VIVA LAS VEGAS!

VIVA LAS VEGAS!

We recently produced audiovisual and entertainment elements for a tremendously successful corporate conference at one of the major convention hotels in Las Vegas. This was one of of the more innovative and engaging shows we've done this year, primarily because of the creative use of entertainment throughout the show. After two days of general sessions and educational breakouts, the entire group came together for a final review of the meeting content. The audience had a chance to show their prowess in a fast-paced game show format loosely patterned after a Hollywood Squares format. The company's execs acted as "panelists", while "contestants" were selected at random from the audience. Questions covering the conference material were thrown out to the VIP panelists, and contestants had an opportunity to "agree or disagree" with the answers. The game was a highly effective way for the audience to review key information shared in the previous sessions. And it was BIG FUN for everyone! Give us a call if you'd like to learn how this game - or others - can be tailored to your meeting needs!

The above photo is a shot of the stage just before the session. The game involves 9 panelists at specially built colorful LED or Flat screen monitor desks, with contestants and the host standing at lecterns that house much of the electronics for the game operation.

"Rockaraoke" combines the high energy impact of a live rock band with the diversity and audience participation of karaoke. This event was so successful it had to be extended by an hour to accommodate everyone who wanted to be a star for the night. It was a huge hit!

Many of the guests even came prepared with wigs and costumes to complete their performances!

The final dinner featured and elegant dinner with amazing hand-made chocolate centerpieces. It was stunning!

Miracles DO happen!

MIRACLES DO HAPPEN!

In our business, miracles happen every day. In fact, they are expected. However, its nice to get some feedback from clients who appreciate the extra effort required to make their events successful. This is an excerpt from a "thank-you" note from one of our clients today. Approximately 75 minutes before a major automotive corporate marketing event was to happen in a tent outside the client's national headquarters, the plan had to change due to inclement weather. They called one of our producers, Bert Hensley, to save the day. Here's the note...

"Hi Bert – just want to THANK YOU and your team again for helping us at the last minute today with the stage/risers. It was an amazing performance and demonstration of your customer-focused approach to your work. Not only did you deliver within an incredibly short time frame, you took the time to be on site and make sure that all went well."

Congratulations to Bert, Chris, and the GMP scenic team for making another Christmas miracle come true.

Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus!

Simple is Good

SIMPLE IS GOOD

Tight budgets for business meetings are the norm these days. But that doesn't mean you have to settle for a ho-hum general session. Here are several stages we've done in the past few months that offered a theme appropriate stage set at very reasonable costs. Each of these sets incorporates audiovisual screens, simple sets and lighting effects that perfectly compliment smaller meeting budgets. If you'd like to learn more about our wide variety of business meeting production services and stage sets, contact one of our producers at 615-259-2400. We'll be happy to show you how "simple" can be a good thing!

NEW ORLEANS HOSTS NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ELECTRICAL DISTRIBUTORS

GMP & NAED GO TO THE BIG EASY!

Our GMP team spent part of this past week in the Big Easy producing the general session for the Eastern Region Conference of the National Association of Electrical Distributors. NAED is one of our favorite clients, and this was our 40th+ conference working with them over the past 11 years (we lost count, but I think that is close!) Like most association events this year, attendance was down from 2008, but the tone among attendees was cautiously optimistic. Keynote speakers shared thoughts on the economic outlook for the construction industry. It looks like recovery is going to pick up speed in 2010, although it appears the rate of improvement will be slower than any one would like. Our production team included Gary Musick, Jonathan Yeaworth, Jim Sheridan, James Davis, Johnny Jones, and Sean Yeaworth. Congratulations to Libby White, a new addition to the NAED communications staff. She's filling in for Stacey Brown who's out on maternity leave. Great job, Libby!!

One of the perks of working in New Orleans is the cuisine. We had dinner in the French Quarter both nights we were there. The food is awesome! Ask Jim Sheridan about the seafood platter he had...it was ENORMOUS! And a good time was had by all.

We created a simple set that consisted of a center AV screen flanked by four banners that reflected the branding used on the association's website.

LED floor mounted lighting bars were used to change the color wash on the set pieces.

We will use this same set in the next two NAED regional conferences. Graphic panels are very cost effective and can often be repurposed outside of the meeting environment.

