TPN Blogs » events & exhibits

Interview with the Experts – Session 3 with Larry Rickel

Megan West — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:42:42 +0000

For our next set of TPN tips we turn to Larry Rickel, Lead Technical Manager here at TPN. We’ve been waiting to talk to Larry because there seems to be a gap in our Q & A. Because he’s so FULL of useful information, we’re splitting his session into two parts: Technology and Experience. Let’s talk tech.

TPN: So Larry, the best way to start is at the beginning. What got you into the industry and how long have you been with TPN?

LR: I’ve been with TPN 15 years. Vadino got me into this industry. I knew John from many years ago. He was lighting dance at the Broadway Performing Hall and I was working as a tech. I acted as Master Electrician for a lot of his shows, so we hit it off pretty well. We’d run into each other from time to time, our paths would cross, and eventually I got hired for an Exhibit job that fell through (Paris Air show), but Richard Moore (TPN co-founder, retired) said he could use me in Events.

TPN: Ah, so Richard Moore is a large part of the reason why you were able to stay that day.

LR: Yeah, although no one really knew what I was gonna do. As a matter of fact, for the first two weeks I hand drafted (because we didn’t have CAD in those days!) the offices so I could figure out where I was gonna sit.

TPN: Alright, so other than that, because I know you’ve moved on from seating plans, let’s steer the conversation towards our tips for the day. Can you describe the difference between a Technical Director and a Technical Manager?

LR: Really, Technical Manager is kind of a TPN thing. At TPN we have TDs and TMs. Technical Director responsibilities sit primarily with the AV provider…so audio, projection, switching and data, broadcast, webcast, that sort of thing. The Technical Manager then helps to integrate the physical elements of those departments, along with any scenic support, venue supplied equipment, rigging, lighting…that’s kind of where the dividing line falls. TM also has input into onsite staffing, meaning local labor. But so does a TD, each in their own realm.

TPN: So what would you say if you had to pick one singular thing, one piece of technology, that you feel is kind of the lynchpin of everything you’re talking about? What do you feel like a show could not stand to lose?

LR: A flush toilet. Well, I don’t know…I’d have to think about that because there’s so many things that as a conglomeration create the modern corporate event. If I go back to the basics, the basics are this: if you can’t hear and you can’t see, you don’t have a show. That doesn’t mean that audio is the most important, but that’s how we communicate. And what is shown on the screens actually supports what is being said. And what goes behind everybody, all the goo and the ga, the scenery and pretty stuff, all that does is support what you’re hearing and what you’re seeing. I was doing theatre when the big scale corporate events started to take off. And it’s hard to say who started that, but I think some of the big tradeshows, the world of technology, the creation of Apple, IBM, MS and Intel jumping into the personal computer arena really changed the ball game because so much had to be changed around the data that had to be fed out to the screens.

TPN: Your expertise is so niche and a crucial step to the whole. It’s like when everything’s working you’re not gonna get noticed. Its only when it breaks.

LR: That’s true. We’re like the front line in football right? An offensive tackle, or guard, or center…they don’t like to have their face up on the screen because the only time that happens is when they’ve jumped off sides or done something wrong. You’ve got the bedrock of your line, you got a lot of flash and dazzle out there and everyone loves to talk about the quarterbacks and the running backs and the wide receivers, as well they should. They’re highly talented, capable individuals. But without your line, you got nuttin’! That’s what we provide.

TPN: If you were looking for a TM to come onto your team today, what sort of qualities would you be looking for?

LR: They’d have to have demonstrated knowledge of most of the systems that we work with, which means that they’ve had hands on experience scenically. A theater TD is one thing I usually look for. Doesn’t have to be there, but that’s one thing I look for. Or, someone who’s worked at the sergeant level if you will, in a projection company or an AV provider. They have to know certain software (CAD, Excel, Word, Outlook, etc.). I don’t really want to be training people on those things. I’m happy to train people, and prefer to train people, after they have the basics. You have to be able to run a crew, and probably the most important thing is that you’re not looking at what’s in front of you. You’re looking four hours, eight hours, two weeks down the road. You manage ahead of yourself, so that when the next thing happens, you have a sense that it was gonna happen.

