Like most event professionals, the moment I can grab a little rest and relaxation to recharge my creative batteries, I take it! Ordinarily, that means my wife and I head to a tropical destination where we can literally sail into the sunset. The sailing community is close knit and you hear all about intriguing places to go, celebrations to share and parties to attend. So, last Winter, after hearing about the lighting effects that take place at the Fireball Full Moon Party, we decided to head to the British Virgin Islands to do a little “research” of our own.

For many people around the World the moon has a powerful allure: it is full of beauty, romance, legend and myth. During the full moon each month, people gather together to honor and give thanks to the cycles of life. These celebrations are important times for reflection, meditation and for building relationships. In the British Virgin Islands hundreds of sailors gather at Trellis Bay, located on Beef Island, to celebrate the full moon at the Fireball Full Moon Party. If you’re not familiar with the islands, Trellis Bay is a beautiful and well-protected anchorage complimented by an artsy and hip shoreline. Sailors love to anchor here year-round, but on full moons they sail in by the boat-loads to enjoy the festive atmosphere of the Fireball Full Moon Party. This is the real Caribbean! You can’t get here by cruise ship or tour guide, you need a sense of adventure to journey here and experience the full moon party and all of its lighting effects.

The Full Moon Party is a joint production of Aragorn’s Studio and the Trellis Bay Cybercafé. Trellis Bay’s fetes feature local musicians, a top-notch barbeque buffet, and local artist Aragorn Dick-Read’s flaming fireballs. The parties are a good place to sample Tortola’s traditional music form, scratch-band music called “fungi.” Entertainment also includes mocko jumbies, colorful stilt-walking characters that perform impressive moves at heights of up to 10 feet. But the stars of the event are the fire sculptures on the water. Aragorn’s fireballs are a story unto themselves. Spherical metal sculptures about five feet in diameter, the fireballs are stuffed with flammable material, fastened on stands over the water, and lit afire. The effect is mesmerizing; flames dance over the crystal water, allowing glimpses at the balls’ intricate carved designs. So much awesome inspiration in one kickin’ party atmosphere!

However, in talking with Aragorn, we learned that the fireballs have a checkered past. Aragorn engaged in a very public dispute with the island’s Conservation and Fisheries Department in 2004 and 2005 over whether he had the required permission to station them on the seabed. (Local law states that land ownership ends at the high water mark; the seabed is controlled by the government). At the height of the dispute, the fireballs were confiscated and locked up at the East End Police Station. Luckily for us, the matter seems to have been resolved for the time being. (Imagine the photo op of the fireballs all locked up in a Caribbean jail!)

No doubt, the Fireball Full Moon Party was pretty incredible! We enjoyed the local band who kept us dancing all night under the full moon’s spell, to tunes such as their own cool version of Alicia Keys’ No One, Bob Marley classics, and other great Calypso, Reggae and Soca tunes. Combined with the fire, water and moonlight, it was an environment that just screamed “celebration”!

Seeing the World and sharing unique experiences like this gives us great inspiration for the production work that we do every day. Now, if we could just book an event where we can introduce the elements of fire and water into an amazing lighting design…

By Brian Toner, Owner & Lighting Designer

2011 was an awesome year for us here at Eventions! We couldn’t be more grateful for the incredible relationships we have in the event industry as well as in the Philadelphia community. On December 15th we welcomed 200 of our friends, clients, and colleagues to our new production facility to celebrate our 20th anniversary with a Winter Soiree! We decked out our new executive offices with plenty of shimmer and shine, but it was our new warehouse that brought the house down with some sexy holiday cheer!

As it's not uncommon for the Eventions Team to approach a party design with the question “wouldn’t it be cool if…?”, we decided to let our creative flags fly with our own holiday party! As guests walked through they saw a funky Christmas tree decorated with hundreds of “ornaments” made with gobos we’d used on parties throughout the year. We also built an entire wall of retro-fitted light bulbs wired under large plexiglass panels. We’re constantly looking for that “wow factor” that takes just a little bit of creativity! Which means, as lighting designers, audio/visual technicians and staging experts, we just had to build a floating DJ booth too!  (You can see lots of photos of the DJ Booth in our last post here)

But let’s not forget about the basics for every successful party: the food and drink! Tray after tray of festive cocktails, seasonal hors d’oeuvres and tasty sweets were provided by the awesome Starr Events. They hit it out of the ballpark and we couldn’t thank them enough for their gracious staff and delicious food.

