At the 2011 Invensys Corporate Event in Orlando, Florida, the AMS Pictures & Invensys partnership took on the ambitious goal of designing and delivering a uniquely intimate and impactful atmosphere. In order to achieve this lofty and elusive goal, the AMS Pictures Corporate Solutions team, headed by Tim Wylie, Executive Producer, spent months working closely with Invensys to produce a distinctively creative stage design.  Two weeks later…  the results are in: we hit the mark!

Imagine: a stage without a back entrance. Presenters entered from and exited through the audience, and that small touch removed the invisible wall, making what Tim Wylie described as “almost a theater-feel.” The client wanted an interactive, inclusive, and intimate feel.  In other words, they wanted the tone to be that of co-workers and team members communicating, rather than Senior VPs talking down to the masses.  In fact, stage decking is normally 2’ or 4’ tall, but in order to minimize barriers between audience and presenters, 16” decking – a very unusual choice – was used instead.   The front lip of the stage slanted down to the floor like a ramp for an ‘inviting effect.’ Instead of rows of cookie cutter chairs that makes you feel like you’re at an AA meeting or a dreary seminar, the audience was seated around the stage at circular tables, not just in front of it! Tim Wylie remarked, “It came out really nice. You felt like the presenter was in the audience everywhere you looked.”

“First and foremost our goal was to give the audience something they had not seen before while supporting the organizations global message,”  says Creative Director Mark McGovern.  “Why not an abstract globe as a stage, we thought?  Moving completely away from any typical staging, we started with the idea of a disc shaped stage and then tipped it about 15 or 20 degrees so it sloped toward the audience.  This gave the feeling that the stage and audience spaces were coming toward one another.  We then painted the surface for the black stage floor with a world map.”  This effect gave the sense of audience and presenters being closer and a bit more ‘together.’  The front of the stage touched the carpet with only a one inch rise while the back hit nearly five feet. “This slope also gave the camera shot a nice background where parts of the map combined with scenic background always played into the shot,” Added Mark.

The singularity of the Invensys stage design did not end there.  The 40 foot stage was positioned ‘cattycorner’ in the ballroom – instead of the traditional horizontal and vertical – emerging from the corner and rotating axes of the room layout 45 degrees (creating a more impressive diamond footprint rather than square – image below). While the full expanse of the stage was over 40 ft stage, the main presenter area focused on a flat 14’ center section that ensured comfort and familiarity for executives.Tim Wylie: “We put a scenic piece in the background, with a world map which accentuates the international and global nature of Invensys” World, I’d like to introduce you to Invensys… Invensys, world!

Projection screens were ‘limbo hung’ at interesting angles and with textured lighting.  The ballroom drapes were lit up with LED washlights that created texture. Automated programmed lights, with Gobo pattern holders installed, created a ‘moving light’ effect where there were light patterns and designs overlaid on the rich color and texture of the drapes to create a fuller quality and feel. It snapped, crackled, and popped!

No corporate event is complete without at least one trying moment of adversity. As Tim Wylie revealed, “Due to changes in company leadership, new directives meant new themes and content.  As a result, there were new graphics to design, videos and color schemes to adjust, printed materials to revise, and more.” It was in those last three weeks that the AMS Pictures & Invensys partnership truly shined. With the tandem of creative vision, teamwork, and perseverance, the extreme makeover went off without a hitch and helped ensure another unforgettable corporate event for Invensys.