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Meeting and Event Analysis, Case Study 8, pp. 1 –9 978182345-58-8/12 $25.00 + 0.15 Tales From the Trenches DOI: 10.3727/97818823455812X13255227708692 Printed in the USA. All rights reserved. www.cognizantcommunication.com Copyright © 2012 Cognizant Comm. Corp.

Case Study 8

SAP International Annual Users Conference—Streets of Philadelphia

Andrea Michaels

Producing events can often be compared to running an obstacle course. A planner is sometimes faced with challenges in contracts, insurance, and la- bor unions. Disaster preparedness is key for threats of terrorism, blizzards, earthquakes, fires. Contingency plans must be also considered for labor un- rest, civil disorders and power disruptions. Here is a story of unexpected challenges in a location without an indoor venue to accommodate 10,000 attendees.

For SAP’s 1999 Annual Users Conference, in Philadelphia, Extraordinary Events (EE) was asked to produce Streets of Philadelphia in a city with no available indoor venue large enough to hold the 10,000 that would participate. Working with all the various city departments, the event was executed on the Terrace of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (the city’s most recognizable landmark) and adjoining Eakins Oval Parkway with 1,200,000 square feet of land and approximately 50,000 square feet of concrete. Street closures, city permits, traffic control, and security were the beginnings of the logistical challenges. Careful planning of each and every bus route to transfer 10,000 guests from 50 hotels throughout Pennsylvania and New Jersey was complicated by traffic to a Bruce Springsteen concert at the same time during midweek rush-hour traffic. An ordi- nary-looking park had to be transformed into a festive and attractive party venue with exemplary food and beverage that featured the best of Philadelphia’s varied ethnic cui- sine so that thousands of guests could eat and drink without standing in line. Now that alone sounds daunting, doesn’t it? It gets worse.

Philadelphia is a union town, and the union was not happy that the event was to take place in a nonunion facility and threatened to picket if Extraordinary Events did not bow to its demands. All of that paled when Hurricane Floyd (yes, that’s

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right, a hurricane) unleashed its fury during the event. Logistically, it just doesn’t get more complicated than this: a location had to be created where none existed; bus picks ups and drop offs had to be executed in impossible situations; major city thoroughfares had to be closed during rush-hour traffic; every city department had to be coordinated with individually to get the event approved and reapproved when one department would countermand the agreements of another; torn-up roads had to be paved in order to get guests across the street to access the event; teamsters and IATSE (the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees) had to be negotiated with in order to get the crew working and productive; the entire park had to be seeded and reseeded both before and after the event; acres of land had to be regraded after the event; and a multitude of insurance claims resulting from hurricane-related incidents had to be fulfilled. Promises were broken by every entity . . . the venue, the city, the city officials, the parks department, water and power, safety, police, and the streets department. There was salvation only once the Mayor intervened. This was just about as hard as it gets.

Entertainment was the cornerstone of this event, and, by the way, it was being compared to the previous year’s that had five times the budget and a performance by Rod Stewart! This event would feature simultaneous rock and roll in four loca- tions. Guests would be greeted by a local marching band playing Streets of Phila-

delphia. This would be followed by a traditional Mummer’s Parade. In a tent, a Philadelphia favorite, The Nerds, would alternate with an interactive DJ who would move between the main tent and the Terrace Stage at the Museum to provide ongo- ing entertainment. Though not technically a festival, a street fair atmosphere was being created within this corporate event. The entertainment was complex and unique and spoke of “Philadelphia.” The timing of the entertainers, combined with a fireworks production, was to be executed split second so that there was never a moment where something wasn’t going on. Sound had to be perfect so that one stage did not interfere with any of the others. On one of the main stages, World Class Rockers would do a 1-hour performance. On another stage, Earth, Wind and Fire were destined to thrill the audience. On the third stage, representing SAP Latin America, Gilberto Santa Rosa from Puerto Rico would leave people jumping to the rhythm.

