Event Recap: Gallaudet University Commencement

Spring means so many wonderful things for the special events calendar - and one of our favorites is commencement.

We've had the honor to support dozens of commencement ceremonies for ivy league schools and Big 10 powerhouses over the last 15 years. From business schools turning out titans of industry to national championship institutions debuting the next big sports stars, there have been quite a few of these ceremonies, welcoming some of the most illustrious speakers imaginable, that hold a place of pride in our memories. One that may be closest to our heart was the commencement for Gallaudet University, which we supported in the spring of 2022.

Gallaudet University, federally chartered in 1864, has been the educational, political, social, and economic engine of the deaf and signing community on a national and global scale for more than 150 years.

This commencement was special for so many reasons, from the opportunity to support such a historic school, building a stage, literally, for such a memorable moment in these students' lives to returning to in-person learning just shortly before the ceremony, it was a huge year for the university. Throughout 2022, Gallaudet garnered a special relationship supporting the Oscar-winning film CODA making it even more special when Oscar-winner Marlee Matlin was one of the keynote speakers alongside Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Did we mention we had a little over 45 days to pull off this ceremony? To say the stakes were high would be an understatement.

The day started with a VIP reception in honor of these amazing guests. We then produced two back-to-back ceremonies welcoming over 1,000 attendees at each. We supported A-to-Z, 360° production at all of these components, including attendee management, ticketing and seating, venue logistics and management, strategic production, staffing and content creation for the stage show, as well as artistic and technical production, speaker management, and management of the student body. Undergrad commencement took place in the morning and the graduate school commencement followed directly after.

We're sure you can imagine the logistical and technical challenges of turning over a production of that size just to run it all over again with a 45-minute buffer. (Not to mention emptying and resetting a room and starting up, ticketing and check-in all over again!)

Add in the complexities of live streaming the event at a high production level both on the web, and also to an adjoining auditorium for an overflow audience and you have quite the symphony to conduct.

RGI's team rose to and then far exceeded the challenge. A member of Tim Cook's team dashed over after his presentation to, let us know it was one of the best-run commencement ceremonies Tim has ever spoken at.

I am often asked what my favorite event to produce has been and I respond that I might not have favorites, but certainly ones that are most memorable and rewarding, this event was high on that list for sure. - Rachael Glaws, RGI Principal