Auditions

GMP GOES TO BERMUDA

GMP GOES TO BERMUDA

We had a great week in Bermuda at the beautiful Fairmont Southampton Resort. GMP provided two evenings of entertainment and decor for an incentive program hosted by one of our clients. The first night was a gala dinner featuring an amazing cast show specially written for our guests from around the globe.

. Music from Ireland, England, Canada, India, France, China, and Latin America were performed as a way to honor the attendees from these nations. Our scenic team created stunning backdrops featuring iconic scenes from more each of the 60 nations represented by the guests. Our fantastic variety band "Freeway" kept the dance floor packed til midnight.

The closing night event was a themed "A World Apart" and featured an all white party resembling some of the most upscale clubs in South Beach. Guests wore all white and literally "glowed" beneath the ultraviolet lighting in the ballroom. The highlight of the evening was a performance by "Boyz Ii Men", the most sucessful R&B group of all time. Boyz Ii Men performed a fabulous show and could not have been more gracious with our client and their VIP's. Our new friend "DJ Bubbles" finished the night with hot dance music that kept the party hopping all night!

GMP provided all production, entertainment, decor, and production management for the event. The evening - and the entire week - was a major hit! Thanks to our cast, staff, and the local vendors in Bermuda who teamed-up to make the show such a success.

IASIS HEALTHCARE

IASIS HEALTHCARE CELEBRATES 2009 CHAIRMAN's AWARDS AT GAYLORD OPRYLAND


Gary Musick Productions was recently tapped by Nashville-based IASIS Healthcare to help with their 2009 Chairman's Awards dinner. This was the second year for GMP to work with IASIS. We provided a simple yet elegant stage set to enhance the company's annual employee volunteer awards. Employees from every department of IASIS' collection of healthcare facilities were nominated to receive the award for their volunteer efforts in within their communities. Their stories of personal commitment and humanitarian involvement were impressive and inspiring, to say the least. Producer David Holloway coordinated the event for GMP, and Gary Musick helped by MC'ing the show. Thanks to IASIS' Lora Bateman for allowing us to part of the celebration again this year!

September 13, 2009

NASHVILLE AT THE CENTER OF HEALTHCARE DEBATE

Vanguard Healthcare and Rand Corporation recently staged a major healthcare summit here in Nashville. The program, entitled "Third Rail of Healthcare Reform", featured top healthcare professionals and political figures in an intelligent discussion of one of the most important issues in the healthcare debate - "cost control". Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen hosted the event and served as moderator for one of the panel discussions. Other participants included; US Representative Jim Cooper, former comptroller of the United States David M. Walker, President and CEO of Rand Corporation Jim Thomson, and several other innovative leaders in healthcare reform.

Gary Musick Productions was tapped to provide all production and event management services for the event. Acting under the direction of Vanguard's Danelle Cain and public relations firm Guerra, DeBerry and Coody (GDC), GMP producer Brandon Thomas lead our team in the management of the audiovisual production of the event as well as all logistics related to transportation, catering, printing, signage, parking, and staging design. We also provided the live webcast of the event, with participants logging on from more than 20 states and several foreign countries. The event was covered by several local and regional media outlets, including local television affiliates and newspapers. Congratulations to the entire team for an outstanding event on every level!

Here are some shots from the day...

Participants were bused from nearby LP Field. Parking in downtown Nashville was at a premium on the day of the event.

Tennessee Governor Phil Bredesen hosted the event. Bredesen is currently one of the nation's leading governors in lobbying the federal government for healthcare reform.

Participants registering in the lobby of the Schermerhorn Symphony Center, the site of the event.

GMP provided 3-camera live image magnification throughout the event. A live streaming webcast was fed to the internet for hundreds of participants who watched around the world. This photos shows our custom audiovisual screen surrounds placed on the mainstage at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Governor Bredesen moderated this engaging panel of national healthcare professionals.

Bermuda and Bill

AND SO IT BEGINS...

I spent the last few days in Bermuda on a site visit for an upcoming show in October. I made the plans to go weeks ago before hurricane Bill was even a small thunderstorm off the coast of Africa. As it turns out, Bill became a major threat to Bermuda, and I was there in the middle of it! Here is a shot I took out of my hotel window on Thursday afternoon. This was one of the first bands of rain to come through. Pretty amazing to see how quickly things can change in a hurricane. I made it our on Friday afternoon just before the storm started in earnest.