The reason people hire us is because we manage risk at a very high level. And the only way to manage risk is to be able to “what if” scenario and know what you can do when something goes horribly, horribly wrong. We’re kind of pessimists. In a way, we‘re like “what are we gonna do if that doesn’t happen?” It makes me proactive. I remember the first gig I did for TPN was in Atlanta, GA. And if you know anything about Atlanta, you know everything has to do with peaches. So I contacted the lift provider a couple weeks before the show and I told him I needed scissor lifts and how many I needed. He asked for the address and I told him it was 1.2.3 whatever Peachtree Street in Buckhead. And he said “great, sounds wonderful”. Now I foolishly had them deliver the equipment the day of load in, the day of the show, which was not a good idea. I said “it’s gotta be there right at 8am”, and they were like “no problem”. I should never have done that; it should have gone in the day before. That was the first lesson I ever learned at TPN. I learned it the hard way too. We got there, and there was no heavy equipment and I had a team of 8 riggers standing around looking at me and they couldn’t do anything. Meanwhile, and this is before we all carried cell phones, I’m in the lobby on the pay phone talking to the guy and he says “well, do you have any idea how many Peachtree streets there are in Atlanta?”

Eventually the equipment got there a couple hours later, and the show went up and it was fine. But it really taught me…now I call a long time in advance, make sure they understand it, I set it up so it’s there the day before, I go and look at it, I operate it to make sure they all actually work, and then I go back to my room. So, it’s that sort of healthy paranoia that you need, because if something can go wrong, it will. And you’re under an extraordinarily tight timeline. You have a crew of vendors and local crew sometimes as high as 165 people. You can’t mess around with 165 people. Just think of what the dollar value is per hour!

TPN: Is it wrong to approach a VIP during a show? When’s the right time and what’s the right time to connect?

LR: Unless your job requires you to do so, stay away.

TPN: So let’s say we have a new guy onsite and they know no one. What can they do, besides wrongfully approaching somebody at the top onsite, to get noticed? Or what should they not do that day?

LR: They should do their job. Really, they should do their job and nothing outside of that. Take what you do seriously and offer help wherever you feel you can.

TPN: What would you say is the single best characteristic that you rely on in an employee or an independent contractor?

LR: Honesty is big for me. If you don’t know, tell me. If you can’t do it, tell me. If you forgot, tell me. Don’t try and keep it a secret and cover it up. Also, being open to new ideas and new ways of doing things. I have a personal fault in that; it’s really hard for me to do that. You’re working within a team environment and everyone’s input can have merit, and should have merit. So be willing to look at other points of view and consider them equally. Be reliable. There are a number of things I learned from a former colleague at Broadway but probably the most important thing was call time. Okay, 8am means hammers in the air at 8am. It does not mean getting my coat off at 8am. So being on time does not mean getting there when the call starts. Any stage hand will tell you this. Its 15 minutes before, its 10 minutes before, its ready to hit the ground rolling…it’s that sort of reliability and letting people know right away if you’re not gonna make it. It’s not all about timing, and reliability means a lot of different things. Following the rules that are whatever they are…

To be continued…

Guiding Lights Workshop: An Experience Within…

tpnblogss — Tue, 05 Apr 2011 18:19:33 +0000

[Article continued from TPN April e-news contributing writer Matt Lawrence of Biznik]

The panel discussions, workshops and keynotes were enlightening and motivational. How to Create an Effective Mass Public Event was the last workshop we attended to close out “Thee Weekend”. Leading our workshop was John Vadino, CEO of The Production Network. Vadino told us about some of the experiences that his company had created. Most notable for me was Seeds of Compassion, a citywide event with over 144,000 people to see the Dalai Lama and a host of influential luminaries’ discussion on the socio-cultural benefits of practicing compassion.

