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WHO: MSF Events (event director – Mark Fordham, production manager – Will Carter, technical manager – Craig Maroun, lighting design and programming – Jeremy Koch, key technical suppliers – Cairellie Showcraft / Technical Directions Company / Spinifex Interactive, and Catering by Culinary Edge)
WHAT: Entrepreneur of the Year National Awards (Ernst & Young)
WHY: As the first and only truly global award of its kind, Ernst & Young’s Entrepreneur of the Year celebrates entrepreneurs who are building and leading successful, growing and dynamic businesses, recognising them through regional, national and global award programs in over 100 cities and in more than 40 countries. The Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in Australia comprises a touring event across five capital cities, culminating in a national event (staged in either Sydney or Melbourne), where the national winners are announced, including a single Australian Entrepreneur of the Year, who then moves on to compete in the international event in Monte Carlo.
WHERE: Wharf 8

PAX: The event was attended by 700 guests representing the who’s who of the Australian business community, including finalists and their guests from around the nation and sponsors such as Qantas, Westpac, ASX and AusIndustry as well as clients and guests of Ernst & Young.

HOW: To create a national awards event that was the culmination of the previous regional awards events. A black tie event described as the “Oscars of the business world” that reflected innovative design, technology and style, that was clever, entertaining with five-star cuisine and service. MSF designed and produced the event, including the stage set, tables, room styling and event format and managed all production elements, food and beverage and venue liaison and the successful execution of the event on the night. The stage was a custom build in ivory semi gloss cladding with gold edging, in an irregular configuration and with a frosted Perspex circular space, where MSF Events positioned the custom built lectern, comprising a simple gold frame and clear Perspex “surfboard shape” top. The idea was that the lectern should be as transparent as possible, but able to accommodate up to four persons. MSF Events kept the colour palette for the room very simple to focus maximum attention on the action on the stage and the screens. The tables were a six-foot rectangle, dressed in floor length white linen, with two cube like, white wax lanterns and a centrepiece comprising a white orchid with white ceramic base and multiple frosted votive candles around the base. MSF Events used gold tiffany chairs with white cushions. The multiple white surfaces (including the white tiled floor) reflected the colours and hues of the lights as they panned across the room. The event format was designed around key moments, which are punctuated by stings that incorporate specially edited audio pieces, lighting ballets and vision pieces. Lighting was designed and programmed by Jeremy Koch and with a wide selection of standard lights as well as 45 moving lights, he provided some sensational colour mixes and ballets that were both appropriate to a corporate awards night but were also characterised by high impact to punctuate the event’s key moments. A key component of the lighting rig was the moving lights, which provide a multiplicity of colours and looks. Vision comprised many months of work and included edited pieces from each of the five events across the national tour, as well as interviews with all the finalists, special purpose vision pieces and stings, all packaged up in a sensational palette of colour and three dimensional effects. MSF Events also used three cameras including a steadicam for live-to-screen moments, so important for an awards night. The event format, which was fully scripted, had pace and impact and included staging the hosts at different locations on and away from the main stage, with audio, lighting and vision support. When winners received their award, MSF Events avoided impromptu speeches by having the host launch into specially researched and scripted interview questions that revealed the man or woman behind the award and had the audience totally focused on the answers. The finale piece included the announcement of the Australian Entrepreneur of the Year, who would travel to Monte Carlo to compete in the international awards. With multiple lighting cues, scripting, staging, vision and specially edited audio tracks MSF Events created a finale moment that was both emotional and had maximum impact. To complement a stunning room and sensational show was Sydney cuisine at its best with great wines and five-star service, supplied by the team at Culinary Edge.

SPECIAL TOUCHES: What we were very proud of was the coup of getting both Jessica Rowe (Channel Ten News) and her new husband, Peter Overton (Sixty Minutes) as co-hosts. With this event the co-hosts are crucial for steering the event and setting the tone for the entire evening. They each bring with them many years of television experience, they are both clever, articulate, warm and friendly and they had both hosted for us in the past (although individually), so they understood our requirements and the background to the event. We wanted to capture on stage, the great rapport that they both exhibit, both between themselves and also with their interview subjects. They also indicated that they had never worked together before. As expected this duo went down very well with the crowd. We staged them working together and also individually, through specially staged and rehearsed moments at different locations in the room including some vox pops moments.