Backstage: Conference 2.0
The Women's Conference 2008 produced by Jupiter productions and Meda Vision Arts
Published in December 2008 backstage | event design | production | Departments
The Women’s Conference 2008, held at the Long Beach (Calif.) Convention Center, hosted over 14,000 attendees. An estimated 1 million viewers also witnessed the event through a live webcast. Executive producer Carl Bendix, Jupiter Productions/Ambrosia, in conjunction with David Corwin, president of Mega Vision Arts, met and exceeded the challenge of HD production of a televised event.
The team utilized seven cameras and a live webcast, as well as live performance, for the record-breaking audience. The more than 70 high-profile speakers — including Condoleezza Rice, Warren Buffet, Madeleine Albright, Bono and Jennifer Lopez — also required flexible staging to accommodate the complex components.
1 The stage needed to accommodate access from three entrances, a speaker podium, center-stage informal “conversations,” awards presentations and a concert reveal performance by Bonnie Raitt.
2 Bendix incorporated three main video screens on the stage. The video design allowed the screens to be used for multiple purposes: branding, messaging, speaker support, playback of video packages and IMAG.
3 A 30-foot-high by 60-foot-wide proscenium projection eye was employed for branding, thematic and masking purposes. Two PIGI projectors were blended together to create the images. Bendix and Corwin collaborated with conference producers and the production team to develop looks that changed throughout the day and supported the program.
4 The floor of the Long Beach Convention Center was first set with rounds to accommodate attendees who paid a higher ticket price. After the lunch sessions, the room was changed over to theater style for awards and the musical performance.
5 The pre-existing scoreboard was covered in black Duvetyne with projection screens added on all four sides to allow better viewing for attendees in the upper tiers of the convention center.