Chase Creative Unlimited - Event Staging and Audio/Visual Services

Behind the scenes at Michigan’s largest automotive event of the year

Chase Creative Unlimited, located in Plymouth, Mich., won the bid this year to provide AV services for The Center for Automotive Research’s (CAR) 40th annual Management Briefing Seminar (MBS) at the Grand Traverse Resort and Spa.

This is undeniably the largest automotive event in Michigan, 1,200 executives from all over the United States gathered in Traverse City in order to obtain a timely snapshot of the latest trends in the auto industry. Among the attendees listening to speakers addressing topics such as the changing global economy and health care issues were executives from Ford, GM, Daimler Chrysler, Microsoft, Lear and many other suppliers and IT providers.

CAR was looking for an AV company that was very professional and that would be able to handle the elements that go into working with automotive executive staff. “We were very comfortable with Chase and knew that they could provide these things,” said Lisa Hart, vice president of operations at CAR. “On top of that we got a very productive working relationship as well,”

One of the major challenges Chase faced with staging an event of this size and magnitude was the constant state of flux that the presentations were in. In order to accommodate the different sizes of meeting groups, pre-rigged ceiling trusses pulled air walls around in the ballroom to create either one large room or multiple smaller rooms. They handled the various presentations using their Folsom system, allowing them to switch from PowerPoint to video to live feeds seamlessly.

Each step was planned out so that there was no room for errors when it came time to move the walls and equipment around. “Chase had technical drawings for every room and knew when and where each move needed to take place even before the event so there were no problems at the event,” said Ken Szawara, producer. Szawara added that Chase knew exactly which technicians needed to be present so that every area of the event was covered.

Chase not only met with the producer before the event, but also with CAR and the employees at the venue as well. Communication is key in the pre-planning process so that everyone knows what to expect at any given time. Everyone has a role to play and it is important that their role is clear so that nothing is overlooked and no one is interfering with another person’s task.

“From the moment we sign a contract to the moment we put the equipment back on the shelf it is an organized process,” said Ben Ferguson, president of Chase Creative Unlimited. “To operate any differently would increase the odds of something going wrong and we like to keep the odds in our favor.”

Another factor that played into the show’s success was Chase’s ability to adapt to change. One thing you can count on, no matter how large or small the show, is that something will happen that wasn’t planned for. The ability of the technicians to think on their feet and make the best choices helped them avoid any potential problems that could have occurred.

“We had some last minute changes to the master plan at this show, we dealt with them accordingly and everything continued to go smoothly,” Ferguson. “It’s when those issues are handled incorrectly that they turn into problems that everyone notices.”

It was certainly a compliment to Chase that the 2005 MBS went flawlessly, proving that with the right technology, the right technicians and careful planning, perfection can be obtained.