Raising the bar in creative design: Encore creates an enchanted wonderland The Million Dollar Lunch
Encore transformed the Palladium at Crown Melbourne into a mystical wonderland experience for guests at The Million Dollar Lunch – the AFL’s annual fundraiser for Children’s Cancer Council.
Encore has partnered AFL to deliver the annual fundraiser for more than 10 years. For the recent event, the brief was to transform the gala into an elegant, immersive and never before seen experience for 600 guests.
From the beginning of the process, Encore’s event designers and creative project managers focused on the overall creative strategy. More than 100 hours went into the creative design phase with even more given to creative production, setup, client walk-throughs and show-day production. The Encore team then produced life-like 3D render illustrations, and technical illustrations to demonstrate their creative vision.
The theme of ‘Enchanted wonderland’, called for custom design/bespoke decals, décor, props, that all had to be designed, fabricated and installed within a tight timeframe.
Photo credits: Jonathan DiMaggio; Graham Denholm
Additionally, audio-visual technology and lighting scenes were masterfully developed to create and compliment the magical experience.
The storybook inspired décor elegantly-designed themed areas, cutting-edge audio-visual and lighting technology including LED Cubes displays were all integrated with the luxury venue to elevate the event into a never seen experience – certainly worthy of the name ‘Million Dollar’ lunch.
The Encore creative team paid particular focus on the guests’ journey through the magical experience. Guests arrived at the Atrium greeted by a custom floor decal reminiscent of a ‘rabbit hole’, signaling the start of a magical journey. As the guests made their way through the Atrium to the Palladium, they encountered checkered floor and vortex decals accompanied by oversized ‘this way – that way’ themed signage protruding out of whimsical floral bases. ‘Drink me’ carts with signature cocktails were serviced by storybook inspired characters.
At the end of the pre-function area, guests continued their adventure up the escalators where they were greeted by more storybook-inspired characters, inviting them to travel further through and entrance feature doors constructed as a giant book– like a literary portal to an enchanting world of fantasy and intrigue.
Photo credits: Jonathan DiMaggio; Graham Denholm
As guests turned through the pages of the storybook tunnel, they entered the ‘Queens Court’ – a lusciously red-lit, velvet-draped room, decorated with chess-piece themed cocktail tables leading to a red and white floral-embellished throne set in front of an illuminated backdrop. The Queen sat on an all-white throne greeting guests in character.
Guests had a photo opportunity at the Queen’s Court before finding their allocated seats on the digital display kiosk before walking into the main room and the adventures within.
Following the red-lit, heart shaped themed Queen’s Court, guests entered into a lush green scenery – a wonderland garden complete with giant plants, forest ferns, décor mushrooms and wildlife; including an ornate, oversized candelabra – flanking a Neon arch entrance drawing guests into a spinning world of a ‘Topsy turvy tea party’.
Photo credits: Jonathan DiMaggio; Graham Denholm
The main room was themed as a whimsical and lush garden tea party and featured a central main stage for formalities and a satellite stage hosting the live band. Encore paid special attention to radial sound dispersion from a centralised audio cluster given its flown location and guests being seated around the central stage.
Lighting was precisely designed to perfectly complement the event theme with both intelligent beam fixtures, custom designed GOBO’s and a series of colour wash across the venue. The lighting effects were stunning as the light shimmered and sparkled against the silver sequin drapes that lined the perimeter of the room.
Encore utilised the latest in LED display technology constructing six giant LED cubes suspended from the ceiling, running customised content. These innovative displays were used to create hype moments with custom animations produced by Encore featuring live tally of funds raised as record donations poured in.
Pocket watches hung from the ceiling with themed animations showcasing each auction item and show the formalities, while also showing live to camera shots of the entertainment, MC and speeches.
“Their creativity and technology solutions are just simply mind blowing. They are the best in the business when it comes to creating immersive themed events”
Tables draped in green velvet overlays and custom printed doily bases created a unique tea party style including enchanted florals, teacups, glass candlesticks, butterflies, and tall candelabras.
Photo credits: Jonathan DiMaggio; Graham Denholm
Once the formalities were complete, VIP guests were surprised to find the seamless sequin drapes peel open up to reveal a speakeasy afterparty!