But despite how fab the food and drink was (and it was, truly), the real show-stopping highlight of the party was the live ice carving performance from Fear No Ice! Think Blue Man Group with blocks of ice, chainsaws and techno tunes. Creeping into the warehouse in their white snow suits and blue goggles, the Fear No Ice artists put their micro chainsaws to work on the double-quick and carved a drum set, martini glasses and the Eventions logo!

Brian and Jen Toner, the owners of Eventions, enjoy some tasty beverages from their new GIANT martini glasses!

And, of course, a big thanks to our friends DJ Jon Gill for spinning the tunes all night and Cliff Mautner for photographing the celebration! {Cliff is seen here with the always dapper Phil Kramer.}

Eventions from CinemaCake Filmmakers on Vimeo.

If you’re going to throw a corporate holiday party for 2,200 employees from around the country, all of whom can rightfully claim they’re the coolest and hippest creatives around, you’d better plan BIG.  That’s just what URBN, Inc. did with their recent holiday jam held at their company headquarters in Philadelphia.

Employees from all five of their brands – Urban Outfitters, Anthropologie, Free People, BHLDN and Terrain – arrived in style to incredible modern décor and a mish-mosh of festive activities. From the moment guests arrived into the already-eye-catching building, they were greeted by glittering paper stars, giant tinsel and crystal curtains, dramatic lighting, upside down Christmas trees decked out in tinsel.

A modern Elf offered bubbly all night from a suspended Champagne Chandelier, glitter and sparkle makeovers were available at chic white lacquered makeup counters, pool and air-hockey tables encouraged team building, and a live photo booth shared images as they happened on multiple screens throughout the huge space.

URBN provided modern holiday displays of food and beverage throughout the space, right down to their candy bar of nostalgic favorites. 

Two DJs spun groovy tunes from a custom-designed DJ Booth we designed specifically for the party.  Entirely constructed of metal truss and clear Lucite, the booth sat high off the floor and allowed dancers to look up through the floor at the DJs spinning above. The ceiling over the booth was filled with 2,000 mylar balloons which multiplied the lighting effects like mirrors. To light the dance area alone, we used 36 intelligent light fixtures including 12 brand new LED moving lights! Yeah baby! Incredible way to celebrate the season and ring in the New Year!

[Photos: Kevin York]

This year’s three-day conference was inspired by the coolest cats of all time…Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr., Dean Martin, Joey Bishop & Peter Lawford, better known as The Rat Pack!  On the first night the Millennium Ballroom at the Loews was transformed into a 1960’s supper club which included a Rat Pack tribute troupe flown in from Las Vegas, half-round café tables and classic American cuisine.  Pilot’s CEO gave his keynote address from a custom-designed glossy black stage with retrofitted lightbulbs and a custom made vintage standing microphone.

The second night was a gala dinner celebration that included flamboyant crystal lampshades,  and glamorous linens and floral from TableArt.  A 14-piece orchestra was hidden behind a 25 foot scrim and washed with light to allow guests to see them through the scrim in typical Hollywood fashion. By varying the direction and intensity of light on the scrim, we were able to simultaneously use the scrim as a projection surface as well as see the orchestra through it. Spectacular!

Our 56-hour set up and on-site production included: draping the entire ballroom in floor-to-ceiling burgundy drape; building a raised curved black stage with custom curved steps to match; and suspending a 25’ video projection backdrop with 20,000 lumens of video projectors.  Our video team filmed iconic images from the company’s numerous awards and local global headquarters, and then used clips of the footage as screen savers throughout the conference, alternating with live feed from three cameras positioned in the ballroom.  The team building activities that Pilot Freight did during the afternoon were recorded by a four-person camera crew from Media Wave and were then quickly edited and projected just two hours later for the audience to enjoy.