A spectacular fireworks display was another featured entertainment element. Grucci Fireworks was given the directive, “Take what you did for the 4th of July in New York City and do more for this show . . . all in no more than five minutes.” It was planned as a rock and roll fireworks show that could be seen everywhere in Philadelphia. The music was customized and intertwined with tunes about the City. Beginning with Louie Armstrong’s Wonderful World, it was programmed so that, for example, when guests heard, “I see fields of green,” the pyro was green. When “and red roses too” was sung, the pyro roses in red burst into the sky. The sound system was designed to be heard over the extensive acreage of the area being used. Not an easy achievement considering the vastness of the space.

Branding was key to this event as SAP was establishing global presence for its US Headquarters in Philadelphia and needed the event to introduce its new ad cam- paign. The purpose of creatively branding this event was to cement that SAP is THE cutting edge of technology in the attendees’ minds and to say to the home town in general, “SAP is a presence, a force with which to be reckoned.” New slogans and

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branding had to be done in an area that allowed no signage, and it had to be every- where and creative. So, this was significantly accomplished through all the décor elements.

With the goals clearly outlined—entertainment, food and beverage and brand- ing—obvious challenges needed to be tackled immediately:

1. Venue location and issues. 2. Branding without signage. 3. Union problems.

Venue Location and Issues The immediate problems were:

1. Locating a venue to accommodate 10,000. 2. Presenting the museum structure as a high-tech, cutting-edge visual statement. 3. Unexpected resistance.

Locating the Venue

Remember, 10,000 guests needed to be accommodated. The entire convention center was being used for the client’s own tradeshow, and Bruce Springsteen was performing at the new arena. Translation: any location anywhere near this arena could not be considered because of street traffic. Several locations were considered but eliminated because they were in seedy and unsafe neighborhoods and, there- fore, not appropriate or safe. And SAP was conscious of image. So, the Philadelphia Museum of Art became the main focus. It is a nonunion venue, a definite plus, or so everyone thought. (Anyone who has ever worked in Philadelphia knows that the union has an extremely strong presence.) Extraordinary Events (EE) then met with the city and Eakins Oval Parkway officials to describe the event. Headline entertain- ment. Huge amounts of food. Fireworks. No problem. (Oh, rue the day you ever hear “no problem.”) Just follow city regulations. What are “city regulations”? A 500- page handbook was handed over for review. Hmmmm. It was read thoroughly.

Before final selection, EE performed several site inspections. In order to use the Museum, SAP had to become a member, which entitled them to such a privilege. They joined. For this membership it was explained that both the inside and the outside of the Museum could be utilized. It was agreed that the event would use the outside on the terrace for one of its stage areas and food stations and the inside for backup in case of bad weather. A contract with all details would be sent.

Philadelphia’s main thoroughfare runs between the Museum and Eakins Oval Parkway, and it would have to be closed so that 10,000 guests could cross back and forth between the two areas. A simple matter of permits, EE was assured, even though the event would be held during rush hour. The city agreed that they would divert traffic. EE filed the applications for these permits. Seemed simple, right? Nope. It doesn’t end there.

Of course, the park was a blank canvas, and everything had to be supplied. EE ordered power, toilets, tables, chairs and all that accompanies such a food and bev- erage event, as well as stages for the talent and on-site dressing rooms for the enter-

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tainers with all of their hospitality needs. The limos. The suites. The first-class air arrangements. The roadies. The runners. Phone lines and RVs for offices. Loads of details. It was determined a tent would be constructed in case of inclement weath- er so that those who couldn’t get into the museum could be sheltered in case of rain. The placement of 600 linear feet of food tents was logistically planned. Con- taining the area for safety and security also became important, so the entire perim- eter of event space, 600-feet-wide by 2,000-feet-long, was contained within fencing.

Presenting the Museum Structure as a High-Tech, Cutting-Edge Visual Statement

Immediate focus was placed on the Museum. The park alone, though tree-lined and scenic, didn’t make a statement for an industry leader in the tech sector. Struc- tures and decor could be built, but this event was for 10,000 people, with time and budget restrictions. The Museum stood at the apex of the event area and became a monumental task.