The creative for this room was inspired by the key and the bronze and checker elements. The magic continued with an infinity, LED checkered dance floor and ‘Key hole’ DJ stage. The attention to detail extended to an enchanted floating desert table offering yummy treats.
The Million Dollar Lunch event raised more than $2.9 million in much needed funds for the Children’s Cancer Council.
Photo credits: Jonathan DiMaggio; Graham Denholm
Photo credits: Jonathan DiMaggio; Graham Denholm
Encore was approached to assist with the production and planning of HX2023, Harcourts Australia National conference. A series of events including Launch & Opening Address, Under The Sea networking party and National Awards Gala.
The conference would be taking place in two Gold Coast locations, The Star and SeaWorld, over two full days. Harcourts had come with an initial plan that put into practice, would was exceed budget and prove unsustainable. Encore was able to diversify the proposed plan and bring the same immersive effect while retaining Harcourts’ budget and meeting sustainability goals.
HX 2023 Launch and Opening Address
The Star Theatre, Gold Coast
In conjunction with The Star, Encore was tasked with the conference’s launch and opening event.
Briefed to make it memorable and impactful, a fantastic display of stage management, choreography and cohesive teamwork met and surpassed this ask.
With content on huge LED screens, Encore’s team worked around the clock to ensure meticulous content checks were made and amends completed.
The audience were thoroughly immersed in the show. Lighting and sound bringing the theatre to a whole new level, the opening performance became interactive with audience out of their seats and clapping along. The ball was well and truly rolling for a great conference ahead.
Under The Sea, Networking Party
SeaWorld, Gold Coast
For the first time in the conference event’s history, the networking party was being held offsite. Harcourts had chosen to host at SeaWorld, so guests could enjoy the attractions while they mingled before the evening’s main event: world renowned DJ, Hot Dub Time Machine.
The evening’s theme was Under The Sea, guests came dressed to fit while the entire venue was washed in marine blues and greens, soft ripples adding the to the effect.
The event originally briefed to fit 500, was at the last moment extended to accommodate 150 more guests. Drinks and canapes were served surrounded by aquatic hues and a soft sea mist.
Excitement began to rise in the crowd, as screens displaying Harcourts content, operated by Encore, seamlessly transformed into Hot Dub Time Machine’s signature countdown.
Diamond bacs and truss lighting bringing the stage to life, smoke and haze adding to the excitement and finally the countdown clock hit zero.
The lighting desk was operated in real time with no preview of the set list, making the light show unique to this event. Surrounded by pyrotechnics, Hot Dub Time Machine owned the night. The dancefloor, with enhanced sound and lighting, was packed.
The initial goal was to put on a great show, this was surpassed, it was the show of a lifetime.
The HX2023 Gala Awards Night
The Star Ballroom, Gold Coast
The original vision for the event had included a custom curved screen, which ultimately proved unattainable. Encore keeping the vision and sustainability to the fore, presented a multi-LED solution which would provide the same effect but operate inside the briefed guidelines.
Preproduction was the key to this event’s success, Encore’s strong teamwork, planning and precision could be seen throughout. Through careful forward planning, a pre-show run through gave the team the opportunity to make any necessary amends.
Guests entered the ballroom on a regal blue Harcourts runway, emblazoned with Harcourts’ branding. The room was washed with deep blues, the stage with huge screen was flanked by two trusses of Astera LED tubes lit in complementary blues. A DJ with live performer played a warmup set as guests were seated.
The show opened with the Hall of Fame, the biggest awards of the night. The stage lights switching from deep blue hues to bright golds with pyrotechnics erupting as the Hall of Fame entrants assembled on stage.
The show caller and camera director worked in sync to manage the camera operators as they captured each of the further 250 winner’s award presentations. A technical and production partnership demonstrating the depths of professionalism.
Encore’s lighting manager plotted out the show using The Star’s existing set-up alongside Encore’s equipment, operating both systems in tandem during the event.
After the 250th award had been presented, it was time for the DJ to take centre stage and the celebrations to begin. The lighting now in party mode, guests took to the dance floor and ended their evening in style.
Our team in-house at Crown Melbourne had the pleasure of partnering with the incredible minds at Peter Jones Special Events for this year’s ‘Epworth Glam’ themed Epworth Gala Ball for 1200 guests.
Beautifully captured by Andrew Hobbs Photography.