This event is a classic example of how Eventions can completely transform an event from same ole, standard to engaging and spectacular. We took a typical corporate sales and awards presentation and made it interesting with some theatrics and showmanship.  Pilot Freight could have easily had an event with two free-standing screens, a podium and some speakers. But with a little investment and a lot of creativity they had an amazing event that will resonate with their hardworking staff for years to come. The company experienced an event with a much higher ROI than normal and their employees are already talking about what next year will bring. Eventions once again raised the bar high, for ourselves and the client, now we just have to raise it higher for next year’s event.

Sometimes Candlelight is the best lighting, especially when it comes to lighting your Halloween Jack O’ Lantern.

Last weekend we had the opportunity to attend the Chadds Ford Great Pumpkin Carve. This event, which is over 50 years old, is a spectacular display of pumpkins carved by local artists in the Brandywine Valley.

The Great Pumpkin Carve Event was started by the early Wyeth family artists and is cosponsored by the Historical Society & Concordville- Chadds Ford Rotary and has featured local and national artists including many members of the Wyeth family.  Many famous and local celebrities join in the action, including celebrity mom April Margera.

The Pumpkins are native pumpkins, grown by SIW vegetables of Chadds Ford. They weigh between 150 and 400 pounds. Most of them are of the variety “Prize-Winner,” a drought resistant pumpkin that tends to be bright orange. There are also a few “Atlantic Giants” which tend to be paler and sometimes a less regular shape. Each artist is assigned a pumpkin when they arrive and then has to quickly design his work based on the shape and look of the pumpkin he or she is assigned.

Much care is taken to design the carved pumpkin to work with the candlelight. Many artists remove the outside orange skin and varying layers of the white interior to allow different intensities of light to shine thru the pumpkin.

Mark your calendars for the weekend before Halloween next year if you want to attend. You can witness the artists carving the pumpkins on Thursday night and then they are on display for the next two nights. The event also features local music, food, hayrides and vendors. More information can be found here: http://chadds-ford-historical-society.org/events/great-pumpkin-carve/

Over the years, we have found that photographers are truly artists that walk to the beat of their own drums.  As a result, they all have different approaches and preferences when it comes to ambient or production lighting techniques.  However, some of the most common lighting requests we hear from photographers usually include: installing all lighting with dimmers to allow adjustments throughout the night; providing some form of perimeter lighting; taking the monogrammed gobo off the center of the dance floor; not using sharp breakup patterns on the dance floor; and balancing the intensity of the foreground and background lighting. 

Below we share some thoughts on lighting from three of the Philadelphia area’s best-known photographers:

“Whenever my future clients marvel about some of the amazing room shots that I’ve had the opportunity to photograph over the years, I always point out how great professional lighting helped to create the image.  Photographers can light a room with flash, but it is always flat looking. Professional lighting provides depth to the room and highlights all the décor.  When a room is properly lit with appropriate balance, all I need to do is photograph it. Candlelight is beautiful and warm to the eye but to a camera it is NEVER enough. The warm glow must be enhanced with professional lighting to make it glow deeper in the camera. Photography is capturing light either on film or a digital sensor. If there is no light, there is nothing to photograph.”  Marie Labbancz www.artoflove.com

 
“I take a kind of street photography approach. I use the light given to me and sometimes I’ll add a bit just to help. If there’s a little soft perimeter wash around the room, great. Perhaps a soft glow on everyone’s faces. For me it would be really boring to overly light a room and have every shoot a major multi-hued production. I want to have something more organic, real. I want the challenge to find the light, use the atmosphere and create something spectacular from nothing. I want the opportunity to be the observer who shows someone something that touches the heart and soul. Most of all I want my work to be fun and my art beautiful and real.  ”  Kevin York www.kevinyorkphotography.com