The structure of the Museum on its own didn’t fulfill the goal of a high-tech, cutting-edge visual statement. So how could lighting transform this historic site into a contemporary work of high-tech art in under 3 days? The designers quickly for- mulated a plan: Let’s paint it . . . with LIGHT, a lighting design utilizing almost 275 automated fixtures and miles of electrical distribution cable. The lighting units would highlight and accentuate the existing architectural elements: columns, fres- cos, stone setbacks, and a large Calder sculpture in the courtyard. These fixtures would create a kinetic mural of vivid color, fluidly brushing over the architecture in an intricately programmed pallet of movement and composition. The intense color washes would form a backdrop to frame the client’s message. Projected over the colorful background on the two “sides” of the Museum was a 150-feet-wide by five- stories-high visual display of SAP’s logo and its catchphrases. The “branding, imag- es, and hooks” that SAP wanted guests to see were produced from a separate lighting system. Video-like roll-ins, sweeps, complex reveals, and one-by-one word fade-ups for entire sentences created the client’s logos and messages. Due to the fact that the designer chose to utilize one of the brightest intelligent light fixtures at that time, the corporate branding became visible for blocks, all the way down the parkway and into the downtown area. When the kinetic color washes and the graphics were combined, it created a stunning visual mural. The Museum was now the subject in a live painting of light for one dramatic evening. It made such a state- ment that camera crews from the local news channels taped it for broadcast.

Unexpected Challenges

Prior to the event, EE arrived days early and paid a visit to the Museum. They knew nothing about the event! With their signed contracts in hand, EE’s president Andrea Michaels informed them about the event with faxed print outs as proof that production schedules had been delivered to Museum executives, and FedEx re- ceipts showed that packages had been received. She showed them the signatures. They still insisted they knew nothing about the fireworks and decided they would not allow them. They said that EE had to use the Museum’s caterer while on their

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premises, and Andrea had a signed agreement that the company could bring in its own catering. Many hours of meetings later, the matters were settled by paying an additional $20,000. Additionally, in order to use the interior at all, the client would need to pay for security guards, ushers, and bathroom attendants for another sev- eral thousands of dollars. Finally, they would close at 11:00 p.m. and not 12:30 a.m. when the event was scheduled to end, and to this there was no explanation and no compromise.

That was the easy part. Recall the multilane thoroughfare, one of the city’s most traveled routes, between the Oval Parkway and the Museum. Then visualize the large sidewalk area that leads to the Museum steps, the only pathway to the Terrace where a large part of the event would occur. When EE arrived, there was NO side- walk, only shards of concrete. It was all under construction, never before men- tioned during extensive meetings. When Andrea approached the city officials and the Parks Department, she was told they were getting ready for the Republican Convention (strange . . . this was 1999, and the convention was late in 2000). An- drea asked when this would become a sidewalk again, and they said, “Later this year.”

“I need it fixed.” “You’ll have to fix it yourself.”

So Andrea paved the sidewalk and street the day before the event in order that guests could walk on concrete and access the very venue EE had rented.

And what about the lighting you ask? The real challenges surfaced about an hour after the first on-site inspection meeting began. Suddenly, the city that was quite accustomed to hosting events in the park (complete with large stages, name talent, and full productions) said that lighting the front of the Museum was another story.

“It can’t be done! You’ll need to talk to this agency, no—that other city agency.” And this preceded a host of bureaucratic red tape. After meetings and more meet- ings, EE received the necessary permission and accessed the required permits. As they say, money talks. Museums usually need money. This one certainly did.

Later, the park presented another surprise when on the day before the event, crews came in and started seeding the grounds, mulching the soil and creating mud where there had previously been either hard earth or lawn. Would they stop? No, they had their orders. By the time the appropriate city official could be reached, the work had been completed. Later, it will be obvious how much this affected the event.

Branding Without Signage Creative use of graphics and the above-described lighting at the Museum as well

as use of new products, such as the huge AirStar projection inflatable, displayed all current ad campaigns through slides in this unique object. Immense backdrops on the stages previewed the new ad campaign, CityofE. Even the fireworks spelled out SAP in the sky. Guests saw “SAP” everywhere—on cocktail napkins, on signage where possible, in lighting, in the fireworks, on the stage, in the inflatable, and in street banners.

