AV Concepts works with groups on 3-D projections and other groundbreaking A/V features

While the company is a leader in this burgeoning segment of event production— it was the brains behind the much-buzzedabout Tupac Shakur hologram at Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival last year—it’s hardly alone in offering meeting planners the chance to add techie pizzazz to their events.

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When Nick Smith and Fred Mandrick founded the company in 1987, they set out to provide each client with exceptional service and superior value. But we believe that superior value isn’t just a great product and service, but that we must constantly push the envelope on our creative process for even more efficiency and quality. Without creativity, how could we bring break-through technology like holographic projection and projection mapping to fruition?

But what exactly is creativity? Like love or happiness, it’s not something easily defined, and just like those concepts, creativity means something different to different people. Most often, the concept of creativity brings up the names of great public figures: F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Beatles, Ansel Adams, Mozart, Jackson Pollack. On and on. We can’t deny that these are creative individuals, but why? What does being creative mean?

Intrinsic

In its broadest sense, creativity is creating something new from something old, in the way that Monet turned canvas and paints into beautiful impressionist paintings. However, there’s something missing in that definition, as it assumes that creativity lies in the activity and not somewhere else, somewhere deeper. Someone can, after all, paint, sing, draw, or write in an uncreative way, so maybe it’s not an activity in itself that defines creativity.

In his book A Sudden Clash of Thunder, Osho, the great Indian mystic, guru, and spiritual teacher, considers creativity as a “quality that you bring to the activity you are doing. It is an attitude, an inner approach—how you look at things.” In other words, creativity isn’t about the activity—painting, drawing, sculpting, or, making holographic projections—but the mindset. This reminds us of our Liquid Scenic technology—first and foremost, it’s a state of mind. Before we could create a process to make this technology a reality, we began with unique human ideas in our imaginations, where anything is possible. Liquid Scenic is a representation of that limitless creative thinking.

Osho goes on in his book to say that, as long as a person is in the mindset of creativity, he can put creativity in everything he does, whether it’s writing a novel, cleaning the floors, or setting up the lights and sounds for a large event. Or even simply sitting and doing nothing.

Creativity in Two Levels

It’s not uncommon for people to break creativity down into two levels. The first, what most people consider when they think of creativity, comprises the writers, artists, musicians, and the like who produce something that is novel and useful on a societal level.

The second level of creativity, the one we don’t often think about, refers to everyday creativity, the things we do in our day-to-day personal and professional lives to improve efficiency, or to make things interesting. This level of creativity is much more present in our lives. The way you dress, solving a problem at work, planning something for the weekend, cooking a good meal. Creativity plays a part in it all.

By that stretch, and what Osho says, you can say that creativity is a universal quality. Everyone is capable of creativity. It’s interesting that this universal creativity is often quelled by its own public perception. The assumption that a person is only creative if they draw, paint, or produce an end-product of some kind is destructive to the creative mindset, as it forces a potential creator to shun their own creativity. Put another way, believing that you are uncreative leads to you becoming uncreative. It’s a self-fulfilling prophecy.

The Four P’s

The societal concept of creativity is based on outcomes; creativity leads to a book, a painting, a play. That’s not untrue, but there is much more to creativity than an outcome. In his paper on creativity, Mel Rhodes describes the four facets of creativity:

• Product: As described above, the product aspect of creativity involves the creation of original ideas that are novel and useful.
• Process: This refers to the operations and stages of thought that go into a creative work. Surprisingly, creative process skills can be learned, and practice can improve overall creative performance along with a person’s ability to think more imaginatively and solve problems uniquely. Creativity involves both nature and nurture. You don’t have to be born with this creative quality—you can practice it.
• Press: Creative press refers to the environment where a person lives, creates, or processes. This is potentially the broadest of the four P’s of creativity as it takes into account internal, external, and interpersonal factors. That includes everything from your mood, to the weather, to the conversations you have with a friend. Apparently, the one negative factor to creative press is conflict.
• Person: The creative individual is the most important facet because the product, environment, and process do not exist without the person. The creative process at its greatest form is built by a person’s knowledge, thinking skills, emotional intelligence, all of which are dependent upon individual choice.

