What makes Capital Chapter Partners the best? Projection speaks to the topics our members care about most!
Who we are:
Projection is a full-service, nationwide event production company serving the meetings and convention industry for over 50 years. We offer in-person, hybrid and fully virtual event production design and services including networking, presentation management, stage design, sound and lighting services, capture, live streaming, overflow solutions and more.
What set us apart:
Projection’s medium size, in comparison to other companies in the industry, means we are large enough to service general sessions for over 10,000 attendees and 135 simultaneous breakouts in several city‐wide properties, but still small enough to provide individualized attention and customized solutions for each of our clients.
Our attention to detail, attentiveness to budgetary constraints and opportunities, and willingness to work side by side with our partners to create exceptional attendee experiences are what has set Projection apart since we were founded over 50 years ago.
What are some of the flagship products or services offered by your organization? Could you highlight a few key features or benefits of each?
One of our most treasured tools/services is our networked presentation management system, ProjectionNet. The system’s suite of integrated digital products allows meeting planners to manage and track both virtual and physical presenters — and their content — in one place. It is the ultimate tool for meetings and events where content will be delivered from in-person and/or virtual sources. Read how American Geophysical Union (AGU) successfully utilized ProjectionNet as a technology integration hub at their hybrid meeting in 2021: How technology integration took center stage at AGU’s hybrid Fall Meeting. In 2023, we used ProjectionNet to manage an event with more than 15,400 PC and Mac/Keynote presentations.
Our Creative Services team is another great resource for new and innovative ways to add production value to a meeting – both inside and outside the general session. We work closely with our clients’ internal marketing/branding teams to align creative assets with their established brand guidelines to achieve the agreed-upon vision. From discovery to ideation and delivery, we take care to understand our clients’ strategic initiatives and combine our knowledge of the industry and experience to recommend and customize solutions to help achieve those goals.
We prioritize customer satisfaction and ensure a positive experience by:
Client First is our primary company value; Projection has an exemplary track record and an outstanding reputation in the industry for quality, client-first service.
Our core values guide our methodology for managing projects and client relationships, as well as our philosophy on customer service. This is realized through our Standard Operating Procedures, including same-day response times and on‐site, daily operational practices. Part of our process for every event is an internal debrief, where we analyze every aspect of the event – from order‐at‐warehouse to on‐site operations including equipment, labor, experience, and return‐from‐show. This helps us better plan for next year’s event and ensure client satisfaction.
Of course, none of that would be possible without our greatest asset – our people. We look for a specific set of characteristics in our recruitment process: commitment, pride in what we do, a dedication to serve the goals of our clients, and a thirst to always provide more value. We work hard to ensure that the team we have assembled for each client remains consistent and dedicated to their events for the life of our partnership.
Let’s talk current trends!
There are several key trends we are seeing which are shaping the way AV and production companies approach service and operations.
- AV and Production Companies as Thought Leaders. Audiovisual services of the past were seen as a commodity. In today’s world, we are steering away from that traditional role and are positioned as partners to our clients and thought leaders in association strategy. Unlike in the past, today companies like Projection are focused on strategic input and long-term planning with our clients to ensure their events and content delivery are both impactful and aligned with their overarching goals.
- The Rise of Experiential Design. More and more clients are incorporating immersive, multi-sensory experiences that engage attendees more deeply than traditional setups. Combining the set up and design of the room or activation with an experience (that oftentimes requires participation from the audience) creates a more emotive and memorable outcome.
LED Technology. LED display technology is a versatile tool for public areas within meeting and event venues, which can help supplement existing venue signage or provide an option when a venue does not have any built in. The visibility and clarity of LED display technology also makes it the best choice for general session audiences – whether they’re immersed in high-impact graphics in an opening video or absorbing important and detailed data during a presentation. LED setups allow associations to tie in their brand and the meeting’s theme as attendees go from room to room, session to session.
- Shorter, Interactive, Discussion-based Sessions. In response to feedback from younger demographics, we are seeing a shift to integrating shorter, more interactive sessions. These sessions facilitate better engagement and learning outcomes, reflecting a more modern educational approach.
- Capture Everything… and then Marketize the Content. For years, content capture has been a cornerstone of our strategy. Recognizing the value of recorded content, we help associations both preserve their events for posterity and monetize these recordings. By offering access to members and non-members at tiered price levels, associations can generate additional revenue while extending their reach beyond traditional event timelines and formats.