“Professional lighting in a space should be layered, with soft perimeter lighting for depth and soft warm lighting on faces. Patterns on the dance floor or across the room is not a favorite because it causes blotches and shadows that may add decorative drama but aren’t flattering to people.  Instead I suggest a mix of soft colored washes across the dance floor, like soft pinks and lavenders blended together.  And even though most people like amber or flesh colored lighting, it generally turns everyone an unflattering orange.”  Sarah Dicicco www.sarahdicicco.com

On most of our productions, we are collaborating on the lighting design with an event designer or/or wedding planner. Once we have those specifications in hand and the lighting plot in place, our lighting designers strive to find the balance between ambiance and clarity to allow the designer and the photographer to achieve their respective goals for the end client.

Eventions, along with other local artists, professionals and performers, was called upon to create a dynamic event that reflected Capucci’s passionate love of architecture, color and fabric as seen through his incredible haute couture fashion design. An artist after our own hearts, one gown he designed was made up of 25 different shades of red to resemble the flames in a fire.

Live models provided by Saks Fifth Avenue greeted guests as they entered the Museum and were invited to a cocktail reception in Lenfest Hall which we had bathed in color washes. Guests strolled through the exhibit halls enjoying champagne poured by living statues and past spandex-covered models created by Sandy O of Creative Juice.  As guests continued to mingle they were treated to a wide selection of stylish passed hors d’oeuvres served on colorful platters from Stephen Starr Events.

As guests continued upstairs into the Great Stair Hall they were mesmerized by the dramatic transformation we had created.  We suspended 2,500 square feet of fabric over the entire area to form a “soft ceiling” that allowed us to project layers of vibrantly-colored light that changed and morphed as the night progressed. In fact, we used a total of 16 moving lights and LED color changing fixtures to constantly change the look of the room according to carefully choreographed timeline.

On the stairs below the soft ceiling the Museum placed multiple mannequins dressed in Roberto Capucci gowns.  The stairs, the mannequins, the walls and the ceiling of the space were lit with ambient, directional and atmospheric lighting to provide contrast and spotlighting effects.

An Italian-inspired dinner by Stephen STARR Events included short ribs, seared salmon, roasted eggplant and mushroom penne.  A romantically-lit modern lounge area served to create comfortable residential-style seating areas, meandering live models dressed in Capucci gowns, and a spirited live auction offered additional entertainment.

After the live auction an aerial performance in the Great Hall surprised the guests but didn’t keep them from staying to enjoy dancing under the soft ceiling and mini desserts served on the “skirts” of the live models.

 
First things first, the walls had to fade to black. Literally. Wall-to-wall and floor-to-ceiling black drape was installed around the perimeter to wipe the slate clean.  Next, Eventions’ lighting designer Rian Winther worked with the creative team to assess the room and determine what the dramatic focal points would be for the event.  For social event lighting design our goal is always the same, to keep everyone’s eyes on the tables, the dance floor and stage, as well as each other.  For this party concept, lighting would be one of the key design elements and our standard goals would expand to include lighting on multiple levels.  Think NEON!  Custom graffiti was hand-painted on cement blocks, canvas panels and faux walls in paint that we would not only high light but strobe out!  It was illuminating to say the least.  (pun intended).  .

The bar mitzvah boy walked into a gritty modern environment that was alive with intense light!  The dinner tables were covered in bright red, royal blue and bright green – harsh in daylight but effective and vibrant in dimmed party light.  The painted cement blocks served as funky centerpiece vessels and were filled with dried electric blue roses that we pin spotted with meticulous precision.  Sculptural metal spheres and industrial matte aluminum pipes were formed into other urban tablescapes that we washed with leikos for a wider wash on the table.

In the center of the room we placed a 30 foot x 30 foot metal truss system from which we suspended 22 intelligent light fixtures to provide dance floor, ceiling and room lighting.  Many social events we do only require a soft color wash, or “blanket of light” on the dance floor. Very often we layer gobos, or patterned stencils made out of stainless steel or glass, over a light to project a design or pattern.  Both good options but just not slick enough for this gig.  We programmed the computer-based intelligent light fixtures to change, speed up and intensify as the party progressed to follow the action in the room. 

