Grand Openings & Dedications

Dedication of Liberty Bell Center and Move of Liberty Bell
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October, 2003. Client: National Park Service
We produced a series of events leading up to and including the move of the Liberty Bell to its new $13 million home at Independence National Historical Park. The project began with an intimate dinner for the donors of the funds needed for the new building. This dinner was held at the very location where the bell was to be placed the next morning, the only time such an event would ever be held at this location. As part of the evening Independence Hall was dramatically bathed in saturated lighting that subtly changed throughout the evening. The next morning we produced a pancake breakfast for 600 guests while the Bell was ceremonially moved from its old pavilion along a one-block long procession route that saw seven historical vignettes presented to a public audience of over 3,000 visitors. The day concluded with the ceremony attended by 2,500 guests on the lawn of Independence Hall, containing three choirs, two bands, four honor guards and a 100' high hot air balloon shaped like the Liberty Bell.

National Constitution Center Grand Opening
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. July, 2003. Client: National Constitution Center
To commemorate the opening of the newest edifice in Independence National Historical Park, we planned and produced a formal gala for 620 guests featuring performances by Broadway star Audra McDonald, comedian John Stewart, and orations by such luminaries as actor Richard Dreyfuss and Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer. The following morning an outdoor ceremony was produced with multi-faceted entertainment, live broadcast and a finale that consisted of a military jet flyover, fireworks and a keynote address by Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

Grand Opening of Tricentennial Headquarters
Mobile, Alabama. September, 2001. Client: Mobile Tricentennial, Inc.
The first official event of the year-long anniversary commemoration was the opening of its headquarters, which is the oldest home in Mobile, renovated for use by the Tricentennial Commission. The event included the performance of a specially composed Tricentennial march, the unveiling of the official poster and the new mascot.

WHYY Technology Center Grand Opening
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November, 1999. Client: WHYY Public Broadcasting.
Two evenings of events were planned for endowment audiences, with the elements from the opening night reconfigured for the second night in order to accommodate maximum crowds while minimizing additional costs. The entire studio was hidden by a 100'x 22' drape, which was unveiled by the president of the organization to reveal not only the control center with its technicians but also its main studio with a five-piece percussion ensemble followed by a cooking demonstration, all live as well as broadcast to monitors throughout the building.

Grand Opening, Paris Las Vegas Hotel and Casino
Las Vegas, Nevada. September, 1999. Client: Park Place Entertainment.
An extravaganza was planned and produced for the opening of the country's newest casino, that included an invitation-only reception for 5,000 guests, a concert for 2,000 under a 500' high replica of the Eiffel Tower and a multi-media show for 35,000 public spectators. Among the numerous elements were live performances by Michel LeGrand, Charles Aznavour, Catherine Deneuve; an aerial ballet by six dancers who descended off the Tower at 200'; a live satellite telecast featuring the great-grandson of Gustav Eiffel during which time the lights of the Paris, France Eiffel Tower were turned off at the exact same time the lights of the Las Vegas Tower were switched on, accompanied by a fireworks display on the tower in Las Vegas.

The Philadelphia Zoo Primate Reserve Opening
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. June, 1999. Client: The Philadelphia Zoo.
Six preview events for the grand opening of the Primate Reserve were conceived and planned inside of the new complex. Significant corporate, foundation, governmental and donor audiences were showcased each evening with a multi-faceted live, live-broadcast and multi-media presentation. The implementation of each evening=s program consisted of extensive cabling and preparation within a secured building, working around the animals and handlers and construction worker without impacting on the actual work
of opening the structure.

Dedication of Mandeville Hall
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October, 1998. Client: St. Joseph's University.
The new home of the business school at St. Joe's was dedicated in an official daytime ceremony for 700 guests. The program included in-person and live-satellite feeds from overseas to showcase the capabilities of the state-of-the-art facility. With the Archbishop of Philadelphia in the high tech auditorium of the school, the guests heard from the US Ambassador to Italy, the US Ambassador to the Vatican and the chief spokesperson for the Vatican in the satellite dialogue, which featured a dialogue between the Rome officials and three St. Joe's students in Mandeville Hall. As guests departed the open house that was held after the program they received a CD-ROM that contained three different types of screen savers noting images of the university.

Groundbreaking Ceremony - Regional Performing Arts Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. October, 1998. Client: Regional Performing Arts Center.
An official ceremony was produced for this $240 million edifice. The event was attended by an audience of 1,000 guests in a tent on the site of the construction. A 60' x 40' three tier stage was installed behind a trough some 60' long. On either side of the stage was a bulldozer with two opera singers and a jackhammer that signaled the 30 VIPs on stage to Adig in@. The actual cue was given by the assistant conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra from the middle of the audience.

Grand Opening, Philadelphia International Airport Terminal B/C
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. June, 1998. Client: US Airways, Redwood Development.
Four events were planned, produced and implemented for the opening of the newest terminal in the country, featuring the grand opening of a block-long retail shopping mall and a block-long ticketing pavilion. Special events were conducted for the construction workers, corporate and public officials and the general public. One of the highlights of the four-day series was a giveaway featuring a trip for two to Paris and San Francisco. The only requisite was that the potential winners had to submit their names in writing in a box at the airport - - and be prepared to leave within two hours after the drawing. We provided a limo to the winners= homes to get their bags and passports.

Apollo Center Grand Opening
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. December, 1997. Client: Temple University.
A 10,000 seat multi-purpose sports and entertainment arena was opened with a series of 14 events over a seven day period. The events included a nationally broadcast basketball game with extensive pre-game activities, a formal dedication ceremony, three open houses and a preview event that included the following: audio-visual presentations, live remarks, a dance routine choreographed with the university gymnastics team and the fencing team, a live owl - - the school=s mascot, indoor pyrotechnics, lasers, special effect lighting, and closing remarks by Bill Cosby.

Grand Opening of the CoreStates Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. August, 1996. Client: Comcast Spectacor Corp.
Some 5,000 invited guests attended a four hour ceremony and gala reception for the opening of the country=s largest --and newest sports and entertainment arena. Indoor pyrotechnics, full color lasers, specialized lighting, video presentations, live musical performances and a 400-foot buffet service marked the evening. Included as part of the departure elements was a lighting rig consisting of 40 skytrackers ringing the exterior, within 2,000 feet of the approach to Philadelphia International Airport.

Grand Opening of Pennsylvania Convention Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. June, 1993. Client: Pennsylvania Convention Center Authority.
A "ribbon-cutting" ceremony was conceived, planned and implemented for the Authority centering on the formal opening of the $500 million structure featuring Vice President Al Gore. Some 100 stage guests as well as 110 media representatives joined the thousands of citizens witnessing the historic occasion.

Grand Opening of Schuylkill Printing Plant.
Upper Merion, Pennsylvania. September, 1992. Client: Philadelphia Newspapers, Inc.
A gala opening was conceived and produced to showcase the largest facility of its kind in the United States. As part of the evening event a nine-projector audio visual show was bracketed with lasers, indoor pyrotechnics, specialized lighting effects and the use of a seven car Conrail train that entered a dining area on cue.