Event: Public Inauguration Ceremony for Denver Mayor Wellington Webb (and other City Officials)

Location: Denver, CO – Civic Center Park

Client: City and County of Denver, CO

Client Objectives

The Mayor wanted to present a stimulating and satisfying public ceremony during the height of a summer day while keeping guests and speakers comfortable.

Skyline Production Challenges

Staging was a major challenge for several reasons:

• The city wanted to feature Denver's Vorhees Memorial and the newly restored Seal Fountain as a backdrop. The monument was half a block from the stage site.
• The Mayor and his family, members of the City Council, the Auditor, the Election Commission and other participants required protection from the intense sun.
• Complicating the staging was the desire to use the Colorado Symphony Orchestra, whose artists and instruments also had to be protected from sun.

Skyline Solutions

• The Symphony was placed on a separate 30-foot by 60-foot covered stage to the left of the audience.
• This allowed the 60 ft. wide by 20 ft deep main stage to be set broad and open. The main stage was situated at the top of a set of existing steps in order to provide the rise needed for the audience to see and for good camera angles for the press.
• Two 20-foot by 20-foot canopies covered the extreme sides of the stage to provide shade for participants while leaving the center of the stage completely open during the ceremonies and speeches. The low height of the stage (16 inches) and the absence of a center canopy provided a clear camera shot of the Mayor with the Vorhees Monument behind him hung with a 70 ft. long American flag.
• The participants were seated on risers on the two shady sides of the stage so that everyone was comfortable and easily seen by the audience.

In addition to staging, Skyline also provided:

Design and Technical Production - Using the colors in the Colorado State Flag, the stages were skirted in red and blue, the canopies were white, and the flowers contributed the yellow-gold accents. Red, white and blue bunting festooned the upper edges of the monument, which in concert with the American flag created a large and cohesive installation. Skyline also provided all technical production, including sound, video and stage management.