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“Every client has a story. It's the creative's job to bring it to life."
Marriott International was gearing up to host an exclusive three-day event for 500 of its esteemed general managers (GMs) and wanted to leave a lasting impact. Their mission? Leave the traditional conference format behind and immerse guests in an extraordinary multi-dimensional program. Enter Megan and team, ready to exceed all expectations for an unforgettable experience.
Megan Angle
- 20+ years of professional media experience
- Goes by Megan “The Mangler”
- Has three busy daughters
- Drawn to creative storytelling
- Calls family her “why”
The Challenge
To execute the customer’s vision, Megan and team needed to develop and coordinate event strategy design, the thematic and multimedia creative, complex event technology and overall staging and production — for both outdoor and indoor event spaces. The star of the show, however, would be vibrant motion graphics to keep the audience’s attention while reinforcing an engaging event theme. Cesar and Autumn, rockstars from the Encore Creative Content Studio, immediately got to work on solutions. Pulling this off would be no small feat. It required cohesion across design, lighting, projection and LED screens, collaboration with Marriott International and buy-in from clients across multiple stakeholder groups.
The Solution
After presenting their concept to the customer, Megan, Cesar and Autumn received enthusiastic approval and wasted no time in bringing the idea to life. Autumn developed a playful overarching theme, “Let’s Go,” which evolved into the daily subthemes “Go Forth,” “Go Far” and “Go Fearlessly” to reinforce the event’s central concept. To really blow attendees away, Cesar developed incredibly complex 2D and 3D motion graphics that seemingly leapt off the screens! Executing this required close collaboration and extensive testing pre-event and on-site with lighting and projection experts. The remarkable end result?
- In one session, a sailboat cruised beyond the screen’s borders, emphasizing the “Go Far” subtheme.
- In another, parachuters seemingly soared out of their frame, immersing attendees in a stunning 3D experience that embodied the “Go Fearlessly” message.
| Key Solutions Used in This Story | ||
|---|---|---|
| Creative | Production | Technology |
|
Event Strategy & Design |
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The Result
The in-house team of imaginative and dedicated creatives set the stage for an electrifying experience, flawlessly executed. The brilliant visuals, ranging from printed applications to immersive general session content, elevated the programming’s impact and kept participants buzzing with excitement long after the final session. In the customer’s own words, “The creative team at Encore challenged us to think differently than we ever have to deliver a product that our GMs had never seen before. They not only delivered but also exceeded every expectation from start to finish.”
Explore More Stories and Solutions.
From routine challenges to the moment of truth that threatens to derail your event, our people solve them
flawlessly. Explore their stories.
We See Solutions.™
“There is no problem without a solution"
For decades, Encore has helped bring the Annual InterContinental® Miami Make-A-Wish® Ball to life, making it bigger and better each year. The challenge for the 2022 festivities? Make the event more magical than ever by immersing the participants in an unforgettable experience to increase levels of excitement and inspire greater donations. With Alberto and team on the task, consider the wish granted.
Alberto Castillo
- Thousands of events
- National Ambassador for Encore
- Developed/runs local workshop for Event Managers
- Loves ATVing in the Everglades with his daughters
- Always entertaining guests at home
- Family and faith are his guiding forces
The Challenge
For the 27th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, Alberto and team were tasked with making the gala event more magical than ever in unique, immersive and memorable ways — with just three compressed setup days. The creative ask:
- Stage an engaging opening reception, including a branded publicity “step and repeat” backdrop and reception with silent auction areas.
- Create a “supernature” themed experience between the reception/silent auction areas and the grand ballroom gala event space.
- Bring to life an immersive “NY aquarium” in the grand ballroom for the main dining and open auction event.
- Delight participants with live performances and an iconic entertainer.
- Further surprise guests by executing an afterparty featuring a multi-act cabaret show and nightclub experience, requiring a major room flip in just two hours.
The Solution
Alberto and team worked closely with multiple stakeholders from the hotel, the Make-A-Wish Southern Florida chapter and their third-party designers to make the dream come true.