I also had a chance to see the cast of the NCL Majesty while I was there. Hats off to all of them for the hard work they've done on the Majesty over the past few months. Nice job work, everyone! The show I saw was great! They have a couple more months to go before the Majesty is sold to another cruise line. They had to leave Bermuda a day early because of hurricane Bill.

Hope everyone has a great week!

Showtime In Minneapolis

SHOWTIME IN MINNEAPOLIS

The GMP team recently spent a week in Minneapolis producing the 2009 INTERNATIONAL EDUCATION FORUM AND ANNUAL MEETING for the INTERNATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF ADMINISTRATIVE PROFESSIONALS. We've worked with IAAP for a number of years, and enjoy spending a week each July with planner Inge Hafkemeyer and the great IAAP staff. This year, the opening night reception featured a State Fair theme party, while the evening of entertainment included a fantastic performance by CIRQUE VOILA. The attendees really loved the awesome aerial acrobatic work and hilarious comedy performed by the troupe of internationally renowned cirque artists. The week was packed with business sessions, keynote speakers, educational sessions, and a trade show featuring the latest in office technology and services for today's administrative professional. Congratulations to IAAP for another successful year!

New York Auditions

click on the text above to enlarge

Peterhof Palace

ANOTHER AMAZING EXPERIENCE

I've been away from the blog for sometime now, but its only because we've been busy. I've been traveling a good bit this summer, including a trip to St. Petersburg, Russia, over the July 4th holiday. I had been there a couple of times before, but never had a chance to see many of the sites. This time we were given an opportunity to go on a tour of the Peterhof Palace. It is a beautiful place that's full of history from another time. I was surprised to learn that the Germans had destroyed the palace during the Nazi occupation in World War II. Fortunately, many of the artifacts from the Russian Czars were removed and hidden before the occupation. After the war, the palace was rebuilt using the original designs and construction techniques. The fountains are one of the most unique features of the palace. Each day at noon, a fabulous display delights tourists when the water flows through the elaborate system of pipes and ducts to bring the fountains to life. It was a great day, and it made me even more aware of the fantastic cultural treasures that await those who have the chance to see the world. Man, I love my job!

These are the fountains just before the water came on full force.

And here are the fountains after the water reached its full pressure.

June 17, 2009

A FABULOUS AFFAIR

Last weekend, GMP producer Bert Hensley spearheaded a huge project for country music giant Barbara Mandrell and her family. It was the wedding of her son, Nathan Dudney, to his beautiful bride Hannah Menefee. Our experienced event production team turned Nashville's Rocketown into a spectacular showplace for the rehearsal dinner. In addition to the elegant and exotic themed decor, the flowers were grown AND designed by Barbara Mandrell herself, with a little help from her famous sisters. The arrangements were truly stunning! We offered her a job, but I think she thought it would be too much work. Seriously, they were gorgeous.

The next evening, Bert, Jim Sheridan and team turned the reception hall of Nashville's Cathedral of the Incarnation into an amazing wedding reception and dinner. The theme was RED - and we do mean RED! The bride requested that we transform the simple hall into a room drenched in vivid red fabrics and crimson lighting effects, and we did not disappoint. Music was provided by Burning Las Vegas, one of the country's hottest show bands. Both events were huge successes. Thanks to all of the GMP team members who helped make it a once-in-a-lifetime memory for all who attended!

Here are some shots from the rehearsal dinner...

And here are photos from the wedding reception at the Cathedral...

May 26, 2009

TEARS AND CELEBRATIONS

Seventeen years of hard work, late night studying, hysterical laughter and great memories finally culminated in a night of joyous celebration last week when my youngest daughter, Eliza, graduated from high school. The ceremony was held in the world famous Grand Ole Opry House (one of the perks of living in Nashville!), and was filled with fond memories of the past and hopeful expectations for the many life adventures to come. Our whole family was there to help Eliza celebrate - even my parents who came down from Virginia. Most of our tears over her leaving were shed a few weeks ago during our church senior graduation dinner. So this week was mostly sweet and full of smiles. Her face in these photos says it all!

We love all our girls, and it was wonderful having them together again for the past week. Congratulations to all of you who have kids or brothers and sisters who graduated this month. Let the adventures begin!

I love this shot! This was taken right after her class marched in for the ceremony.

These are our three daughters...Anna, Mary Catherine, and Eliza. Mary Catherine will graduate from college at the end of June - whoo hoo! Anna will graduate from the University of Tennessee next year, and Eliza will be entering UT this fall.