That’s showbiz baby!
Rock n’ Roll Las Vegas is the largest event in the Rock n’ Roll Running Series, and it’s also one of our most involved events! To help put on a world-class show, BCC Live takes on a wide array of responsibilities and we need a lot of people on the ground in Vegas to get the job done! This event calls for a grand total of twelve BCC Live hotshots spread across the city. How do we get our team there and ready to help?
Viva Las Vegas
Our friends at Rock n’ Roll gave us a little help from the start by partnering with 15 different hotels. Through this partnership they set aside room blocks for athletes and staff with special rates. How convenient! This year, we chose to stay in Resorts World Las Vegas. Not only is it a wonderful new facility with plenty of dining and shopping options, it’s also the home of the Health and Fitness Expo for the race.
What about getting to Las Vegas in the first place? We’re based in Boulder, Colorado, however, some of our team doesn’t live in Colorado. For them, every event is a delicate balancing act between aligning our schedules and finding the best price point. As you can imagine, that can become a complex undertaking! For this event we flew out different groups on different days as they were needed, which meant our crew was only fully assembled on Friday, just in time for the race!
Health and Fitness Expo
Fortunately, the first team we sent to Vegas was able to handle setting up the Health and Fitness Expo for Rock ‘n’ Roll Vegas, which was no small feat. This year’s expo had three separate tents, two DJs, one large mobile store, and immaculate vibes. Combinations of passive and active speakers were used to cover the entire expo with DJ Mal-Ski, DJ Cable, and DJ Classified’s music for a fully immersive experience. From registration to the merchandise store every inch of the expo was covered.
Every event store is unique, and this store was no exception. With the number of athletes over 30,000, we had to make sure the store was large enough to meet the demand. This required us to build a store with more than 20 registers, coordinating the activation, shipment, and installation. It all went off without a hitch. In addition to the main Expo store, we also activated two finish line stores, one for the 5K and one for the half-marathon where athletes could grab some last-minute gear or have their finisher medal engraved.
Fremont 5K
While waiting for their medal, 5K athletes were able to party in the festival area pre- and post-race. Located by Fremont Street, the 5K festival was no doubt a party. The performances, lights, and music were unforgettable. There were battling DJs, circus performers, drinks, photo ops, and even a 40-yard dash. One of the coolest parts of the 5K festival, for us, was the live broadcasting of the event to the LED walls in the festival. We had two manned cameras in the festival area and one person backstage in the video control room calling the shots. Pre-race and post-race, athletes and friends alike were able to have a beer and get a close look at the DJ’s battling it out on stage.
Check out the 5K video here.
Vegas Strip Half Marathon and 10K
Fast-forward to the half-marathon start line and we have another festival! There were three big screens in the start village area that we sent video to ensure the thousands of athletes loaded into the start line at the proper time. Participants are separated into loading groups to allow for a better flow onto the course. We provided a graphics solution combined with video to make for a fun and functional load to the start line. We used our Flowics graphics software to put up the current loading color group with a countdown to the next color loading, so the next color knew how long before they were up. Combined with circus performers, carnival games and DJ Cable spinning tunes, the start village was a hopping place to be while waiting for your wave to start. We also connected back to the start line with a live feed of all of the festivities happening as the race started from the national anthem to the Blue Man Group cheering on the athletes to the start of the races.
We did not do this alone. With the help from AV Vegas supplying the 360° stage and DJ surround (allowing an audience on all sides), Entertainment Studios Inc bringing all of the parties together, and Final Design Group LLC with their cameras and camera switching we all were able to put on a great show. Everyone went above and beyond working with each other to go the extra mile for the athletes.