Solutions included:
- Sourcing people and gear from 20+ regional venues, with Encore working 24/7 shifts over three days.
- Creating a transitional experience between the opening reception/silent auction and grand ballroom that featured a mesmerizing “supernature” LED tunnel depicting the New York subways overtaken by nature.
- Producing the grand ballroom event, including a 140-foot LED wall to create a “NY aquarium” experience with coral-like décor, beautiful lighting and ambient audio that brought the underwater world to life.
- Creating an outfitted performance stage for the live auction and applause-worthy entertainment.
- Quietly flipping the prior reception/silent auction rooms into a surprise afterparty with a multi-act cabaret show and DJ while guests enjoyed the grand ballroom event.
- Perfectly planning and executing everything from staging, video and audio to complex lighting, rigging and power for an astounding start-to-finish event experience, using three highly skilled project managers across rooms and a stage manager for the big show.
| Key Solutions Used in This Story | ||
|---|---|---|
| Production | Technology | |
| Staging Services Scenic & Décor Show Management | Audiovisual Solutions LED Walls Audio Video Infrastructure Services Rigging Power | |
The Result
The inspirational event left both the customers and charity ball participants in awe. The guests were so moved by their experience that it was a history-making year with a record-setting $5.4M raised in just one night. This was more than twice as much as the previous charity ball! For the customer’s vision and charitable event goals, it was truly a larger-than-life dream come true.
Explore More Stories and Solutions.
From routine challenges to the moment of truth that threatens to derail your event, our people solve them
flawlessly. Explore their stories.
Objective
Upgrading the event design to make it hybrid required new technology and support considerations. The ask? Deliver an awe-inspiring general session, 100+ breakout sessions, engagement opportunities for the onsite and remote audiences, immersive experiences, an afterparty and more. With Encore on the job — consider it done!
Solution
- Created 100% of the custom creative content, including event themes and branding, in collaboration with the Out & Equal team.
- Served as the exclusive provider of rigging and power at the venue.
- Cast sweeping patterns of color with 76 colorful kinetic LED globe lights that changed hue throughout the experience.
- Promoted an inclusive experience by providing live closed captioning during the General Session and within 24 hours of the recorded breakout sessions.
- Audio enhancements, lighting elements and a DJ to elevate the festive afterparty.
- Other immersive solutions included: four custom ultra-wide projection screens in the general session, flanked by three scenic arches, along with projection mapping and a large LED curtain, reinforcing content.
- Dedicated team provided 24/7 support to ensure each aspect of the experience was transformative.
Outcome
“Our partnership with Encore has really enabled everything we saw at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, in person and online, to happen, from the fabulous and beautiful aesthetics to the way we’re able to showcase the really critical voices in this LGBTQ+ inclusion movement … We couldn’t have better partners than Encore! Highly recommend them for any event you’re doing. They’ve really made the show that we have today the best show that we could possibly make and ensure that those really critical messages are heard, in this room, in our online community, and far far beyond so I can’t thank them enough.”
We See Solutions.™
“We are here to support
the client and earn
their trust”
With a customer’s most important dinner of the year coming up, they wanted to ensure the event would be memorable. Their vision? Elevate a traditional dining experience into a festive year-end celebration gala, integrating storytelling, gastronomic, visual and acoustic elements to wow their important guests.
Enter Miguel and team, ready to help deliver a multi-sensory experience set to impress.
Miguel Sanchez
- 18 yrs. of experience
- 1,000+ events and counting
- Loves spending time with his 6-year old son
- Loves playing billiards and video games
- Active gym-goer
The Challenge
Develop the idea that the client envisioned to create a whole experience and not just serve a traditional dinner. Part of the challenge was to achieve synchrony at the time of the service for the 380 guests, thus merging gastronomy with technology, in addition to matching the size of the venue with the hanging points and the space between each table.
The Solution
With the technical experience of Miguel and his team, it was possible to have the same signal that would simultaneously reproduce the content at the 38 tables and individually for the 380 diners.