It’s difficult to pin down one definition for creativity that works for everyone, but that’s the point. Trying too hard to put a concrete definition to creativity damages its flexibility as a concept and creates too much of a rigidity in art, emotion, and life. However, it’s never too late to be creative, open up your mind, and inject your everyday life with imagination and critical thought.

AV Concepts Expands Senior Leadership Team,
Hires Anthony Stevens as Vice President, Business Development
Industry Veteran to Drive Strategic Growth of Leading Creative and Immersive Technology Provider

TEMPE, ARIZ. (April 10, 2013) – AV Concepts, a leader in the corporate meetings, convention, and experiential events industries, announces Anthony Stevens as its new Vice President of Business Development. As the premier nationwide provider of audio, video, staging, creative and immersive technology solutions, the award-winning company is particularly well-known for high-end projection, augmented reality and hologram capabilities.

Stevens will report to Richard Steinau, Vice President of Sales and Marketing, and lead the company’s national sales and business development teams from the Tempe, Ariz., office. As the leader of the sales and business development teams, he will oversee all aspects of strategic growth for the company and build direct relationships with key corporations, production companies and associations. Stevens will exert significant influence over the company’s strategic vision in partnership with marketing, operations and creative services.

“Over the past two decades, Anthony has continually raised the bar on driving growth initiatives and delivering exceptional value to clients,” said Nick Smith, President and co-founder of AV Concepts. “His successful history, impressive leadership skills and passion for our business make him the ideal person to immediately have a positive influence on our sales activity and results.”

Previously Stevens drove impressive year-over-year sales growth of Swank Audio Visuals’ Event Services staging division as National Director of Event Sales. During his 18-year tenure, Stevens successfully led audio visual sales at larger convention venues for brands such as Hilton, Loews, Hyatt, JW Marriott, Four Seasons, Fairmont Hotels and Ritz Carlton, for which his team was awarded the highest rating for customer satisfaction from JD Power and Associates.

“I am delighted to have the opportunity to join a company that’s setting the trends in the industry for others to follow,” said Stevens. “The team shares my passion for strong relationship building and strategic growth, and I look forward to contributing to the company’s continued successes.”

Stevens has played an integral role as change agent for the improvement of operational performance, specifically in the areas of sales process and development throughout his career. Most recently, he focused exclusively on high-end staging events and developed account relationships with some of the most successful Fortune 500 clients and event production companies in the world.

For more information about AV Concepts’ total creative solutions, visit www.avconcepts.com.

About AV Concepts

AV Concepts converges creativity and technology by providing full-service audio, video, lighting and immersive technical solutions. The recognized industry leader in creative services and staging, AV Concepts has been driving innovation to a new level for brands, professional meetings and corporate events for more than 25 years. The company’s proprietary Liquid Scenic technology creates augmented reality experiences with nearly limitless content creation possibilities to engage and energize audiences, particularly for high-profile entertainment events. With more than 100 team members supporting 500+ annual events across North America, AV Concepts delivers exceptional quality, ideas and client satisfaction. For more information, visit www.avconcepts.com and follow the company on Twitter and Facebook.

Media Contact:
Annie Drury
Allison+Partners
619-533-7972
avconcepts@allisonpr.com

In part 1 of our anniversary blog, we discussed how projection and video technology have advanced in the past quarter century. For part 2, we’ll look at even more incredible improvements. So, without further ado…

Audio

Then
If you look at any electronic device or piece of equipment from the 80s through the 90s, you’ll notice that small and compact weren’t exactly part of the well-thought-out design—we’re looking at you, Zack Morris’s mobile phone.

The sound systems used at big events were no different. While they were great at providing event spaces with plenty of raw sound, the speakers in particular were huge, clumsy, unwieldy, and difficult to set up. Speakers were stacked atop each other to maximize sound, but they took up a lot of space, and posed somewhat of a hazard at that.

Now
Line array speakers are the norm in large event settings these days. Line array speaker systems consist of several loudspeakers joined together in a line to create sound. Line arrays allow you to better control the sound in a venue, essentially giving you the ability to direct sound to the audience instead of producing a broad spray of sound that will bounce off the walls. Line array systems also do away with a lot of distortion and provide a better, rounder audio experience.