Participants begin their day at the Start Festival a few blocks east of Las Vegas Boulevard. After enjoying the entertainment and games there, they begin a ¾-mile journey to the start line through an alley full of entertainers, nonstop music, art, lights, and effects until they reach the Las Vegas strip. From there, they turn south where they are greeted by the sounds of DJ Nestor and one of the wonderful emcees for the event, Jackie, at a 20’ tall DJ scaffold towering over the city in the middle of the strip. After moving past this DJ, the athletes reached a 2nd 20’ tall scaffold with another DJ named Jason. These PAs were each designed to provide coverage for a 400’-600’ long area of the Start Line loading zone with high-energy entertainment. They each utilized a JBL VRX900 Series system consisting of two 18’ subwoofers and four 12” constant curvature line array boxes.
Finally, the last send-off to the course is the Start Line–a massive 21’ tall structure spans the street topped with CO2 cannons and fireworks. On one side is a 2-level stage with an LED wall and DJ Mal-Ski spinning on top, and of course, our QSC Wideline 8 PA. For the national anthem, sung by Cirque du Soleil Singers of the local show Mad Apple (they crushed it), and to share the moments before the start of the race with the athletes spread down the strip, we utilized an audio-over-ethernet extender made by SESCOM which allows for a passive transmission of line level audio over distances up to 2000 feet.
By paying out nearly two full boxes of CAT5 cable and crimping them on the spot, we were able to bring all 3 large sound systems together to form a reliable, dual-purpose PA. This single PA was a perfectly time-synced set of delays driven by our Behringer X32, . We also used it to split into 3 separate dance parties that were carefully distanced apart to make sure there was minimal bleed, but also optimal coverage of entertainment. Then, to keep the rolling start entertaining for all participants, we had a special guest appearance by members of the Blue Man Group making us laugh and sending off the runners like air traffic controllers. At the start we also had broadcast cameras, both static and mobile, sending live feeds back to the start festival. We were able to share the Blue Man Group and the Cirque du Soleil performers from the start line back to the athletes waiting for their group to load. The athletes waiting for their group got to enjoy the festivities while hanging out at the start festival.
The World’s Largest Selfie
For the second year in a row, we got to be a part of a really cool and unique activation on course that we haven’t seen anywhere else before. We set up a camera on course in front of the host hotel, Resorts World Las Vegas, and streamed a live feed of that camera onto the LED screen on the side of the hotel. Branded as “The World’s Largest Selfie,” we encouraged participants to get their cameras out and capture a photo of themselves larger than life on the side of a resort. This was such an amazing activation and was a huge hit on course with dozens of athletes lining up to get their photo. We accomplished this by sending our camera feed into a laptop using a Blackmagic Ultrastudio where we added graphics. We then fed out to a Hollyland Wireless Transmitter that sent the feed wirelessly 400 feet to the Resorts World AV technicians who ran the feed into a fiber converter and up to the wall! It was a truly incredible feat and something that will live on forever in the minds of all the participants. The finish line. The one area at every event that each 10K or half-marathon participant who toes the start line dreams of. Located on the Las Vegas strip itself, the athletes finished their race in front of the Mirage Hotel’s volcano show.
We activated the audio and live streaming providing a unique experience for everyone who made it to the finish. With a mix of pop and rock, we jammed all night. From the first elite athletes who blazed through the course to the last participant at 10:30pm, each of them was treated the same.
The Grand Finale
The atmosphere around the finish line area was electric. Spectators lined the chute all night long. Our friends at Boom Box Entertainment provided a variety of lighting and pyrotechnics that really made this finish line one of a kind.
The lighting techs ran into some issues early and we were able to assist them in resolving some power issues that were unrelated to them. Thankfully, everything was resolved before the sun went down and the participants had no idea there was ever an issue. The pyrotechnics were amazing: A series of fireballs lit up the chute not only in an orange glow but with a brief hint of heat on a chilly evening. The athletes came in in droves – hundreds of athletes at a time were welcomed by the one and only Ann Wesling.
After it was all said and done, we had a flawless live stream for viewers across the globe, a fantastic playlist that brought energy and entertainment to anyone who could hear it and we had the best in the business working alongside us. Truly a one-of-a-kind experience for myself, our team, and the participants. I cannot wait to do it all over again next year!