With professionalism, it was possible to maintain excellent communication, successfully coordinating all those involved (venue, business partners and our production staff),
By capturing the different elements in a layout, it was possible to adapt the technical needs to the infrastructure and hanging points of the venue.
| Key Solutions Used in This Story | ||
|---|---|---|
| Creative | Production | Technology |
| Event Strategy & Design | Audiovisual Solutions | |
The Result
Thanks to Miguel and team’s technical expertise, collaboration with all parties and innovative mindsets, the gala was a memorable celebration for all attendees. Due to the team’s collaboration and dedication to each detail, the more than 380 guests experienced a truly unique gourmet dinner adventure. The attendees left impressed by the year-end festivities, and the customer was equally pleased, delighted at how Encore had helped plan, synchronize and transform their critical event into a unique sensory experience.
Explore More Stories and Solutions.
From routine challenges to the moment of truth that threatens to derail your event, our people solve them
flawlessly. Explore their stories.
We See Solutions.™
“Our team can
accomplish amazing
things together”
Our team was tasked with creating five events for a Papal visit in five locations over three days for more than 200,000 people – with just 45 days to prepare. Enter Chris Baker and team.
Chris Baker
- 16+ yrs. of experience
- Thousands of events
- Married with a rescue dog
- Disaster relief volunteer
- World traveler
- Adrenaline junkie
The Challenge
The request came from the Canadian Catholic Council of Bishops for Encore to help produce the Pope’s visit to Canada. Our team was tasked with creating five events in five locations over three days for more than 200,000 people – with just 45 days to prepare. The Solution
The challenges and requirements for each event location were completely unique. Enter Chris and team. Using Encore’s extensive resources available across Canada and North America, the team designed a plan including hundreds of people, individual crews for each site, lots of infrastructure, tons of gear, large LED walls with delayed audio, plus an eight-hour cargo flight across country to Baffin Island, the last stop. The Result
While the challenges had short turns and were immense, the people of Encore saw solutions, and enabled the Pope to present his message to more than 200,000 people in five different locations. In short, it was a miraculous success.
Explore More Stories and Solutions.
From routine challenges to the moment of truth that threatens to derail your event, our people solve them
flawlessly. Explore their stories.
- The pandemic forced the meeting and event industry to hit the pause button. In that pause, the industry was given the opportunity to rethink how things are conventionally done to see how we might improve. Why is that necessary? Let’s see where conventional thinking has gotten us: The average event participant contributes almost a quarter of a metric ton of CO2 emissions per day at a conference.
- 70 percent of event speakers worldwide are men.
- 58 percent of managers say they must reinvent their organization to survive, yet 75 percent of transformation efforts fail to deliver.
- Attention spans — thanks to mobile devices — are only eight seconds long, yet conference programs are still filled with hour-long lectures.
Clearly, it’s time to break free of industry norms so we can overcome these challenges. How can meeting and event professionals find solutions to these challenges? Design thinking.
“Design thinking is one of the most powerful ways that event professionals can approach their events,” said Anthony Vade, Encore event experience strategy director. “It allows us to navigate the complexities that exist in our stakeholder relationships to find the most elegant solution to create the change that events need to create.”
To generate awareness, conversations and potential solutions, Encore partnered with IMEX America to create an immersive BREAK FREE booth on the IMEX America show floor.
What we were trying to achieve
Goals for this journey of transformation were to:
- Encourage the industry to challenge the status quo.
- Show participants that they can break free from whatever is holding them back.
- Spotlight the themes of connection, inspiration and collaboration.
- Connect participants with the Encore team and get them talking about topics that impact organizations, local communities and the world.
Our approach
- The Encore Strategy team used tools to unlock empathy and analyze stakeholder needs.
- Once stakeholder needs were defined, the experience designed focused on how to fulfill them by making design choices that would elicit human emotion, drive interaction and spark meaningful conversation while delivering on IMEX partnership goals.
