SALT LAKE CITY – The recent Silicon Slopes Tech Summit broke a number of “firsts” for the state of Utah. It was the largest gathering of its kind in the history of the state with more than 20,000 registrants. It was the first time the closing bell ceremony for the Nasdaq Stock Exchange originated from the Beehive state. And it quite possibly could be the first time a production truck played a starring role on both sides of the curtain.
More details from Cornerstone (https://cornerstoneav.com/):
That’s right. Cornerstone’s production truck not only provided the audio and video infrastructure simultaneously for general sessions, a large-scale breakout room, and the massive Partner Pavilion exhibition space, but it was also a star attraction of the Partner Pavilion itself, conducting daily tours for scores of attendees. No wonder Cornerstone Founder and Vice President Chad Fraughton likes to call his new production jewel “a hybrid.”
“In the truest sense of the word, it really is a ‘hybrid’ truck,” Fraughton said. “It was specifically built to handle live corporate events, but it definitely has more than enough firepower to comfortably handle the needs of a broadcast program or a live entertainment spectacular.”
Fraughton proved his point on the final day of Silicon Slopes, when the production truck packed up at the Salt Palace Convention Center, then relocated a couple of blocks away at the Vivint Smart Home Arena to provide video support for the Salt Lake City stop of a nationwide comedy tour.
Its workload at the Silicon Slopes Tech Summit was significant. Twenty-one discreet video feeds originated from the truck, bound for a total of 21 primary screens, seven downstage monitors, electronic signage throughout the venue and a webcast. “We have the capability to feed in up to 10 pixel-accurate resolutions,” Fraughton said. Much of the video content originated from the truck’s two media servers.
During the Nasdaq Closing Bell ceremony, the truck not only supplied the feed for the Nasdaq Tower in New York City’s Times Square and cable news channels, but it also took in two satellite feeds shown as part of the ceremony in the convention center.
The video package also deployed Panasonic 4K cameras with Fujinon box lenses.
In terms of audio, the truck provided internal communications throughout the entire event space via its Clearcom Helixnet 24-channel system, which also features 25-beltpack wireless Free Speak capability. For the audience, Cornerstone’s Dante network directed audio from the appropriate sources to the appropriate destinations, and it made interfacing with the Nasdaq truck a breeze.
“We patched Nasdaq directly into the Dante network – no conversion – and all their people had access to the main mix from any location on any device,” Fraughton said.
Less than a year since it came online, the truck has already lived up to Fraughton’s “hybrid” ideal – working a number of high-profile live corporate events, music and comedy concerts, and multi-camera game show and studio concert shoots for later broadcast on cable/satellite television.
