How Alliance Nationwide Expositions, Music Matters, Sole Power, KLANCE Unlimited, & Renegade Racing are Coming Together & Contributing to their Communities
We’re so excited that this series has picked up so much support across the industry and we’re back with article 3 in our Give Back Series! In case you haven’t been following us before now, we are working hard to showcase people across events and entertainment who are doing the right thing and helping out those in need, expecting absolutely nothing in return. Below are a few stories we’ve selected to highlight the amazing things people are doing to stick together and contribute. Stay tuned for more as we continue the series every Tuesday and Thursday.
Alliance Nationwide Expositions: Together Again Expo
Alliance Nationwide Exposition is a trade show company based in Sterling, VA who specializes in small to mid-sized trade shows. They, in collaboration with the Orange County Convention Center (OCCC), will host the Together Again Expo on July 24, 2020. This industry event is designed to provide a forum on how live events can safely move forward and get back to business as Florida enters Phase 2 of the COVID-19 recovery. In the first week the website for the expo was live, they had over 100 exhibitors and 700 attendees register to attend.
Together Again Expo will offer attendees and suppliers the opportunity to learn about new industry best practices and will provide strategies and tools on how to safely and responsibly reopen live events, conventions, and trade shows. The expo is open to all event professionals and suppliers. A live stream educational component will also be offered in conjunction with the Together Again Expo.
“The OCCC is proud to host the Together Again Expo to help instill confidence throughout our industry as we begin to incrementally host modified events,” said OCCC Executive Director Mark Tester.
The expo will include multiple 15-minute educational presentations, guest speakers, and exhibitor video commercials on a centrally focused Main Stage that will be live streamed to virtual attendees. A product showcase will also be featured with select exhibitors displaying new innovative health and safety products and services for the industry. Attendees can also explore a Restaurant Row Pavilion, Hotel Pavilion, Safety Services Pavilion, and General Event Services Pavilion.
“As leaders in the exposition industry, it is our responsibility to provide our customers and stakeholders a vision for the future,” said Alliance Nationwide Exposition CEO Mark Yuska. “Expositions are vital to the business community and the U.S. economy at large. Together Again Expo seeks to advance these interests while promoting hope and safety.”
All 10×10 booths are available complimentary for exhibitors and enhanced sponsorship opportunities are available for 20×20 booths and larger. Event industry professionals will receive complimentary registration and are encouraged to participate in any capacity.
The live event and expo intend to bring event professionals to the OCCC in-person and virtually. Meeting and event professionals and suppliers can register at www.togetheragainexpo.com.
Music Matters: 3D Printing PPE for Nearby Hospitals
Music Matters Productions is a one-stop event production shop from Atlanta, Georgia. They have an extensive range of high-end audio, visual, sound, and lighting equipment and a team that sets the industry standard for excellence in their craft. When the world started to change and the community was in need, although the future for the music and event industry was uncertain, the team rallied together and wanted to know how their resources could be of help.
With a 3D printer on-hand in the shop, the team was able to create multiple hard frames for homemade, filtered masks at the request of some local health care providers. Music Matters also teamed up with local organization Sewing Masks for Area Hospitals Atlanta to help transport donated materials using their trucks that would have otherwise been sitting idle. The material was then used by the SMAH team to sew masks for local hospital and healthcare workers who were in need. SMAH has now completed and delivered more than 60,000 masks.
The Music Matters team isn’t just a group of coworkers, but a family of people who genuinely care for each other and the good of the community. Companywide virtual Happy Hours will begin in July and allow for team members to reconnect and enjoy some much-needed time together. With states beginning to ease restrictions and innovation throughout the industry to bring back entertainment, the team is excited to get back to the (new) normal and continue building unforgettable experiences for their clients.
Nurse wearing a mask provided by Music Matters & SMAH
Music Matters truck donating materials to Sewing Masks for Area Hospitals Atlanta
Sole Power: Keeping Employee Morale Up in the Face of Uncertainty
Sole Power Productions is a boutique entertainment and production company based in Toronto, Ontario started by entrepreneur Abby Tobias in 2003 whose vision was to create a boutique company that would facilitate events with limitless possibilities and creativity. Sole Power includes a roster of over 250 performers, producers, technical staff, and managers and executes more than 2,500 events annually for a number of charities, Fortune 100 companies, sports teams, top-tier music artists, and more.
Even with an impressive book of work, their business almost came to a complete halt when stay-at-home orders were put in place across North America. When confronted with the uncertainty brought by the circumstances, Sole Power chose to rise to the occasion to give back. They moved mountains to make sure their employees and freelancers always had a paycheck coming in to get them through these tough times. To help keep morale up, the Sole Power team also went the extra mile and arranged for a catering service to deliver meals to staff once a week as jobs continued to cancel.
In addition to taking care of their own people, they made a commitment to help their customers as well. They decided they would waive many contracted fees and have been working closely with those who would like to reschedule far above and beyond what is required by the government mandates in place. Their main goal is to make sure that when people do finally hold their events, they are doing so in a way that everyone feels safe and comfortable and they can enjoy their time back together.
KLANCE Unlimited: Providing a Solution for Socially Distant Graduations
KLANCE Unlimited is a production company based in St. Louis, Missouri and since 1991, they have provided stages, crowd control, rigging, crewing, and power for some of the most notable events in the Midwest.
They realized how disappointing it was for students graduating in 2020 to not be able to participate in a graduation ceremony. So, they put their resources together to create a “Drive-In Graduation” experience, safely socially distanced for everyone to enjoy the event. They have provided this option to over 14 area schools and to pull it off, KLANCE Unlimited partnered with POWERPlex, Fogarty Services, and Brought2U Media for these events. KLANCE is providing staging, site management, and band bookings. They are using their SL320 mobile stage, LED Video Wall gantries, ADA ramps, FOH tech huts, complete production rigging (Harrington Hoists), bike rack, and custom white picket steel barricades.
Dr. Calcaterra, Principal from Lafayette HS said “…This was a great solution for the kids to have a graduation and actually walk. Plus, it gave us a for sure graduation option that put closure on the 2020 school year.”
Here are links to photos of a few of their graduations: Marquette High, Eureka High, Rockwood Summit High, Lafayette High.
They are also a part of Drive-in STL and have a video overview of how their socially distant sites are laid out if you would like to learn more.
Renegade Racing: Providing Supplies to Families and the Elderly
Renegade Racing is a race management company who produces over 50 endurance events annually, which includes running, triathlon, and adventure races throughout California to support the American Heart Association and other great causes.
Because many of the races they had planned for the Spring and Summer were either canceled or converted to virtual events, they decided to use some of the supplies originally purchased for upcoming events to help those in need. Some key members of the Renegade team and their kids, as young as 6-years old, toured their city and distributed bottled water, toilet paper, paper towels, gloves, and cleaning supplies to families and the elderly.
The Renegade Racing team and their children distributing supplies to families and the elderly
We would love to hear what you’re doing too, so let us know what your company is doing if you’d like to be featured in our next article. We will continue to provide content for the industry to help circulate ideas and some positivity while we all work towards a brighter tomorrow with the values we’ve learned together in these trying times.
