From Typical Corporate Conference to Multi-Dimensional Immersive Experience.

We See Solutions.

“Every client has a story. It's the creative's job to bring it to life."

Megan Angle

Marriott International was gearing up to host an exclusive three-day event for 500 of its esteemed general managers (GMs) and wanted to leave a lasting impact. Their missionLeave the traditional conference format behind and immerse guests in an extraordinary multi-dimensional program. Enter Megan and team, ready to exceed all expectations for an unforgettable experience. 

Megan Angle

Associate Director, Content Production
  • 20+ years of professional media experience
  • Goes by Megan “The Mangler”
  • Has three busy daughters
  • Drawn to creative storytelling
  • Calls family her “why”
The Challenge

To execute the customer’s vision, Megan and team needed to develop and coordinate event strategy design, the thematic and multimedia creative, complex event technology and overall staging and production — for both outdoor and indoor event spaces. The star of the show, however, would be vibrant motion graphics to keep the audience’s attention while reinforcing an engaging event theme. Cesar and Autumn, rockstars from the Encore Creative Content Studio, immediately got to work on solutions. Pulling this off would be no small feat. It required cohesion across design, lighting, projection and LED screens, collaboration with Marriott International and buy-in from clients across multiple stakeholder groups.   

The Solution

After presenting their concept to the customer, Megan, Cesar and Autumn received enthusiastic approval and wasted no time in bringing the idea to life. Autumn developed a playful overarching theme, Let’s Go, which evolved into the daily subthemes Go Forth, Go Far and Go Fearlessly to reinforce the event’s central concept. To really blow attendees away, Cesar developed incredibly complex 2D and 3D motion graphics that seemingly leapt off the screens! Executing this required close collaboration and extensive testing pre-event and on-site with lighting and projection experts. The remarkable end result

      • In one session, a sailboat cruised beyond the screen’s borders, emphasizing the “Go Far” subtheme.
      • In another, parachuters seemingly soared out of their frame, immersing attendees in a stunning 3D experience that embodied the “Go Fearlessly” message.
Key Solutions Used in This Story
     Creative Production Technology

     Event Strategy & Design
     Event Branding  
     Content Development
        Motion Graphics

Staging Services
Scenic & Decor
Show Management
  

Audiovisual Solutions
   LED Walls
   Lighting Solutions

The Result

The in-house team of imaginative and dedicated creatives set the stage for an electrifying experience, flawlessly executed. The brilliant visuals, ranging from printed applications to immersive general session content, elevated the programming’s impact and kept participants buzzing with excitement long after the final session. In the customer’s own words, “The creative team at Encore challenged us to think differently than we ever have to deliver a product that our GMs had never seen before. They not only delivered but also exceeded every expectation from start to finish.”   

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From Make-A-Wish Dream to Make-A-Wow Extravaganza. 

We See Solutions.

“There is no problem without a solution"

Alberto Castillo

For decades, Encore has helped bring the Annual InterContinental® Miami Make-A-Wish® Ball to life, making it bigger and better each year. The challenge for the 2022 festivities?  Make the event more magical than ever by immersing the participants in an unforgettable experience to increase levels of excitement and inspire greater donations. With Alberto and team on the task, consider the wish granted. 

Alberto Castillo

Director, Event Technology
  • Thousands of events
   
  • National Ambassador for Encore
   
 
  • Developed/runs local workshop for Event Managers
 
 
  • Loves ATVing in the Everglades with his daughters
 
  • Always entertaining guests at home
   
 
  • Family and faith are his guiding forces
 
The Challenge

For the 27th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, Alberto and team were tasked with making the gala event more magical than ever in unique, immersive and memorable ways — with just three compressed setup days. The creative ask:

  • Stage an engaging opening reception, including a branded publicity “step and repeat” backdrop and reception with silent auction areas.
  • Create a “supernature” themed experience between the reception/silent auction areas and the grand ballroom gala event space. 
  • Bring to life an immersive “NY aquarium” in the grand ballroom for the main dining and open auction event.
  • Delight participants with live performances and an iconic entertainer.
  • Further surprise guests by executing an afterparty featuring a multi-act cabaret show and nightclub experience, requiring a major room flip in just two hours. 
The Solution

Alberto and team worked closely with multiple stakeholders from the hotel, the Make-A-Wish Southern Florida chapter and their third-party designers to make the dream come true.