Conferences

Then
Conferences were straightforward affairs back in the day. A speaker talked to a group of people gathered in a large room. They may have had projection slides or a simple demo, but conferences generally had all the stale, uninteresting qualities of an extended college lecture.

Now
Conferences are today are considered “Corporate Theatre” that focuses just as much on lights, video, sound, action, and—most importantly—interaction as it does the content of the conference to ensure maximum engagement and retention of information.

The technology surrounding conferences is also much improved. Teleconferencing and video conferencing allows for keynote speakers from remote locations. With web conferencing, attendees can enjoy the content of the conference without even leaving their homes or offices. While breakout rooms aren’t a new concept, we’ve put a spin on things, giving overflow attendees multiple live feeds of the conference—even on personal devices like iPads.

The Internet

Then
In the late 80s, the Internet was still finding its footing. Commercial Internet service providers were making it out of the gate to provide the privileged few with the amazing flow of information that was the foundation of the Internet.

Now
The Internet has changed the way audiovisual companies can display and transfer information. Sure, that does away with a lot of wires, but more importantly, it opens up whole new avenues for disseminating information. We can use a network to send an entire presentation from a computer to a projector to a series of handheld devices without sacrificing quality or functionality.

But the Internet has changed much more in the AV industry than how we send and present information. Today, we can hardly imagine a world without the Internet. How would you find out about different events without it? Sure, you might still find out via local newspapers, flyers on bulletin boards, or the radio. But by and large, it’s online social media promotion that puts events on our radar.

Also, event creators use the Internet to further engage audience members while at the event with customized mobile web apps. Remember when Bob Saget hosted America’s Funniest Home Videos and the audience members would send in their votes via big, clunky remotes? In modern events, attendees use their smartphones (perpetually connected to the Internet) to vote, provide feedback, or participate in other forms of audience response.

And it’s through social media, blogging, videos, and other online outlets that attendees stay engaged long after the doors have closed.

But Some Things Never Change

Even with the myriad of changes, the one thing that hasn’t changed is the challenge. How do you engage the crowd, keep the audience’s attention, and do it all better next year? AV Concepts continues to meet that challenge.

We’ve met and worked with all kinds of amazing, supportive individuals and companies over the last 25 years, and we wouldn’t be where we are without them. Today we’re pioneering and developing leading technologies that will influence the audiovisual technologies developed over the next 25 years!

So “Link” with us, “Like” us, or keep an eye out for our “Tweets” as we lead our industry into new and exciting places… and have a lot of fun along the way.

This is a two-part series celebrating our 25th Anniversary, in which we look at how innovative audio/visual technology has changes since we opened our doors.

This year AV Concepts will be celebrating its 25th birthday. That means, if AV Concepts was a person, we are now at the age where we can rent a car without incurring expensive fees. Go us!

All joking aside, twenty five is a big number in our industry. The company has experienced a whole quarter century of events and technological advancements. The influx of new technology has led to some fantastic upgrades to audiovisual technology, pushing the boundaries of what we at AV Concepts can do.

As a celebration of our upcoming 25th anniversary, let’s take a look at some of the fundamental changes to audiovisual technology over the last quarter century in our two-part anniversary blog series.

Projectors

Then
In the 80s, slide projectors were the norm, and they actually performed quite well. They displayed at film-quality resolutions, and had a generally long shelf life. However, slide projectors were clunky to transport and took a long time to set up. Worst of all, slide projectors were prone to burn-ins, which created shadow images and caused brightness problems.

The need for something new led to the development of a projection system based on LCD technology in the late 80s and early 90s. AV Concepts used one of the first LCD projectors on the market. Although there were a few LCD projectors available to the public, they had a long way to go before they could achieve stable image quality that accommodated colors and full motion video. Earlier models had large dot pitches (the space between pixels), creating a screen door effect on projected images.

