It’s been a very busy quarter for Staging Connections right across the business. From delivering the AFL’s week long Best & Fairest and Grand Final Week celebrations to helping EB Games celebrate 20 years, our teams have work tirelessly to produce innovative event experiences. We’ve seen the successful launch of our fun new product, SpeakUp, as well as renewed and welcomed new venue partners including Mercure Sydney, Cordis Auckland and Pullman Brisbane King George Square, with more in the pipeline. Here is a snapshot of our latest work for your dose of event inspiration. See how we used projection mapping at a gala in Canberra; constructed an evolving stage set that grew throughout a Sydney conference; and transformed Melbourne’s iconic MCG from conference to gala and so much more!
It’s been a very busy quarter for Staging Connections right across the business. From delivering the AFL’s week long Best & Fairest and Grand Final Week celebrations to helping EB Games celebrate 20 years, our teams have work tirelessly to produce innovative event experiences. Our new SpeakUp throwable microphone has made huge waves in the industry for a fun little product as PCOs and event professionals look for simple ways to shake up the usual event formalities.
Our specialised incentives team are finally relaxing after producing a mammoth sales incentive for JoyMain. The event welcomed over 1100 mainland Chinese, culminating with a dazzling gala dinner at Sydney Town Hall with special performances by the cast of MAMMA MIA! the musical, which was playing at the time. Up in the centre of Australia, our Alice Springs team did a stella job for this year’s Alice Stampede – the business event marketing initiative showcasing Alice Springs and the surrounding venues as an ideal choice for your business events.
Across the ditch our team in New Zealand welcomed the launch of our new venue partner Cordis Auckland, formerly known as The Langham, Auckland. The launch showcased the new, contemporary facilities and state-of-the-art event spaces making it one of Auckland’s leading venues. Following on from Cordis Auckland, we’re proud to announce we’ve been chosen as the in-house event services provider to Mercure Sydney and renewed our partnership with Pullman Brisbane King George Square Hotel. Watch this space because we’ll have more exciting venue partners to announce in the near future. If you are interested in finding out more about our services in these venues please contact me.
Below you’ll see a snapshot of some the amazing work our teams produce to help inspire your next events! If you have any questions about the events or our solution please get in touch with me.
VICTORIA
AVCAL alpha conference®
Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground
The Melbourne Cricket Ground was the venue of choice to host this year’s AVCAL alpha conference®. As the in-house AV and event services provider, Staging Connections delivered the 24th annual conference and gala dinner for the private equity and venture capital industry’s biggest networking event of the year. Over 400 delegates enjoyed the two-day conference enjoying various plenaries, break-out sessions, a tour of the MCG, leader’s forum, cocktail function and more, culminating in the esteemed 24th Annual AVCAL Awards Ceremony and Gala Dinner.
The Australian Private Equity and Venture Capital Association Limited (AVCAL) developed this year’s conference theme ADAPT. CREATE. INSPIRE. to reflect the industry’s evolving ways of working; the value created in building better businesses; and the partnerships and stories which will strengthen and inspire the future.
AVCAL’s Nilanga Kotigala expressed his thrill at another wonderful event, “The alpha conference® 2017 was a real success and we would like to pass on our sincere thanks to our AV Partners, Staging Connections for the fantastic support provided”.
NEW SOUTH WALES
Strategies Conference 2017
Venue: Carriageworks
This year we helped the PortfolioConstruction Forum stage one of Australia’s most reputable investment conferences at Sydney’s Carriageworks with over 700 finance professionals attending. This year’s event program was jam-packed over two-days, featuring more than 25 intensive, interactive breakout sessions from more than 35 local and international portfolio experts, as well as a special cocktail function to celebrate the 15-year anniversary of the PortfolioConstruction Forum.
The conference theme ‘It all adds up!’ – was a clever play on the concept of investment strategies working together to contribute to better-quality investment portfolios, as well as the Forum’s 15 years of programs adding up to more competent investment practitioners. Our Staging Connections team seized the opportunity to carry this clever conference theme throughout all event production elements including the audio visual, stage set, design and styling of the event.
This included an evolving stage design made from hexagonal panels and exposed scaffolding for an industrial effect. Constructing a ‘burgeoning’ set to begin the forum, as the program on Day One unfolded, more and more panels were added to the set design to reinforce the conference’s theme – “It all adds up”.
The cocktail event space was fully designed by Staging Connections, featuring stunning laser light displays and custom styling pieces, linking the brand logo and conference theme. A 15-piece big band performed, making full use of the incredible acoustics and grand sense of space at the Carriageworks venue.
