Image of Event Production Plans and Rolls

How Engineer Certified Drawings for Events Can Make (or Break) Your Activation – An Event Planners Guide

Custom structures at your indoor or outdoor activation

If you are an event marketing professional, then you have probably used a production company to build a custom structure for your client at an activation or trade show. Custom structures built from truss or staging can be used as elevated seating for attendees or VIP’s, gateway arches or signage towers. These structures can be huge show elements, massive custom stages or as small as a single piece of trussing. However, they all have one thing in common – they are subject to inspection by a city official and will need engineer certified drawings for events of this kind.

In an indoor activation, the person from the city is typically the Fire Marshall or a member of his or her staff. In an outdoor activation, it will typically be a city building inspector. However, this is not an absolute – either one can show up at either event type. Both have the power to write very expensive compliance tickets to your end client, hold the doors closed until you comply with city regulations, or in extreme cases, close your event and escort all attendees out of the event space.

So what is an engineer certified drawing?

With any custom structure, the city can require an engineer certified drawings for events. This is a CAD drawing of the structure to be built with detailed instructions on how it is to be flown (in indoor environments), ground supported (for both indoor and outdoor shows) and ballasted (for outdoor events).

These engineer certified drawings for events may incorporate elements of the venue for flown rigs and will definitely incorporate tolerances for wind speed, ballast weight and banner types for outdoor structures. These drawings are created by a engineer who is certified to do business in the State you are working in. When the drawing is complete, the engineer will apply a stamp to the drawing which signifies the structure is safe to be built.

It’s vitally important that the engineer and production company work together in the creation of the original drawings, as well as the execution of the structure build. If the structure is not built to the specifications the engineer has outlined, the city inspector can fail you (also called a ‘red tag’) and require changes to be made before a second inspection is carried out. If the build is correct, you get a green tag and a sign off by the city to have your event.

Here’s a list on how most permitting is done in US cities:

The client or show designer has the initial idea.
A production company is contacted and they take the idea and turn it into a rendering or quote for client review.
On review, the production company contacts an engineer licensed in the State. The engineer reviews the drawings or specifications from the production company, then creates his own set of drawings showing ballasts, accepted tolerances and detailed installation instructions.
Once drawings are complete, a permit request is filed with the city with the drawings attached. Some cities will require an event permit to be filed first. Occasionally, a permit will not be required, but a review of the drawings will be required.
The structure is built on site and the city makes an appointment to review. Hopefully, the structure is passed, or green tagged. If it fails the review, you will have to request a second time slot for a re-review. Typically, a city official can only fail a structure if it is not built to the specifications that are in the drawings.
The event happens and exceeds your clients wildest dreams. You are so impressed with the production team that you take all members of the production company on a week long, all expenses paid vacation to Hawaii.

It’s always a good idea to have an engineer certified with the State to be on site when the city inspector or fire marshal is scheduled – even if the engineer was not the one who created the original drawings. Any certified engineer licensed to practice in the State you are working in can provide a stamped ‘letter of compliance’. This is basically a letter stating the production company has built the structure to the drawings supplied in the permitting process.

Wow – this is some great information. And you are an incredibly talented writer. Any other advice?

Well, since you asked – certainly!

Dealing with city officials can be incredibly frustrating. It’s important to remember that their job is ultimately to make sure your attendees are safe. Fire Marshals can be downright obstinate about exits being blocked, but there is a good historical reason for concern. A city inspector can (and will) hold the doors closed to your event until your production company reads the plans correctly and installs the right amount of ballast to a gateway. The majority of them are not trying to make your life difficult – they simply have a job to do. And frankly, it’s a job you really want them to do to the best of their abilities.

With that in mind, treat city employees with respect and they will do the same. Be positive, polite and factual. (This works well for police officers, DMV employees and social security employees as well.) If you don’t know the answer to a question, find the production company. If they don’t know, call the engineer who put the drawings together. Answering a city inspector with “I don’t know” will not work well. Select one knowledgeable person to meet with the inspector, not a group of people who don’t know anything about the build. Your clients are the absolute wrong person to meet with a city inspector. If you step back and allow the production company and engineers to interact with city inspectors and fire marshals, you’ll be much happier (and stress-free).

We hope you’ve enjoyed this article. When you are ready, take a moment and Ask Us a Question of the professionals at In Depth Events. We have nationwide experience with building structures with engineer certified drawings for events and we’ve love the opportunity to show you our skills. We look forward to hearing from you and working with you!

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.

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!

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!

Experiences In Live Event Marketing:Verizon FIOS FEST!

FIOS FEST Rolls out across the US

As a live event marketing professional, I’ve been honored to be a part of some amazing live event marketing campaigns. When Verizon began to enable FIOS in the major US markets, I was selected to be a part the live event marketing group for one the largest fiber-optic roll outs of the new millennium. At the time, FIOS was a new entity, and our job was introducing it to folks that weren’t familiar with all it’s intricacies. This was a live event campaign across the country hitting all the major cities in states such as New York, Florida, Texas and California. We created a campaign that encompassed all key elements to execute a flawless marketing campaign. We named it FIOS FESTS. The following were elements that we implemented to ensure the best outcome possible for the client.

How we did it – by the numbers!

1. Pre-promote. Letting the local consumer base know where, when, what, and why in fun, creative ways to motivate consumers and drive interest for the live marketing event. For FIOS, we would set up in front of local businesses and speak to consumers one on one and offer fun incentives for their time. We also incorporated music by offering free music downloads from our site. For this campaign, pre-promotion was a key target for creating a great, well attended event.

2. Location. Finding a centralized location was another key factor in the overall execution of the FIOS events. With the FIOS FEST, we needed a football field-sized area that would hold several 20 foot x 20 foot tents, a fully loaded event stage and a footprint for vendors. Permits and approvals had to be obtained well in advance to avoid any last minute snafus that might have arisen. The idea was to make the event as accessible to as many of the locals as possible without having them make a major trek from end of the city to the other.

3. Production. For the FIOS FEST, and for every other event I’ve been a part of, the final and most critical element is incorporating the right production equipment. This will enhance and make sure your event comes across as professional endeavor and not some thrown together, last minute after thought. The stage is the focal point of any live event as it features the entertainment and contests going on throughout the day. For FIOS FEST, we used a SAM 550 mobile stage at each of our locations. This StageLine SAM550 model is the flagship of the StageLine fleet with a deck size of 50 feet x 38 feet and a load bearing rooftop capable of supporting 44,000 lbs. With flown Line Array, state of the art lighting, and (of course) FIOS banners, it made an impressive centerpiece to the FIOS FEST.

From FIOS to Production Experience, Inc.

My experience with the FIOS FEST campaign, as well as several other live event marketing promotions, has made me a valuable addition in my current position as Live Event Marketing Manager at Production Experience, Inc. The main keys as listed above are my steps to executing a flawless event anywhere from a few hundred, to thousands of participants. As always, “Go big or go home”! Your target consumers are worth it and they deserve the best in execution with the right production pieces at the core.

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