- The Encore Creative team conceived, designed, wrote and produced the content, including a video in the second room, which was displayed on a 12-ft. high, 180-degree LED screen.
- The Encore Sales Engineering and Application Development teams collaborated to customize its Chime Live Engagement Platform to create engagement opportunities and collect data for the Sales and Marketing teams. The platform was used to drive engagement from poling attendees to create real-time word clouds to providing attendees the opportunity to visualize IR-generated content, Encore’s Chime Live platform was the experience platform glue. Click below to read the BREAK FREE Survey Results below.
To align with IMEX America’s zero-waste event initiative, the Encore team made conscious decisions to reduce waste within the booth space:
- Using reusable printed items
- Replacing traditionally printed items with projected or digital content
- Using reusable pipe and drape rather than carpet or built walls
- Using water bubblers instead of water bottles
- Refraining from giving away SWAG items
- Serving bar drinks from recycled and alternative materials
Outcomes
“The experience for me was really about a conversation and how we break free from the surface-level conversations and get a lot deeper,” said Ashley Lawson, vice president of business partnerships, Achieve Incentives & Meetings. “We have the power to make changes and going through this experience, this exhibit, we can break through the surface-level conversations of sustainability, DE&I, and get a heck of a lot deeper to talk about the actions that we can take to actually make change.”
Industry influencer Julius Solaris shared in his social recap of BREAK FREE at IMEX America: “Go big or go home. Without a shadow of a doubt, the exhibit game’s absolute winner was Encore with its BREAK FREE activation. A monumental experiential journey. It could have been less brainy at times with the six QR codes to scan, but it doesn’t matter. Showing up with this level of bravery matters. I see you there thinking: ‘But they must have spent millions!’ Some booths may have spent even more than them but aligning the presence with the message is everything.”
Other results:
- More than 900 people experienced the Break Free activation at IMEX America.
- Nine media outlets, including MPI, Skift, Smart Meetings and Meetings Today, provided media coverage of the booth during IMEX America.
- Encore reached all eight of its top-tier trade targets, including all major industry media, which will provide coverage on Encore and its innovative end-to-end event solutions through Q1 2023.
- To deepen the connection between the BREAK FREE experience and industry customers, Encore is releasing a Break Free from Conventional Thinking guidebook with chapters being released in November and December 2022.
- Encore successfully delivered the message to venue partners and meeting and event participants that it is an important industry partner that can provide end-to-end solutions, deliver transformative experiences and help industry professionals manage rising costs with its innovative solutions.
Encore’s Break Free ’22 Video Highlights:
Continuing the conversation
Encore does more than start conversations. It also cares about walking the talk. One example is around sustainability and how Encore is deepening its commitment beyond offering sustainable options for event technology.
Company-wide, Encore is finalizing our 2021 Global GHG emission footprint so it has a baseline to put goals around, including ones that involve our in-property inventory and operations. Looking ahead to 2023, Encore will put its first electric vehicle (EV) trucks on our fleet and install a solar farm at our largest U.S. facility in Washington, D.C. to offset power consumption for that location and return excess energy to the grid.
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!
Click image below to enlarge:
Challenge
Phillips 66 was looking for a partner for their Marketing Conference that could elevate their general session production, expo floor, and gala event. They wanted an event partner that could match their level of progress and innovation. The event needed to educate, celebrate, and engage their customers in a way that felt fully immersive and true to their brand.
Solution
Leading with strategy, Encore and Hargrove worked together to create a total end-to-end solution for the Power Ahead conference. The creative, design, production, expo, and gala all tied together to create an innovative, transformative experience with comprehensive Phillips 66 branding.
The expo floor had a modern look with hard wall structures fabricated by Hargrove that were branded for each exhibitor. The floor plan layout was based on the Power Ahead arrow design that allowed for the C-Store of the Future and Power Theater to be central focal points.
