The GoVision Story

GoVision President Chris Curtis discusses his company’s genesis, the advantages of having mobile screens, the production capabilities of the GoBig trucks, LED screens, the lastest industry trends as well as offers event planners advice in this question & answer session from January 2005.

QHow did you come up with the idea of adding large portable LED screens to a mobile truck?

A
As you know, I was in the video business before. Back then, the jumbotron technology was more cumbersome and fewer people were doing it. At the same time, I felt like we had covered the market for those people that could afford to use it. The whole thought of starting GoVision, and the reason I was interested in getting back into it, was that the technology had changed. That was kind of the genesis of the idea.

QWhat extra benefits does a mobile truck with a LED screen bring to an event over using just a traditional portable screen?

AWe have tried to build the trucks to be really flexible. So it can be as simple as being a monitor to another production company for a playback situation, or as complex as actually producing the broadcast from there. For instance, at Willie’s Fourth of July Picnic last year, we produced the event out of our truck. We can go both ways and mix and match those services. The real benefit of having the control room in the truck is that we’re out there trying to create new users, so the more turnkey and full-service we can be, the easier it is for them. Ultimately our solution is more cost-effective than renting both a screen and a production company.

QWhy do your screens present a better image in all lighting situations, including bright sunlight?

A
The LED product as a whole has improved. There are two or three manufacturers that are making a superior product today. When we got back in, we looked at all those and chose the Barco product. Not only does it have a superior brightness and highest resolution, it also has better processor which produces more vibrant colors.

QHow do your LED screens compare with the jumbotrons that are typically found at events?

A
What we have in the Barco product, that a few stadiums are starting to use it, is superior processing and a tighter resolution. Ours is a 10 millimeter product, which means the LEDs are spaced 10 millimeters apart. In most of the outdoor stadiums, they are using 23 millimeter products. You’re looking at about a two and a half times difference.

QDo your screens have to be a certain ratio or shape?

A
No. There are a couple of things that our trucks do that the others don’t. First of all, you can drive them with the screens on. The other is that you can take the screens off of our truck, and use them in a hanging format or a stacked format. Along with that, once you get down to the modular equipment, they don’t have to be any standard ratio. For instance, we’re doing a background right now for ABC’s television show The View. It has a funky, totally odd shape. It can be any shape as long as you stay within confines of the tile size, which is 17.5″ by 17.5″. Another good example was the large trapezoid shape we used for Michael W. Smith and Mercy Me Tour last summer.

QWhat production capabilities do your trucks have?

A
From a production standpoint, we’re using state-of-the-art equipment. The truck has a lot of flexibility. We can usually accommodate any source of input, such as beta, DVD, ½ inch, ¾ inch. We have a hard drive in there, and with most of the shows we do now, we put whatever was given to us as source material into the hard drive and playback out of there.

In addition, we’re offering very good production services. A lot of clients want our whole package. So we’re producing it, directing it, shooting their event, and then playing it on the screen.

QAnd you also worked with events that have their own production people?

A
Yes. We want to be real careful there because a lot of production companies are our clients. We’re not trying to take their business. We want to create new categories and users. For us to be able to be a turnkey service helps those people. A lot of times with these events, you are dealing with volunteers. They may not have the experience level.

QAre there some planners that are leery of having a production truck in the middle of their event?

A
With some people, when you say the word truck, it scares them. And sometimes, ultimately, the truck doesn’t end up being the best solution. For the most part, the ease of use and the ability to shade the truck overcome this.

Our trucks really do three things which help overcome that. First, by design, we gave the trucks a high tech look. Very crisp, very fresh. They’re almost a show in amongst themselves, but they don’t detract from the main event. Second, the screen rotates 360 degrees, so you can turn and show from the back and then you’re only dealing with an 8.5′ wide structure and you don’t see the wheels. That’s a good way to do it. The third is to literally build some sort of masking or staging that the truck is behind.

For President Bush’s inauguration, they were very concerned with the look. At the same time, building a structure was going to cost them a lot of money to build. The trucks saved them some of their budget by using the truck and building a masking around it. The viewing audience couldn’t tell if it was a real structure or that there was a truck behind it. It can actually give a crisper look than a structure.

QDo you feel that often times the trucks themselves become part of the event experience?

