Client: TEDx Sydney
Event Title: TEDx Sydney 2017
Event Type: Ideas Festival
TEDxSydney is one of the largest TEDx events on the planet, and in 2017 it became even bigger with a move from the Sydney Opera House to the ICC, increasing attendance from 2500 to 4500. BLE was engaged as event production partner to help guide TEDx Sydney into exciting and uncharted territory. The overarching challenge was to maintain the intimate feel and sense of connection that sits at the core of the TEDx format, while delivering the event at an unprecedented scale and with the high levels of quality and detail that BLE is know for within the industry.
This started in the ICC Theatre whith a bold production design that abandoned a traditional stage in favour of activating the floor area to maximise sight lines and maintain the intimate connection between audience and speakers. The technical production team oversaw an epic schedule with 15 presenters and 8 entertainment acts across 4 sessions requiring quick changeovers and the seamless integration of a broadcast component streaming to over 500000 viewers across the globe.
BLE also oversaw a new innovation that has redefined what happens outside of the TEDx Theatre. The TEDx Hub is a multi-function precinct where participants and stakeholders can interact across the day. BLE activated 9000m2 of exhibition space to accommodate registration zones, food and beverage service for 4500 people, partner and donor lounges, a satellite stage and a collection of engaging activities inspired by the core principles of TED. The Hub was organized around 15 giant inflatable spheres suspended above circular carpeted zones, each colour coded to match the 15 ‘TEDx Tribes’, each representing a hot topic like LGBQTI, Sustainability, Creativity, Technology and The Future. Conceived as places where like-minded people could connect, each space also hosted a unique experience ranging from ‘Silent Disco Tai-Chi’ to art installations and interactive music technologies.
BLE positioned sustainability and community at the very core of TEDx, collaborating with organisations like The Bread and Butter Project (training and employing refugees and asylum seekers), Biopak (providing over 35000 pieces of fully recyclable packaging and utensils), Globelet (Keep Cups) and MeetPat whose water refill stations saved almost 2000 plastic bottles from going to landfill. 1.8 tons of food waste was successfully composted at Soilco instead of going into landfill, and OzHarvest picked up two full van loads of food at the end of the event.
BLE was required to provide a high level of innovation and manage over 100 different suppliers to produce what has been hailed as the best TEDx Sydney yet, garnering praise from TED headquarters in New York and expanding the potential and possibilities for the event in years to come.
Client: Business Events Australia
Event Title: Australian Winery Experiences Dinner
Event Type: VIP Dining
Business Events Australia (BEA) set a worthy challenge for BLE. Create a high end dinner event in Auckland for 60 VIP guests including some of the top business event professionals in New Zealand, to promote Australian winery based experiences.
In conjunction with BEA, Ultimate Winery Experiences Australia (UWEA) and five premier Australian wineries, BLE crafted a highly bespoke event where wine, food, film, animation, music and exquisite styling all came together to tell a compelling story for our guests. Set in the minimal surroundings of a photography studio, BLE created an event journey in 5 stages, each featuring one of the participating wineries.
A pre-dinner area engaged the senses with wine scent experiences, custom animations and delightful canapés. A dining room reveal introduced a space centred around two long tables with striking printed table tops, bespoke brass detailing and custom vases with sculptural native floral. Here guests were treated to a series of matched food and wine experiences including a blind tasting with black glassware, theatrical dessert reveal and a 100 year old tawny port served along with chocolate truffles hidden in secret compartments on the table. Each course and associated winery was introduced by a show-reel including custom animation and motion design commissioned by BLE.
Surprise and delight were the keywords for the evening, with guests kept guessing as to what new experience each course would bring. Producing an event where your guests are fellow event industry peers carries a lot of expectation, but the feedback for BEA in New Zealand was outstanding, raising the bar once again and driving home the message that there is nothing like Australia for business events.
Client: Tourism Australia
Event Title: Tourism Australia ATE14
Event Type: Farewell Function
Welcome to Restaurant Australia, the finest dining room on earth, where farmers, fisheries, providores and winemakers from across Australia came together to showcase our country’s unbeatable produce. At the event, gifted chefs crafted extraordinary new dishes mixing flavours from our 60,000 year-old indigenous cultures with influences from all over the globe. Guests could take an oyster-shucking master class one minute and a wine tasting the next. A true showcase that Australian gastronomy is unbeatable.
And all of this happened at a two-hour cocktail event, for 2,000 high-powered global tourism buyers. In a city and venue that’s never hosted an event of this scale before.
BLE created breathtaking ‘tablescapes’ with rustic styling and stunning, large-scale imagery showcasing Australia’s aesthetic beauty and produce: all supported by easy-to-read product information.
Inside, cheese and charcuterie stations staffed by friendly local producers entertained and educated guests along with a stunning ‘Fish Market’ complete with sushi chefs, interactive prawn shelling and oyster shucking. Outside, a ‘Food Fair Night Market’ hosted multiple cooking demonstrations of Asian, European and Barbeque: proudly showcasing our multicultural heritage.
All food was carefully matched with exquisite Australian wines served by educated, friendly staff from Ultimate Winery’s Australia.
The official launch footage for the Restaurant Australia campaign was screened with precision timing and positioning of screens, throughout the event. Guests left the event with a positive lasting impression of Australian food, wine and fresh produce. Corporate Event Management opportunities don’t get much better than that.
Client: Destination NSW
Event Title: ATE13 Welcome Function
Event Type: Welcome Function
Sydney was host city for ATE 2013. Working for our clients at Destination NSW (DNSW), Belle Laide Events aimed to create a spectacular Welcome Event to showcase Sydney.
The ATE13 Welcome Event involved 14 months of meticulous planning. It brought together over 40 suppliers and 600 staff to create an extraordinary event that smashed its KPIs and showcased the ingenuity and creativity of the entire BLE team.
We chose a site – the MCA’s front lawn – that would ensure delegates saw Sydney as the ultimate tourism destination. A custom-designed clear-span marquee provided a ‘never-seen-before’ venue with views of both Sydney’s iconic Opera House and Harbour Bridge.
Entering from Circular Quay, guests were led into a magical emerald city through a stunning illuminated entranceway featuring the eight regions of NSW. To enhance the theme and promote Australia’s vibrant arts culture, BLE commissioned a magnificent steel sculpture, ‘The Emerald City’, from Bondi artist Dion Horstmans, plus giant paper chandeliers and paper fan Sydney artisan, Louise Paramor.
Methodical event planning ensured that every aspect was meticulously curated to showcase the best of the area. Locally sourced food and drink gave guests a taste of Australia’s exceptional produce. Entertainment featured some major Australian names: an Ignatius Jones’ directed performance from 100 cheerleaders; dance performances choreographed by Jason Coleman and a headline gig from the global-selling Sneaky Sound System. In a spectacular finale, guests enjoyed uninterrupted views of a ten-minute pyrotechnic display behind the Opera House.