AT&T First Annual Business Summit at the Gaylord Texan!

Providing our LED lighted stage for a world class corporate event

Big events come to Dallas all the time, but the first annual AT&T Business Summit really pulled out all the stops.  A private performance at AT&T Stadium by Aerosmith was only the tip of the iceberg.  (And when Aerosmith is the tip of the iceberg, you KNOW it's a big event!)  AT&T also rented the entire Gaylord Texan Convention Center and Resort with forward-thinking exhibits in the exhibit halls, and interactive speeches by Randall Lynn Stephenson and GW Bush during the general sessions.  Darius Rucker performed at the Gaylord to round out the award-winning talent, and several breakout sessions discussed the future of telecom.

Thanks to our friends at Orbital Motion, the crew of In Depth events was a big part of the general session, providing an exciting main stage for the event.  In one of the most innovative uses of our LED stage surfaces, we provided an amazing triangle shaped, LED lighted stage for the main stage of this conference.  Months of design work and preparation paid off with a truly stunning stage for this international group of attendees.

Audience risers, carpet, marley, and staging rentals

However, our LED lighted stage wasn't the only thing we provided for this show.  A laundry list of six large audience risers, pipe and drape, stage marley, and thousands of square feet of carpeting were needed for the general session ballroom.  The breakout rooms all needed stages, carpeting, and elevated seating as well.  Coordinating with the riggers, decor, lighting, video, and audio was no small task during this three day build.  However, the staff at In Depth Events banded together to make sure every task that we contracted for was completed to meet or exceed client specifications. 

If you'd like more information on the creative uses of our LED lighted stages, our audience seating risers, or some of the other aspects of our staging rentals, we'd love to hear from you.  Please contact us and let us know how we can be of assistance to your next event!


July 4, 2017 – An event management firm’s Recap!

Like most event management and concert production firms, July 4 is one of the busiest weekends of the year. We had several clients, but two of them really stand out for two very different reasons. Please enjoy our recap, and feel to ask questions in the comments!

City of Celina – Social media and event management for municipalities

The City of Celina is one of the fastest growing municipalities in the State of Texas. The demographic mainly consists of upwardly-mobile young parents with small children. City government is growing as fast as the City itself is – which leaves very little time for planning events. However, city events generate a feeling of community and civic pride, and are a true necessity for growing areas. How does city staff balance their time in promoting events vs other municipal responsibilities?

In Depth Events was able to provide an In Depth solution for the City of Celina’s Splash and Blast event. This patriotic event features live music, fireworks, waterslides, and plenty of food and crafts vendors. We were able to help city staff by handling all social media promotion (including video promotions), sponsorship procurement, and other event management services, such as banner creation, poster creation and placement, and day-of-show sponsor and volunteer support.

Our efforts helped to increase event sponsorship by over three times the amount they had in 2016. Furthermore, the event sponsors were pleasantly surprised with nearly five times the amount of attendees from previous years. Our pre-event social media promotion, combined with monitoring and responding to questions during the event on social media platforms, really paid off for the City of Celina.

Austin Symphony – location-specific concert production services in Austin

The co-founders of In Depth Events have been working with the Austin Symphony for years, providing the perfect stage and rooftop system for the official Fourth of July event for the City of Austin. Unlike most events in Austin, which are designed to bring tourists in – this event is specific to Austin citizens, and Austin people are serious about their music. So how does an event management company handle a concert event for one the most discerning audiences in the world?

With integrity and professionalism. The lawn at the Long Center is one of the most challenging setups we do. It starts with a 15-degree grade to setup our 40’x40’ load bearing stage and rooftop system. This makes usually mundane task like leveling a stage (or driving a forklift) much more difficult. Combined with 100-degree temperatures and an 80 pieces symphony orchestra on stage, this show is challenging to say the least.

Once again, the staff of In Depth Events knocked it out of the park. In addition to building the perfect stage and rooftop for the occasion, we were also able to add a touch of our event management services by designing a custom banner for the rooftop structure. This small addition made a huge difference in the look and feel of the stage, and promoted HEB (the title sponsor) in a far more attractive and visible way than before.

We hope you’ve enjoyed this recap. Please feel free to ask us any questions about these events in the comments – and please contact us for your future event needs. We look forward to hearing from you, and working with you!


HoustonFest 2017 at the University of Houston – Social Media Videos

Shooting interview format videos – the In Depth staff on event site

Just a few months ago, the staff at In Depth Events was invited to HoustonFest, an event thrown for student attendees on the campus of the University of Houston.  The event was designed to showcase some of the exciting things that Houston has to offer the students of the University of Houston, as well as promoting on-campus organizations, such as CougarByte and the Student Program Board.

The In Depth Events staff was there with an in-house video crew to shoot candid interviews of vendors, program organizers, and attendees.  These videos, complete with lower thirds, gives the person watching them a real sense of being at the event.  Each video is kept to a 1.5 minute maximum, perfect for use on Facebook and Youtube to promote the event and the person being interviewed on Facebook, Youtube, and other social media outlets.