A
Absolutely. The other thing we’ve encountered are people that wanted to move them around or do different things, and the truck allows them to do that. The Inaugural Committee got dual uses out of us. They had a show on the ellipse the night before, and then moved the trucks.. If they weren’t on a truck, they couldn’t have done that. The Texas Motor Speedway uses us in different areas during the course of their Race Week. They get double bang for their buck.

QWhat does your fleet consist of now?

A
We have three GoBig units, which have 9 x 16 foot screens. Last fall, we added GoBigger, which has an 18 x 32 foot screen.

QBesides screen size, are there some differences between GoBig and GoBigger?

A
The GoBig units are smaller and can get in and out of places easier. They take up less of a footprint. They can drive with the screens on. GoBigger has a bigger footprint and is heavier. It has about a two hour setup time versus about thirty minutes for GoBig.

QDo you have any plans for an even bigger truck in the future?

A
No, I think GoBigger is as big as we need to go for right now.

However, we definitely are working on a couple of different projects to help us expand our business and ultimately service our clients. Interestingly enough, we’re probably working more in the other direction, not necessarily a smaller screen, but a smaller, skinnier unit which is purely a screen without the production capabilities. Again, our business plan is to create new users. We’ve created a whole category of users who wouldn’t consider us before, and now they are. This could be a lower-cost alternative for those who are just using us as a monitor. This would still meet their needs.

We’re also monitoring the rental staging side and what’s new in the modular world. Our success during our first two years dictates that we continue to invest in that equipment. We did our first music tour last year with Michael Smith and Mercy Me. We have a good long-term relationship with Texas Motor Speedway, and that will expand with their expansion this year. Recently, we’ve had some higher profile projects like ABC with their set of The View and The Breeder’s Cup.

QWhat type of events tend to use your services?

A
It’s all over the place. It really is, and that’s one of the great things about our job. Every day is a different job. We do the standard things. A lot of music festivals, regional festivals, churches and sporting events. We have about 15 categories that we consider potential users. Our business is pretty much expanding in all those areas.

QHave you had any private users?

A
We’ve had a few. We did do a memorial service for an individual who had been a client of ours. We also recently did an anniversary party.

QHave event planners utilized your services to create additional marketing revenue opportunities for themselves, such as selling advertising or sponsorships for the video?

A
Absolutely. That’s one of the things we think about. When properly used for an event or festival, our services really should be a revenue stream. It’s absolutely one of the most valuable pieces of property that the event or festival will have to sell. People at events are drawn to the videos screens. It happens anytime you have a crowd. It can be anything from sponsor signage around the screen to advertisement time on the video.

We’ve found that clients that understand it and embrace it, build it into their sponsorship packages. It’s a process. You have to get it out there and educate your sponsors on it.

At the Fiesta in San Antonio, we went to all events. The Fiesta Committee in turn sold sponsorship of our vehicle. It was very successful for them.

Another unique user was the Dallas Home Builders. They were doing their Parade of Homes and were at a loss as to where to advertise for their target market. So they hired our truck to drive around to a couple of spots where their target market really was, such as shopping malls. They went on to have their most successful show
ever. They felt we were a part of their success.

QWhat are some of the factors besides who has the latest technology that event planners should consider when picking a portable screen solution?

A
Well, I do think it is important to get a functional understanding of the technology, so they make sure they are in the right generation. Obviously cost becomes a factor.

But again, when you’re putting a screen out there, you need to look at the reliability of the equipment and dependability of the vendor. It’s too important to do it any other way.

We take great pride in our customer service. From 2003 to 2004, every single client that had a repeatable event repeated. It’s all about being professional. If they need help selling to their sponsors, or whatever they need, we’re there for them.

If they’re going to put a truck out there, they want something that is progressive and presents a good looking image that they can try to sell to their sponsors. They don’t want a rusty barrel of bolts.

QDo you feel most people today now expect large video screens to be present at the events they attend, such as concerts and sporting events?

A
Every single day, it’s moving that way more and more. One good example is college football. I believe in 1998, one college had a replay screen in their stadium. Now almost every Division I school has some sort of LED screen or jumbotron. I know from personal involvement that athletic programs felt they had to have one to be perceived as being in the big-time. It kind of moves down the line. Now that we’ve been here for two years, all of the really quality top-tier events in this area have GoVision there. And we’re proud of that.

We live in a visual society. Especially our kids. I saw something the other day in the movie I-Robot, there were video screens and billboards everywhere. It might have started in Times Square and Vegas, but it’s coming.