LDI Partners with WorldStage to Host 2020 Design Achievement Awards on the Digital Oasis Virtual Event Platform

The LDI 2020 Design Achievement Awards were presented by the Live Design/LDI team on January 13, 14 and 15 and broadcast live via the Digital Oasis virtual event platform from WorldStage.

Produced by Questex, the Live Design/LDI Achievement Awards were new this year and presented on an all-virtual platform, due to the constraints of the pandemic. Digital Oasis was selected for the superior, broadcast-level quality and elevated viewer experience, attracting an audience of highly technical and creative professionals. Together Live Design/LDI and WorldStage delivered an impressive live virtual experience honoring excellence in the fields of lighting design, projection/video design and production design for the categories of Theatre, Live For Broadcast and Concert Touring & Events.  

LDI Production Manager Bill Digneit, who emcee’d all three shows, commented, “The applications for Digital Oasis are limitless, and the WorldStage crew and support made me feel like I was in a TV studio producing the event live – which we were, but remotely. Using Digital Oasis is a super simple process.” Regarding WorldStage’s proprietary xStreamPro presenter kit for his live feeds that required less than 30 minutes to install and test, ne notes: “It was a stellar experience and totally fun to use; my expectations were blown out of the water.”

A platform purpose-built to elevate the production quality of virtual events, Digital Oasis is a comprehensive online hosting solution designed from the ground up by leaders and innovators from across the live event industry.  The flexibility of Digital Oasis makes it possible to customize the solution for projects large and small, delivering an end-to-end production solution when needed or it can be used with other platforms as a key component in transforming the production process to mimic the backstage experience of a live event. 

WorldStage provided a full production team in the cloud, individually located across the country for rehearsals and production, who filled all the roles of a typical live, on-site crew.  The three live shows, which included a number of dazzling pre-produced packages showcasing the work of the nominees, were produced in Digital Oasis Cloud Studio complete with full broadcast control to get the show out to worldwide viewers. The Digital Oasis virtual event platform meets the needs of an array of productions from log-in-and-watch live or pre-recorded events to full conference experiences with keynotes, general sessions and breakouts with audience engagement and sponsorship options.  

“We have a long history of working with WorldStage as technology partners for our in-person events, from various Master Classes to our main conference and tradeshow, LDI itself,” notes Marian Sandberg, Vice President and Market Leader of Live Design/LDI, who also served as a show presenter.  “When we decided to hold a virtual awards program during this past challenging year, WorldStage once again stepped in to facilitate our production, not only with its Digital Oasis platform, but also with a team of designers, producers, techs and countless other crew to support us over a three-day program. And what a show it was!  We’re so grateful to the WorldStage team for all their effort.”

As WorldStage’s Stage Manager for the awards, Senior Project Manager John Denion led the production calling cues and communicating with the presenters via IFB.  “It was my job to manage the technical team of nine operators in the cloud, lead the rehearsals, make sure all of the presenters were comfortable with their roles in the production, and deliver a solid show day experience for all,” he says.  “The team did a great job behind the scenes, and the presenters brought the energy and excitement to make the show fun and engaging on screen.”

“Digital Oasis gave LDI the power to design the kind of show they wanted to create: They weren’t constrained by rigid parameters but could design their own canvas – the virtual awards had the glitter and fun of LDI’s annual in-person show,” says TJ Donoghue, Vice President, Integration at WorldStage.  “Digital Oasis not only empowered LDI to make the show they envisioned but also gave them the confidence and peace of mind that they could pull it off remotely.  While I wish we were able to be with them in person, we were delighted to once again team up with our friends at LDI on their first-ever virtual awards show and celebrate some amazing work.” 

LDI made full use of Digital Oasis working with WorldStage to create a custom website, providing a branded location for the attendee journey complete with online registration, attendee profile, email alerts, details on each award and nominee, presenter bios and highlights of partners and sponsors.  Easy-to-use xStreamPro Remote Presenter kits were delivered to all of the presenters with set up and testing options ranging from self-installation by presenters to a “white glove” experience with a local technician available to install the presenter kit, if desired.

WorldStage Inc., the ultimate resource for event engineering, technology and imagination, continues a forty-year legacy of providing clients the widest variety of entertainment technology coupled with conscientious and creative engineering services. WorldStage provides audio, video and lighting equipment and services to the event, theatrical, broadcast and brand experience markets nationally and internationally.  WorldStage has also developed Digital Oasis, a comprehensive online hosting solution for the live-event community as well as xR stages in New York, Nashville and San Francisco.  For more information visit www.worldstage.com