Utah Business Economic Outlook 2021
Full-service event production for Utah's premier annual business conference — custom modular stage environment, grayscale image panel system, heavy lighting, and full audio and video across a main stage and four breakout rooms at the Grand America Hotel.
Utah's business community deserved a stage equal to the conversation.
Utah Business Magazine's Economic Outlook is one of the most anticipated business events on Utah's annual calendar — a two-day gathering where economists, executives, and civic leaders come together to set the tone for the year ahead. The 2021 edition at the Grand America Hotel called for a production that matched the weight of the content: refined, authoritative, and visually sharp.
In The Event built the full environment from scratch — a custom modular stage system wrapped in grayscale image panels, a fully wireless, battery-powered lighting, full audio and video for the main stage, and self-contained setups across four breakout rooms. One team, every room, both days.
The Challenge
Business conferences are hard to make visually interesting. The format is disciplined — panels, keynotes, Q&A — and the temptation is to let the content carry the room without investing in the environment. The Utah Business Economic Outlook needed to resist that temptation. This is a high-profile event attended by the people who run the state's economy, and the room had to reflect that.
The brief called for a clean, editorial aesthetic — something that felt like the cover of a business publication, not a standard hotel ballroom. At the same time, four separate breakout rooms needed to run concurrently with their own independent audio and video, without any bleed between spaces or reliance on the main room's infrastructure.
- Custom modular stage environment from scratch
- Editorial aesthetic — refined, not generic
- Custom grayscale image panels across the stage
- Wireless battery-powered lighting — no rigging required
- Four concurrent breakout rooms — fully independent
- Full recording setup for the main stage
- Multi-day run with full crew across all spaces
- Grand America ballroom — hotel AV not used
Services Delivered
In The Event handled every room, every discipline, and every day — from the main stage camera setup to the last breakout room microphone.
The Execution
The visual identity of the Economic Outlook was built around a single material idea: the modular frame system. Rather than using generic pipe and drape or a single backdrop graphic, In The Event built a wall of silver frames — stacked and arranged across the full width of the stage — each one holding a custom grayscale image. The result was a stage that felt curated and editorial without being distracting. The content stayed front and center.
The lighting was chosen specifically to work within the Grand America's constraints — fully wireless, fully battery-powered, no rigging required. Wireless battery-powered light tubes gave the room depth and dimension without a single hard power connection from the ceiling. Meanwhile, the four breakout rooms ran as completely independent productions — each one set up, crewed, and cleared by the same team that ran the main stage.
- Custom 32' × 18' × 3" main stage build
- 44 custom modular frame panels with grayscale images
- Gray velour draping throughout
- Dual high-output projectors with large screens
- Professional video switching and recording
- 60-pack wireless wireless tube lighting
- 16 wireless battery-powered light tubes
- Dedicated 4K recording for the main stage
- 4 fully independent breakout room setups
- Show callers and full audio, video, and lighting crew
From the Conference Floor
A look at the stage environment, lighting, and room setups the In The Event team built for the Utah Business Economic Outlook 2021.
Main Stage
The full modular panel environment at run — 44 custom grayscale image frames, gray velour draping, white furniture, and the lighting filling the Grand America ballroom with depth and dimension.
Event in Session
Panelists on stage with the full audience at round tables — the Economic Outlook backdrop, modular panel system, and stage lighting working together as a complete environment during a live session.
Stage Furniture
White pleated faux leather chairs and delta side tables styled against the grayscale panel backdrop — a deliberate contrast that made the panelist seating feel intentional, not incidental.
Production Overview
The main stage at full run — projection screens flanking the panel set, camera position in the house, and the crew managing audio, video, and lighting from a single control position.
How We Built It
Setup, two full days of programming, and teardown — all five rooms, one team.
Full main stage build — modular frame installation, grayscale panel mounting, gray velour draping, lighting setup, full audio and video infrastructure, camera position, and all four breakout rooms configured — complete before the first session.
Two full days of conference programming. Show callers, audio engineers, video engineers, lighting technician, and camera operator on-site across the main stage and all four breakout rooms — running concurrently without interference between spaces.
Full teardown of the main stage, all scenic panels, lighting, audio, video, and all four breakout rooms — the Grand America returned to baseline in a single window at the close of the event.
Ready to build something this good?
Tell us about your next conference, summit, or corporate event. In The Event handles everything from concept to close — one team, one roof.