Solutions included: 

  • Sourcing people and gear from 20+ regional venues, with Encore working 24/7 shifts over three days.
  • Creating a transitional experience between the opening reception/silent auction and grand ballroom that featured a mesmerizing “supernature” LED tunnel depicting the New York subways overtaken by nature.
  • Producing the grand ballroom event, including a 140-foot LED wall to create a “NY aquarium” experience with coral-like décor, beautiful lighting and ambient audio that brought the underwater world to life. 
  • Creating an outfitted performance stage for the live auction and applause-worthy entertainment.
  • Quietly flipping the prior reception/silent auction rooms into a surprise afterparty with a multi-act cabaret show and DJ while guests enjoyed the grand ballroom event. 
  • Perfectly planning and executing everything from staging, video and audio to complex lighting, rigging and power for an astounding start-to-finish event experience, using three highly skilled project managers across rooms and a stage manager for the big show. 

 

   Key Solutions Used in This Story
   ProductionTechnology 
   Staging Services
   Scenic & Décor
   Show Management  
Audiovisual Solutions
     LED Walls
     Audio
     Video

Infrastructure Services
     Rigging
     Power
                                        
The Result

The inspirational event left both the customers and charity ball participants in awe. The guests were so moved by their experience that it was a history-making year with a record-setting $5.4M raised in just one night. This was more than twice as much as the previous charity ball! For the customer’s vision and charitable event goals, it was truly a larger-than-life dream come true.

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Objective

Out & Equal is a global nonprofit organization focused exclusively on LGBTQ+ workplace equality. Each year, they hold an international Out & Equal Workplace Summit, promoting inclusion in global companies across industries. Encore has supported the event for years, but the four-day 2022 event, at the Mirage in Las Vegas, was set to feature the first in-person component since pre-pandemic.

Upgrading the event design to make it hybrid required new technology and support considerations. The ask? Deliver an awe-inspiring general session, 100+ breakout sessions, engagement opportunities for the onsite and remote audiences, immersive experiences, an afterparty and more. With Encore on the job — consider it done!
















Solution

- Produced an engaging General Session with various panels and keynotes, 116+ breakout sessions, fireside chats, and large performances.

- Created 100% of the custom creative content, including event themes and branding, in collaboration with the Out & Equal team.

- Served as the exclusive provider of rigging and power at the venue.

- Cast sweeping patterns of color with 76 colorful kinetic LED globe lights that changed hue throughout the experience.

- Promoted an inclusive experience by providing live closed captioning during the General Session and within 24 hours of the recorded breakout sessions.

- Audio enhancements, lighting elements and a DJ to elevate the festive afterparty.

- Other immersive solutions included: four custom ultra-wide projection screens in the general session, flanked by three scenic arches, along with projection mapping and a large LED curtain, reinforcing content.

- Dedicated team provided 24/7 support to ensure each aspect of the experience was transformative.

Outcome

Adding an in-person audience alongside remote attendees resulted in almost double the number of participants — up to 5,500+ from 3,000 in 2021! The inspiring summit delivered a moving experience that was so highly celebrated that it was named as a finalist for “Best Pride Event” in BizBash’s Event Experience Awards 2022. Michael Chamberlain, VP of Marketing, Out & Equal, shared:

“Our partnership with Encore has really enabled everything we saw at the Out & Equal Workplace Summit, in person and online, to happen, from the fabulous and beautiful aesthetics to the way we’re able to showcase the really critical voices in this LGBTQ+ inclusion movement … We couldn’t have better partners than Encore! Highly recommend them for any event you’re doing. They’ve really made the show that we have today the best show that we could possibly make and ensure that those really critical messages are heard, in this room, in our online community, and far far beyond so I can’t thank them enough.”









From Traditional Dinner to Multi-Sensory Experience.

We See Solutions.

“We are here to support
the client and earn
their trust”

Miguel Sanchez

With a customer’s most important dinner of the year coming up, they wanted to ensure the event would be memorable. Their vision? Elevate a traditional dining experience into a festive year-end celebration gala, integrating storytelling, gastronomic, visual and acoustic elements to wow their important guests 

Enter Miguel and team, ready to help deliver a multi-sensory experience set to impress.

Miguel Sanchez 

Project Manager
The Challenge


Develop the idea that the client envisioned to create a whole experience and not just serve a traditional dinner. Part of the challenge was to achieve synchrony at the time of the service for the 380 guests, thus merging gastronomy with technology, in addition to matching the size of the venue with the hanging points and the space between each table.

The Solution

With the technical experience of Miguel and his team, it was possible to have the same signal that would simultaneously reproduce the content at the 38 tables and individually for the 380 diners. 

With professionalism, it was possible to maintain excellent communication, successfully coordinating all those involved (venue, business partners and our production staff), 

By capturing the different elements in a layout, it was possible to adapt the technical needs to the infrastructure and hanging points of the venue.   

