South Kirkby's on tour with star Sam Smith

The Thrill of It All: The set was designed, engineered and built at Production Park, South Kirkby

Brilliant Stages, based at Production Park in South Kirkby, were approached to bring Smith’s vision to life through a complex combination of automation and engineering. They worked alongside Smith and his team to create the spectacle.

Smith’s second international tour, The Thrill of It All, opened in Sheffield in March and arrived in the US earlier this week.The impressive set includes a 50ft wide flower which transforms into a spiral staircase.

Director Ben Brooks said: “At first glance it seemed to be a fairly simple set piece but in fact it was quite a feat of engineering with multiple challenges.

“Sam and his design team wanted a very complex set with numerous costume and scene changes that had to remain invisible. We achieved this by creating an underworld of complex technology and props.

“We even had a section underneath for Sam to travel to different areas of the stage nicknamed the Sam Sled which also helped with his quick wardrobe changes.

The set will accompany the singer throughout his second international tour, with dates across Europe, America, Asia and Australia.

With more than 30 years in the industry, Brilliant Stages has provided sets for the Rolling Stones, Take That, Arctic Monkeys and BBC Radio One’s Big Weekend. They provide complex set designs for live events and cruises across the world.

The company is based at Production Park, which has become a hub for the live events industry. It is home to more than 20 live events businesses, including sound, lighting, logistics, creative manufacturing and makeup.

Production Park is on its way to earning Higher Education accreditation, which would make it the first live events University in the world. It currently attracts 200 students a year.