Behind the LED Stage Design of UMK2026

Overview

It would be fair to say that Eurovision is pop culture’s equivalent of the Winter Olympics. For Finland, this year’s national selection competition, UMK2026, certainly made that clear. Held at the country’s biggest indoor entertainment venue, the Nokia Arena in Tampere, the YLE broadcast broke records, with an astounding 2.5 million viewers watching the final.

A fast-paced live broadcast of this magnitude needed a stage that could rise to the occasion, supporting an ambitious artistic vision, an immersive audience experience and the technical rigours of the show all at once.

After successfully securing YLE’s technical tender, Akun Tehdas Oy looked to INFiLED for LED solutions that could support the show’s scale, speed and spectacle, supported by Ari Levelä from MOBB Helsinki Oy, who created the stunning visual content.

The result was a visually striking and technically precise production, worthy of Finland’s biggest music event. It featured a 21 x 7 metre upstage screen built from the ARmk2 Series (3.9mm pixel pitch), alongside a three-sided overhead cube created from the AMT Series (8.3mm pixel pitch) that was lowered onto the stage surface between performances, adding movement and theatrical impact to the show.

Partnership

A project as momentous as UMK2026 relied on more than equipment alone. It required a partnership born from trust, coordination and the ability to respond quickly under pressure.

Akun Tehdas, a local AV production and event technology company, served as the brains and brawn behind the technical implementation, spearheaded by Head of Video, Pasi Ristolainen.

Supporting that delivery, INFiLED provided premium LED solutions that enabled the production to meet the visual, operational and broadcast demands of the show, with products chosen to bring both creative flexibility and dependable performance to the stage.

Complementing the technical setup, Ari Levelä of MOBB Helsinki Oy created the visual content, one that helped define the atmosphere and visible language of UMK2026, ensuring the screen output felt as outstanding on camera as it did in the arena.

Challenges

Enormous productions, such as UMK2026, place heavy demands on both staging and screen technology. With a high cabinet count, a fast turnaround and a live broadcast environment where every element had to perform flawlessly on cue, the project called for LED solutions that could be installed quickly, aligned precisely, and maintained efficiently under pressure.

The upstage screen needed to deliver strong visual consistency on camera while remaining practical to transport, handle and assemble at scale. At the same time, the three-sided overhead cube introduced a more complex challenge.

“It was a little more complicated because of all the moving decorative elements and lights that were hung inside the cube. Things were moving up and down during the show and there were only a few centimeters between moving items. Everything had to be precise – there was no room for error,” says Pasi Ristolainen.

Timing added further pressure. Pasi says the 180 AMT Series panels arrived in port just 48 hours before installation, compressing an already demanding schedule. In a production of this size, that left little space for any delay during setup and alignment.

The Solution

At the centre of UMK2026’s visual setup were two large-format LED elements designed to deliver both creative impact and technical reliability. These were:

1. 1. A 21×7 metre upstage screen built from 294 INFiLED ARmk2 panels with a 3.9mm pixel pitch
   2. A three-sided overhead cube (front: 12x6m, sides: 9x6m) that moved up and down during the show, made from 180 INFiLED AMT Series panels with an 8.3mm pixel pitch

For the upstage screen, Pasi was impressed by both INFiLED product series, particularly in how they delivered the combination of visual performance and practicality that a live broadcast environment requires.

“The ARmk2 and AMT panels gave us great image quality and colour reproduction. The black face made the image really pop,” Pasi explains. “The only challenge was the tight schedule. But since the installation was easy, this did not cause any problems.”

He points specifically to the ARmk2’s dolly-based transportation, which supports safe, efficient movement and setup, as well as magnets that help simplify installation.

“The AMT Series was new to us, and we were amazed by its locking mechanism and how simple and easy it was to use. It’s effortless and everything just worked!” Pasi exclaims.

For the stage cube, the production relied on the 8.3mm mesh from the AMT Series for its touring-ready flexibility and 70% transparency. The transparency became one of the production’s most creative tools, morphing into an active scenic element that changed how the show could be filmed and experienced.

“By lowering the screen cube onto the stage surface during the show, the cameras were able to shoot outwards from the inside cube,” Pasi says.

This created an arresting visual effect that gave the broadcast a greater sense of immersion, turning the cube into more than a display surface. It became a framing device, a scenic feature and a camera tool all at once.

For Pasi, the success of that setup also came down to the team behind it. “The real heroes were our technicians on site, whose expertise and experience made the event a success,” he says.

The Result

The finished stage design delivered exactly what UMK2026 required: a clean, high-impact visual system that worked as hard technically as it did creatively. The upstage ARmk2 screen provided scale, clarity and punch, while the AMT cube added a dynamic visual layer that could transform between performances and create unique camera moments from within the structure itself.

When it came to feedback from the broadcast network and audiences, Pasi enthusiastically says, “Everyone was really pleased.” He also expresses appreciation for the relationship Akun Tehdas has developed with INFiLED over the past few years.

“Whenever I have a question, I get an answer right away. My contact, Nicole, in particular has shown exemplary professionalism and genuine care,” he shares. “All of our interactions with INFiLED give us the feeling that they care about the customer, no matter how big or small you are. It’s great to see how professionally, yet humanly, things are handled.”

Support with your next project

UMK2026 is a powerful example of what can be achieved when the right products are chosen, not just for their specifications, but for how they serve the show. The result is a production where visual storytelling, technical precision and live performance work in sync, creating a broadcast spectacular viewed by a record-breaking audience.

If you’re ready to turn your creative vision into a broadcast-ready reality, feel free to get in touch with our INFiLED team and explore the wide suite of LED solutions we have.