massAV Case Studies
massAV Case Studies
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“Angel Flight North East”
Situation
Angel Flight Northeast provides free air transportation for children and adults in need of emergency life-saving medical care. The organization coordinates ground transportation and travel in private aircraft for as long and as often as treatment is required. Angel Flight puts no limit on the number of flights they will provide, all at zero-cost to the patients and their families.
In 2005, Angel Flight needed last-minute assistance for their annual fundraiser, Evening of Angels. The overall goal of Angel Flight’s annual event is to reach key donors, thank sponsors, and honor the pilots on whom the organization relies to continue delivering their invaluable service. Establishing the proper atmosphere and emotion was crucial for their event’s success. Angel Flight officials feel strongly that their once-a-year fundraiser needs to be “special”, but it needs to properly convey the organization’s mission. In other words, everything needs to be perfect.
Recommendation
Special? No problem. Perfect? Again, no problem. massAV heard them loudly and clearly and went to work designing an environment featuring dual widescreens flanking the stage, connected with a fiber-optic backdrop that mimics the evening sky. We also produced a series of customized, up-right banners, positioned around the perimeter of the ballroom, surrounding the audience with Angel Flight’s messages of hope. Barco 10,000 lumen DLP projectors, 16:9 format screens, and an EAW concert-quality sound system ensured that all messaging was delivered with clarity and impact. Space and set-up time in the ballroom was tight so we positioned the projectors on tall truss stands that blended in with the room’s décor while also hiding the projectors. A Folsom switching package gave us flexibility to handle the evening’s multiple video rolls and graphic cues. Our polished production schedule and key staging-crew positions assured that the program runs smoothly.. Discussing 2005 at the moment We helped to write and produce their script and AV presentation, created additional graphics and visuals, and, of course, provided equipment and technical expertise every step of the way.
Result
The result in 2005? Everything went so well that we have been working with Angel Flight on their annual events ever since, assisting with every aspect of their fundraisers.
Instead of stepping into the typical ballroom, guests enter an Evening of Angels “atmosphere” designed to convey the organization’s mission and inspire generosity. Our banners glow with soft spotlighting and surround the audience with Angel Flight’s messages of hope. High-resolution graphics, interwoven with sponsor logos and Angel Flight testimonials, re-emphasize the event’s purpose throughout the evening.
“Community Resources for Justice ”
Situation
Community Resources for Justice (CRJ) supports people in crisis who are in, or at risk of being in, the adult or juvenile justice systems, people transitioning out of the judicial system back to their communities and those with developmental disabilities requiring intensive support to be part of the community.
A CRJ meeting planner and consultant approached massAV looking for a quote on a large screen & projector for an early evening outdoor event. The purpose of the event was to honor three of CRJ’s Community Heroes. The event was to take place on the lawn behind the Moakley Courthouse, directly on the Boston Harbor waterfront. The theme was “Who Helped You?” Video presentations on screens outdoors are challenging under normal circumstances, but these were not normal circumstances when the challenges along the waterfront were considered, including wind, rain, significant ambient sunlight – not to mention that the set-up time was severely constricted because it is a Federal Courthouse property.
Recommendation
The goal was a highly polished summer evening outdoor event on the grass – with a well thought out back-up plan for moving the event inside. massAV collaborated with the CRJ Executive Director on the overall project design and became deeply involved in the creative development of the event. Over 40 on-site video shoots across New England and in Washington D.C. needed to be scheduled, shot and edited together into four segments, totaling over 30 minutes of video messaging. We worked closely with the CRJ to set up interviews for the video with state and national dignitaries, including the Governor, Boston Mayor Menino, Boston’s Chief of Police, and others who support CRJ.
Result
As the sun retreated behind Boston’s skyline, the music faded and the crowd grew quiet. Three enormous video screens facing the harbor lit up, projecting the face of a boy in one of CRJ’s shelter programs as he talked about who helped him. massAV implemented three 60” plasma screens as a solution to combat the bright early evening summer light. A micro line array PA system was used to create a rich sound to the spoken and video presentations. An elegant environmental design included a large truss and stage system that fit the scale of the architecture which is flanked by the gleaming glass wall of the courthouse. Large format custom-designed banners were printed on photo quality paper, a brushed Lucite lectern was tastefully lit with LED lighting instruments and appropriate theatrical lighting all served to enhance the environment and underscore the clearly-defined message of the program. Guests enjoyed picnic fare and the steel drum and percussion sounds of Pan Quest, part of the 215th Army Band of the Massachusetts National Guard.
