Intel kicked off the new year with its annual internal sales and marketing conference, i-360, held at the San Diego Convention Center with more than 5,500 people in attendance. John Halloran Associates, LLC (JHA), a leader in the event production industry, asked WorldStage to again provide AV support for the three-day gathering. WorldStage has filled the conference’s audio and video needs on a frequent basis for many years.
i-360 featured four keynotes, which were presented on a striking multi-level set designed by JHA with an array of slightly curved display surfaces. Elevated front-projection screens, for speaker support and demos, included a 92×20-foot center screen flanked by 35.5×20-foot side screens and separated by lighting panels. Upstage of them and also spanning the stage was an assortment of display surfaces, which acted as a scenic backdrop with the speaker entrance at the center. The upstage surfaces included rear-projection screens and 9mm lightweight LED video displays separated by lighting panels.
WorldStage supplied Christie HD-20kJ series projectors for the front-projection screens, Dataton WATCHOUT to drive the visuals and a Spyder X20 for switching the main screen. Sources included video clips from Milumin servers and Intel graphics computers as well as live feeds from cameras.
WorldStage also furnished six Hitachi HD broadcast cameras switched by a Ross 3.5 ME broadcast switcher. Two robotic cameras on pan-tilt heads and one fixed camera were mounted over the stage; there was one wireless Steadicam and two cameras were positioned at the back of house.
A tiny Marshall HD spy camera was installed inside Intel’s 20-foot tall MegaBot robot, which made a startling t-shirt spewing kickoff for one of the keynotes. The camera was mounted inside the control cockpit to offer the robot’s POV to the audience.
The last keynote revealed a Uniview LED floor installed in a recess of the stage floor by WorldStage. “We put it in overnight during set installation so we didn’t interrupt the flow of set building,” explains James Sarro, WorldStage account and project manager. “The LED floor was concealed by carpeting, which was removed for the concluding presentation.” The cameras mounted over the stage captured views of the LED floor’s dynamic graphics for those sitting too close to the stage to see it.
No house audio was used so WorldStage supplied a large d&b audiotechnik speaker system that utilized more than 75 cabinets spread around the room to ensure that the entire audience heard every word of the keynotes.
At WorldStage Shane Zinke was EIC, Geof Gibson audio system engineer, Jason Spencer Spyder screen switcher, Terry Nakamura projectionist and Wayne Romanowski and Stewart Douglas LED engineers.
WorldStage Inc., the company created by the merger of Scharff Weisberg Inc and Video Applications Inc, continues a thirty-year legacy of providing clients the widest variety of entertainment technology coupled with conscientious and imaginative engineering services. WorldStage provides audio, video and lighting equipment and services to the event, theatrical, broadcast and brand experience markets nationally and internationally. For more information visit www.worldstage.com
