PYRO starter

Delegates weren’t just blown away by the city of Sydney. A spectacular Howard & Sons Fireworks display set the scene.

Enthralling more than 13,000 Chinese delegates with a fireworks display is no mean feat but Howard & Sons Pyrotechnics raised the roof during their dazzling display for the Amway China incentive event in Sydney. The company was contracted by Show Services producer Darren Kerr to design and install the special effects for 3250 of the delegates for each of the four gala dinner evenings. Eight pyrotechnics and special effects crew staff set up the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre halls for the dinner events held in January. The stunning line-up of entertainment was enhanced each night by Howard & Sons using its exclusive Close Proximity Pyrotechnics and new Streamer and Flutter Fetti/Confetti Blower systems. They designed, installed and operated the special effects from the front and side of the stage as well as from the truss and elevated platforms around the room. More than 1000m of pyrotechnics computer cable was laid around the venue and back to the computer to control all firing locations. Howard & Sons director Andrew Howard said a dazzling laser light and pyrotechnics show welcomed the delegates to the SCEC halls, which had been totally transformed. The venue transformation included removing a structural mezzanine bulkhead between halls one and two to improve the view to the stage for all guests seated in hall one. “Covering the front section with two flutter fetti blowers we covered the entire front part of the audience and stage with a white ‘snow-shower’ effect,” Mr Howard said. Manufacturing special products, specifically to suit the venue and the client’s creative requirements of the event, which offered a ‘wow’ factor as part of the entertainment was another special effect. Amazingly Howard & Sons was able to synchronise each pyrotechnic effect to be digitally fired in perfect time with the music soundtrack and the laser light show. The company has state-of-the- art computer equipment for perfect synchronising with music. “The main challenges were related to so many people involved in the stage production and lack of safety distance on the stage from pyrotechnic positions, as there were large amounts of talent on the stage during the pyrotechnic sequences.” Because of this the crew had several pre-production meetings to plot pyro positions on and around the stage. “We purpose built pyro boxes into the illuminated perspex and timer stage with some re-design of pyrotechnic sequences due to last minute changes in the on-stage talent. “We designed a shot of Indoor Silver Line Rockets to travel from above the stage through to the back of the venue then turn around and shoot back to the stage. Two directional Silver Line Rockets travel a total of 250m and as the stage safety distance was 125m, Christian Howard and his manufacturing team undertook extensive testing at our Lithgow manufacturing factory with final tests conducted on site which looked brilliant… a tricky one but NASA was not required.” Show Services director Robert Vass was astounded with the outcome. “To create a ‘magical experience’ you need partners that are willing to push the boundaries and work with you on the vision,” Mr Vass said. “Howard & Sons, once again, proved themselves to be an invaluable partner: creative and a pleasure to work with.”

Putting the ieces to ether
Pre-planning ensures a trouble freeexperience for delegates.

The man responsible overall for the Amway operation was Peter Colohan, executive director of Australian Vacations. While his company, and its sister organisation Reliance Travel, have created plenty of incentive-style programs they have certainly done nothing on the scale of this event. Challenges were, to put it mildly, constant. From securing visas for delegates, to securing airline seats for the large group, there were challenges at every turn. The company employed more than 200 mandarin speaking guides during the program (which were difficult to source because of the sheer volume needed), and utilised a colour- coded system for visitors which corresponded with the hotels used by delegates. The difficulties with Chinese names was overcome with a numbering system and colour coding. When delegates checked in their bags at their departure point they did not see their bags again until they arrived in their designated hotel rooms. Delegates arriving at Sydney International Airport boarded their transfer shuttles using the colour coding system as well, ensuring they arrived at the correct hotel. “We certainly had a challenge securing sufficient aircraft at really short notice,” Mr Colahan explains. “We managed to get two charter flights in, but for the rest had to rely on nine commercial airlines to get the bulk of our guests in and out. “This was really like the time the Japanese started travelling to Australia in large numbers 20 years ago. The look of excitement on the faces of the guests on arrival was just wonderful. We had excellent co-operation from the airport and Customs for the arrivals.” The departures were another matter, due to the increased security levels, with outbound suitcases needing screening. The Amway guests would have to arrive at the airport four hours before departure to meet all formalities and were relegated to waiting areas that Mr Colahan believes were significantly substandard to those enjoyed by regular travellers. “In the main, the authorities did their best, but it was a real black mark and didn’t reflect the quality of the overall experience for the visitors. It’s something that really needs to be looked at. Nonetheless, we’ve shown that we can really deliver for this size of movement on a sustained basis and that can only be good for the future of everyone in the tourism and hospitality business.” The visitors’ arrival coincided with spectacular weather. In the three weeks there was one day’s arrival accompanied by rain and one other day when there were showers of some significance. Other than these moments Sydney bathed delegates in warm sunshine and sunny skies. Other major incentive programs to visit Sydney this year are Amway Taiwan (1500 delegates) Cathay Life Insurance (2000) and Amway Japan (400).

MANDARIN AT THE WESTIN

Director of catering and convention services at the Westin Sydney, Ken Penney, reports on the Amway business his venue enjoyed. The Westin Sydney accommodated four waves of guests for the Amway Asia Incentive, with the first arriving at the hotel on January 7 and the last departing on the morning of January 27. On average, there were 150 rooms and approximately 280 guests per group. Our Amway Asia guests were served daily breakfast in our Grand Ballroom, with a menu designed specifically for the incentive to incorporate a balance of Chinese and Australian cuisine. Chinese dishes were also available through in-room dining, and our Chinese chefs were briefed to prepare local specialties if requested. Language wasn’t a challenge as we have Chinese-speaking staff in all areas of the hotel, including our general manager Fred Matti, who is fluent in Mandarin.We found that each group of guests was unique depending on which area or province of China that they came from, but all were very excited by the whole experience of coming to Sydney. The exuberance of the guests rubbed off on our staff and it was a great time for the hotel.