
Pre-production allows teams to identify potential issues before they become operational problems like:
3D design and technical simulation tools are essential for transforming a concept into a viable production.
Render Source: Novelty Spain
At KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026, pre-production included:
This process allowed teams to understand how systems would perform before physical installation began, reducing risk and enabling a more efficient delivery.
Render Source: Novelty Spain
At a tech event like KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe, technical reliability is part of the attendee experience. The audience may be focused on Kubernetes, infrastructure and cloud native innovation, but they immediately notice when a screen fails, a demo lacks clarity or audio quality drops.
That is why pre-production is not just an internal process. It is a guarantee of continuity for clients, production teams and attendees alike.
The technical AV production behind KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 required much more than a powerful setup. It demanded real-time precision, constant coordination and a delivery capable of supporting one of the most influential events in the cloud ecosystem.
Project figures;
Source: Novelty Spain
Beyond the physical deployment, the production relied on a high-performance technical infrastructure. The stage incorporated more than 50 linear metres of 2.6 mm pitch LED screens, Analog Way Aquilon RS6 video processing systems, GrandMA 3 lighting networks, L-Acoustics audio systems and a fibre-optic and data architecture designed to provide redundancy and operational stability throughout the event.
But behind every number was a technical decision. Every cable route had to reach the right destination. Every camera needed to respond instantly to the broadcast team. Every lighting fixture had to contribute to a coherent visual narrative.
In corporate events and technology conferences of this scale, success is not measured by the quantity of equipment deployed but by how well every system works together.
The 50-metre-wide central LED screen was one of the defining technical features of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026. For an audience of highly specialised professionals, the visual content had to remain clear from every point in the auditorium, support seamless live production throughout the keynotes and maintain a stage presence that matched the scale of the conference.
To achieve this, Novelty designed a video infrastructure capable of simultaneously managing large-format content, multiple video sources, multicamera production and live streaming, ensuring stable signal distribution and a consistent visual experience for both the live audience and those following the event remotely.
Video production also played a strategic role for the organising brand, helping to project a professional, cohesive image that reflected the high standards expected by an international technology community.
The video deployment at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 was one of the most technically complex elements of the entire project.
The stage design featured more than 50 linear metres of 2.6 mm pitch LED screens, comprising two 18 × 5 metre side screens and a 14 × 1.5 metre curved central banner, creating a continuous, uninterrupted visual canvas. An additional 5 × 5.5 metre LED screen was installed above the main stage to further enhance content delivery.
All content was managed through an Analog Way Aquilon RS6 system, one of the industry's most advanced video processors for live events. From this central platform, the team seamlessly integrated media servers, high-resolution PowerPoint presentations, MacBook Pro computers, multicamera feeds, real-time captioning and stage signals transmitted over fibre optics.
The broadcast workflow incorporated a multicamera system featuring Panasonic PTZ robotic cameras and Blackmagic URSA cinema cameras, connected via fibre optics and wireless transmission systems. This setup enabled comprehensive coverage of the main stage, backstage areas and accessibility services, including the live feed for the sign language interpreter.
Together, this infrastructure brought together video, live production, broadcast, streaming and content distribution into a single integrated technical ecosystem, delivering the stability and visual performance required for one of the world's leading technology conferences.
At major tech events, quality is often perceived through details that go unnoticed when everything works correctly.
A presenter’s voice reaches every seat clearly. A lighting cue enhances the stage without becoming distracting. Speaker transitions occur effortlessly.
The lighting design for KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 featured 239 lighting fixtures, integrated into a technical concept created to give the stage a strong visual presence, support the different moments of the event and maintain an aesthetic that matched the scale of the convention. The result combined technical performance with a high-impact visual stage design.
The lighting rig included:
Source: Novelty Spain
The entire lighting system was controlled through a redundant GrandMA 3 network, featuring Full Size and Light Backup consoles, multiple Processing Units, and a Luminex Gigacore network infrastructure running MANet and sACN protocols. This architecture was designed to guarantee stability, redundancy and operational reliability throughout every keynote and conference session.
For the audio system, Novelty Spain deployed an L-Acoustics setup comprising three main arrays of 12 Kara II loudspeakers, reinforced by three delay arrays of six Kara II speakers and two central SB18 subwoofer arrays for low-frequency reinforcement. The system was complemented by strategically positioned front fills and X8 monitors to ensure even coverage and exceptional speech intelligibility throughout the venue.