Vadino’s style and strategy in developing a mass public event was to start by crafting “the story”. He writes what he calls the “Experience Document”. Rather than trying to start with a vision for the whole event – imagine the experience of a single participant and slowly, with detail, design the individual’s experience. OK, this was getting good. It was like working backwards in a long and twisty puzzle – and I like that.

A New Worlds Fair

For the next 75 minutes, we’d be working in groups to brainstorm ideas that could be put to use for the upcoming Seattle Worlds Fair: The Next 50. Emphasis on “put to use”. This is where it gets exciting for the participants. Rather than a simple educational lesson, we had a job to do. Believing that our work could affect the design of not just any real event – but this huge event with regional impact – yeah, you can say the whole team was officially engaged. Vadino doled out the core concepts that we were going to work on over the course of the workshop: Sustainability, Global Health, Science and Technology, Learning, Arts, Culture and Design. Our table was assigned Learning. So for the next 30 minutes, the strangers at our table tackled what kind of experience to create for The 2012 Seattle Worlds Fair: The Next 50. I am all for creative collaboration – it’s just usually not something I do with total strangers. It can be difficult enough with people I trust, let alone the public!

Vadino inspired us to think about the importance of a mass experience such as the original Seattle Worlds Fair. He was like a little kid staring down a gigantic water slide; he was excited, and wanted us to get excited too. I got the sense that the importance for Vadino was less a historical, critical review of the event, but that each and every single person who attended the event had a singularly moving experience. He wanted us to think about the potential value an event like this could have on our global awareness. He used the globally shared concern, clean water, as the vehicle to move the discussion.

It would have been much easier to blow off those 75 minutes with a lecture and a slide deck. Vadino probably could have done it in his sleep. Instead, he enlisted those who showed a passion for the event to work together, with him, and everyone else striving to make the Next 50 experience as valuable and important as possible.

That must be why John kept us on task, 15 minutes on each section. “Oh, and pick someone from your table so my assistant can contact you,” said Vadino. “Yes, you are now a part of the planning team.” My zeal for the project was evident; the table unanimously elected me…I feigned surprise.

Each table posted the big post-it style meeting notes on the wall for Vadino to review. He crossed off the stuff that was not interesting, and circled the stuff that was. He was methodical and humorous at the same time.

A Promise

At the end of the workshop, (which in case you didn’t notice was not lovey-dovey, but more, “CRAP! There is a lot of work to do for a higher good, let’s get to it!”) John told us that he was going to be in touch with us about the next steps. He soon introduced us to Meaghan Trueb, a writer and his executive assistant, in an email. Our workshop may have ended, but our good work would continue.

There is a lot at stake in The Next 50. The potential is there to touch people’s lives in a powerful, everlasting way – that is the job of a Worlds Fair. Lara and I are excited to be apart of the project any way we can, bringing that same potential to our membership and all who we are fortunate enough to work with.

Matt Lawrence is the Community Manager at Biznik. He offers support in a variety of ways to help enrich member experience.

the ash has cleared! Karen will be joining us

Megan West — Thu, 22 Apr 2010 00:02:25 +0000

We were getting worried, we admit it. But the ash has cleared and the planes are flying again. Karen Armstrong will be giving her keynote in person afterall at the Compassionate Seattle: Its Up To Us event this Saturday April 24th.

Watch the webcast, powered by TPN, here http://compassionateseattle.dynamicwebcasting.net/

Get more details about the event here http://my.compassionateactionnetwork.com/events/compassionate-seattle-its-up

Learn more about Karen here http://blogs.ssrc.org/tif/2010/01/27/making-compassion-cool/

Buy your tickets to the event here http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/104534

its up to you seattle! join the compassion discussion now

Megan West — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 00:47:27 +0000

TPN is proud to be part of such a great event in partnership with Compassionate Action Network. The Compassionate Seattle: It’s Up To Us event is on April 24th at the Center for Spiritual Living. We’ll be webcasting the day’s program, including a keynote by Karen Armstrong, the 2008 TED prize winner.