The thematic design was inspired by the colors of each of the Phillips 66 brands. A custom-built stage, decorative elements, signage, lighting, and graphics were all used to create a comprehensive look through the entire event space. All elements tied together to create a fully immersive and engaging event experience
Results
The Phillips 66, Encore, and Hargrove teams developed a strong partnership that led to an incredible event for over 1,200 customers. Education and hands-on learning were the focus of the daytime schedule, and the evenings were dedicated to celebrating and honoring their customers’ hard work. Highlights included a engaging learning sessions, inspiring keynotes, and energizing celebrations and entertainment.
Phillips 66 team members and attendees raved about how “this was the most amazing show we’ve ever seen!”
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!
A Signature Hybrid Event
Encore partnered with PCMA to produce Convening Leaders 22, a signature annual conference for association professionals who produce large-scale events. For PCMA’s in-person experience, the Encore Production team designed all the sets and spaces – from the mainstage and concurrent session rooms to the Promenade area, which served as a central gathering spot for networking, sales conversations, education, and communal meals. They also constructed a broadcast studio PCMA could use to pre-record content and stream live interviews to the remote viewing audience.
The Encore Creative team designed the presentation graphics, lower thirds, and branding for PCMA’s live and broadcast content. In addition to providing technical and production support for the in-room experience, the Encore Technology team filmed, mixed and broadcast content from the conference to PCMA’s streaming partner. Encore also brought in a couple of its specialty divisions – Hargrove from Encore and CSI – to augment different elements of the 360-degree experience they created.
Objectives
PCMA likes to raise the bar on what they present every year. After all, producing events for event professionals isn’t easy. Adding to the complexity is the fact this is the first year Encore partnered with PCMA to produce this event. And the timeline was condensed. Encore had four rather than eleven months to shake things up and do things differently.
Other objectives:
- Create a feeling of intimacy and connection between the audience and the speakers/entertainers
- Facilitate authentic and profitable connections between sponsors and event participants
- Design an open-air space that could facilitate conversations as well as sponsor activations, meals and educational stages
Solutions
To bring the audience closer to the presenters and entertainers, Encore designed a central mainstage with a low runway that allowed the talent to “walk into” the audience. Encore also built a side stage for PCMA to utilize for entertainment and more traditional announcements. This side stage ended up providing a dynamic solution to a last-minute challenge. A week before load-in, the Wednesday keynote notified PCMA that they could not travel and could only present virtually. Not content with “zooming in” such an important person, Encore installed technology and lighting on the side stage that allowed the speaker to present as a hologram. And the stage’s position allowed the Encore team to “hide” the set up until the big reveal.
Encore strategically designed its display technology to up the excitement factor as participants walked into the mainstage space by placing LED welcome columns in a triangular formation. This not only provided branding opportunities, but it also funneled traffic around central camera positions, creating a more appealing entranceway. Some of the unique audiovisual features included digital scenic elements constructed of curved LED lights, a mixture of traditional (16:9) and nontraditional aspect ratios (3:1), LED strip lights, and concert-quality audio.
One of the biggest design challenges Encore faced was how to accommodate concurrent communal meals, sponsor activations and educational stages in the massive Promenade area. The primary issue would be noise that could negatively impact the quality of sponsor activations, casual networking opportunities and learner engagement. Encore solved this problem by providing headsets. These headsets allowed Encore to mic speakers but transmit the audio directly to wireless headsets. That eliminated any sound bleed over from the stages in the space. The headsets also filtered out ambient noise from hallway conversations. It was an elegant way to allow participants to decide if they wanted to network with others over a meal, interview potential vendors, catch up with friends, or attend an educational session – all within the same open-air space.
Among the sponsor activations in the Promenade was an Encore booth. It was the first major opportunity for Encore to introduce event professionals to its new brand identity and expanded capabilities. The Encore Creative department designed the booth and collaborated with Hargrove to build and execute it. A dynamic exterior design lured participants inside, where they discovered interactive displays and a comfortable environment in which they could connect and refresh while learning about Encore’s end-to-end event solutions.
