Annual Summit Meeting.

Challenge:
Deliver the theme of the meeting, “No Limits – Aspire to Greatness”, on as many levels as possible. The client wanted to create an experience that left the participants feeling energized, with a renewed “Can Do” attitude and an aspiration to greatness in terms of delivering quality projects, engaging in innovative learning and being superior consultants. They wanted the meeting to be fun, edgy and highly experiential with no separation between speakers and audience. It was important to break as many conventional ways of doing meetings as possible.

Solution:
In order to fulfill on the above-mentioned objective, it was important to first effect the audience in the opposite position first: to create a sense of limits. A sense of limits on their thinking, their senses and their environment.

Setting the Stage:
When the audience enters the ballroom, they will be taken aback. As opposed to the usual ballroom seating, our guests will find mainly couches and swivel chairs as well as a few of the more traditional ballroom chairs.

Upon entering, the stage is hidden behind a large polysilk drape (not shown in the above image); however, once revealed, the set creates the ultimate feeling of No Limits with a 3-dimensional effect. A star drop is used as the background as the screens seem to suspend in space, with orbs and the company logo appears to be floating to create depth. On stage there are three boxes, two smaller on each side and one large box at center stage. Stenciled on each box are the words “No Limits”.


The Opening of the Meeting
The stage is covered by a large polysilk drape with dark vacillating colors and the company logos projected on it. The house lights will be set at half so the audience has the feeling of being in a theater. The covered stage and dark room give the feelings of limited thinking, the usual, and normal.


(Room look as participants walk in to the ballrooms)


(Rooms look from a side view)

The Unexpected
As the house lights dim to dark, the walk-in music also fades. The center stage logo on our canvas fades. There is a beat of silence, then suddenly we hear the sound of a didgeridoo and a gong. As the sound first hits, we see the logos on either screen ripple, as if the logo was a reflection on water and the graphic begins to shimmer from the center out. The image fades as it shimmers. A second gong is heard, this time the screen changes to a series of voiceover quotes that illustrate the impacts of limited thinking.


(Stage look as quotes are read as part of the audio track)

On screen quotes:

"The only man who never makes a mistake is the man who never does anything."
- Theodore Roosevelt

"Even if you're on the right track, you'll get run over if you just sit there."
- Will Rogers

“Whatever limits us, we call fate”
- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The music now begins to build, slightly ethereal with a beat.

Then as the graphics begin to fade another voiceover is heard.

“It is time to break the boundaries. It is time to step beyond the
box and away from what keeps us bound in thought”.


(Lighting effects to support message)

As this voiceover is read, the word “LIMITS” appear on each screen and it is also projected in light on the center of the canvas. The voiceover comes to a conclusion and the music really begins to build. As it does, a red “X” appears over the word “LIMITS” on each video screen; however in the middle, the center canvas now has a light shining through the center on the back. The ever apparent “X” is now being formed by a human body against the swirling the background.

Now the word “LIMITS” in the center begins to fade. The performer turns to the left and waves their arm, and as they do another silhouette appears. It appears to be the shadow of a large box. Our moving player now turns to the right and another box fades up. Now standing again in the center, our player raises their arms from their sides and reaches out to the top.

As they do this we see the shadows of ropes dropping from above the boxes and slowly we see another person’s shadow emerge from each box and ascend up the ropes.


(two boxes and aerialist silhouetted on drape)

When they reach a specific height, the music crescendos and the canvas drops to the floor, revealing not two boxes but three.



(Close up of one aerialist almost “defying” gravity)

The center box is larger than the two side boxes. Our audience will now be focused on our two aerialists high up on the ropes. They almost seem to defy gravity.

As the music continues to build, our aerialists descend and float down in front of each side box. On a crescendo the three performers run behind the center box which begins to glow.

The performers re-emerge to the front of the box wearing hooded robes. As part of their act, they place masks on to hide their identity. They exit the stage and reappear once again with their masks on.

The box now illuminates with our show theme of “NO LIMITS.” They run back behind the large box and when they return, they are now our three executives wearing the same exact hooded robes and masks.


(Executive hosts for the event entering the stage dressed as the performers.)

As the music crescendos to a close, the voiceover introduces the first three presenters, who are also the executive hosts for this meeting. They step forward, drop the robes and masks. Stage lights come up full and the side screens capture the “performers” unmasking themselves to reveal their faces as they are introduced.

After the three executives have concluded their opening remarks, it is time to introduce the key executive. A clap of thunder from the center turns the room pitch black.

Mystical sounding music begins, and it builds as the center box begins to glow from behind. The light behind it fades up and down and then begins to pulse. Smoke can be seen seeping from every corner of the box.

Then with a burst of energy and pyrotechnics, the sides of the box drop and a strong backlight hits the audience and a figure walks through the smoke. The figure is the leader of this division, making a bold entrance and emphasizing the theme of “No Limits” and breaking up conventional thinking.

Call us at 1 (800) 560-4649 for more information.