The Result

Thanks to Miguel and team’s technical expertise, collaboration with all parties and innovative mindsets, the gala was a memorable celebration for all attendees. Due to the team’s collaboration and dedication to each detail, the more than 380 guests experienced a truly unique gourmet dinner adventure. The attendees left impressed by the year-end festivities, and the customer was equally pleased, delighted at how Encore had helped plan, synchronize and transform their critical event into a unique sensory experience. 

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From Lusterless View to Dazzling Jewelry Showcase Event.

We See Solutions.

“When better is possible
good is not enough”

Jazz

Eager to attract new distributors, jewelry designer Sara Blaine was planning a special event at Le Meridien Atlanta Perimeter to showcase her jewelry collection, eSBe. The event would be crucial for her small business, so she needed each of her current and new custom designs to dazzle. Enter Jazz and team ready to deliver down to every last illuminating detail.

Jazz Thomas

Director, Event Technology
  • Enjoys learning about new event technology and tools
The Challenge
With her jewelry showcase event just one week away, Sara visited the venue for a pre-event walk-through. She mentioned that she wished the ballroom where her custom designs would be displayed featured daylight lighting, which she felt would really make all of her jewelry pieces shine. As a natural troubleshooter, Jazz sprang into action to execute on her vision.
The Solution
With over a thousand events under his belt, Jazz was able to use his lighting expertise and personal research to determine which new LED daylight fixtures would provide the right wattage, brightness and light beam pattern to source them. He then worked with Le Meridien to replace 25 key ballroom lights above the showcase tables with the new bulbs to ensure both Sara and her jewelry would be radiant at the event.
Key Solutions Used in This Story
ProductionTechnology 
Show ManagementAudiovisual Solutions
     Lighting Solutions
                                      
 
Key Solutions Used in This Story
Production  

Show Management

Technology

Audiovisual Solutions

Lighting Solutions 

The Result

Thanks to Jazz’s solution-oriented mindset, Sara’s event was a success. She was incredibly impressed with Jazz’s initiative, technical problem solving and the end result. The venue was equally pleased. The lighting fixtures he installed added such brilliance to the space that the venue itself decided to not only keep them in place but matched all lights in the ballroom to preserve the same ambiance. As for Sara, she continues to utilize Le Meridien and partner with Encore for her events, having seen Jazz go out of his way to elevate each detail, creating the right environment for an excellent experience. 

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From Multi-Venue Complexities to Flawless Tech-Enabled Experience.

We See Solutions.

“The right partnership transforms challenges to successes”

Jo Merriman

With 300 of a financial customer’s top investors flying in from all over the world for their Annual General Meeting in France, the stakes were high. The ask? With 14 fund meetings in two days, in
two different venues, provide a digital logistics solution for a five-star experience.  

With Jo and team on the job — Consider it done!

Jo Merriman

Director, Commercial & Operations
The Challenge

A finance organization was preparing for their Annual General Meeting (AGM), and the stakes were high. The customer needed to plan a seamless experience for 300 of their high-value investors, who were flying into Avignon, France, for the event from around the world. Yet with 14 fund meetings in just two days at two venues across the city — and different groups attending each — the customer needed a polished and simple-to-follow system to ensure the international attendees had a seamless experience. This included an easy way to receive any last-minute changes to the agenda, speakers and/or locations. Enter Jo and team, ready to deliver.

The Solution

To deliver a smooth event experience, Jo and team recommended that the customer create individualized itineraries for each participant, which would minimize the number of relocations between venues and accommodate for travel time. Under their technical guidance, the customer was able to equip participants with pre-event access to Chime Live℠. With this technology solution, each fund investor only needed to look at their phone to see where they needed to be and when. Any last-minute agenda changes were available immediately.

Key Solutions Used in This Story
Production Technology
Onsite Chime Live technical support Chime Live
The Result
Thanks to Jo’s creative problem-solving and digital solutions, the team navigated the customer’s multi-session and -venue logistics challenges, delivering a flawless event for their high-profile participants. With Chime Live, everyone made their meetings at the right venue and on time. The platform’s easy-to-use yet powerful tools equipped audiences with enhanced engagement opportunities during the meetings as well — a benefit the customer already regularly used Chime Live for. The technology also ensured the customer had valuable post-event analytics at their fingertips. Both the customer and participants were delighted with the experience.  

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From Unexpectedly Ill Cameraman to Celebratory Commencement.

We See Solutions.


