May 2013

Event Staging

Set for the Best

Canada's Best Managed Companies continues to be the mark of excellence for Canadian-owned and managed companies. Nearly 2000 guests attended last month’s Annual Black Tie Gala, which commemorated the program’s 20th year anniversary. Harley Davidson, which celebrated its 110th anniversary in 2013, played a large part in the evening’s festivities. This year also marked the seventh consecutive AVH Live Communications/AVW-TELAV collaboration on the production of this legendary event.

Setting the tone for the evening was an opening video, produced by AVH Live Communications, which depicted two Harley Davidson motorcycle riders travelling through time and space to arrive at the Gala. The footage was displayed on two 12’x36’ front surface screens, which were projected on by four flown Christie 20K HD projectors, double converged on each screen.

Covering the past 20 years, the video allowed audience members to travel with the riders across the country searching out the top performing privately-owned companies. Milestones, celebrity hosts, entertainers and past winners—along with the logos of Canada's Best Managed Companies’ 50 new inductees—were featured on billboards and road signs moving by.

A hard wall with a textured finish was custom built by AVW-TELAV’s Set Shop to serve as the main back wall of the stage. Along the top ran a 250’ truss line from which hung 30’ of black velour drape and two pairs of large fabric coils. In the middle was a 22’ tall star-shaped opening. To create an extra detail of dimension, a slightly smaller wireframe outline of a freestanding star was built and installed in the opening. A multi- colour star curtain peeked out from the very centre.

Two 16’ vertical back-lit graphic panels flanked the centre entrances. These digitally printed structures were rigged with electric motors. As the action on screen climaxed, the panels raised to reveal two shiny motorcycles driving into centre stage. The two riders—Deloitte partner and founder of the Best Managed Companies Program John Hughes and Harley Davidson Canada Chairman Malcolm Hunter—removed their helmets, and welcomed the crowd.

Emceed by the host of Canada’s most popular evening interview show George Stroumboulopoulos and the anchor of CBC’s News Now Heather Hiscox, the Gala recognized over 180 winners, on stage and on screen, in four categories, with 60 video rolls and various data sequences. The big ticket entertainment feature was a performance by Burton Cummings, which AVW-TELAV supported with a Digico SD9 Audio Console, 32 Meyer M2D Line Array Speakers and eight Meyer 650P Subs, for clear penetrating audio to rock the crowd.

“AVH Live Communications and AVW-TELAV proved once again why we are the go-to team for the country’s best and brightest,” said Randy Brown, Creative Director and Executive Producer, AVH Live Communications. “Together, our teams responded to the size of the task and delivered a flawless show on time and on budget.”

We would like to acknowledge the following AVW-TELAV staff and crew members for contributing to the success of this event: Ray Andrzejewski, Ryan Timmins, Dwayne De Jesus, Bill Sterling, Mathew Cromarty, Sean Austin, Keith Emond and John Palmer.