We prioritize diverse, inclusive and equitable meetings experiences by:
At Projection, we believe:
- When people come together, the exceptional happens;
- To cultivate the exceptional, experiences and spaces must be inclusive for all;
- Diversity and safety – both psychological and physical – are foundations for creativity.
We have a large, diverse workforce – including full-time employees, freelancers, and vendors – and are committed to cultivating an environment where all employees, clients, job applicants, and stakeholders feel accepted, empowered, respected, and protected. We apply this commitment to the hiring, advancement, and retainment of all employees.
Whether at home, in an office, or at an event (or any place in between), all team members are encouraged and supported to come as themselves, bringing their unique and personal creativity and integrity to everything they do. Projection strives to establish relationships with clients and industry partners who promote similar cultures of equity, inclusion, and respect.
In our most recent blog post, we highlight the technology and design tools event organizers can use to improve communication and accessibility within at their events, ensuring that all attendees can access information, receive assistance, and fully participate in the event experience. We work with our clients and convention center partners to implement these tools and design meetings that meet their goals and the audience they are looking to serve.
We support NextGen by:
Projection prides ourselves on our annual training requirements. All team members are given individual training goals to broaden their knowledge in their respective areas of expertise. We also host our own Audiovisual University (“AVU”) each year that acts primarily as a training session. All team members attend the conference to review our company’s mission, goals, and standards.
Those that are early in their careers are encouraged to explore training and attend industry functions that not only support their current role, but cover areas they are most passionate about to solidify a meaningful future career path. Young employees are encouraged to pair up with more experienced team members who serve as mentors and trainers. Additionally, many of our full-time staff were once freelancers who learned “the Projection way” while working alongside our team early in their careers.
A success story we want to share with you:
One of our favorite success stories has a fun surprise twist…
The Ask: With the Covid-19 Pandemic thwarting people from meeting in person, our client, American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD), was faced with producing their second virtual meeting in 2021. To keep members engaged, they felt it extremely important to augment the production value of their virtual event and infuse the experience with more produced content and excitement. The desire was to keep the sense of community among members strong while enduring an extremely difficult time.
The Idea: Our client came to us with the desire to produce a piece from the musical Hamilton. Projection helped flesh out the idea into a two-year strategic concept that tied in the association’s 75th anniversary in 2022. We would re-write the lyrics to the song “Alexander Hamilton” to speak to the incredible history of the association. Projection would secure the licensing, produce and re-record the audio track, hire talent to record a live performance in a studio in Chicago, direct the video shoot, and edit and package the video so as to open the 2021 virtual annual meeting with an incredible ode to the association. As well as meeting the 2021 goals of augmenting the virtual experience, the ultimate plan was to have the same talent perform the piece live at the 2022 in-person annual meeting for the 75th anniversary.
The Result: An incredible virtual performance in 2021 generated community and a “viral” piece of content that could be shared, solidifying the importance of the association in the professional lives of its members. In 2022, to complete the two-year strategic plan, a surprise “live” performance from the original talent on stage in San Diego ended the opening keynote, kicking off the celebration of the association’s 75th anniversary.
The Twist: The lead talent in the Hamilton performance piece used the video shot for the association in his audition for the Hamilton musical on Broadway… and got the part!
What does the future hold?
Currently, we are working on some big initiatives, including AV and production training programs for our clients, as well as achieving sustainability certifications – with a focus on how to best engage within the communities where we operate and working on company-wide educational programming.
We look to consistently give back to our industry and participate in as many events as we can on both a national and local level. Keep an eye out for our team members at events coming up such as PCMA EduCon, CESSE ACCESSE and IAEE Expo! Expo!
We’ll leave you with this…
Projection services approximately 100 events each year, on average, of varying sizes, scopes and complexities. We specialize in servicing the unique needs of medical, scientific and trade associations and have developed mutually beneficial long-term relationships with our clients. From consistently reinvesting in new equipment, to our customization of services, and of course our expert team, our goal is to provide value to the event experience and help bring our clients’ vison to life.
We greatly appreciate the opportunity to be spotlighted and all the work that the PCMA Capital Chapter does to push our industry and communities forward. We’d like to extend a very special shout out to Rebecca Ramsey, PCMA Capital Chapter President and Projection’s very own Director of Business Development, for her incredible work ethic and dedication to the events industry. You are a true force.
Want to learn more?
Our doors are always open! If you’re interested in working with Projection, or just want to chat with an expert, please reach out to Rebecca Ramsey, Director of Business Development, at [email protected].
