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Multi-Level Custom Stage Design and Advanced LED Video Systems for Salvation Army Commissioning Weekend

Engineering UFO-Stage Effect with Custom NeonFlex LED and 680-Panel P3.9 Video Walls at Hershey Lodge

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Event Details

Event: The Salvation Army USA Eastern Territory Commissioning Weekend
Session: Ordination and Commissioning of New Officers
Venue: Hershey Lodge - Great American Ballroom
Location: 325 University Dr, Hershey, PA 17033
Dates: June 6-8, 2025
Production: EventStarts
Services: Custom Stage Design, LED Wall Rental, Advanced Video Control, Concert Lighting Design, Professional Audio Systems, Rigging and Power Distribution

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Project Overview

EventStarts delivered a comprehensive technical production for The Salvation Army USA Eastern Territory Commissioning Weekend at Hershey Lodge in Pennsylvania. This prestigious three-day event celebrated the ordination and commissioning of new Salvation Army officers after completing their training at the College for Officer Training, marking their transition into full-time ministry.

The event featured powerful worship led by Israel Houghton, seven-time GRAMMY Award-winning artist and worship leader, alongside the New York Staff Band, Eastern Territory Staff Songsters, and contemporary worship band Unbound. With nearly 2,000 attendees gathering in the Great American Ballroom, EventStarts created an immersive worship environment featuring innovative multi-level custom stage design, curvature LED video walls, and a revolutionary UFO-stage lighting effect using proprietary NeonFlex LED technology.

Our team managed complete production from shop preparation through on-site execution, including all cable labeling, looms, paperwork, technical designs, and system integration, delivering a turnkey solution for this spiritually significant weekend celebration.

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Innovative Multi-Level Custom Stage Design

EventStarts engineered a complex multi-level stage system designed specifically for the ceremonial requirements of the Commissioning Weekend, accommodating multiple performance configurations, worship bands, choirs, leadership presentations, and the formal ordination ceremony.

Custom Stage Build Components:

• 67x Stage riser platforms 4'x8' adjustable height
• 220x Stage riser platforms 4'x4' adjustable height
• 100x Stage riser platforms 4'x2' adjustable height
• 8x Rounded stage riser platforms 4'x4' adjustable height
• 4x Triangle stage riser platforms 4'x4' adjustable height
• Complete professional stage skirting package
• 40-person stage crew team for setup and operation

The modular design allowed seamless transitions between worship services, Star Search talent competitions, commencement ceremonies, and the Sunday ordination service, while maintaining optimal sightlines for the 2,000 attendees and broadcast cameras throughout the Great American Ballroom.

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Revolutionary UFO-Stage Effect with Custom NeonFlex LED

EventStarts unveiled a groundbreaking lighting innovation featuring our proprietary rental-grade digital NeonFlex LED strip system. This custom-developed technology represents a significant advancement in stage lighting design capabilities.

Custom NeonFlex LED Technology:

• Super flexible digital NeonFlex RGBW LED strips
• Custom-fitted integration with MPROW stage deck systems
• Pixelated control via ArtNet and sACN protocols
• Proprietary custom-designed drivers with full redundancy
• Creates dramatic UFO-stage visual effects with seamless integration

This innovative system allowed for dynamic, flowing light patterns across the multi-level stage structure, creating an ethereal, otherworldly atmosphere perfectly suited to the worshipful nature of the Commissioning celebration. The custom engineering ensured reliable performance throughout the three-day event while delivering visually stunning effects that enhanced the spiritual experience.

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Advanced LED Video Wall Systems

EventStarts deployed 680 P3.9 LED panels configured in custom curvature shapes to create an immersive visual environment within the Great American Ballroom at Hershey Lodge.

LED Video Equipment and Control:

• 680x P3.9 LED wall panels (500mm x 500mm)
• Custom curvature LED wall design for architectural integration
• NovaStar MX6000 Pro 8K Master LED Display Controller for COEX Series
• Input configuration: 2 cards with 2x HDMI 2.1, 1 card with 4x 12G-SDI
• Output configuration: 4 cards with 4x 10G SFP+ optical fiber
• 8x NovaStar CVT10S fiber converters
• 6x 500 ft opticalCON quad singlemode fiber tactical cable reels
• Spyder X80 video processor for advanced image processing
• Professional teleprompter package for speakers

The NovaStar MX6000 Pro 8K controller provided unprecedented video processing power, enabling seamless management of multiple high-resolution video sources across the curved LED wall configurations. This advanced control system supported live IMAG camera feeds, worship lyrics, ceremonial content, and dynamic visual elements throughout the weekend's services.

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Professional Lighting Design

EventStarts created a sophisticated lighting environment suitable for worship, ceremony, and celebration, featuring hundreds of professional moving heads controlled through dual GrandMA3 Full Size consoles with comprehensive ArtNet network infrastructure providing complete redundancy and professional-grade programming capabilities.

