Annual Dinner and Alumni Awards
Annual Dinner and Alumni Awards, October 2013
La Trobe University
The Great Hall, NGVi – 350 Guests
Brief
JCH Event Solutions has an outstanding relationship partnering with the events team at La Trobe University on many of their exciting and varied events. Over a 6 month period, JCH Event Solutions worked closely with La Trobe University on their Annual Dinner and Alumni Awards to deliver both a breath-takingly stylish and technically layered event to La Trobe University’s most senior personnel.
Responsibility
- A vision component that included 3 screens, 3 high-end projectors, 2 independent content feeds, complex switching equipment and 2 manned camera locations to capture the entire event.
- Large scale lighting design to work with the amazing architectural design of NGVi’s Great Hall and the stage and table décor JCH Event Solutions crafted.
- Coordinate a thorough audio system where even distribution for guest satisfaction was critical throughout speeches and awards. It also needed to be flexible enough to accommodate a high profile entertainment piece.
- Project Management which worked closely with La Trobe University to take out the stress of those technical and styling aspects.
- Venue liaison to ensure all parties knew their roles in delivering not just a flawless event but all aspects from load in to bump out.
Challenges
A visual concept was designed where the central screen would run differing content to that of the two screens set on the outer balconies. Technical schematics were drawn to ensure all vision inputs were split over two high-end switchers while an experienced operator on the night ensured every cue to every screen was perfectly executed.
Working in The Great Hall at NGVi creates its own unique set of challenges. As it is a public space, all works needed to be completed outside of operating hours. This requires extensive scheduling consideration, with a pre-rig occurring overnight the night before the event for all flown equipment, then a frantic team of technical and styling crew return only hours before the event to put the finishing touches on the ground based components. Further to the scheduling consideration all crews moving throughout NGVi need a security escort as the venue houses millions of dollars worth of art. This can make the most simple of technical tasks take just a little bit longer.
As with La Trobe University’s policies, JCH Event Solutions had to utilise a certain amount of in-house production and technical staff. As always this simply required clear and effective communication from the outset to ensure all parties were on the same page in delivering this flawless event.
Results
Comments by guests indicated it was the best Annual Dinner and Alumni Awards to date. All aspects of the technical ran smoothly and to cue on the night. The main entertainment’s operatic arias brought massive applause and standing ovations from some sections of the appreciative audience, while the amazing room and stage styling tied the whole event together perfectly. It was another successful and flawless partnership between La Trobe University and JCH Event Solutions.