12 Colorado 1’s
32 Colorcast 14’s
8 Elation Opti RGB
4 Chauvet Q Spot 300’s
6 Elation Opti 30
2 Elation Opti Zoom’s

1 Solid State Laser provided by Dream Beamz
4 Global Truss wrapped in ivy
2 Altman Pipe and Base wrapped in ivy
1 Martin Light Jockey
1 Elation EWDMXT Wireless Transmitter
3 Elation EWDMXR Wireless Receiver

Campus Crest is one of the fastest growing college housing companies in the USA. Founded only a few years ago, they have already built a dozen campuses around the country. Young, aggressive, and progressive; the leaders only see what is possible. The second to last day of the conference they decided to completely change the final day of the event. We had done their Christmas party a month earlier, so their event coordinator called me for a meeting. At about 9 PM that night we planned for the following evening. Joking and playing around, we discussed the possibilities. The jovial atmosphere in the middle of a seemingly stressful change could only possible with a group of professionals comfortable with sudden changes. Their adaptability is a clear characteristic of their success. Rolling into the shop about 11 PM, I typed up the estimate and packing list. I loved the urgency; it provided an interesting challenge for me. Even with crazy last minute changes, the team work and good humored attitude of the event coordinators still impresses me.

The ceilings in the Double Tree Inn are about nine feet around the perimeter. Because of the low ceiling height, I couldn’t shoot light across the room without blinding the guest. However, the room had numerous coves and corners perfect for uplight. Twelve LED Pars uplit every corner around the room. The short stretches of open wall space were lit with LED Cove Fixtures creating soft sections of light. The lights filled the room creating color changing walls accenting the natural architecture of the space.

The theme was “The Journey: Where ordinary ends and extraordinary begins.” The stage had lots of greenery hinting at an Indian Jones theme with a treasure of crystal awards to be given later in the evening. They wanted lasers and big effects to symbolize the extraordinary hurdles the company has leaped this year. Four trussing systems were wrapped with vines and topped with moving lights sweeping the ceiling of the room. Because of the ceiling height, the fixtures were placed on 5’ box truss placing the light about 6’ off the ground. Barely clearing everyone’s’ head, we maximized the ability to scan the ceiling.

For the stage, two par cans were placed on pipe in base. Each pipe was wrapped with ivy like an over-grown garden. For the greenery already on stage, 8 LED pars uplit the plants in fluxing shades of green. The large banner behind the stage was lit with LED Coves from end to end. The rich color of the LEDs created a plush backdrop to a well lit podium.

In front of stage, a gathering of the crystal was presented on a small table directly in front of stage. I used a Par30 narrow wash to cover the table and a narrow spot to highlight the center piece. The white light stood out in a room full of color. Our Holy Grail experience impacted the room contrasting with the color surrounding the room.

The lasers were an accent for a dramatic entrance which didn’t seem to work but at the end of the event the lasers created a dynamic finale. In the spirit of adventure, we took the event to the final level. The conventional lighting overhead made the room comfortable. With 360 degrees of effect, every view in the room was a dynamic visual. Completely engulfing the room with light, the lighting controlled the color of the room impacting the emotion and intensity of the guest. The lighting re-created a familiar room creating a climax to an important week in the training, honoring, and inspiring of the Campus Crest team.