A soloist commands center stage, his cowboy hat held over his heart. As the final strains of his rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner float over the crowd, images of United States Air Force jets shoot across the 60’ LED screen behind him, creating the sights and sounds of a flyover. The young 4-H member who is presenting the colors on horseback sits a little taller in her saddle. A gentleman near me surreptitiously thumbs a tear from his cheek. “Gets me every time,” he says.
I’m standing at the back of the Utah State University Bastian Agricultural Center—a huge indoor arena typically filled with the sounds of mooing, bleating, and barking that’s been transformed into an elegant event space, dripping in “cowboy chic” decor. I’m part of Advancement Resources Creative—or ARC, the team responsible for producing this event that supports USU’s campaign, Create Your Aggie Impact. And while the show is just starting for 325 of Utah State’s ardent supporters, the journey to this unforgettable evening began months in advance.
One of our first steps for any event is to create an Event Plan and Show Outline, or EPSO. The EPSO is a living, breathing document. Once we complete our initial research and focus groups, we brainstorm as a team to come up with ideas that are specific to the organization we feel are worthy of including. In the case of the Utah State event, we had great fun playing with a western theme as a nod to their mascot—the Aggies—and the venue—a livestock pavilion. Throughout the process, our team adds layers to and fleshes out the initial outline to create a comprehensive blueprint for the evening—one that scripts out every element, ensuring nothing is left to chance. Our goal is to have everything buttoned-up at least two weeks in advance because our technical partner, Wired Production Group (WPG), has to load their semis with all the necessary gear to make the magic happen and hit the road for the venue.
As the writer on the team, one of the most rewarding aspects of my role is interviewing the speakers and those who will appear on video. I love the challenge of capturing the interviewee’s true voice—either in writing or on video. In addition to getting to talk with many amazing people and being entrusted with telling their story, I consider it a professional privilege to steward that donor or stakeholder on behalf of the organization. For me, the interview process is about much more than capturing content for videos and speeches; it’s about creating an experience where each interviewee feels seen, heard, and valued.
A week out from the event, WPG backs their semis up to the arena and begins the process of transforming the venue. Flooring covers the dirt surface of the arena, providing a firm footing for guests. A rental company delivers farm-style tables, chairs, wagon wheels, and whiskey barrels which will serve as cocktail tables. The stage, backed by the LED screen, is constructed at one end. Trusses studded with lights are raised, and sound checks punctuate the general commotion of setup.
When the rest of our team arrives mid-week, rehearsals begin in earnest. Podium speakers get comfortable using the presidential teleprompters. I sit backstage with the teleprompter operator capturing last-minute tweaks to the remarks. In between rehearsals, we fuss over the set, making sure the leather sofa, jute rugs, and cowhide pillows are placed for maximum effect.
In another rehearsal, a world-renowned expert in small satellites sits on the sofa across from me. We’re practicing the lightly scripted conversation he’ll have with the USU president during the program. He’s taking it all in—the lights, the scale of the event, the work we’ve done to prepare for his onstage moment. Later, we stand out in the audience watching the video that will introduce the priority area he’ll be talking about. “That’s my lab!” he murmurs.
When the big day for Utah State’s event arrives, the venue is abuzz with excitement. I watch as a couple makes their way from the registration table to stand at the top of the staircase, surveying the scene on the arena floor. Their faces light up as they take in the farm-style tables awash in Aggie blue uplighting and graced with arrangements of locally grown peonies, ranunculus, anemones, and fragrant garden roses. A student band strums and hums a country swing number. The man winks at his partner. “Wanna dance?” he asks.
At the food and beverage stations, guests are helping themselves to locally produced food and drinks, including the famous Aggie ice cream. Eye-catching LED panels touting campaign messaging and priorities add to the kaleidoscope of color. Threads of conversation swirl around the arena.
On the upper level, four experiential centers give guests a glimpse of the possibilities that exist on the USU campus. In one, an undergraduate student researcher is explaining to a bespectacled man wearing a bolo tie the work she is doing to unlock the mysteries of macular degeneration. In another, a guest sporting a virtual reality headset gasps as she gets a nearly real-life glimpse into the workout of an Aggie student-athlete. On the other side of the arena, a couple leans in as a young 4-H member introduces them to her livestock project—a wooly sheep. A cluster of guests marvel at a small satellite. “It’s no bigger than a loaf of bread,” the student explains, “But it’s a powerhouse at collecting data to keep our country safe.”
“Places, everyone,” the technical director’s voice flows into my ear through the headset, “Let’s have an incredible show! We’re going live in three…two…one!” The evening kicks off with a high-energy opening video that sets the stage for the remarkable night ahead.
In his welcome, the Foundation president publicly announces and thanks donors for their recent transformational gifts. The Foundation had leveraged the event to close these gifts—and the excitement generated will help to drive the funds raised to even higher levels.
In keeping with the cowboy-chic theme, the university president has donned her cowboy hat and boots and paints an inspiring vision for the future. She conducts captivating interviews with representatives of the evening’s funding priorities, introduced by video segments highlighting the impact of each area.
The night is punctuated with moments of beauty and celebration. A poignant poem penned by an alum and National Poet Laureate, read by a student, and accompanied by a student guitarist and customized graphics on the LED screen, adds a heartfelt layer to the event.
I’m standing in the back of the seating area. Seventeen bagpipers clad in kilts—part of a USU group that celebrates the state’s Scottish heritage—wait patiently for me to give them their cue. The final speaker is wrapping up the evening with her vigorous call to action, “I challenge you, my fellow Aggies, to seek out that what brings you joy and create a ripple effect of positive impact within our university and beyond.” I nod, and bagpipes swell under the speaker’s final words as they play USU’s cherished anthem, The Scotsman. Chairs scrape back as guests stand, unified by the music and their loyal support of Utah State. A pre-recorded voice invites guests to follow the bagpipers outside for a special surprise in the night sky.
“That’s a wrap—great job, everybody!” the technical director’s voice crackles through my headphones. We’ll join the tech crew in helping to strike the set, but first we hurry outside to catch the grand finale. A team member and I slip into the viewing stands just as the alumni association president offers a celebratory toast to USU’s future. Lighted drones blink and rise soundlessly into the night sky. Blues, whites, yellows, reds, purples and greens swirl, dance, and flicker in choreographed patterns. The crowd cheers as the drones create a stomping, storming image of Big Blue, the Aggie mascot. Behind this breathtaking drone show, nature heightens the celebration with the surprise backdrop of a spectacular full moon over the mountains.
