Eric NewkirkPhoto: Courtesy of Event Production Network
Your next keynote speaker may have to contend with another star onstage. With more eye-catching quality and declining costs, LED screens are playing a much bigger role in meetings today. They still reign supreme as a top-shelf video player, but they are morphing into a versatile tool that can enhance every aspect of the event.
In addition to in-your-face wow, these bright, dynamic screens can deliver an entirely different experience by adding another dimension. For instance, picture three large, vertical LED panels—spaced several feet apart—onstage. Now, position one horizontal LED screen, the size of the entire stage, several feet behind the bank of panels. Let the magic begin.
The backdrop, which attendees can catch glimpses of through the panels, is one color while the panels are another color and design. Add uplights for more pop. The attention-grabbing possibilities are endless, all by adding an extra LED screen as a backdrop. It’s a decor element that can change at a moment’s notice.
“People will sit there and look at it all day,” said Scott Stedronsky, co-founder of Stage Right in Mettawa, Ill. “Every time you work with a client, they ask what is new. They ask us what we can do differently. So, we give them more creativity. The response with different uses of LED screens has been phenomenal.”
Without a doubt, LED screens are stealing more of the spotlight.
Multidimensional Immersion
When ICAN, a nonprofit focused on leadership development and career growth, wanted their 3,000-plus attendees to experience something more than a lineup of inspiring speakers, a custom set featuring LED video walls as the backdrop was a perfect fit for their annual ICAN Women’s Leadership Conference.
A three-panel LED video wall centerpiece with 30-degree hinged LED video wall outer boards delivered a multidimensional effect and an immersive experience that drew the audience closer to the stage.
LED screens can be a dynamic decor element that can change at a moment’s notice.Photo: Courtesy of Stage Right Inc. (Event Production Network)
“LED video walls are not adversely affected by ambient light, so we were able to use multiple lighting effects during the show without impacting the creative content being displayed,” said Mark Miller, president of Indianapolis-based AV event technology company Markey’s, which created the unique set for their client’s 30th anniversary event. The complementary technology allows meeting designers to present a space that embraces various levels of brightness and provides an event set that gives a jolt of excitement to the audience.
“For attendees, the LED walls amped up their experience,” Miller added. “It elevated the messaging and the emotional connection to the presenters will live on into the future.”
A three-video wall design gives meeting planners plenty of options for content. For example, each wall can be used to display its own content, or a single image or video can be played across all three surfaces to transform the entire surface as one key element. The side screens also could be used for dynamic content that promotes donors, sponsors, and the organization’s streaming social media channels. The versatility of LED video walls allows meeting planners to delineate each speaker by presenting a different look onstage instantaneously to match the person’s attire, mood or brand. The set could also radiate a brighter image in the early parts of the day to infuse high-energy, or project a dimmer, refined look for an evening program.
“LED screens help to present a defining experience for everyone involved,” Miller added. “It brings beauty to the stage in every instance.”
Memorable Sponsorships
With their quality greatly improving since 2018, LED screens continue to move beyond video at events.
Today, they serve as the foundation for an event, setting the tone, color palette, and feel in the room. The smaller two-foot screens can be stacked like building blocks.
Wayfinding is another role LED screens are taking over. “Instead of putting a sign on an easel, you can spice it up and do an LED poster, which provides dynamic wayfinding signage with moving video,” said Nick Barnes, senior vice president of Ironman Sound Industries in St. Louis, about the 2- by 6-foot video players that can run off a USB stick.
Increased sponsorship options are another big benefit of LED screens, which continue to play a more important role in events. Meeting planners can use LED screens during the first two hours of a meeting to promote the keynote speaker with one sponsor and then change the signs to showcase a second sponsor during lunch. And let’s not forget the evening events.
Barnes points out that LED screens are reducing haste and waste for meeting planners. “You don’t have to design 20 signs,” he added. “You don’t have to do much printing anymore, so when things change, you are not stuck with it.
“The role of LED screens is changing.”