“Stay ready so
you don't have to
get ready"

Niko Manigat

Two hours before a college commencement, the cameraman became suddenly ill. No problem. Niko, our local technical supervisor and camera operator extraordinaire, was nearby and ready to rock.

Niko Manigat

Technical Supervisor
The Challenge
Capturing graduations on video is always important, but especially with this one happening in person for the first time since the pandemic. The William James College was two hours away from starting their commencement ceremony. The Encore production team had everything set and in place until their camera operator covering the graduation became unexpectedly ill. No problem.
The Solution
As we know, from time to time unexpected things happen. The production team acted immediately and tapped into Encore’s vast resources to find the best backup camera operator. They called Niko, a technical supervisor and skilled cameraman, who was breaking down meeting rooms at a close by Boston hotel. Niko was ready and jumped into action. He quickly arrived, checked in with the production team leader, set up, white-balanced the camera, and was ready to rock.
Key Solutions Used in This Story
ProductionTechnology 
Event Production ServicesAudiovisual Solutions
     Video
                                      

 

The Result
Niko’s camera expertise, collaboration, and customer service skills helped create a truly special ceremony. His work not only projected the live event onto the large format screens, but it was also recorded to preserve the memories. The families were able to see their graduates up close as they received their diplomas, acknowledging their commitment and hard work. The families, customer, and venue partner were extremely pleased.

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From Open Spaces to Five Papal Events for 200,000 People.

We See Solutions.

“Our team can
accomplish amazing
things together”

Chris Baker

Our team was tasked with creating five events for a Papal visit in five locations over three days for more than 200,000 people – with just 45 days to prepare. Enter Chris Baker and team.

Chris Baker

Regional Director, Alberta Branches
The Challenge
The request came from the Canadian Catholic Council of Bishops for Encore to help produce the Pope’s visit to Canada. Our team was tasked with creating five events in five locations over three days for more than 200,000 people – with just 45 days to prepare.
The Solution
The challenges and requirements for each event location were completely unique. Enter Chris and team. Using Encore’s extensive resources available across Canada and North America, the team designed a plan including hundreds of people, individual crews for each site, lots of infrastructure, tons of gear, large LED walls with delayed audio, plus an eight-hour cargo flight across country to Baffin Island, the last stop.
The Result
While the challenges had short turns and were immense, the people of Encore saw solutions, and enabled the Pope to present his message to more than 200,000 people in five different locations. In short, it was a miraculous success.

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      • The pandemic forced the meeting and event industry to hit the pause button. In that pause, the industry was given the opportunity to rethink how things are conventionally done to see how we might improve. Why is that necessary? Let’s see where conventional thinking has gotten us: The average event participant contributes almost a quarter of a metric ton of CO2 emissions per day at a conference.
      • 70 percent of event speakers worldwide are men.
      • 58 percent of managers say they must reinvent their organization to survive, yet 75 percent of transformation efforts fail to deliver.
      • Attention spans — thanks to mobile devices — are only eight seconds long, yet conference programs are still filled with hour-long lectures.

Clearly, it’s time to break free of industry norms so we can overcome these challenges. How can meeting and event professionals find solutions to these challenges? Design thinking.

“Design thinking is one of the most powerful ways that event professionals can approach their events,” said Anthony Vade, Encore event experience strategy director. “It allows us to navigate the complexities that exist in our stakeholder relationships to find the most elegant solution to create the change that events need to create.”

 To generate awareness, conversations and potential solutions, Encore partnered with IMEX America to create an immersive BREAK FREE booth on the IMEX America show floor.

What we were trying to achieve

Goals for this journey of transformation were to:

      • Encourage the industry to challenge the status quo.
      • Show participants that they can break free from whatever is holding them back.
      • Spotlight the themes of connection, inspiration and collaboration.
      • Connect participants with the Encore team and get them talking about topics that impact organizations, local communities and the world.

Our approach

Encore utilized its strategy and creative process to map the attendee journey and design the experience. The starting point was IMEX’s stated goals for the event. The themes for Smart Monday’s education were ‘connection, community and belonging.’ And IMEX had strong sustainability initiatives, focusing on offsetting carbon emissions and diverting waste from landfills to create a ‘zero-waste’ event. From here, Encore initiated its design thinking process.
      • The Encore Strategy team used tools to unlock empathy and analyze stakeholder needs.
      • Once stakeholder needs were defined, the experience designed focused on how to fulfill them by making design choices that would elicit human emotion, drive interaction and spark meaningful conversation while delivering on IMEX partnership goals.
      • The Encore Creative team conceived, designed, wrote and produced the content, including a video in the second room, which was displayed on a 12-ft. high, 180-degree LED screen.
      • The Encore Sales Engineering and Application Development teams collaborated to customize its Chime Live Engagement Platform to create engagement opportunities and collect data for the Sales and Marketing teams. The platform was used to drive engagement from poling attendees to create real-time word clouds to providing attendees the opportunity to visualize IR-generated content, Encore’s Chime Live platform was the experience platform glue. Click below to read the BREAK FREE Survey Results below.

