Electrobot Creative partnered with Crystal Clear Imaging (CCI) to take over New Orleans superwide-style for NBA All-Star 2017. Here, the two share how they managed the huge scope of the project.
When managing production across 28 venues, it pays to be organized. The team at Electrobot started the project off on the right foot by gathering all the critical data: photographs, dimensions, and design elements. The agency collaborated with three project management teams at CCI; Marlande Mauberret of CCI says teams are strategically chosen to play to each project manager’s strengths. The project manager who usually works with the Saints and Pelicans worked on the graphics for the Superdome and Smoothie King Center; the team member with hotel experience worked on the bulk of the hotels; and so on. From there, it’s all about sticking to the task at hand: “If everyone just stays in their lane and manages their own work, it all comes together,” Mauberret adds.
Working on the underbelly of the scoreboard in the Smoothie King Center proved to be an interesting job, as the structure was brand new and the graphic had never been changed out before. The board had to be lowered down to court level with motorized cables so that CCI could work below it. It took a few installers an hour to install the graphic, printed onto Agfa Duratex 8oz mesh with a Gandi Jeti 5000.
It’s a strategy they’ve developed after many a quick turnaround. The week prior to their conversation with Big Picture, CCI had 10 rush jobs on Monday, followed by 10 more on Tuesday, says CCI's Arthur Boisfontaine. Another immensely helpful trick of the trade is doing everything they can to prepare for success ahead of time. Electrobot provides mockups of every space with every installation visualized. “That’s of extreme value when you’re in the field trying to get things done,” says Electrobot's Rob Soulé.
And every second counts on a job like this, where teams are working as late as 3 a.m. Boisfontaine says All-Star 2017 called for a few of those nights; even employees’ families joined in on the hard work. “We really pull together,” he says. “It’s like a family. We’re small but mighty.”
Check out the rest of Big Picture's April 2017 edition or read more about Electrobot and CCI's superwide takeover:
All-Star 2017: The Textile Revolution
All-Star 2017: Printing with Resilience
What It Takes to Be an All-Star