Featuring Ajaye entertainment & Mike Snell
The 2022 annual summit for a high-profile medical services company lived up to all expectations. Partnering with long-time production partner, Encore, the company hosted 175 of its summit partners at the picturesque Mercure Gold Coast Resort. The highly anticipated annual event is a chance for the company to bring together clinical and business leaders to be informed and inspired by a raft of innovative speakers and to showcase the latest and greatest products impacting the industry.
The brief to Encore was simple – to ‘wow’ guests under the theme of ‘Momentum’. Momentum couldn’t have been more perfect for this action-packed event. Taking advantage of the exceptional resort facilities, over the course of two-days guests attended an Amalfi Coast inspired poolside welcome reception, a theatrical masquerade dinner and a 70’s themed lunch on The Green. Between all this, guests attended a high-end conference hosted in the Mercure’s Grand Ballroom.
As the in-house event production partner, Encore provided a complete event production solution for the entire 2-day event. A key achievement for the event was Encore’s ability to transform the conference into an immersive gala ‘masquerade’ experience in under two hours.
Encore’s Manager of Event Operations – Gold Coast said,
“It was an exciting opportunity to work with the high profile client and Mercure to deliver this special event. The Mercure Gold Coast Resort was the perfect venue to host an event of this calibre – it gave us the flexibility and space to deliver the client’s vision all in the one venue. A big shoutout to our production team – everyone from creative designers and technicians to the bump-out crew – it was a huge effort executing it, and especially with the tight 1.5 hr turn around between conference to Gala, and back to conference again for the next morning. This event was an exciting achievement for our team and I’m so proud of how seamlessly it went.”
The Brief
Leading global car manufacturer, Nissan Motor Company, turned to Destination Events and Encore to deliver a stand-out bespoke vehicle launch event for their latest fleet of cars. Hosted over three days in May, the event comprised a rolling two-day National Dealer Meeting at Nissan’s Australia’s new HQ in Mulgrave, with the third day a live stream of the Nissan APAC Town Hall and model launch to staff who couldn’t attend in person. A prestigious Gala Event was also held at the iconic Park Hyatt Melbourne.
The Solution
With all eyes on the four new models, Destination & Encore’s pitch-winning solution was a large custom stage design using LED walls that not only met the brief, but it also exceeded expectations on what was achievable within their new head office’s innovative display area. Being a Dealer facing event, the brief was to create a vibe and an environment that got the Dealer Network excited about the new models and motivated to sell.
Carefully considered audio equipment was implemented into the design to eliminate any echoes and feedback from the large display area made of tiles and glass. For visuals we installed several screens around the room to ensure all 200 Dealers could see the hype reels accompanying each car reveal. Encore’s lighting designers ensured all four models were heroed with added movement and colours to create an energetic atmosphere.
To compliment the first day of formal proceedings, Dealers and VIP guests were invited to attend a glamorous gala dinner in Park Hyatt Melbourne’s main ballroom to network and reflect on the exciting new products in the pipeline. Nissan also announced its FY21 ELITE Dealer Excellence winners during the evening.
The result:
Thank you Encore for your professional and personal contribution to the success of the recent Nissan National Dealer Meeting. Destination only aligns themselves with the best in business. All major events are the sum of many parts, and we are judged by not only the strong ties we have with our preferred suppliers but also any weak links we may align ourselves too as well. This year’s event was deemed a major success by our long-standing customer in Nissan and the job Encore played in that was huge. Please pass on my thanks to your team and I look forward to the next project we work on together.
Paul Downey (Pd)
Nissan Account Director
Encore proudly helped The Fullerton Hotel Sydney host 650 guests for the magnificent return of this year’s Tourism Accommodation Australia (NSW) Awards for Excellence. Our goal was to take the curved lines and colours of this year’s invite to inspire our event design, from the centrepieces through to Scenic Panel backdrop. Each table was brilliantly illuminated using 70x ShowPro R3 LED Wash Fixtures controlled via GrandMA and each screen on either side of the stage, and one at the rear measured a whopping 30ft x 10ft, making the audience feel immersed in the on-screen content. An incredible effort by everyone involved and truly wonderful occasion to be part of!
