Is Your Nightlife Bad for Your Health? How to Sustainably Party Like a Rockstar

I’d like to consider myself your average, run of the mill thirty something. I wake up, go to work and come back home like any other red-blooded, taxpaying American. I am becoming increasingly aware, however, that most of what I consider to be standard weekend nightlife activity is not doing me or my health any favors. After years of cheese fries and buffalo wings being the only thing between my liver and an onslaught of an untold number of sugary, overly-caffeinated alcoholic drinks, part of me is turning to more sustainable behaviors as I quickly approach my 40s.

“We’re meeting on the baseball diamond at 5,” the instructions said. “Park behind Right Field and DON’T BE LATE!” I give myself a 15 minute cushion because, please… I’m a responsible adult. I am WAY beyond all the careless and haphazard decisions of my youth. Meanwhile, I follow my GPS directions to find a single file line of cars 2 miles long directly in front of the entrance. Ok, panic. Text the Event Leader to cover my tail, plead with the parking attendant not to charge me for parking… By this point, I already feel the bass rumble from our massive sound system as I duck under a broken fence post and arrive on the field just in the nick of time.

“Glad you decided to join us,” I hear behind a wall of Electronic Dance Music and cheers. The rest of the Event Team had arrived hours earlier to survey the site, unload the trucks, and setup over 5 tons of Professional Grade Sound and Stage equipment. “This is just the pre-party. We’re expecting over 11,000 runners, tonight.” Over 11,000?!? On a cold and windy February afternoon? Why had I never considered this?

And they came. Wave after wave of bright-eyed runners poured onto the baseball diamond with various bits of neon flair, a sea of candy-colored athletes waiting for their moment to attack the black light run course, stage by stage. My first task is to ride along with the Event Lead, fire up the electric generators, turn on the high power black light towers and crank the speakers with trance inducing dance music. “The runners are beginning to line up. Get to the Starting Line, ASAP!”

As the sea of glowing distance runners pour past me onto the course, I shamefully recount all my past weekend activities. It’s mostly sitting or standing in one place or another for hours, over paying for food and drinks while I complain about some silly first world inconvenience. I wonder if any of the runners are planning on stopping by Taco Bell after this…

As the runners finish the 5k black light run distance, they file back toward the stage on the baseball diamond. It’s dark now, and what was just bits of flair is now a glowing sea of bright neon colors. I’m having flashbacks to all the raves and outdoor tent parties I’ve been to, but this party has a different vibe. Take all the magic and power of the biggest warehouse parties you went to in college, remove the sketchy and dangerous elements, add a free range, grass fed kale shake or two – and what you’re left with is a pretty good description of a Black Light Run. Loud music, pretty people, glow sticks, but what do we have here? Clean bathrooms? A safe family environment? Concession stands? It IS a rave party… only grown up!

The DJ effortlessly mixes underground dubstep with Katy Perry to the delight of the crowd. A hype man on stage is throwing out handfuls of glow-in-the-dark party favors, as fast as he can. What happens next was MIND BLOWING.

After a knowing look to the DJ and the crowd, the hype man begins a count down from 10. It’s my first Black Light Run, so I look around as the crowd joins in. 3..2..1..

BOOM! The beat drops as clouds of neon colored powder (I later learned is treated corn starch) envelopes everything in sight. I can’t see the hand in front of my face but I can feel the crowd explode with energy as they disappear behind the cloak of colored fog. As the neon dust settles and the stage and lights slowly come back into focus, it dawns on me. THIS IS REALLY FUN! Looks like I’ll be spending more time with my new co-workers at In Depth Events!

Hopefully this blog has been informative for our event planner clients! For more information on In Depth Events and our event production capabilities, please Ask Us a Question today. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you on your event!

The Hills Are Alive…With the Sound of Live Event Cinema

Network studios are always looking to find ways to increase viewership among the masses and, more and more, they are turning to Event Cinema. The Sound Of Music Live! starring Carrie Underwood recently aired on NBC as a live event production. For the first time in over 50 years, a musical was broadcast live on network television for American audiences. Although the performance was met with mixed reviews, a total of 18.62 million viewers tuned in to watch the young country music starlet giving NBC its highest Thursday night entertainment program viewership since the series finale of Frasier in 2004.

Event cinema, sometimes called Alternative Content cinema or Livecasts, refer to the use of Cinema theatres to display a varied range of live and recorded entertainment excluding traditional films, such as sport, opera, musicals, ballet, music, one-off TV specials, current affairs, comedy and religious services.

-Wikipedia

But I don’t have the time or the money to attend a live event, you say? Fear not, my little target consumer. Event Production companies like In Depth Events will bring the live performance directly to your sensory organs. From the comfort of your own home or from a convenient alternative location such as a local cinema, more and more ad agencies and production studios are creating your live event environments around a live production of a film or television program. The last episode of “Breaking Bad” was yet another example of this growing trend. Loyal fans of the show gathered at citadels and cemeteries across the country to share the episode together in a way they would remember for a lifetime. This memorable feeling of camaraderie can be achieved through the magic of live events. A shared experience like this often has the ability to make a simple connection resonate in a way that has a greater impact on the live event audience. Keep in mind none of this is possible without an experienced production company like In Depth Events.

The bottom line is, live events, interactive, and experiential marketing companies like In Depth Events are connecting brands and products with their existing and potential consumers like never before.