Now
Skip to now and projector technology has seen some amazing revolutions. LCD worked out its earlier kinks to give users an amazing visual experience that offers true color quality, crisp images, and limited motion blur. LED, DLP, and other projection systems have gained steam as well, giving audiovisual companies a wide swath of technologies to play with.

What really changed is how we use projectors. Back in the day, projection meant flat screens and boring lectures. Improved projectors and software allows for the more dynamic uses. AV Concepts developed the Liquid Scenic system that allows for projection mapping onto any flat, round, curved, or angled surface.

Video

Then
Digital video formats weren’t even a thought until the mid-90s. In 1995, ten companies founded the DVD Forum, which created the standards to which the DVD format would be used. It wasn’t until 1997 that DVD players actually saw light in the U.S. market.

With the switch to digital formats came a need for higher video quality. The dawn of the DVD saw MPEG-2 as the standard encoding format through much of the 90s. It was simple and got the job done, but MPEG-2 was highly compressed, which meant that image quality was always balanced against file size. Getting good quality often meant massive files, which were a challenge to work with on show site.

Then came MPEG-4 Part 2, which allowed for comparable picture quality and a more manageable file size to deal with.

Now
In terms of digital media, even MPEG-4 Part 2 feels old today and has been replaced primarily by H.264, which is implemented by Blu-Ray, YouTube’s HD videos, and the videos found in the iTunes Store. What that jargon means for you is crisper images, more vibrant colors, and video quality that matches up to cinema standards.

Video standards seem to be in constant flux, more so than many other audiovisual elements, as new codecs and encoding formats allow for greater quality in a smaller virtual size.

Projection and video technology has seen some pretty amazing advancements in the past 25 years—but that’s not even half of it! Stay tuned for part 2, where we’ll continue our walk down memory lane and celebrate our 25th anniversary even more.

Part 2 will be published next week, so stay tuned…

In addition to the impressive General Session, AV Concepts was also selected to provide all technical support and video / audio equipment for more than 25 breakout rooms as well as the main expo area – the Solutions Showcase. Nearly 4,500 customers, partners and resellers attended the event that was recognized by BizBash as one of “The 15 Most Innovative Meetings of 2012”.

]]> http://www.avconcepts.com/dell-2012/feed/ 0 http://www.avconcepts.com/ciena-gfo-kickoff-2012/ http://www.avconcepts.com/ciena-gfo-kickoff-2012/#comments Wed, 23 Jan 2013 23:43:25 +0000 taryn http://www.avconcepts.com/?p=3904  

This is the third year that AV Concepts partnered with Ciena on their annual GFO Kickoff. The goal this year for the General Session was to top what was done last year. We accomplished that through the creative and visuals displayed. We created a 230’ continuous screen that surrounded half the room. The size was impactful on its own but we added to that creative and full screen animated videos and presentations. Presentations took over the full screen and kept audiences engaged through the whole session.

What Ciena Had to Say

“Ciena has worked with AV Concepts for its annual GFO Kickoff general sessions for the last three years.  They continue to impress us with their creative ideas, technical design, communication and top-notch customer service.  The technology they  provide along with the incredible visuals energize our crowd during the entire three days of general sessions.  In addition, AV Concepts’ content team developed presentations for our senior executives that spanned a full curved-widescreen canvas and kept attendees engaged to end our conference on a high note.  One senior leader even called the 2013 event the best GFO Kickoff meeting Ciena has ever had. We look forward to partnering with AV Concepts for years to come.” – Alison Becker, Sr. Director Experiential Marketing, Ciena

]]> http://www.avconcepts.com/ciena-gfo-kickoff-2012/feed/ 0 http://www.avconcepts.com/vp-of-operations-named/ http://www.avconcepts.com/vp-of-operations-named/#comments Tue, 15 Jan 2013 22:04:39 +0000 taryn http://www.avconcepts.com/?p=3878  

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

AV Concepts Names Charlie Whittock Vice President of Operations

San Diego, Calif; January 15, 2013:  AV Concepts, an award-winning immersive technology solutions provider of video, audio, and staging services for corporate, convention, and experiential events, announces the appointment of Charlie Whittock as Vice President of Operations.

