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THE BIGGEST CHALLENGES MAKE THE BEST STORIES
February 10, 2011
Looking back, this has to be one of our favorite events of all time, and certainly, one of the best we have ever collaborated on. The party was in November, 2007, a bat mitzvah for 500 guests at the Philadelphia Cruise Terminal. The 40,000 square foot “Terminal” as it’s called amongst those who’ve worked there and lived to talk about it, is one of the most challenging locations to work in for its sheer massive footprint. A historic manufacturing building dating back to 1880, the Terminal has seen some incredible parties in recent years. This was the second mitzvah celebration we had the pleasure of working on for the same family, with the same guest list and in the same venue. Needless to say, the pressure to make this particular event a completely unique experience was INTENSE.
SUSPENSION OF 10,000 LB ICE CHANDELIER
There were two major highlights to this fantastic party that Eventions had a major hand in producing. The first was the suspension of a 25 foot tall chandelier made entirely out of ice and weighing almost 10,000 pounds. Created by Fear No Ice, the magnificent chandelier posed a few obvious logistical challenges, such as:
• How on earth do you hang a 10,000 pound chandelier one half hour before the first guest arrives?
• Will the circa 1880 ceiling support that kind of weight?
• How do you test the concept with it arriving onsite only 30 minutes before the party?
• What will happen to all the water as it melts?
The biggest challenge our rigging staff encountered was the fact that the ceiling of the Cruise Terminal is made of 120 year-old iron and teak wood. The iron work was forged 30 years before the Titanic sunk and we all know how well that went! Structural engineers determined that we could only attach to the iron structure with a maximum load of 300 pounds per attachment point. To meet those requirements, our rigging staff had to spread the weight out over 36 different attachment points. Unfortunately, we don’t have any pictures of the complicated design of the ceiling system, but it was impressive!
Once the ice was suspended, our lighting designers worked their magic to make the piece come to life against a backdrop of sensational lighting and special effects.
As to the concern of melting water from the suspended ice chandelier, event designer Katherine Warden from TableArt constructed an oversized “sandbox” made of lucite that not only caught the cascading water, but with an added lush floral design, became an eye-popping focal point enjoyed all evening.
CRYSTAL CHANDELIER GUEST OF HONOR REVEAL
The second dramatic feature of this bat mitzvah was an impressive 30 foot diameter crystal chandelier that served as the high-flying focal point over the dance floor. This concept grew out of a last minute struggle to find a fabulous way to reveal the guest of honor. While months of planning and design went into this event, it was only within the last two weeks that the concept came to life. But how?
As the guests entered the dining room, the crystal chandelier was sitting on the dance floor with the Bat Mitzvah girl hidden inside the concentric rings of crystals and lighting. After the band introduced all of the family and friends, the chandelier slowly started to rise to its position over the dance floor. Voila! as it moved up the guest of honor was revealed to wild applause!
Nothing like keeping guests on their toes and begging for more! Collaborating on this stunning event with the creative team of Peachtree & Ward Catering, TableArt, CinemaCake, Susan Beard Photography and Starlight Orchestras brought down the house yet again! But luckily, not the 1880 ceiling.
CATEGORY: Innovations, Mitzvahs, Our Stage This Weekend