The importance of GREAT video production for social media

Bad audio?  Bad video?  If you don’t use quality equipment and behind the scenes personnel, your videos, your audience, and your conversions will suffer!  With the HoustonFest videos, we wanted to show a fun campus and provide some great interviews for use by the University, the Student Program Board, and vendors.  By using a quality production company like In Depth Events, the overall look and feel is transmitted in a positive way.

We’ve seen cell phone videos and there’s no question they work for consumer-level social media.  Families singing Happy Birthday, a video of a friend’s new puppy, or your nephew on stage with his junior high school choir is great.  However, when it’s your brand on the line, it’s important to use professional production equipment and staff.  At In Depth Events, we specialize in making video specifically for social promotion – all within your budget.  We won’t sacrifice the quality of your brand for finances!

Interview format videos worked great for the event at the University of Houston.  Other types of events may need other video styles.  Vendors and other clients may have completely different needs.  In any case, our experts are here to help.  Contact us today and let us know the scope of your project.  We look forward to hearing from you, and working with you!


Image for Truss and Ballast

Event Outdoor Signage and Structures for Sporting Events and Festivals – An Event Planners Guide

For large scale events like sporting events, large festivals and Municipal events, signage becomes a serious issue.  If your event spans an area over several acres, how to you point people to the main stage, restrooms or the emergency services area?  No less critical is the branding of the event and the branding of your vendor areas.  At In Depth Events, we are experts at event outdoor signage using a variety of media.  Read on for more information!

Live Events – Structure and Banner Solutions from In Depth Events

At In Depth Events, we are experts at event outdoor signage solutions.  We’ve used structures with vinyl banners as well as structures with large scale video walls.  Our technicians and engineers work hard to make sure these structures are safe, look great and fulfill the needs that put them there in the first place – to inform your attendees about a specific direction, scheduled event or vendor message.

Here are the four types of structures that you can easily use at your next festival, sporting event, or marketing event:

Inverted “U”:

Image of Inverted "U" event outdoor signage

An inverted “U” is a mini-beam truss structure.  It’s a great way to display a large banner such as a backdrop for a small stage or a step and repeat banner at a selfie station.  These structures are incredibly wind resistant, inexpensive and look great.

 

 

Media Towers:

Image of Media Tower event outdoor signageA media tower is either a triangular or square structure designed to hold large format LED Video walls.  These structures are usually about 20′ tall and very, very strong. They work well at central locations with lots of foot traffic – like outside the food court area.  The screens are used for vendor promotion, calendar/schedules of your event and live tweets.  When equipped with loudspeakers, these towers can also be used for announcements of upcoming events as well as emergency messages.

 

 

Truss and Ballast:

Image for Truss and Ballast event outdoor signageA Truss and Ballast structure is a proprietary type of signage that only In Depth Events has.  In combination with a 20-foot tall vertical piece of 24-inch x 30-inch truss is a 3600 pound ballast made of concrete and steel.  These units can be placed anywhere for very tall, very visible banners.  We also use them for outdoor light towers and as support for commercial bulb stringers.  These unique outdoor signage structures have been engineer certified to withstand well over 70 MPH winds while only using a 4-foot X 4-foot ground area.

 

 

Gateways:

Image of an Event Gateway event outdoor signageA gateway is a mini-beam structure that is engineered to allow people to pass under or through it.  They are most often used at the event entry or exit or, when attendees are passing through to a different part of the festival.   Gateways are usually lighted with signage towers on both sides.  Gateways are typically where the event name and sponsors are located, but it’s also become a great location for a selfie station.

 

 

 

The Bonus Structure Type  – Custom Signage Towers:

Image of Custom Signage Tower event outdoor signageDo you see something here that inspires you to create a new idea?  Do you have an idea that is completely off the beaten path?  The experts at In Depth Events can (and have!) provided event outdoor signage using custom structures that don’t look like anything else.  From truss vaults to branded outdoor seating lounges and even toboggan slides – our experts can create something completely new for your event.  Challenge Accepted!

 

 

Choosing the right vendor for live event outdoor signage structures

In Depth Events handles event outdoor signage structures for events all over the nation, so make sure to contact us first.  However, our Canadian and international event planners may have a difficult time finding a reputable vendor.  Here are a few pointers:

First and foremost – trust your gut.  Don’t settle for a company that doesn’t seem right for your needs.

  • Make sure the company you choose is capable of providing engineer certified drawings.
  • The company needs to be registered as a certified building contractor in at least their home city.
  • The company should own their own equipment, especially the trussing, tie-downs and ballasts.
  • Find a company that has recommendations for a signage or vinyl firm.  Having a good relationship with a signage vendor means they know what specification are needed.

Questions?  Feel free to Ask a Question of our experts.  We hope you enjoyed this blog post and make sure to check out our other Event Planner Guides while you are here.