One Powerful Party

16 Stations

For Food & Beverage Catering

30

Games & Activities

32

Branded Centerpieces

2,000

Employees

Digital Company Kicks-Off Party with Futuristic LED Theme

How do digital companies kick off a meeting? Why by applying a little science to give a technological twist to their event of course! A Palo Alto development company recently brought their 2,000 employees to a meeting at the San Mateo Expo Center under the theme Futuristic Cirque. It took two event managers partnering for over two months to see this event to light. The results? A memory that will burn with excitement longer than the digital age itself!

Two Months Till Tomorrowland

As part of a larger expo and employee meeting, the local Palo Alto development company reached out to our team to plan, manage, and produce a kick-off party with a Tomorrowland feel. With very little lead time, we put two of our most advanced event managers on the job. There was no time to waste.

A catering menu had to be planned, some utterly unique performers needed to be booked, decor needed to be planned, and logistics for power management needed coordinating at their designated venue.

This Party Had To Shine

To honor the company’s digital foundation and creative people, the party had to really shine. Literally. We broke personal records with the sheer number of LEDs used. Trussing and lighting were ordered and set up over a three-day custom multimedia installation process by our event and production company.

8 LED glow bars chilled beside branded columns and centerpieces that glowed with pride! An 8x8x2 stage complete with skirt, rails, two massive monitors, stage lighting and sound set up created the perfect backdrop.

Photos Like Never Before

Two singular, never seen before types of photo booths were ordered and installed.

The first, a Halo Photo Booth, created a digital mosaic out of the photos using the latest technology and uploaded them to a microsite to be preserved forever on the digital frontier.

The other was a light painting booth that used long exposure photography and LED lights to capture a unique image.

Lumens of Lighting!

While these photo booths were megapixel popular, there were plenty of games to enjoy. Classics like Asteroids, Pac Man, Space Invaders, Centipede, Street Basketball and two pinball machines required no change (pun intended) to capture the theme.

If you didn’t get sucked into the consoles, there were plenty of others that were sure to twist your attention. LED backlit pool tables, LED ping-pong, LED lit shuffleboards, glowing LED air hockey, funky LED foosball, LED cornhole, LED skeeball and a giant LED Light Bright brightened up the party.

20 LED lit cocktail tables were the perfect place to pause with an ice cold drink to chat about the games and watch the main performances.

Illuminating Entertainment

Four LED Stilt Robots strut to an incredible DJ though the arcade games. Guests couldn’t help but try for a selfie with them. Their smooth moves and glittering lights made for one heck of a futuristic cirque show!

But that was just the pre-show. The main event was a LED drumming DJ who warmed the kick-off party. Warm colors washed over the crowd from a one-of-a-kind 55” transparent Holoscreen as the African percussion performance drummed on. A perfect percussion combined with the latest in music, technology, and showmanship rocked the dance floor and our worlds! Complex beats mixed seamlessly with lighting to immerse the senses for a unique experience that illuminated sound in a way never seen before!

Powerful Performances

The LED games, photo booths, and performances required some serious power drops. Cord management was one of the logistical elements that needed extra focus. With low overhead lighting and thousands of colored LED lights, our event managers worked carefully with the installation team to ensure cords were safely hidden away. Amps were measured vigilantly and coordinated cautiously with the power management team to ensure proper placement at power drops. Pipe and drape were brought in to divide the space into the party room, multiple “dressing” and green rooms for performers, and help hide the “guts” of the party.

Set up, installation and rigorous testing for these powerful performances accounted for nearly three full days leading up to the party. Everything had to be perfect, much like the code the company hosting the kick-off party and meeting expo created. And like code, each section worked seamlessly together to create a bright experience!

Stations that Shined

Even the catering stations had touches that shined! Creative displays used color that reflected under the lighting for a delectable touch to the catering. White menu labels, tablecloths, and plates reacted under the blacklight while carefully selected ingredients popped in the low lighting.

We presented a number of stations reflecting the diverse culture as well. The Fra’ Mani Charcuterie cones filled with Italian sliced meats and julienned vegetables were great starters. There was also a Mexican station with mushroom and pepper jack empanadas & fresh ceviche. The Dim Sum Station included Shu Mai, Pot Stickers, and Wontons with Soy Sauce, Sweet Hoisin Sauce, and Red Chili Sauce served with a chilled vegetable Soba salad.

Save Room for Dessert

The Indian Station included a Chicken Tika Masala, East Indian Creamy Tomato Curry, Thai Beef Green Curry with Green Thai Chiles, Shallots, Garlic, Lemongrass, and Coriander. For the veggie lovers a Roasted Cauliflower and Chickpea Vegetarian Curry was included. The Cuban Station included a Ropa Vieja (slow roasted pulled flank steak stew) and rich chicken enchiladas served with rice, black beans, and fried sweet plantains.

For dessert, a liquid nitrogen station wowed with ice cream popsicles and rich, warm dipping sauces. Toppings included chocolate, caramel, sprinkles and fresh roasted nuts.

The Future is Bright

This futuristic kick-off party definitely will shine on in our memories as one of the brightest of our past events.

It was an honor, challenge and privilege to work with the incredible performers, talented audiovisual team and tireless power management department of the venue.

Coordinating a party of this size and magnitude brought us together with experts in all kinds of new technology and fantastic employees that made it all possible. Thank you. We will think of you all with every lumen the future brings!