Encore had the privilege of delivering this year’s Essendon Football Club Hall of Fame Gala hosted at Victoria Pavilion for 450 special guests. It was one of the largest events Encore had the pleasure of delivering purely in-person since the start of the pandemic in 2020. As the in-house event production company at the venue, Encore provided a complete technical production solution.
A snapshot of what was included:
- 12 metre custom LED wall
- 16k Projection
- Extensive moving light package
- Content was created by Essendon Football Club under our recommendation for optimum impact across the LED.
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To learn more about the event and watch replay videos head to Essendon Football Club’s Website
Photography Credit: Lucas Dawson Photography
Encore had the huge honour of providing a complete event production solution for the 2022 National Folk Festival main Narragunnawali Stage. Over the course of the 4-day festival, Encore delivered all staging, lighting, audio vision and rigging components as well as looked after over 35 artists including national headline acts such as Kate Ceberano, Josh Pyke, Archie Roach and Yothu Yindi. The mammoth 3500 square meter tent hosted over 5000 people at times.
The stage needed to be large enough to hold a 200 person choir but also feel intimate enough for single performers. Our solution was a specially designed lighting rig to cater for the vast differences in the artist line ups. To ensure everyone had ‘the best seat in the house’ we utilised dual LED screens with a multi-cam shoot for imag and recording with the opening and closing ceremonies being live streamed to thousands around Australia and the world.
The Encore team devised an innovative solution for the Department of Defence to move their annual event the D + I Conference to an online format at the National Convention Centre Canberra.
The event was attended in-person by Defence senior leadership, including the Chief of the Defence Force and Secretary of Defence, plus 1,000 online attendees. Pre-recorded speeches from the Minister for Defence and Minister for Defence Industry were also part of the proceedings.
Encore won the event due to their ingenious solution to use their live, event streaming platform Chime Live. The technology was specifically designed to create an environment that was as close to the live event as possible, as well as offering many features for the attendees to engage with one another whether they were in the room or attending online.
The brief from Defence was also that due to the stature of the event and the seniority of the speakers from within the Department a highly professional production was required. So the team also designed a realistic ‘TV Studio’ style stage to ensure a professional, high quality appearance for the broadcast.
The flexible, secure and robust virtual platform was rigorously tested both within the Defence network and externally, to ensure it would provide faultless hosting and streaming capabilities for the inaugural VIP event. As the client was concerned about a fully online event, this attention to detail, professionalism and rigorous testing was another reason the event was won.
On entering the room, in-person attendees were met with an impactful stage set comprising a seamless 10 x 3m LED screen backing the stage. The TV Studio sat within the stage set and was completed with beautiful spot and wash lighting, with an LCD vision fold-back for presenters. Three cameras shooting different angles were used for a mixed broadcast and streamed live into the Chime platform. The team also created impactful multimedia content which was displayed on the screen throughout the event.
The team also moderated a live Q&A for each session within Chime so that the in-person and online audiences could all participate together.
Client testimonial – Loz Goodchild
“Stu and the team did an exceptional job with the delivery of the event, far exceeding our expectations. From the initial planning and liaison with the Department’s ICT team to the physical delivery of the event, everything was on point and the exceptional feedback received to date is a reflection of their knowledge, experience and professionalism.”
Stuart Buchanan, Director of Sales ACT commented,
“The entire team and I were delighted with the event. The delivery was professional, the execution was seamless and the result was engaging for attendees and guests whether they were in the room or online.
The client was extremely impressed with our execution of the event. They loved being on the TV style set and felt we exceeded the expectations of the internal stakeholders at the Department by ensuring we delivered flawlessly. They gained the confidence to continue to use this hybrid format again with Defence events during the current restrictions.”
Encore were asked to create a spectacular Welcome Dinner for the annual Joymain incentive trip with Sydney as the destination for 2015. The Royal Hall of Industries was the perfect venue to cater for the 1600 mainland Chinese including 100 of the company’s VIPs. Over the course of the day, we arranged a host of entertainment and performances that brought to life the true blue Australian culture to make this year’s incentive bigger and better than ever. From jumping kangaroos, boot-scooting cowboys, to Priscilla Queen of the Desert Drag Queens and Harley Davidson’s all set against a projected Sydney Harbour backdrop, the event was a pleasure to deliver, showcasing our expertise in delivering truly integrated events.