Results
PCMA Convening Leaders 22 attracted more than 2,500 event professionals from around the world. After witnessing the opening session with Paula Abdul, the silent stage set-up, the digital presentation graphics, and dynamic Encore activation, participants kept asking, “Did Encore really do all of that?”
The partnership provided a fantastic opportunity for Encore and its Hargrove and CSI divisions to showcase the diversity of the creative, production, and technology services it offers to an audience that’s hard to surprise. A behind-the-scenes element powered by Encore backstage tours ensured PCMA Digital Event Strategists were able to augment their training with hands-on examples.
Overall, the experience deepened Encore and PCMA’s commitment to expand on the promise of partnership for future events.
Encore PCMA ’22 Video Highlights:
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
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Gala Opening Celebration
Thematic Content and Venue Capabilities
Objectives
The stars aligned for a gala grand opening celebration at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas. The VIP event introduced existing and prospective customers to the newly opened convention center.
Encore’s Creative Content team was engaged to develop ideas and designs that would bring the CE Groups’ vision of “Fire, Wind, Ice, and Earth” to fruition.
Line of business: Venue and CVB We Delivered: Full Production Services
Solutions
Fire
The event began with a red carpet arrival featuring fire dancers and LED and intelligent lighting to bathe the entrance in red and deep amber fire hues.
Wind
Upon entering the main lobby of the center, the guests were introduced to the “Wind” portion of the journey. A violinist played as ribbon dancers performed on the stairway. Above Exhibit Hall 3, a 180’ x 15’ metal mesh screen is installed in front of a white wall. Internal LEDs normally light this mesh “chain mail” installation, but Encore projection-mapped onto it. Intelligent lighting provided color and patterns throughout the atrium walls, floor, and ceiling and provided special illumination for the performers.
Ice
On cue, the audience was invited to the next leg of the journey, “Ice.” A “wagon wheel” truss structure flown in the center of the room created a focal point for the Ice experience. An Ice Flo set from the San Antonio Encore branch office was mapped with custom “Ice” themed video images, while another stack of projectors projected additional Icy vistas above the DJ stage on the entrance wall.
Earth
Guests continued to the next leg of their journey up to the third floor Stars at Night Ballroom. Earth Harp provided a special musical experience using a custom harp with strings that stretched 125’ out and over the audience.
Results
This event was a true collaboration and partnership between Encore, the San Antonio CVB, the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, CE Group, RK Group, and others.
Guests were entertained at every turn with Encore’s Creative and Production teams incorporating focal points to enhance the structural and technological features within the newly renovated Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center.
Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.
Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!
Meetings and Conferences
Event Strategy and Design, Creative Content, Staging, Scenic, Breakouts
Objectives
Out & Equal Workplace Advocates held a high-profile, celebrity-packed summit for more than 4,000 attendees. Their goal for the event was to elevate it into an experience that incorporated aspects of Philadelphia (the host city) – particularly the messages of love and inclusion, synonymous with their brand message.
The three-day event included over 90 workshops, panels, roundtables, networking mixers, receptions, and plenaries.
Line of business: Association We Delivered: Full Production Services
Solutions
We won this bid, in part, due to having all the resource needs in one team – event strategy and design, thematic content, video production, show management, talent booking, full staging services, breakout sessions, as well as support for off-site events.
Encore designed a custom stage and replica of the famous LOVE statue by Robert Indiana as an homage to the host city. Our creative content teams also created event branding, animations, videos, motion graphics, speaker bumpers, logos, backgrounds, as well as an onsite highlights video.
Multiple functional and AV-supported areas were staged across the convention center. Our Production teams booked all entertainment and talent, and Digital Services handled video conferencing from two separate locations. They also developed an event mobile app and provided handheld devices for attendees.
Results
The Encore team handled every production aspect of the Out and Equal annual meeting. As a result, Out and Equal Workplace Advocates did not have to work with any other vendors during the planning and execution processes.
Out and Equal‘s attendees shared that they felt connected with both the brand and host city during their conference experience. Because of this event’s success, the Encore team went on to handle the subsequent years‘ conference as well.
