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Crafting Corporate Events

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With $486 billion in sales and 2.3 million employees, Walmart has a bigger annual shareholders meeting than most. For more, see PLSN, Aug. 2017, page 42. Photo courtesy LEO Events

I often say that one of the best benefits of working in the lighting industry is that we get to work on a wide variety of production types. This month, I am continuing my coverage of some of these different genres of production by writing about programming for corporate events.

A corporate event could be a general session, tradeshow booth or private party, and each of these holds its own requirements as well. Specifically for this article, I will discuss the unique characteristics one must consider when programming for general session type of corporate events.

‡‡         Scale and Budget

Corporate events come in all different sizes and types. Some take place in stadiums, arenas and theaters, while many are held in ballrooms ranging from a few hundred square feet to massive halls. You may be working as a programming alongside an LD, or simply may be both the designer and programmer. In either case, it is important to keep your working hours and gear list within the budget. Many corporate events work hard to stay within the allowed range set forth by the client’s strict guidelines.

While you will be working with many production professionals on the show, there will also be clients from the company whose event you are working. These employees are generally not experienced in our production world, however they often like to think they are in charge of everything. Take them in stride and do your best to explain your position within the production. If you are simply the programmer, you can likely pass them to the appropriate person on the staff (stage manager, LD, producer).

‡‡         Building the Show

When programming a corporate event, you will typically work from a “show flow” document. The brief document describes the timeline and various elements of each session. This is generally the best place to start when determining the structure of your show file. You need to also pay particular attention to every video roll that is documented within the elements. Typically, video rolls require a dimly-lit stage so that the video is the highlight.

As soon as I receive a show flow, I will build a blank cuelist of all the elements described within. I label my cues accordingly and also notate the specific show element numbering or labeling scheme in my cuelist window. Then, as different elements are rehearsed, I can build the looks and store them into the blank cues. For portions that repeat, such as MC, video looks, walk in/out, CEO on stage, etc., I can simply copy cue data where needed. Within no time, my cuelist will take shape with fully written cues.

Most corporate event rehearsals take place out of the order of the actual show. This is because they have to schedule the various presenter rehearsals around their individual business schedules. With a pre-labeled empty cuelist, it is easy to store looks as they are rehearsed so that they can be played back in the proper order later. Just remember to always be aware of tracking so that your looks appear as desired once all the cues are built. Block cues quickly become your friend!

‡‡         Common Elements Abound

Whether you are working an event for a major corporation, a local business, or one of the thousand of MLMs, you will find certain lighting elements that are common to all events. These include, but are not limited to: Video look, podium look, audience ballyhoo, stage wash, audience lighting and band lighting. Many events will include entertainment from a band or other musical act. Some bands will travel with an LD, while others will provide no information. You need to be prepared to busk your way through all the mentioned elements and have buttons/faders ready to grab any of these looks on the fly during the event.

‡‡         Standard Procedures

When programming any show, you should make use of palettes/presets for all your focus positions as well as other important parameters. This is no different when programming a corporate event. Even if the show will only happen one time in this specific ballroom, palettes/presets are essential. Not only do they allow a quick selection method for common settings, but also they behave as a reference when things on stage change.

For instance, the podium will likely change position during rehearsals. If you use palettes/presets for a podium position focus, then you can easily update the palette/preset, and all your cues will also be updated. This is a common practice that most programmers make use of on every show. However, with corporate events, I also find it very useful to create custom color palettes/presets that align with the company’s logo and branding.

I worked on a production for Coca Cola and created many looks using their well known red and white coloring. Instead of using my standard red and white palettes/presets, I made new ones labeled “Coke Red” and “Coke White”. This way when the client came in and wanted the red to match their perfect Pantone value, I could simply adjust my custom color palette/preset, and all cues using those colors in my show where instantly correct. I also found that I had to adjust the “Coke White” so that it was represented correctly on the video screens and recordings.

It is also helpful to know the competitors branding colors and avoid those when building looks. I worked with a cosmetic company that wanted to avoid pink in the show as that was the color of their main competition. Always ensure you are not accidently promoting other companies with your color choices.

‡‡         I-Mag, You Mag, We All Mag

Ah yes, the almost 100-percent-required item for all corporate events: I-Mag. Nearly every corporate event you work on will make use of screens showing the presenters smiling faces. Furthermore, video of the show is often recorded and used for training, promotion and archival purposes. You need to treat every corporate event more like a television production than a live event.

As a programmer, you should understand lighting for the camera and ensure the picture looks nice. I always ask for a reference monitor at FOH and use this to ensure the levels and color tones look good. Again palettes/presets can be your friend for storing intensities for front and backlight as well as color temperature settings.

‡‡         FOH and YOU

There are many differences at FOH for a corporate event versus a concert tour or theatrical production. First off, you must realize the audience is usually comprised mostly of employees and stakeholders in the event. You need to think about your activities and setup, as it will be judged differently. Often, the FOH is positioned in a corner and expected to disappear from the audience. In other situations, it might be placed in the middle of the audience. Remember to always show respect for the production and keep FOH activities professional and keep the space organized.

I find that the audience tends to feel more open to interact with FOH at a corporate event than other types of shows. They may come to you with complaints about lighting in their eyes, ask for air conditioning changes, or, all too often, to plug in their cell phone. You should be courteous in all situations while also maintaining the integrity of the show. I never allow audience devices to be plugged in at FOH and sometimes even make lighting focus changes based on their complaints.

‡‡         The Bottom Line

Corporate events can be fun as they involve many different lighting opportunities such as speeches, entertainment, television lighting, busking and theatricality. In addition, the topics of each vary widely. I often enjoy listing to some of the guest and motivational speakers and even find some of the topics of corporate events fascinating. Of course, others are just long days of boring talks.

Corporate events will be around for a long time and lighting programmers will always be required to help craft the lighting looks. They each come with their own set of programming requirements, yet it is important to consider some of the common procedures that can be applied to all. Most importantly, remember that a corporate event is about the client’s message and not how well you programmed the lights.