Image of Live Event Visual Amplification

Fun Facts: A Brief History of Live Event Visual Amplification

Keeping it fun is an essential component of enhancing any live event. Luckily, we here at Production Experience specialize in FUN.

Throughout history, the experiential entertainment industry has come up with some truly off-the-wall production concepts and equipment that eventually led to the development of the gear we use today. Always pushing the envelope to enhance the end experience, how exactly did we get to where we are now? We would like you to meet some of the GIANTS upon whose shoulders we stand on that allow us to support some of the most innovative marketing campaigns in the industry today.

*fade to old time-y black and white footage and music*

Live Event Visual Amplification is the display of live and pre-recorded images as a part of a live stage event.

Visual amplification began when films, projected onto a stage, added characters or background information to a production. 35 mm motion picture projectors became available in 1910 – but which theatre or opera company first used a movie in a stage production is not known.

In 1935, less costly 16 mm film equipment allowed many other performance groups and school theaters to use motion pictures in productions.

*cue classic rock music*

In 1970, closed circuit video cameras and video cassette machines became available and Live Event Visual Amplification came of age. For the first time, live closeups of stage performers could be displayed in real time. These systems also made it possible to show pre-recorded videos that added information & visual intensity to a live event.

One of the first video touring systems was created by video designer TJ McHose in 1975 for the rock band The Tubes using black and white television monitors.

In 1978, TJ McHose designed a touring color video system that enlarged performers at the Kool Jazz Festivals in sports stadiums across the United States.

*snap to full definition HD*

Fast forward to 2014.

In today’s age of hyper connected devices and wireless communication, In Depth Events is leading the world in Live Event Visual Amplification because of our relationships with companies like, GoVISION (www.jumbo.tv). The perfect complement to our roofed outdoor concert stage, GoVISION’s LED video walls project all the action of our live stage performers to everyone in the venue regardless of size.

We love football, so when the Dallas Cowboys asked us to help them with a Live Event in their new stadium, we quickly said yes. Turns out, the Cowboys know a thing or two about LARGE LED screens and our video wall from GoVISION was a fantastic addition to a live concert and performance by the world famous Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders. We have never been more proud.

A big part of our business is working with advertising agencies and public relations departments that are interested in either introducing a new client or rebranding their existing client in a fun and creative way. While nothing beats a charismatic spokesperson, often we are asked to bring to life a corporate message with live video and sound.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little bit about what we do at In Depth Event. We thought this would be a FUN way for you to see how the production aspect of live events has progressed through the years. We hope that Experiential Entertainment will continue to capture your imagination as it has ours and we dare you to dream up the next big thing. We look forward to seeing what you want us to come up with next!

Confetti Cannon Rentals Vs Confetti Blower Rentals – An Event Planners Guide

Using Confetti Rentals at Live Events

Looking for a fun, exciting special effect for your live event? Use confetti – it’s a BLAST!

OK, so now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s talk about how confetti rentals work for live events.

Most clients that rent a a confetti cannon are looking to either do a product reveal at a corporate event, introduce a headlining act at a concert or festival or provide a highlight moment at an awards presentation. Confetti is also used for longer lasting effects such as a prize giveaway at a store opening, a special effect during the length of an entire song at a concert or celebrating a win at a political event.

Before we go too deep into the differences between blowers and cannons, lets talk about the confetti (or media) itself. Traditional confetti is small pieces of tissue paper, but you can use all sorts of other media as well. Streamers are the second most common type of confetti media. However, we’ve have clients use glitter, feathers, and even custom cuts of paper like small stars, hearts or even company logos. Confetti media is limited only by your imagination!

Confetti Cannon rentals

Confetti Cannon on an outdoor rooftop structure

Most people use the term ‘confetti cannon’ as a general term for any device that spreads confetti, but it’s actually a very specific piece of production equipment. A confetti cannon uses a pressurized air tank that is a part of the unit itself. When the actuator is enabled, it releases the entire tank into the barrel (or, in the example above, the barrels) of the unit. The barrels are loaded with the client selected media, and can fire the media up to 100′ in the air. So, a confetti cannon is a one shot effect. Once the effect has been shot, the tank has to be re-pressurized and the barrels reloaded.

Confetti Blower rentals

Confetti Blower at an outdoor concert event

A confetti blower is different from a confetti cannon and is used for events that require a long lasting confetti effect. A confetti blower uses a CO2 tank that is separate from the unit itself. You can hook up one tank of CO2, or, you can hook up multiple tanks to each blower for really long effects. A blower also requires a technician to drop the selected confetti media into the hopper as it is discharging. When the actuator is enabled, the blower takes media from the hopper and projects it up to 100′ into the air. The primary difference between a confetti cannon and a confetti blower is that a blower can blow for as long as you have CO2 in the tank and a technician to feed the hopper. A single, small tank of CO2 can last for up to 45 seconds at full open, and can broadcast up to 10 pounds of confetti media per minute. With multiple tanks hooked up, you can easily broadcast media for as long as you need the effect and fill the air of the stadium, ballroom or outdoor venue with hundreds of pounds of confetti!

I hope this blog has been informative for our event planner clients! For more information on confetti rentals and whether a confetti cannon or confetti blower is right for your evnt, please Ask Us a Question today. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you on your event!

Author: Robert Chapman