Anatomy of an Event: The Details

In this, the last of my posts about the 100th Anniversary of Naval Aviation event held on the USS Midway in San Diego, I want to talk about details.

People either say the devil or God is in the details, depending on how you look at it. Either way, it's the details that really make something great. The final result and how it looks is directly in proportion to how much time is taken in paying attention to the little things, and getting every detail right. I believe this holds true in all things -- our personal lives, our businesses and our craft, in this case event design.

MAKE AN ENTRANCE

The entry from the dinner area from reception was a perfect place for branding.

The sponsor banners flanked the red carpet on either side. Sailors were placed on either side for a dramatic entrance.

STAGE NOTES

The middle panel of the stage was a scrim. When lighted from behind it revealed the dinner band. The live element of having a band was intact but it didn't impose on the spoken portion of the program. The band was revealed during every break when there wasn't someone on stage.

ENTERTAINMENT

Kenny Loggins

I'm so glad the client went with my recommendation of Kenny. I've worked with him before and know that he will always go above and beyond all expectations. Plus, knowing the demographics of the crowd, he was the right choice. They all grew up with his music and of course, Danger Zone was the famous song from the movie, Top Gun. How perfect is that? And another of Kenny's songs, Celebrate Me Home, tied in perfectly with the words on stage and the video created by Brett Culp Film.

In fact, this is a huge detail that I want to mention -- the cadence of the show was built around three videos produced by Brett Culp. Each were beautifully written and produced and added so much emotionally to the program.

Emotion -- it's probably the most powerful detail ever and certainly one to never forget when putting together and evening like this one!