VICTORIA
AFL Best & Fairest Week 2017
Venue: Palladium, Crown Melbourne
Celebrations continued long after the siren sounded at the AFL Grand Final, with the annual Best & Fairest Week – where AFL clubs gathered alongside sponsors, associates and fans to recognise their stars of the season. The Palladium was the venue of choice for many teams for their festivities, with Staging Connections the partnered AV provider. This year the Palladium hosted Geelong FC, Western Bulldogs, Collingwood FC, Richmond FC and more, to present their annual awards and celebrate another season’s achievements.
Crown Melbourne required a flexible lighting and AV package that could be easily customised to suit each of the different client’s requirements throughout the eight days of celebrations. Taking pride of place in the centre of the ballroom this year, the Staging Connections team featured an impressive new element – a 7m diameter curved LED screen suspended from the ceiling.
A large LED wall set the backdrop for the main stage, in front of which the team set two wide screens with additional display screens relayed around the room. The dazzling effect allowed each client to showcase multimedia, video, presentations and corporate branding from every angle in the room. Adding depth and texture to the visual landscape, Staging Connections featured Harlequin 3D Scenic Panels frame the stage and added 2D Ribbon Scenic Panels to create small ‘wings’ on stage.
For each Best & Fairest Week event, Staging Connections offered a custom multimedia look to work with all of the screens in the Palladium and create an effective animated visual as guests arrived at the event.
Angie Becker, Director of Sales for Crown Hotels and Crown Events & Conferences, commented on the high level of expertise that Staging Connections continues to raise.
“The AV and lighting package that Staging Connections offers is always amazing value for our clients, without ever compromising on delivering the latest and greatest in the industry. Our clients continue to be impressed and as a result book with us year-on-year, said Ms Becker.
VICTORIA
AFL Grand Final Week
Venue: Palladium, Crown Melbourne
AFL Grand Final Week is the pinnacle of the football fans’ calendar. This year the Palladium hosted six events, including the exclusive Carbine Club luncheon, the Crown Grand Final Breakfast and the 2017 AFL Toyota Grand Final Eve Lunch.
Staging Connections developed an AV and lighting package specifically for the Palladium ballroom, which could be customised for each client booking during the week whether it was a charity luncheon, club breakfast, or gala dinner.
A number of the events held throughout the week are for charity, so value was important, as was a strong focus on the main stage with a large visual element crucial to the AV solution provided. The centrepiece was the 15m x 4m LED wall at the back of the stage, with a 16:9 projector screen on either side, creating a visually immersive experience for every guest around the room to enjoy. The industry-leading technology could be tailored to display logos and branding or to engage the audience with dynamic, blank canvas, enabling each client to add their own personal styling and multimedia touches with brand colours and décor.
Angie Becker, Director of Sales for Crown Hotels and Crown Events & Conferences, commented on the value of the long-term relationship with Staging Connections and the ensuing benefits to their clients.
“Our partnership with Staging Connections is valuable – our clients continue to return to Crown assured that all elements of their event will be taken care of to the highest standards. The Staging team continue to make every year bigger and better than the last,” said Ms Becker.
AUSTRALIAN CAPITAL TERRITORY
Canberra Business Chamber Gala
Venue: National Convention Centre Canberra
Guests were treated to a dazzling ‘theatrically-themed’ evening at this year’s Canberra Business Chamber (CBC) annual Gala Dinner. Held at the National Convention Centre, Staging Connections was tasked with delivering the extravaganza for the ninth year running.
The guests were immersed in a captivating setting using animated projection mapping, lighting effects and elegant styling amongst other design elements. Adding to the visual delights, guests were also entertained with an exquisite performance by the Woden Youth choir and an acrobatic aerialist, who dazzled on silk elevated above the main stage, surrounded by 18 white lycra columns.
Staging Connections designed the audio-visual and styling elements using a mix of screens, projectors, a CBC-branded gobo light, spotlighting, and projection mapping. As the evening progressed, the Staging Connections team continued to inject life and atmosphere into the room by tailoring the animated projections and lighting during the evening’s performances and presentations.
The décor dramatically reflected the CBC’s colours of red, white and black, with an 18m red carpet through the main foyer leading into the venue. VIPs were treated to exclusive pre-event cocktails in the Executive Room, decorated with additional hints of gold.
Karen Shaw, Events Coordinator for CBC, commented later, “The dinner was amazing, I want to give a big thank you to your wonderful team. As usual nothing was too much trouble.”
SOUTH EAST QUEENSLAND
EB Games Conference and 20th Anniversary Gala
Venue: Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre
After a seven-year partnership, Staging Connections were the principal choice to manage the production of EB Games’ annual Conference in October 2017. EB Games’ staff from across Australia gathered to celebrate 20 Years of EB Games. Held over five days, the conference concluded with the much-anticipated EB Expo over the weekend – a sold-out public event featuring big-name tech brands, product launches, live demos and cosplay. The October Conference was made up of several social and business events, including the annual Gala Dinner and a glamorous 20 Year Rock Party.
