Taking place over the July 4 holiday weekend, Pepsi Americas' Sail 2006 attracted over 150,000 people to the historic town of Beaufort, NC. Total Event Production was drafted by Tribble Creative Group to provide technical support for several aspects of this event.

Total  provided full technical support for all events taking place within the 100'x180' VIP tent, events ranging from the Mayor's Reception to the Captain's Gala and award presentations.

To accomodate the weight requirements of the production, a truss structure was constructed inside the tent to provide rigging support for the lighting, audio and video. This structure, consisting of over 600' of truss, stood unmoving during tropical storm-force winds that shook the tent savagely during the load-in.

Lighting was provided by a combination of 120 conventional fixtures and 24 automated luminaires, color scrollers, truss toners, and a fiber-optic curtain. Control was provided by a WholeHog3.

Audio consisted of an EAW KF650 system, flown from the truss structure. Additional delays and fill were provided by JF100 cabinets also flown from the structure. Audio requirements ranged from simple podium presentations to the Deana Jones Orchestra.

Video consisted of three 10,000 lumen projectors flown from the truss in a front projection configuration. Front projection for this project saved valuable real estate backstage, where storage and video control were located. In addition to beta and DVCam playback, HD video was provided by WRAL from the WRAL Parade of Sail. Control and switching was provided by a Folsom 1604.

Total provided illumination for the tall ships at dock, using a combination of Coemar Panacyc and Martin Mac 2000 fixtures. Platforms were constructed between pilings over the water on which to mount the fixtures. Thousands of feet of data and power distribution were required to operate this system. Control of this system was via a Hog3PC system, which was programmed to provide constant color changes on the ships throughout the event.

Six Airstar Lunix200 balloons were used to provide soft ambient and safety lighting throughout the public area, where over 30,000 people visited the ships.

Power requirements and the remote location of this event dictated the use of generators. Power distribution was set up as a redundant system, providing system control and the ability to operate in the event of a failure of one or more generator, a typical Total Event Production technique when providing support for live events.

On the waterfront in downtown Beaufort, Total provided audio support in the Watercraft Center for the Maritime Demonstrations that took place during the event. At the NC Port in Morehead City, Total also provided audio support for the WRAL Parade of Sail and the Workboat Review.

Over 10 days, Total's crew put in over 1200 hours of labor, supporting a hugely succesful event. Approximately 100 hours went into preproduction planning for the event.

For more images of this event, click here.