To align with IMEX America’s zero-waste event initiative, the Encore team made conscious decisions to reduce waste within the booth space:

      • Using reusable printed items
      • Replacing traditionally printed items with projected or digital content
      • Using reusable pipe and drape rather than carpet or built walls
      • Using water bubblers instead of water bottles
      • Refraining from giving away SWAG items
      • Serving bar drinks from recycled and alternative materials

Outcomes

“The experience for me was really about a conversation and how we break free from the surface-level conversations and get a lot deeper,” said Ashley Lawson, vice president of business partnerships, Achieve Incentives & Meetings. “We have the power to make changes and going through this experience, this exhibit, we can break through the surface-level conversations of sustainability, DE&I, and get a heck of a lot deeper to talk about the actions that we can take to actually make change.”

Industry influencer Julius Solaris shared in his social recap of BREAK FREE at IMEX America: “Go big or go home. Without a shadow of a doubt, the exhibit game’s absolute winner was Encore with its BREAK FREE activation. A monumental experiential journey. It could have been less brainy at times with the six QR codes to scan, but it doesn’t matter. Showing up with this level of bravery matters. I see you there thinking: ‘But they must have spent millions!’ Some booths may have spent even more than them but aligning the presence with the message is everything.”

Other results:

      • More than 900 people experienced the Break Free activation at IMEX America.
      • Nine media outlets, including MPI, Skift, Smart Meetings and Meetings Today, provided media coverage of the booth during IMEX America.
      • Encore reached all eight of its top-tier trade targets, including all major industry media, which will provide coverage on Encore and its innovative end-to-end event solutions through Q1 2023.
      • To deepen the connection between the BREAK FREE experience and industry customers, Encore is releasing a Break Free from Conventional Thinking guidebook with chapters being released in November and December 2022.
      • Encore successfully delivered the message to venue partners and meeting and event participants that it is an important industry partner that can provide end-to-end solutions, deliver transformative experiences and help industry professionals manage rising costs with its innovative solutions.

Encore’s Break Free ’22 Video Highlights:

Continuing the conversation

Encore does more than start conversations. It also cares about walking the talk. One example is around sustainability and how Encore is deepening its commitment beyond offering sustainable options for event technology.

Company-wide, Encore is finalizing our 2021 Global GHG emission footprint so it has a baseline to put goals around, including ones that involve our in-property inventory and operations. Looking ahead to 2023, Encore will put its first electric vehicle (EV) trucks on our fleet and install a solar farm at our largest U.S. facility in Washington, D.C. to offset power consumption for that location and return excess energy to the grid.

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Click image below to enlarge:

Challenge

Phillips 66 was looking for a partner for their Marketing Conference that could elevate their general session production, expo floor, and gala event. They wanted an event partner that could match their level of progress and innovation. The event needed to educate, celebrate, and engage their customers in a way that felt fully immersive and true to their brand.

Solution

Leading with strategy, Encore and Hargrove worked together to create a total end-to-end solution for the Power Ahead conference. The creative, design, production, expo, and gala all tied together to create an innovative, transformative experience with comprehensive Phillips 66 branding.

The expo floor had a modern look with hard wall structures fabricated by Hargrove that were branded for each exhibitor. The floor plan layout was based on the Power Ahead arrow design that allowed for the C-Store of the Future and Power Theater to be central focal points.

The thematic design was inspired by the colors of each of the Phillips 66 brands. A custom-built stage, decorative elements, signage, lighting, and graphics were all used to create a comprehensive look through the entire event space. All elements tied together to create a fully immersive and engaging event experience

Results

The Phillips 66, Encore, and Hargrove teams developed a strong partnership that led to an incredible event for over 1,200 customers. Education and hands-on learning were the focus of the daytime schedule, and the evenings were dedicated to celebrating and honoring their customers’ hard work. Highlights included a engaging learning sessions, inspiring keynotes, and energizing celebrations and entertainment.

Phillips 66 team members and attendees raved about how “this was the most amazing show we’ve ever seen!”

Let’s Talk About Your Event Experience Needs.

Call us at (866) 351-1144 or click the button below to get started!