Here is a link to the organizing website:

http://my.compassionateactionnetwork.com/

And here is a link to the Charter for Compassion website, to join the conversation and add your name to the Charter:

http://charterforcompassion.org/

intel launch event press keeps on coming!

TPNBlogger — Tue, 06 Apr 2010 15:38:23 +0000

Intel launch event at the Bently Reserve in San Francisco

We’re pretty excited about this event, and we know you are too.

Using Musion Eyeliner technology, a lifelike 3D holographic projection system as seen behind the speaker, Kirk Skaugen, vice president of the Intel architecture group, TPN helped bring the presentation to life with images seemingly floating on stage…

To satisfy your appetite for all things Intel, we’ve provided some more links below on the launch. Enjoy!

Intel Unveils New Server Chip

By Don Clark

Wall Street Journal

March 30, 2010

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304739104575154212321714670.html?mod=WSJ_business_whatsNews

Intel Corp. completed a broad overhaul of its chips for server systems, vowing to move the technology it helped popularize in personal computers to the very largest machines used by businesses and government agencies.

Intel chip hits 8-core milestone

By Brooke Crothers

CNET

March 30, 2010

http://news.cnet.com/business-tech/?keyword=AND+6100
The Xeon 7500 offers what Intel is saying is the largest performance leap in the history of its Xeon line, with an average three-fold jump in performance. And the feat of putting eight cores on one die–the raw chip–offers practical advantages to data centers. As a yardstick, data centers can replace 20 single core, 4-chip servers with a single new Xeon 7500 processor series-based system, according to Intel.

Why Nehalem-EX matters

By Jonathan Eunice

CNET

March 30, 2010

http://news.cnet.com/8301-31114_3-10471701-258.html

Nehalem-EX (officially, the Intel Xeon 7500) completes the set with a high-end, server version. It ups the feeds and speeds, of course. More cores! More sockets! More memory! More widgets! Most important, it makes it straightforward for server vendors to create extremely powerful x86 servers. 4-socket/32-core servers are easy peasy. 8-socket/64-core servers-enormous by any historical standard-are not much harder. Vendors like IBM and NEC that have majored on scale-up will go even higher. At the same time, Nehalem-EX adds the I/O bandwidth and reliability/availability features needed to feed and care for such large resource pools. Sure, there may be more variants of Nehalem to come (preview: Even more cores! Even higher frequencies! Even more bandwidth!), but the entire range is now in play.

tpn & cmd support intel at launch event

rachaelhg — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 15:33:53 +0000

Yesterday TPNers Aaron, Alex, Matt and Robert helped CMD launch Intel’s new Xeon 7500 chip in San Fran using Musion’s Eyeliner technology. Photos and more event detail coming soon…in the meantime…

View the on-demand webcast:

http://intelstudios.edgesuite.net/100330_NHM/index.htm

Read up on the event and technology with these handy-dandy press clippings:

http://www.eweek.com/c/a/IT-Infrastructure/Intel-Elevates-Its-Mainstream-x86-Processors-into-HPC-Space-639577/

“…Intel indicated that it is going both upstream and mainstream at the same time…” Chris Preimesberger for eweek.com

http://www.ubergizmo.com/15/archives/2010/03/intel_xeon_7500_8-cores_and_3x_faster.html

http://www.electronista.com/articles/10/03/30/xeon.7500.can.handle.1tb.memory.256.chips/

Video Chat is Where It’s At

rachaelhg — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:03:22 +0000

Skype is all the hype

OoVoo’s picking up streams

Dynamic Webcasting transforms events

WooMe makes dating a breeze

A Cisco research report that came out last summer estimated “video communications will increase ten fold from 2008-2013. And so far, their predictions are real – which has Marketers brushing up on the ‘humanizing’ side of their brands. While the implications for advertising are immense, to me, the more interesting story is how new video technologies are changing market research.