Front-of-house mixing was handled from a Yamaha PM5 console, while a Yamaha DM7C managed broadcast audio, live streaming, recording, backstage monitoring, simultaneous interpretation and caller communications. Shure Axient wireless microphone systems were used throughout the event, providing one of the industry's most reliable solutions for corporate events and high-profile live productions.
At a conference of this scale, lighting is not intended to compete with the content. Its purpose is to improve spatial perception, reinforce the visual hierarchy of the stage and create the ideal conditions for speakers, audiences and cameras alike. The lighting should always enhance the experience, not overpower it.
Much of the work involved in technical AV production remains invisible to attendees, yet it underpins everything happening on stage. At KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026, this unseen infrastructure consisted of more than 23.5 kilometres of cabling and over 10 kilometres of fibre-optic infrastructure.
Over the course of the four-day installation, the team deployed this extensive network to create a temporary infrastructure capable of transporting 4K video, digital audio, lighting control signals, intercom and control data with the same reliability expected from a permanent installation.
The production backbone was built around several independent networks: one dedicated to media servers, another for video processing and switching, a third for LED displays and projection systems, and an additional network supporting internet-connected devices. The entire infrastructure relied on Luminex Gigacore switches connected in a fibre-optic ring topology with multiple branch connections, providing full redundancy and operational stability.
This infrastructure was further supported by a Clear-Com Arcadia intercom system, incorporating wireless FreeSpeak beltpacks and wired HelixNet stations. Together, these systems enabled real-time communication between production management, live direction, camera operators, video engineers, audio engineers and lighting teams.
At international technology events such as KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe, this invisible layer is what enables thousands of attendees to enjoy a seamless experience while ensuring every keynote, live demonstration and broadcast runs with complete precision.
These figures demonstrate not only the scale of the project, but also the methodology behind it. Deploying infrastructure of this magnitude requires meticulous planning, clear routing strategies and complete traceability. The objective is not simply to connect equipment, but to build a temporary technical infrastructure capable of delivering the reliability and performance of a permanent installation throughout the event.
There is a side to large-scale corporate event production that attendees rarely see: the installation days, testing, fine-tuning, rehearsals, technical walkthroughs and the coordination between teams before the doors even open. At KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026, this process was just as important as the final result.
Over four installation days, the technical team transformed the venue into an audiovisual infrastructure capable of supporting the pace and complexity of a world-class international technology conference. The installation timelapse captures, in just a few minutes, the precision of a process driven by meticulous planning, technical expertise and the ability to respond quickly to every challenge.
At an event like KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe, where attendees expect the highest technical standards, the experience has to feel effortless. And that seamless experience is built long before the first keynote begins.
The partnership between Novelty Spain, Tantalus Productions and The Linux Foundation has grown stronger over time. On projects of this scale, trust is not built through a single successful edition, but through the ability to deliver the same level of technical rigour, precision and commitment year after year.
"Responsiveness across the board, planning through execution, and a skilled and professional crew that performed at the same exacting level time after time." This is highlighted by Matt O’Donnell, Director and Technical Producer at Tantalus Productions, who explains what it means to work with Novelty Spain at an event of the magnitude of KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026.
For his part, Theo Buchinskas, Content Creator at Tantalus Productions, reinforces the idea that preparation is fundamental to ensuring a technical collaboration capable of providing peace of mind, continuity, and trust in a highly demanding environment. "Working with Novelty was a straightforward process. The team provided a really comprehensive document ahead of time that broke down the screen sizes and requirements, so working to match that was really easy, being given all the proper information to begin with."
KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe 2026 demonstrates that the success of a major technology conference depends not only on the technology deployed, but on the team responsible for designing, coordinating and operating it under pressure.
In Amsterdam, our team worked alongside Tantalus Productions and The Linux Foundation to transform a highly complex technical plan into a seamless, reliable experience that matched the expectations of one of the world's largest cloud-native communities. Working with an AV partner capable of anticipating risks, coordinating multiple technical disciplines and responding in real time can make the difference between delivering a successful event and creating an experience that attendees genuinely remember.
Are you planning a conference, technology event or international gathering?
Contact Novelty and request an AV proposal to design a technical AV production solution tailored to your next major event.