Nuno Ferreira: “The passion for the field has always prevailed”

Nuno Ferreira: “The passion for the field has always prevailed”

In 1999, Nuno Ferreira was attending higher education and, even at that time, he occasionally started to accompany a childhood friend who was already working in the sector.

"At first, it was just a help, but quickly the more technical aspect became predominant. The travels, the companionship, the possibility of getting to know places inaccessible to the reality of the time, all these factors led to a quick enchantment with the technical production of events," says the Business Unit Manager of RXF.

Nuno Ferreira has over 20 years of experience in this field and has found different motivations at different stages. "Obviously, at first, my motivation was the differentiated technical challenge in the typology of events. Later on, my motivation focused on the versatility of functions, trying to coordinate and harmonize my technical abilities. Nowadays, the main focus is to work towards having the structure absolutely optimized, dividing the focus between clients and team operationalization", he explains.

What he likes most about this activity is "the possibility we have to see a certain idea materialized in a relatively short period of time and the impact that this same idea, associated with the performance of a technical team, has on clients and the audience". But inherent in everyone in this sector of activity are "the needs for resilience and a lot of dedication in terms of time" and that hourly demand occasionally made him think... "However, the passion for the field always ended up prevailing. Considering it as a characteristic, and not a defect, makes everything simpler."

Nuno Ferreira also adds, "despite the immense struggles and effort that we all make to better showcase what our area of activity actually entails, I still don't like the stigma that often falls on us: 'the audiovisual guys who go set up the equipment'...The resilience of our sector during the Covid era was the best reflection of this, as there is little sensitivity to the general perception of our real role in society."

A collection of memories

Twenty years of activity add up to countless events in Nuno Ferreira's resume, and many of them have left a mark on his life and memory, each with different characteristics. The Business Unit Manager of RXF highlights "the first productions in emblematic spaces such as Altice Arena, Coliseum or Casa da Música, and how it reflected personal fulfillment and team dynamics."

But there are more memorable events. "I also remember the '60 Years of RTP', for the technical challenge and media exposure at the time. More recently, this sense of accomplishment has happened several times...Adaptations of events that we had been doing for decades, reinventing them and transporting them to digital aspects with excellent recognition and congratulations from clients. It makes us feel that, despite the difficulties, our actions and reactions were extremely valid and allowed us to maintain the vitality that has always characterized us," he emphasizes.

Another memory that stands out dates back to 2017 and a "crazy week," during which "between larger and smaller requests, we had almost 100 events." Nuno Ferreira emphasizes that this "was a logistical challenge that gave us tremendous pleasure" and that "it is these moments of overcoming that prepare us for even greater challenges with even more solid steps."

In the events industry, there are unexpected events, things that don't always go well or as planned. "Being based on a technical aspect and, consequently, the performance of equipment, certainly all of us have gone through some tense situations," he begins, when asked to recount an episode. "Fortunately, there were few cases where there was a visible problem, but I remember having to ask the client to remove the audience from the room so that we could intervene accordingly and continue with the event. The technical production's fate, where problems, if they occur, only manifest themselves after successful rehearsals..." Nuno Ferreira explains.

And to close, in the chapter of hilarious moments, the Business Unit Manager of RXF recalls that there are so many that "they would be enough to write a collection of memories." Several episodes would be included, "from tearing the pants of the suit before the start of the event and having to assume a colleague's coat who is almost two meters tall... It had sleeves almost to the knees." Or "a funny exchange of support rooms, which led our entire technical team involved in a rehearsal of an awards gala to have dinner with the menu designed for the artists," Nuno Ferreira recalls.

Published by: Event Point