“McCain Campaign”
Situation
In January 2007, as the US Presidential campaign was just heating up, massAV was contracted by the John McCain campaign to stage more than 80 events throughout New England, including town hall meetings and announcement events for the Presidential primaries. These events needed to be able to accommodate several thousand supporters and hundreds of media including local and national broadcasters. Most importantly, as is the nature of a national campaign in the U.S., schedules and logistics were constantly changing – and usually at the very last minute. Locations would change just hours before start time, event elements would be added five minutes before Senator McCain took the stage. The McCain campaign needed their production partner to be dexterous and to be able to make each event look as if it had been executed exactly as planned. They needed one company to execute their ever changing logistical challenges.
Recommendation
To facilitate the need to be ready at a moment’s notice, massAV equipped two trucks with all the sound and lighting equipment, staging, seating and set pieces needed to travel throughout the 5 most northern New England states. These mobile warehouses were used at a moment’s notice in all the states during a very hectic 8-month period. From small town hall gatherings of 50 people to football fields seating 5,000, these trucks and their crews never missed a beat. At times, these crews, hopped-skipped each other as Senator McCain did 5 or 6 town hall meetings a day. Each event was as successful as the last and our quick action and unsurpassed technical skills helped Senator McCain get the nod as the Republican presidential candidate.
Result
The world of politics is a challenging one – and those who make the candidates look good on a 24/7 basis are under a huge amount of pressure, to say the least. If the audience cannot hear the candidate because the sound is of poor quality or cannot see the candidate because the lighting is bad, then votes (and momentum) could be lost. Every one of the more than 80 events massAV worked on for the McCain campaign throughout New England in 2008 went off perfectly. In fact, massAV’s results got better and better as the primaries progressed, and by the time of the Presidential election, massAV had come to work seamlessly with the McCain campaign.
“MITX – Massachusetts Innovation and Technology Exchange”
14th Annual Awards Show 2009
Situation
The digital world spins at 3,000 rpms, creating opportunities that are transforming industries, economies and society as a whole. Marketers from every segment contend with the challenge in understanding how digital technologies are converging and impacting the traditional and non-traditional marketing and media landscapes and the opportunities they contain.
MITX today is the leading industry association in the country, bringing together digital technology, marketing and media professionals to preview what is next for the web and how what’s coming will impact the marketing and business worlds. With 250 plus member companies representing over 7,000 digital professionals, MITX is a dynamic and growing community of thought leaders, collaborators, and business people who want to know the latest and most important information and how it applies to them.
Producing an awards event can be challenging. For an entire evening, guests hear – “the nominees are……and the winner is….” The show can drag on if not carefully designed and stage managed. massAV was selected in 2006 to be the production partner for their 11th Annual MITX Awards event. Our challenge: to present a 90-minute show that would keep 1,000 guests engaged and entertained. Awards entrants and winners included leading agencies and digital firms who enter with their Fortune 1000 clients, such as Eli Lilly & Company, Fidelity, Genzyme, John Hancock Funds, Liberty Mutual, Nickelodeon, Partners Healthcare, Proctor & Gamble, Reebok, Sports Illustrated, Staples and Universal Studios. Clearly, this was a high-caliber audience. The show had to be perfect – and fabulous.
Recommendation
massAV suggested an integrated and dynamic scenic environment (meaning stage sets and room scenes) along with innovative, graceful and up-tempo introductions of the award winners to user generated video presentations which would work to build a spirit in the audience –a spirit of participation that challenged each member to ask themselves “What’s Next.” massAV produced a dynamic opening video, which then segued to “stings” from the live band, then to live talent entertainment and the transitions for all 30 awards categories. Throughout the creative production process, massAV stayed very involved to ensure that the flow of the evening was technically precise and exciting.
Result
The resulting 11th Annual MITX Awards Show was so successful, so filled with energy and cutting-edge video, talent, scenic, and audio-visual elements, that, as soon as the show was over, we were asked to help plan 2007. massAV provided cost-effective scenic designs and enhancements, advanced theatrical lighting techniques and concert quality line-array audio support. Again, we worked closely with MITX in 2007 to produce a successful 12th Annual MITX Awards show by introducing a “Rock Star” theme into the event. The result was an over-the-top event experience for the attendee that is still talked about today. In 2008, we did it again. The 13th Annual MITX Awards in 2008 introduced Improv Boston into the mix with a sports-oriented “Champions” theme. And, we’re already working with MITX on their 14th Awards show!
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