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America - Obama's inauguration - 11/03/09
Click above for more pictures 48 balloons were contracted by Nautilus Entertainment Design to light and décor the ballrooms of 6 of the inaugural balls. The lighting designer of the inauguration balls, Jim Tetlow, came up with the innovative idea to use Airstar balloons, which appealed to his entire team. "The Airstar balloons were a cost effective and elegant solution for lighting large areas of the Inaugural Balls. The quality of light and clean white appearance were ideal for this type of event" said Technical Director Larry Estrin.
On the same day, 51 were requested for the kids’ inaugural concert, organized by RK production and airing on the Disney Channel. An incredible stage, conceived by Art director Kristen Merlino and designer Steve Bass, displayed 3, 6.5 and 8 feet balloons, with LEDs projecting colors on the units. On top of that, a third job, for the service day press conference, was contracted on the eve of the event itself.
Gathering about 110 balloons for the celebration in such a short span of time was a challenge for this small company. Airstar’s worldwide network rallied and balloons were flown from other countries to Washington, to supplement the stock with an astonishing reactivity (22 balloons sent in 3 days from Airstar Singapore). The presence of a local distributor, Staged Right, also contributed to the on-site logistics. Therefore, only 2 technicians performed all the work, from set up to tear down.
Executive Vice-President of Airstar America, David Mohen asserts: “As a small company, we realized our greatest strength is the solidarity of our network. The inaugurations celebrations were the most globally visible and emotionally charged events I had the chance to manage”. |
