Montreal’s PixMob lights up the Olympics as it marks 20 years in business

PixMob is marking its 20th anniversary by helping bring some magic to the opening of the Winter Olympics.

Montreal-based lighting company PixMob is marking its 20th anniversary this week by helping illuminate one of the world’s biggest stages — the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games.

The Milano–Cortina Games mark PixMob’s third Olympics, a milestone for a company built on a simple idea that began two decades ago: make the crowd part of the show.

After two decades of designing and delivering lighting effects for major events, vice-president of product development Charles Troung says PixMob’s flashing, wearable technology is synchronized to the music or theme of the event, allowing audiences to become an active part of the performance.

“We have badges that turn into a camera or that turns into a football, for example. So there’s a lot of things that we can do for our clients,” he said.

Today, PixMob supports roughly 50 events a week, including halftime shows and large-scale concert tours. But Troung says the company’s path to success wasn’t linear.

Just as PixMob was gaining momentum, the COVID-19 pandemic brought live entertainment to a halt in 2020. With shows cancelled worldwide, the company redirected its technology for contact tracing and to help protect essential service workers.

“Pivoting our technology and our brains by applying it to something that would be useful for the business and the population during these hard times,” Troung explained.

With live events fully returned, PixMob recently completed its third Olympic Games, following work at the Sochi and Paris Olympics. The company helped light up the opening ceremony for the Milano–Cortina Games on Friday.

PixMob vice-president of marketing Pauline Rosen demonstrated the technology used at the Games, holding up a plastic bracelet fitted with a battery and lights.

“This is the X4 which is a 4-LED product used at Milano with 65,000 people wearing it and creating those beautiful lighting effects that we’ve seen.”

With a theme of togetherness, the PixMob team created another ephemeral art installation, “with lots of bright colours, lots of waves really supporting the creative of the show,” said Rosen

While PixMob’s productions have grown exponentially in size, the company says the focus remains the same: creating a sense of connection for the audience.

“We take the energy in a room and we amplify it!” Rosen said.

“We’re expanding the show onto the crowd and making the people part of it,” Troung added.