Whittock will be responsible for the company’s overall operational infrastructure and continuing to develop the company’s equipment and technology solutions. His greatest area of focus will be working with AV Concepts’ leaders to integrate creative and technology throughout the organization.

“In order to further develop our customized creative solutions, we needed to add someone to the team who possessed both an operations mind-set and had industry experience building technology solutions that elevate events and conferences,” said Fred Mandrick, Chief Operating Officer and Co-Founder of AV Concepts. “Charlie’s background was the perfect fit to round off our executive leadership team and continue to move this company forward,” said Mandrick.

Whittock is a seasoned veteran of the audio-visual industry with over twenty-five years of global experience, most of that working with Creative Technology in key executive roles.  His professional career includes growing several successful offices worldwide including London, Asia and the United States. Charlie has also worked hands on as a technical director, production manager, and project manager on many live events over the years providing him with the field experience and technical expertise that has contributed to his success as an executive leader.

“AV Concepts is considered a leader in the technology and creative services arena for conferences and events,” said Charlie Whittock. “The work they’ve done over the past 25 years has shaped this industry. Specifically I look forward to furthering the company’s Liquid Scenic solution and expanding on that innovative technology,” Whittock said.

To learn more about AV Concepts’ technology and creative solutions you can contact us at sales@avconcepts.com or (800) 473-6828.

About AV Concepts

AV Concepts (www.avconcepts.com) is an inspired place where creative and technology converge. For over 25 years AV Concepts has been a full-service supplier of video, audio, lighting and technical services, driving innovation to a new level for brands, professional meetings and corporate events. With a team of over 100 employees supporting 500+ annual events across North America, AV Concepts has been recognized as an industry leader who delivers exceptional quality, ideas and client satisfaction. AV Concepts can be found at www.avconcepts.com,  www.twitter.com/avconceptsinc,  and www.facebook.com/avconceptsinc.

PR Inquiries:

Taryn Weiss

tweiss@avconcepts.com

619.881.0739

Audio / Visual Service Supplier Turns to New ULXD4Q Multi-Channel Receivers from Shure

NILES, Ill., December 12, 2012—When Shure launched its ULX-D™ Digital Wireless Microphone System with Dual and Quad receivers in June 2012, a new bar was set for audio quality and spectral efficiency. Recognizing the system’s professional form factors and reliable feature set, AV Concepts—an award-winning technology solutions provider of video, audio, creative, and staging services—invested in four ULXD4Q Quad Channel Digital Receivers to better serve its clients.

Tempe-based AV Concepts started in Chandler garage

They met as young men in the 1970s, working as bellmen at a Scottsdale hotel. In time, they discovered that they had a knack for audiovisual work, and in a modest Southeast Valley garage, they started their own company, which today brings in annual revenue of $20 million and dazzles audiences at concerts and conferences with hologram-like figures and the newest innovations in lighting, video and sound.

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The 2012 Tableau Customer Conference in San Diego attracted over 2,200 attendees from a variety of fields. This year was the 5th Anniversary of the conference, and Tableau and their production partner turned to AV Concepts to bring their opening Keynote session to the next level. Audience members gave rave reviews of the “rock-style” production via the Twitter feed for the event. Feedback from Tableau leadership confirmed that the staging design and content from AV Concepts delivered the impact and value far above expectations.

AV Concepts designed a 20′ high by 160′ wide curved cyc which became the canvas for 5 streams of projection from stacked Christie 18k DLP Projectors driven by AV Concepts’ proprietary Liquid Scenic Server. AV Concepts worked collaboratively with the Tableau team to create the custom opening video and as well as dynamic full screen animated content, utilizing AV Concepts’ exclusive Liquid Scenic Presenter, for Tableau’s CEO Christian Chabot and CDO Chris Stolte.

What Tableau Had to Say

“We were looking to excite and inspire our customers with a production that showcased our biggest product release to date, Tableau 8.0. We make software that helps people visually analyze their data so we needed a production — including staging, video and creative — that showed our product deeply but also in an impactful and exciting way. AV Concepts had the right ideas and really delivered. They were amazingly creative,” said CMO Elissa Fink.