The Microsoft Ready event is the an annual gathering of Microsoft employees and partners, and serves as a dynamic platform for showcasing the tech giant’s latest innovations, strategies, and vision for the future. It offers a comprehensive overview of Microsoft’s cutting-edge technologies and solutions, empowering attendees with insights into the company’s mission to empower every individual and organization on the planet to achieve more. Through keynotes, workshops, and interactive sessions, Microsoft Ready fosters collaboration and equips participants with the knowledge and tools necessary to navigate the rapidly evolving landscape of technology and drive positive impact in the digital world.
I was tapped by Publicis Experiences (PXP), Seattle to lead the charge on creative for the 2018 Ready-Inspire event. This event was unique because we brought together two separate shows for the first time; Microsoft Inspire and Microsoft Ready. I had the privilege of collaborating with Jim Angelo, Senior CD [Dialogue Pictures] who handled the MS Inspire side of the program.
PXP proposed the venue (T-Mobile Arena, LV) and stage design to accomadate multiple stages and many chapters as the combined event lasted five days to a packed audience of 18,600 people per day with a live stream of 200M+ worldwide. We created a set of circular corenote stages that accomadated floor seating and strategic pathways to support live ca camera production for live stream and in stadium repeaters. I guarantee there was not a bad seat in the house.
Part of the staging included a mesmerizing kinetic light rig that complimented every moment on stage. We worked with four separate lighting teams to build and program cues that enabled us to do full stadium takeovers across all displays, stages, lights, sound design, and in a few cases pyrotechnics.
With a little over six months to bring the run of show together and all the content therein, it was quite a sprint. I worked with production to identify new and existing media and production partners to bring to life a multitude of briefs and scripts that supported the program, the messaging, and the brand. One of the few innovations I thoroughly enjoyed were the virtual backdrops we created for the two end stages. These stages had high resolution LED panels that allowed us to transition in relevant graphics and virtual scenes to fit the moment. Sometimes they were used to introduce speakers with graphics, other times they transported us to virtual locations like the Heineken brewery in Germany or a remote field location to highlight AR assisted scenarios with HoloLens.
In the end it was a combined effort of over 120 teammates. We delivered 321 different pieces of broadcast media. The event was a wide success with an approval rating of 9.4 out of 10. I could not be more proud of the teams I had the privilege of collaborating with. A wonderful experience.
A wonderful brand.