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Union Problems Up until this point, the event had experienced difficult but manageable prob-

lems. Enter the union. As soon as set up began, the technical director approached Andrea with another problem. A bad problem. The city had assured her that EE did not need to use union labor. However, the unions had called on the TD to inform him that because the event wasn’t employing union labor they were going to stop all local labor from working on the event. He was told that if EE proceeded to hold the event they would form a picket line around the entire affair and prevent guests from entering. Andrea tried reasoning. No luck. She was told that if she hired union crews it would be an additional $30,000 to $50,000.

That was the last straw. She called the Mayor’s office. God bless Philadelphia’s mayor. Within hours he had his deputy meet with the union officials and Andrea to resolve the matter amicably. Amicably for her. Not for the Union. The official had in hand (literally) representatives of each of the threatening unions (who had told EE there would be bodily harm . . . yes, really!) and told them to apologize to Andrea, and sincerely. He then said that the union crews would be happy to pitch in and help and would work for nonunion fees, including any needed overtime. So EE agreed to use union personnel on the job. All was well. Or so they pretended. Union guys just love being ordered around by a woman, don’t they?

The day before the event, EE had everything set up and tested. Everything was a “go” with the police and fire departments and city officials. However, city plumbers would not turn on water to the cook tents or bathrooms until 4:00 p.m. on the day of the event as they cited a water shortage! The fountains at the museum (another of those no problem requests) were never turned on. Water shortage. Little did they know that shortly there would be no shortage of water.

Discussion: An Act of God—The Hurricane Prior to the event, EE had calculated all the possibilities, provided weather con-

tingencies and accommodated every anticipated need. (Note: the Farmer’s Alma- nac indicated it had not rained in Philadelphia during that week in 40 years!) Hurricane Floyd was all the way down south in the Caribbean when the install first began in Philadelphia. But with all the options that the weather front could have taken, of course it headed straight for the site. As the production team began pro- gramming numerous lighting fixtures, it quickly became apparent that the event could be in trouble. Fortunately, when the hurricane hit, we had taken care of all the event details and were prepared to handle it because everything else had al- ready been coordinated. This prevented our attention from being diffused.

Dozens of cases of trash bags were purchased and distributed to each of the 275 fixtures, as temporary raincoats. Just as programming finished the night before the event, the first raindrops began to fall. The four key technical staff, still working at 3:00 a.m., began scrambling to cover and protect the equipment. When you con- sider that each fixture has the electronics and processing similar to a laptop com- puter, and costs upwards of $7,000 each to purchase, the team was running. Would you leave your laptop open and in the rain? The crew quickly jogged around the enormous site, turning over fixtures, and watching pots of water pour out from the electronics and the delicate control motors.

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At this point, everyone was delighted that a huge tent (30,000 square feet) had been installed. Just in case. And the Museum as back up . . . sort of.

To be safe prior to the rain, the company found a supplier of 10,000 ponchos, which were handed out as guests got off their motor coaches. And then the event became “Woodstock 1999.” What else could be done? A significant amount of shel- ter allowed people to gather in the tent to eat and drink. The main stages were sheltered by trees and, with their ponchos on, guests plodded through the mud to see the main stage acts. The acts performed, albeit reluctantly. Andrea reminded Earth, Wind & Fire, “Hey, guys, with a name like yours, you can’t refuse to play in the elements.” With a forced laugh, they did.

The only real hiccough was the fireworks. With the fire marshal at Andrea’s side, he at first said, “No, absolutely not,” because the winds were too high. She negoti- ated. She did not want to be the one to tell her client that his $100,000 fireworks show was not going to happen when everything else was so slushy. He finally agreed that Grucci could test the air by sending up an occasional pyro burst, and, if it looked okay, could “go” but only when he said “go.” By doing this, a window of opportunity was ultimately found and the resultant show was truly magnificent. “SAP” was written in the sky in pyro, and the clients agreed that it was the most magnificent fireworks display they had ever seen or imagined. Phew!

Follow-up evaluations revealed that guests loved it and said it was the best event they had ever attended. Great food. Great entertainment. Fun. They hoarded the ponchos. They loved the rain and the environment it created. At 1 a.m. it was over, or was it?

