Lebron James Family Foundation

the challenges

On Friday, August 8th, close to 30,000 people welcomed their hometown hero, LeBron James, at the University of Akron's Infocision Stadium. Wizard of Ahs was asked just 10 days prior to produce the show, which had not yet been fully developed.

As Event Producer, and working closely with the Foundation, we were able to create a show for the Foundation's 4,000 field-seated "I Promise" family members as the media gallery and remaining 25,000 guests looked on.

Throughout the process there were several challenges:

1. Create and organize a professional, first class but last minute event to celebrate one of the biggest moments in the Cleveland Cavaliers, the City of Akron, and certainly the region's history.
2. Design the event for television, which included all of the expected HD broadcast enhancements and elements.
3. Organize the show outdoors, in a stadium environment, which present certain challenges by having guests on the field.
4. Determine a safe location for the fireworks show, which featured fireworks choreographed to LeBron's favorite music.
5. Produce a spectacular and memorable event to celebrate LeBron James' return to his hometown.
   
   

The results

The evening presentation was spectacular, celebrating LeBron james' homecoming will be a night that all in attendance will remember.

• We produced a sold out show for nearly 30,000 people in only 10 days with tremendous help and support from the Foundation's staff, Dave Lieberth, and our production vendors.
• Created and produced a professional television broadcast, which was streamed live and was requested by ESPN for rebroadcast.
• With the help of our audio vendor, we solved the challenge of having the families on the field hear the show clearly without echo or delay (the stadium's audio system did not cover the field!).
• With the help of the City of Akron's Fire Prevention Unit, we were able to have a spectacular fireworks show strategically located for all to see without blocking seats or inconveniencing guests.
• And, a special thank you to the University of Akron and Infocision Stadium personnel.
  
  

The solutions

The biggest challenge of this event was having to put the entire show together in such a short period of time. Fortunately during the planning process, we were a mere 15 miles down the road producing another stadium show, the internationally televised Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement Ceremony and Hall of Fame Game, and were able to leverage the same vendors for this event.

We modified and/or created (with our partners) video and audio elements specifically formatted for television. This gave us professional content for the in-stadium playback, as well as live streaming and possible rebroadcast of the show.

A stadium setting can be challenging when organizing a show, especially when choreographing thousands of people. For the event, we took the stadium floor and turned it into a stage, with a large center stage and "starburst" seating for the 4,000 guests that were ceremonially paraded to their seats. This creaeted visual excitement and expectation before the event even started.

This was a big moment in Cleveland sports history, so in order to make the event spectacular, the show included brief speeches from area sports icons, dignitaries, and entertainment acts such as the Cavalier's Scream Team and the Boys & Girls Club Choir.

The anticipation of the people in the crowd was high. While the fans anxiously awaited LeBron's entrance, Skylar Grey sang her hit song "I'm Coming Home". Once Grey got the 30,000 people at Infocision Stadium to join in on singing the song, LeBron made his way to the stage.

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