How often have you left a focus group (that you shelled out thousands of dollars for) and wondered…How many people in that room were lying? Who was trying to impress? Who was honest? We’re humans after all and are programmed to perform, even those of us with very little tact. Meanwhile video chats are recordable and capture people when and where they are most comfortable – their homes. That’s not to say people aren’t “on” when the camera starts rolling, but researchers can look beyond what they are wearing or the bag they are carrying and, for example, see the products in their home. Companies who were savvy enough to get a foothold like QualVu http://www.qualvu.com/ reap the market research revenues as well as the advertising revenues – making the investment sing to the tune of 90% revenue. Video chat has provided research marketing with the sweet spot of quantity, quality and revenue!

got ink?

rachaelhg — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 19:32:29 +0000

one of the many displays in the transformed living room

An article on The Bravern’s “An Evening with Jimmy Choo” event published in the Puget Sound Business Journal this morning. So happy to see TPN get a mention for our behind the scenes work from the predominant Behind the Scenes journalist, Patty Payne (whose name I can’t hear without thinking of Peppermint Patty (hug) and my Aunt Patty (double-hug).

For more from Patty Payne see http://seattle.bizjournals.com/seattle/

Here are some excerpts from the article…pick up a copy of PSBJ to read more!

Friday, November 6, 2009

Coffee talk

” — Not sure how business is in the new Jimmy Choo store at The Bravern in Bellevue. But recently they did have some remarkable sales at an event in Susie Naficy’s Medina waterfront home…Naficy’s living room was transformed by The Production Network (TPN). This company stages all sorts of extraordinary events, from the Dalai Lama’s visit here to product launches for T-Mobile and Boeing, to name a few…. “ – Patty Payne, Puget Sound Business Journal November 6, 2009

Xbox’s E3 Announcement’s Shows Dedication to the Platform for Years to Come

Matt Yoder — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 21:20:11 +0000

In the past, most of the big news at E3 has been around games and what new versions of old favorites are coming out. There was plenty of that at today’s Xbox press briefing. Rock Band Beatles, Metal Gear: Rising, and Halo ODST were some of the big games shown onstage today.

Check out this video: http://www.xbox.com/NR/rdonlyres/DA33AEC8-03F0-442C-BA95-257CB5B761F5/0/vidProjectNatalAnnounceHi.asx

Yesterday Xbox laid down the gauntlet to prove it is no longer just a gaming console. It wants to run your living room. The non-gaming announcements today included a partnership with Facebook and Twitter, a partnership with Last FM, a partnership with Britain’s Sky TV, and a quicker, more efficient version of their Netflix service. This last piece brings Xbox and the new Zune HD 1080p player together. The goal is to get non gamers to become familiar with Xbox, then convert all of the technology found in common dorms, living rooms, and dens into one device doing it all.

What wowed viewers the most though was the still in development Xbox Project Natal. This is a full body motion control camera system – in other words Xbox is devising a way to make the human body the remote control. Using cameras and microphones, characters onscreen react to a person’s actions as if one was in the video game. Onstage this did not look clunky or inaccurate at all. With Natal, Xbox is looking not only to catch Wii, but put it in its dust. And they mean business. Onstage it was said that a number of game developers were receiving this technology today so the next generation of games will be using this technology.

Here at TPN, we are amped up to support this Xbox revolution. Our exhibit designs will evolve from gamer-centric environments to involve and engage inexperienced users and people of all ages. All of the new ways to use the Xbox from movies to music to social networking to video games opens up doors for us to create fun ways to show it off. As we grow with this ever changing and fun client, we need to remember that even though in 5 years the console will be the same, it’s potential could be years ahead of that.

rendering to reality…

Steve Mallinson — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 23:47:25 +0000

REALITY

Our client requested a new booth, essentially light boxes 5′x16′. We partnered with three vendors (graphics, structure and wood accents) to produce this booth and didn’t have the opportunity for a preview. The first time the components were assembled together was the 16-hour first build day. Fortunately, my labor provider sent their top notch team and everything went smoothly. Bottom line, the client is thrilled and we made the show opening with a day to spare.

RENDERING!