What Wedding/Event Pros can learn from the Vancouver Opening Ceremony

Oh Canada, what you were up against. I, like millions, watched the Opening Ceremony of the 2010 Winter Olympic Games in Vancouver British Columbia last night. And again, like countless others, I wondered.... "How are they going to top Beijing?" Let's face it, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Opening Ceremony was, in a word, amazing!

Comparisons to the Beijing Show: Mind boggling fireworks across the city and over the then newly constructed "Bird's nest" arena, thousands of musician (literally, 2008 drummers) and dancers performing in perfect unison, gravity defying over-the-top acrobatics, and multi-million (perhaps billion) dollar cutting-edge technology and special effects - Beijing created an unforgettable and awe inspiring Opening Ceremony for the 2008 Olympic Games. Volunteers? Ha! The Chinese Government recruited nearly the entire country's participation in a well groomed, precisely orchestrated and unprecedented show for the world. The results were simply amazing.

The Event and The Economy: Beijing was a tough act to follow but think about this. China provided Artistic Director Zhang Yimou the tremendous resources and the enormous advantage of a whooping $300 million budget for the Beijing Opening Ceremony production. Compare that to the $38 millions budget David Atkins (Artistic Director for the Vancouver Ceremony) had to work with .

So, what can Wedding/Event Planners, Designers and Coordinators learn from the opening ceremony? David Atkins faced the same issues that many of us in the Wedding and Event Planning Industry have faced recently - working with reduced budgets and sometimes resources. It certainly wasn't a jaw-dropping spectacle but it was a welcoming event that expressed the spirit of the host (or in this case Host City) and isn't that what a reception is supposed to do? Yet, despite the event's two biggest issues (budget and manpower) they were still able to produce a warm and delightful experience for the audience. In the event planning and design field this is what truly separates the best from the rest of the crowd. Of course it's easy to create lavish affairs with unlimited budgets but it are those who can use their talents, creativity and innovation to create a wonderful and well polished experience that are the industry leaders.

Here's 4 things we as wedding/event pros can learn from Vancouver:

1. Create a feeling of intimacy:

One of the most successful things about last night was the feeling - of inclusion, history, and family. It was like the entire world was invited to a small family dinner at Canada's house. This was accomplished in a few ways. Atkins united us as one people, 1st with the four native tribes of Canada and then inviting the native people from across the Globe. Incorporating traditions is an effective way to create a deeply personal feeling and allow others to connect. This was my favorite part not just because it was interesting to see but, man, I love a good party and they danced for nearly an hour as the athletes of the world made their entrance.

2. Discover Local Talent:

Another way they created intimacy is by getting to know Canada and it's history and culture. This was accomplished through a couple of different types of story telling segments. A dramatic narration of the country's legends was told by the familiar voice of Canadian born actor Donald Sutterland (yes, Kiefer's Dad). Now I know Donald Sutterland isn't your average local talent but the ceremony also featured a Canadian Slam Poet, Chris Gilpin who expressed the more hip cultural spirit of British Columbia. Again, showcasing the country's own unique personality, culture and home-grown talent.

3. Lighting and mood:

The other element that was utilized in the story telling was lighting. David Atkins developed a mood during the ceremony with his use of lighting effects. Hundreds of projectors and LED screens were used to create alluring visual effects like the Northern Lights suspend above the arena, Whales swimming across the arena's floor and then thousands of Salmon swimming upwards to later transform into trees. The lighting effects drew everyone's attention towards the center of the arena defining the visual direct of events and engaging the audiences focus in a strategic direction and flow along with the story. It was very well done.

4. The show must go on:

Ok, Tribal Dancers... check, lighting effects... check. Well, I guess I can't finish without discussing the, uhmm, "technical difficulties" of the evening with the torch lighting. As "The Great One", Wayne Gretzky, held the torch on the arena floor we all wondered "Where was the cauldron?" We soon figured it out. It seems (and I could be wrong) that four columns and the Olympic Cauldron were to rise dramatically from the floor and four athletes were to all ignite it at once. Well, as 3 (of the 4) columns and the cauldron began to rise it be came apparent that if there was a 4th column that there was a malfunction and the 4th column was stuck. Did that stop the show? No way... After a few moments the columns were lit, the Olympic Cauldron was engulfed in flames and the 2010 Olympic Games began!

Experienced Wedding and Event Planners know - no mater how well you plan there will always, always, always be snags but it is the true professionals that are ready to react and it is their job to "put out those fire" (pardon the pun) without the guests' awareness. Experienced planners are quick problem solvers who can come up with solutions as soon as the problem pops up. But in some cases you have to do what the producers of the ceremony did... you just go with what you got. No need to panic or stop the entire event just because one column doesn't want to cooperate... use what you got and remember, "The show must go on"! So, they did and you know what... everything still worked out fine. A lesson for us all. Don't stop the show and in the words of fashion expert Mr. Tim Gunn, "make it work!"