WorldStage Goes Expansive For Milken Institute 2012 Global ConferenceWorldStage, the new brand for Scharff Weisberg and Video Applications, Inc., cemented its relationship with the Milken Institute by providing audio, video, lighting, and extensive logistical support for its 2012 Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California, the sixth consecutive partnership between the companies on this event. The annual Milken Institute Global Conference assembles some of the world's most extraordinary people from business, finance, policy, education, health, energy, and philanthropy to explore solutions to today's most pressing challenges. Participants number top CEOs, senior foreign and US government officials, academics, leading journalists, noted figures in the world's capital markets, and more. This year speakers included former president Bill Clinton, Governor Jerry Brown, Michael Milken, Steve Forbes, George Lucas, and T. Boone Pickens. "The primary challenge of this event is the sheer quantity of small, large, and medium-sized events taking place at the same time, each of which has it's own requirements and all of which must be comprehensively documented" says WorldStage vice president of production services, Richard Bevan. "While many of our projects provide exotic technical challenges, this project is a great opportunity for us to flex our project management muscle." With the hotel filled to capacity and breakout rooms, multiple ballrooms, and outdoor pavilions to support over four days of a packed schedule, WorldStage employed a workforce in excess of 120 technicians. To keep the workflow running smoothly and to stay in front of any last-minute changes, WorldStage provided a much larger complement of project management on site than normal with four PM's, three EIC's, an equipment manager, and a labor coordinator on site at all times. "As a client, the Milken Institute is very focused on providing the best presentation and documentation services for their attendees and this year that meant increasing use of HD video throughout." Bevan continued, "Every session is recorded and this year we upgraded to a H.264 digital file system so that sessions could be uploaded to the Institute website immediately (see shortened URL below)." In addition to the smaller spaces, WorldStage supported sessions in the large International Ballroom, which required five projection screens to display presentations, i-mag, and sponsor messages. Sound and image from the International and the other ballrooms was available in the smaller rooms and pavilions to provide overflow coverage. In all, twenty-six cameras were required, twelve of them HD. "To maximize space we mounted a pair of robo cameras in each of the breakout rooms and ran wires to an adjacent room where the video operator recorded the presentations," Bevan explains. The tented pavilion lounge was outfitted with a large video screen for sponsors and overflow feeds, 65" plasmas running cable news feeds with closed captioning and ambient room lighting. WorldStage also filled the conference's broadcast lighting requirements. The Milken Foundation Creative Services Department, which produced the event, furnished all the computers for the Global Conference. Josh Lesser of Vision Matrix was the producer of the event and Larry Lesser the EVP of The Milken Family Foundation creative services department was the executive producer. Staffing by WorldStage included project management done by Richard Bevan, Sean Glen, Thom Mathis, and Lonnie Hamilton. Nicole Walter was the labor coordinator; Shane Zinke and Neal Gass were the EICs for the two main rooms; and James Sarro was the equipment manager. In the run up to the Global Conference, WorldStage also provided audio, video, and lighting support for the Gourmet Games food and wine tasting fundraiser held at the Montage Hotel. "In the past we've done this event at the tail end of the Global Conference at the Beverly Hilton, but this year it preceded the event and was at the Montage down the street," says Bevan. WorldStage provided two video screens, a full decorative lighting package, three HD camera system, and the audio system for the fundraiser. 
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