Our dramatic “Pillow Wall” backdrop was a major sculptural element and a great backdrop for the Eddie Bruce Orchestra. This three dimensional metallic backdrop allows for amazing lighting effects using the combination of LED and intelligent light fixtures that we had on hand.

The design team also made use of our Chroma Dance Floor and our Chroma Bars. Our Chroma Series employ a great mix of furniture and lighting effect. Both are computer controlled to allow the event lighting designer to coordinate the bar colors and dancefloor effects with the intelligent lighting in the room.

We also worked with the videographer to coordinate what was shown on our six suspended 50” plasma screens throughout the party.  Parties are theater, and to execute a “show” as we like to call them, we need to work with a detailed production schedule that includes everything that happens on the stage, as well as in the rest of the party space.  That way, we can build up the energy or reduce down the vibe or pick up the pace or fade to black.  It’s got to be a well-choreographed routine even for a private party such as this one.  It’s got to be ELECTRIC!

Floral Design: Beautiful Blooms Events
Venue: Philadelphia Country Club
Entertainment: Eddie Bruce Orchestra
Photography: Susan Beard Design

This past November, we were asked to provide audio support for the demolition ceremony of one of Philadelphia’s most beloved landmarks, the Spectrum.  “America’s Showplace,” as it’s affectionately called, will be demolished make way for Philly Live! an entertainment area with restaurants, bars, and retail shops.  Built in 1967, the stadium was home to most of Philadelphia’s professional sports teams including the 76’ers (basketball), the Flyers (hockey), the Kixx (soccer), the Wings (lacrosse), the Phantoms (hockey), the Bulldogs (roller hockey) and the Freedom (tennis).  Additionally,  over the course of 40 years the Spectrum hosted well over 1,000 concerts including Frank Sinatra, Bruce Springsteen and Elvis Presley, to name a few.  Unbeknownst to many, the letters in the name Spectrum originally stood for the following: The ‘SP’ for “sports” and “South Philadelphia,” the ‘E’ for ‘‘entertainment,” a ‘C’ for “circuses,” a ‘T’ for “theatricals,” an ‘R’ for “recreation” and ‘UM’ as in “um, what a nice building!”

Knowing Eventions was experienced in producing challenging “out of the box” audio services, the building’s owners contacted us to assist them with this high profile event.  But it was clear they were unsure how many people would be attending the demolition ceremony with estimates running between 50 to 10,000.  That’s quite a difference!  How on earth were we going to determine the audio range with no idea who would actually be attending?  In the end, the client asked us to provide audio coverage for the entire parking lot to cover all live attendee areas as well as audio feeds to 30 local and national news crews including ”>Comcast Sports Net who carried it live.

During the planning stages of this event (which took place just days before the actual ceremony happened) we had a walkthrough with officials from the City of Philadelphia, SEPTA, the demolition team as well as the client’s operations and public relations departments. Needless-to say, there was a tremendous amount of tension in the air about the demolition ceremony.  In fact, the demolition team was worried about “the demo show” and what it would actually take to bring the Spectrum down.  The old building was well built and solid as a rock but a few swings of the wrecking balls finally managed to crack the facade.  Interestingly enough, we did learn that the reason the demolition team could not use explosives to implode the building was due to the close proximity of the SEPTA subway lines.  Smart decision.

As it turns out, there was no reason to worry.  As the crowd quickly grew to over 3,000 people, there was a real sense of community and respect flowing around The Spectrum.  In true Philadelphia fan tradition, many people arrived early to tailgate and reminisce about the great times they experienced in the building over the years.  Many dwelled on the major sports championships won on property. Specifically, the Flyer’s recent two Stanley Cups and the Sixer’s NBA Championship in 1983.  We’re certainly happy to have shared in the historic journey of an amazing Philadelphia institution.

And yes, if you visit our office, you can see a section of the actual basketball floor and a piece of hockey glass.  You too can own a piece of history, bricks from The Spectrum are still for sale online.

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.