Event Type: Corporate client launches their U.S. outpost and presents energy system of the future for Washington’s movers & shakers

Attendees: 400

What We Did: Planning, Production, Marketing & Promotion, Design, Management, Brand-Activations and On-Site Execution

Venue: Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Washington, DC

Theme: Tron goes to DC

Biggest Challenge: Marrying great design with functionality presented a challenge. Our client wanted a large stage build to display its underpinning device, the three-phase Faraday Exchanger. The custom outfitted stage included two screen surrounds and grid-patterned stage lighting. Worth noting… the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium has original flooring with very specific rules about what you can and cannot put on the floor. We had to find something that would achieve our client’s aesthetic vision while being strong enough to support the weight. Our 20 ft deep and 60 ft wide stage was designed out of steel decking to support thousands of pounds of pressure per foot to support the exchanger in a way that would not damage the floors in any way while providing surface area durable enough for these beautiful flooring facades and build elements. Oh, and did we mention we only had 45 days to pull this together?!

RGI’s Favorite Creation: The creation that challenges us the most is typically our favorite and this event was no exception! Our custom fitted and outfitted rainbow grid stage was a tall order [literally and metaphorically speaking] but the end result was totally worth it. We had to find very specific expert engineers and technicians to meet venue and flooring restrictions on top of working with Faraday’s core engineering team in DC just to ensure the Faraday Exchanger could power this whole thing.

Five weeks out from the event date, RGI was contacted to produce an event for a UK-based company that was introducing their brand to the US market and wanted to debut and demonstrate a hands-on demonstration of their new, culture-changing electrical grid technology that enabled affordable, reliable and clean energy to everyone. The client wanted the event to be authentic, not just a show. To achieve this hands-on experience, we built a custom power sequence and custom outfitted stage that would allow the Faraday Grid Exchanger, its underpinning device, to power the stage set and the room as a whole.

Marrying great design with functionality presented a challenge. Our client wanted a large stage build to display the Exchanger, custom outfitted with two screen surrounds and grid-patterned stage lighting. The lead of Faraday’s creative team was also the lead of the Rio Olympics creative team. The client was accustomed to their ideas presented on a world stage. No pressure or anything…

Additionally, the Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium has original flooring with very specific rules about what you can and cannot put on the floor. We had to find something that would achieve our client’s aesthetic vision while being strong enough to support the weight. Our 20 ft deep and 60 ft wide stage was designed out of steel decking to support thousands of pounds of pressure per foot to support the exchanger in a way that would not damage the floors in any way.We created atmospheric lighting treatments throughout the room to coincide with the stage program to further immersive experience – gradient blue lights, uplighting to highlight the architecturally stunning 60-foot-tall Doric columns, and a grid pattern rainbow spectrum of light with movers on the ceiling. We also built out a fully custom bar, branded glow tables, and the branded backdrop for the social lounges located in the two corners of the Auditorium.

We began the event using the standard power that is typically drawn from the venue for the event. After the program kicked off, the whole room went to blackout to demonstrate a first-time live demonstration of the Faraday Exchanger. Standard power sources were not an option to power the Exchanger. To use the Exchanger as a power source, we worked closely with the engineering experts in Faraday’s DC office, which were hidden during the event behind the stag to ensure the Exchanger was operational. During the blackout and subsequent repowering using the Faraday Exchanger, the two-screen surrounds displayed visuals of electricity flowing through the computers that powered the grid. This explained the transformative effects of this technology to the audience.

This is the only event that has provided energy and power to the stage set in this fashion; opting to develop our own technology rather than relying on standard power sources. The client wanted the event to be authentic, not just a show; the staging and set design were integral aspects in achieving this objective. With the help of expert technicians and electrical engineers, we created power sources that previously were nonexistent.

Our live-demonstration of the Faraday Exchanger offered gusts a unique first-hand insight into Faraday’s innovative energy system of the future powered by the Faraday Grid. We were not just event producers -- we acted as engineers, technicians, scientists, and architects to inform and inspire and create an impactful and memorable event.

Partners: Andrew W. Mellon Auditorium, Design Foundry, Fabrication Events, RSVP Catering, Event EQ, VM Photography, Vantage Video, Perfect Settings, AFR Furniture Rental, DINO Beats & Beautiful Music