The morning after the event the first call came at 5:30 a.m. Hurricane Floyd had landed in full fury, and EE’s tents were all blowing over. Kitchen equipment was on its way to the next county; the stages were sinking into the mud and the semis were stuck in the middle of the park and unable to move. Debris was flying every- where. Ah, the life of an event producer. Off everyone went in over 100-miles-per- hour winds and pouring rain to manage the load-out. The union? Oh, no, they were not allowed to work under such conditions. So they abdicated all responsibility for load-out.

The final challenge was racing millions of dollars of valuable fixtures, controllers, and miles of cable into the waiting semi-trucks, before the full force of “Floyd” shut down the entire city. Let’s just say the entire staff was very wet and tired. However, the guests never experienced this part of the event production. In the world of “memorable” events, this one is at the top.

Could there be any more challenges? Of course. For instance, the aftermath. There was a great deal of damage. EE had ample insurance, and that was a good thing, because the company was blamed for the damage to the park though it was indeed caused by an act of God. However, in lieu of all that had preceded the event, Andrea chose to cheerfully accept the responsibility and replant the park that had been reseeded the day before the event. EE fulfilled all insurance claims (tents that hit cars) and insisted that its vendors also act responsibly.

Overall, the event went a bit damp, but without a hitch. The dedicated crews were left with the satisfaction of a spectacular design, overcoming obstacles, and the gratifying statement, “We’re sorry, but that flight has been cancelled; the air- port just closed due to weather.”

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Creativity is not confined to making a pretty centerpiece; it is also in conflict resolution and innovative communication . . . like with the union with the help of the mayor, and that meant not being afraid to go to the top and cry “help.” Hurri- canes? Unions? Forgetful city officials and Museum personnel? Obstacles only, ob- stacles to overcome . . . creatively. The lesson? Don’t give up!

Notes

Event

Event Type: Special Event Event Attendees: Professional Technical Business Clients Highly-trained event professionals and producers for an annual corporate event

Event Planning Phases

1. Research: content, history, locations 2. Design: program, content, venue, branding 3. Logistics: bus pickup and drop off, prep event site for safety/security; coordinate

permits for closing major city thoroughfares during rush-hour traffic; coordinate with every city department for approvals and re-approvals and added permits; re- negotiate with venue; repair pavement at event venue; union negotiations; repair event site; fulfill insurance claims from weather incident.

4. Planning: emergency weather plan; rebudgeting; coordination between multiple stages and pyrotechnics to create continuous movement; food station positioning to prevent guest lines and waiting; ordering all equipment used for the event; booking entertainment, travel, accommodations and all related riders and hiring all vendors.

Challenges

1. Venue location. 2. Venue issues. 3. Additional expenditures due to unethical venue/city executives. 4. Unexpected venue disruptions. 5. Uncooperative city and union officials. 6. High-tech creative branding. 7. Inclement weather and creating a great event in spite of rain and wind.

Potential Questions for Discussion or Testing

1. Discuss the challenges in this event and determine alternative solutions. 2. Identify normal rain plan procedures. 3. Identify hurricane risks and needed preparation and provide any other alterna-

tives. 4. Develop a strategy for dealing with unions. 5. Develop a strategy for dealing with unethical vendors or uncooperative venues. 6. Evaluate strategies used and suggest alternatives. 7. What other branding options could have been utilized?

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8. What other techniques could have been used to turn this event into a high-tech visual statement?

9. Conduct a SWOT analysis.

Andrea Michaels, President of Extraordinary Events, is the winner of over 35 Special Event Gala Awards, the first inductee into the Special Event Industry Hall of Fame as well as a winner of two SITE Crystal Awards, an MPI Global Paragon Award, two EIBTM (international) awards, and a slew of other recognitions. She is also among the 100 largest woman-owned businesses in Los Angeles. All accolades are for impeccable and innovative meetings and events. Prominent events include in- ternational road shows for BMW, Mercedes, Hong Kong Tourist Board and many others of distinction.

Her seminars on Creativity, The Profitability of Doing Business, and Anatomy of an Event have earned her international kudos. The summation? She sets the trends that others follow. Her autobiographical book, Reflections of a Successful Wall- flower, Lessons in Life, Lessons in Business was published in March, 2010. Another book, coauthored with Deepak Chopra and Jack Canfield, Stepping Stones to Suc- cess was also released in March, followed by Yes You Can with authors Dr. Warren Bennis and Jim Rohn.