This year the Gala Dinner saw 800 guests welcomed with a high impact 20 Years of Music Video, accompanied by choreographed real and holographic dancers. CO2 jet blasts, flame projectors and timed pyrotechnics set the night off to an impressive start. The evening featured a poignant presentation with 20 speakers each chronicling one year of the EB Games history, accompanied by a highlights reel utilising holo-gauze technology to envelope the speakers. This was followed by a surprise for everyone in the room: EB Games’ Conference and Special Events Manager, Trent Weekes, organised 60kg of confetti and pyrotechnics to explode from the roof as 4 custom-made stillages wondrously descended on the crowd, revealing 800 exclusive, official EB Games Monopoly sets as a 20-year gift for each employee.
WESTERN AUSTRALIA
ACTON Real Estate Awards
Venue: Crown Perth
The prestigious awards evening for ACTON Real Estate brought together 500 employees, sponsors and partners to celebrate the year’s achievements and recognise ACTON’s brightest stars. Staging Connections delivered an impressive ‘art deco’ styled evening; complete with red carpet, diamond-shaped dance floor and glamorous crystal centrepieces. The Staging Connections team configured a completely new set design for this year’s awards night – opting for a single multi-purpose stage flanked by two large dual-projection, wide screens and Scenic Panels dramatically used to pull the set together and complement the art deco style. Combining the presentation and entertainment stages into the one set added a sense of intimacy to the space, and heightened dramatic impact.
The client was thoroughly impressed with the boundary-pushing solution the Staging Connections team delivered, and after an 8-year relationship, continued to be delighted.
Travis Coleman, ACTON Real Estate CEO, said, “This year’s awards were another example of the high quality of execution by Staging Connections. Every element of the evening was seamless, on-brand and so impressive – all of our offices look forward to coming together every year to celebrate our achievements and enjoy a spectacular evening out.”
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Siemens Group
Venue: Adelaide Oval
Siemens recently held its annual Oktoberfest for 2017 at the esteemed Cathedral Room at the Adelaide Oval. Over 200 employees and guests of the company attended the event for some pretzels and beer as a marked celebration for the German conglomerate.
For the fourth consecutive year, Staging Connections were the chosen styling and AV provider for the event, giving the space a distinct festive feel. To add to the European festival vibe, the team designed an outdoor beer garden with bunting, cocktail seating, topiaries and barrels, and incorporated the client’s stunning themed backdrops suspended around the venue.
A local band took to the main stage to entertain guests in between speeches and presentations, adding to the German-esque atmosphere. Lighting and AV, including Fresnel LEDs and LED honeycombs were kept on-theme to complement the client’s colours of blue and white and their sound requirements.
Jodie Andrews, The Incentive Lab, was incredibly pleased with the end result, “The client was especially impressed with Staging Connections’ solutions, particularly with a difficult space, and praised the can-do attitude of the team in helping to deliver another successful event.”
AUCKLAND
Cordis Auckland Hotel Launch
Venue: Cordis Auckland
Located in uptown Auckland, the elegant Langham Hotel recently underwent an extensive transformation and is now known as the impeccably modern Cordis, Auckland. Cordis recently unveiled its stylish new image to over 500 of their top clients, as well as decision makers and media influencers, with a lavish launch party held at the Hotel.
The latest refurbishment of 411 rooms and restaurant are distinctly different, representing a contemporary, ‘uptown’ feel that reflects the location amongst the city’s fashionable boutiques, galleries and museums.
As venue partner to the new Cordis, Auckland, Staging Connections managed all the audio-visual elements and lighting design, with some staff flying in from Australia specifically for the event.
The party began with an official opening ceremony and ribbon-cutting in the Hotel’s grand main entrance led by a local Maori representative. In the main ballroom, the proceedings continued with a Maori Powhiri and a rousing Maori Haka to welcome all to the new space.
A cocktail-style décor, taking cues from Cordis’ contemporary branding, enveloped the room along with ample food stations and a show-stopping donut chandelier – a huge hit with guests!
The Staging team brought the client’s vision to life using several screens and projectors for the multimedia, as well as an extensive lighting presentation. Audio was designed to highlight the specific stage performances including a welcoming Haka, speeches, 6-piece band, and a DJ. The entertainment had everyone breaking in the new ballroom floor with guests dancing well into the night.
Michael Shah, Director of Sales and Marketing, at Cordis, Auckland later told the Staging Connections team, “There wasn’t anything I would have changed. The whole event was seamless. Before the event had even finished I was receiving messages from guests telling me what a superb event it was.”
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