ADJ’s unique 3D Vision Panel – the modular hexagonal LED panel with a distinctive 3D-style effect – has proved popular for a wide variety of venues including nightclubs, bars, lounges, and entertainment centers, as well as for mobile entertainers’ portable setups. However, the flexible fixture also has uses outside of the entertainment world, as was demonstrated by the team at AV Matters who used 90 of the panels to create a distinctive stage set for the Annual Conference of the American Nurses Association.
AV Matters is a turnkey production company specializing in corporate AV. Established for over 15 years, the outfit is based in Orlando, Florida, but covers events nation-wide serving a wide variety of trade bodies, conference organizers, and corporate clients. The company has a long-standing relationship with the ANA and provides AV production for 3 or 4 of their large-scale events each year, including their Annual Conference. The 2017 event took place last month in Tampa, FL, and was attended by more than 1,000 nurses and related professionals. With a theme of ‘Translating Quality Into Practice’, the conference provided an opportunity for delegates to discover the latest research, strategies, and best practices to improve safety, quality, and staffing in their healthcare facilities.
The 3D Vision Panel first caught the eyes of the AV Matters team when Dustin Pesnell, President and CEO of Freed Sales Inc. which works as a rep firm for ADJ, shared a picture of the 3D Vision Panel on Facebook from the LDI trade show in Las Vegas last fall. Intrigued by the unique product, they reached out to Tom Westbury at Freed Sales who arranged to send out a couple of panels for a demo.
They arrived during the planning phase of the ANA Conference, and project manager Stan Brantley, together with Lighting Director Jim Chambers, soon realized that the 3D Vision Panels would be ideal for the stage set. For all of the events they support, the AV Matters team works hard to ensure the production they provide matches closely with the corporate identity of their clients. The branding for the ANA Conference incorporated a set of three rows of colored dots, arranged in an angular formation, which the team thought could be recreated using 3D Vision Panels.
AV Matters went ahead and invested in 90 panels, and used them to create the centerpiece of the conference stage set with 45 panels, arranged 3 abreast, flanking a central projection of the association’s logo. The result was stunning, with the vibrant illumination of the panels providing a unique and engaging set for the conference’s keynote presentations and discussions.
The production team were very pleased with the results, as Stan Brantley explained, “We really like using the 3D Vision Panels as they can work as a scenic element – a hard set element – but at the same time they are also lighting fixtures that can change and allow us to be creative. So they can fit a lot of different clients. Some want a static ‘leave it alone’ look, while others like color changes and energetic patterns.”
Falling into the first of these camps, the organizers of the ANA Conference preferred static looks. However, Jim Chambers was still able to utilize the flexibility of the 3D Vision Panels by programming a series of different scenes, using a High End Systems Road Hog 4, which allowed the appearance of the stage set to be altered for the various different sessions to add interest to the stage’s aesthetic throughout each day.
The conference was a big success, and the clients were extremely pleased with the work of the AV Matters team, especially the unique set they created using 3D Vision Panels. “They were really impressed,” Stan told us. “These clients, in particular, are not about flashy showmanship, but they like clean lines and sleek production. They particularly liked the way we were able to mimic their branding using the 3D Vision setup.”
Although no other ADJ products were used on this particular production, the AV Matters team were excited to tell us how much they like using their ADJ WiFLY Par QA5 wireless, battery-powered LED wash fixtures. Having invested in 72 units, they were really impressed by the battery life of these affordable fixtures, which have become their go-to choice for cable-free up-lighting.
Following the success of the ANA Annual Conference, AV Matters are working on lots of other creative ways of integrating ADJ 3D Vision Panels into future productions. In fact they have a number of proposals out with clients at the moment which will see this innovative product used to its full potential, both as a scenic element and as a flexible lighting fixture.
Here at ADJ, we can’t wait to see what further pure lighting excitement the team at AV Matters – as well as other ADJ users worldwide – are able to create using this unique lighting tool.
Event: American Nurses Association Annual Conference, Tampa Convention Center, Tampa, FL
Production Company: AV Matters, Orlando, FL www.avmatters.com
Project Manager: Stan Brantley
Lighting Designer: Jim Chambers
ADJ Gear List: 90 x ADJ 3D Vision Panel http://www.adj.com/3d-vision