Lighting Equipment:

• 2x GrandMA3 Full Size consoles with NPU rack
• Complete ArtNet network infrastructure
• Hundreds of moving heads: Ayrton, Martin, and Chauvet fixtures
• 44x Chauvet Colorado PXL Curve 12 pixel-mapping fixtures
• 84x Chauvet Pro Color STRIKE M LED strobe wash fixtures
• Professional haze machines for atmospheric effects
• Hundreds of feet of bolt truss for overhead rigging
• Custom-designed lighting plots for worship, ceremony, and celebration

The extensive moving head package featuring Ayrton, Martin, and Chauvet professional fixtures provided dynamic beam effects, precise spot coverage, and vibrant color wash capabilities throughout the Great American Ballroom. The 44 Chauvet Colorado PXL Curve 12 fixtures delivered cutting-edge pixel-mapping effects, creating flowing visual elements that complemented the curved LED walls. The ArtNet network infrastructure enabled seamless integration between lighting control, LED video systems, and the custom NeonFlex LED stage effects, creating a unified visual experience. The Chauvet Color STRIKE M fixtures added powerful LED strobe and wash capabilities, creating dramatic lighting scenes that enhanced worship moments, highlighted key ceremonial transitions, and energized musical performances by Israel Houghton and The Salvation Army's musical ensembles.

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Professional Audio Systems

EventStarts deployed touring-grade audio infrastructure optimized for spoken word clarity, worship music, and ceremonial presentations in the acoustically challenging Great American Ballroom environment.

Audio Equipment and Systems:

• L-Acoustics PA system engineered for ballroom coverage
• Yamaha Rivage digital audio console
• Shure AXIENT wireless systems for presenters and performers
• Complete microphone package for worship bands and choirs
• Professional monitor systems for stage performers
• Comprehensive DI box collection
• Full audio prep completed at EventStarts shop including cable labeling and looms

The Yamaha Rivage console provided the audio engineering team with advanced DSP capabilities, ensuring pristine sound quality for Israel Houghton's worship performance, the New York Staff Band, Staff Songsters, and all ceremonial elements of the three-day event.

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Engineering Design and Infrastructure

EventStarts provided complete engineering design, rigging, and power distribution services for the Commissioning Weekend production at Hershey Lodge.

Technical Infrastructure:

• Comprehensive rigging design and execution
• Hundreds of feet of bolt truss systems
• 500lb block and roll cement block counterweight systems
• Complete power distribution network
• Professional cable management with custom labeling systems
• Shop preparation including all paperwork and technical designs

All systems were engineered to meet Hershey Lodge venue specifications while supporting the complex audio, video, lighting, and staging requirements of this multi-day event with complete redundancy for critical systems.

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Shop Preparation and Technical Excellence

EventStarts conducted extensive pre-production preparation at our facility, ensuring flawless on-site execution for this high-profile religious celebration.

Pre-Production Services:

• Complete video system prep and testing
• Lighting system configuration and programming
• Staging assembly and verification
• Audio system prep with full cable labeling
• Custom cable looms for rapid deployment
• Complete technical paperwork and design documentation
• System redundancy verification
• Quality control for all equipment

This thorough shop preparation minimized on-site setup time and ensured reliable performance throughout the three-day Commissioning Weekend celebration.

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Why This Project Matters to New Clients

This project proves EventStarts can handle scale, complexity, and pressure without compromises. Multi-day. Multi-department. Live broadcast. Worship. Ceremony. High expectations. Zero margin for failure.

If your event has moving parts, leadership visibility, live audiences, broadcast feeds, or political or religious sensitivity, this is the level of execution required.

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What Made This Production Challenging

This was not a simple ballroom setup. Key challenges included:

• Nearly 2,000 attendees with critical sightlines
• Multiple stage layouts across three days
• Choirs, bands, solo artists, speakers, and ceremonies
• Curved LED walls requiring precision mapping
• Tight load-in and load-out windows
• Absolute reliability expectations from a national organization

Most vendors fail here because they treat this like a concert or a conference. This was neither. It required discipline, planning, and restraint.

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Engineering First, Not Gear First

EventStarts approached this project as an engineering problem, not a gear list.

Every system was designed backward from outcomes:

• Who needs to see what
• Who needs to hear what
• What fails first and what backs it up
• How transitions happen without downtime

That mindset is why the production ran clean across all sessions without emergency changes.

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Redundancy and Risk Control

This event required zero surprises.

• Redundant control paths for video and lighting
• Fiber-based signal distribution to eliminate distance issues
• Backup power and signal routing on critical systems
• Pre-built cable looms to avoid on-site improvisation

This is the difference between a vendor and a production partner.

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What Clients Actually Bought

Not just equipment.

Clients bought:

• Confidence
• Predictability
• Clean execution
• Clear communication
• A team that does not panic under pressure

That is the real product.

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How EventStarts Is Different

Most production companies rent gear. EventStarts designs systems.

We build custom solutions when off-the-shelf does not work. We prep like a tour, even for ballrooms. We think in failure modes, not best-case scenarios. We protect the client from technical embarrassment.

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Results

EventStarts successfully delivered a technically sophisticated and spiritually powerful production environment for The Salvation Army USA Eastern Territory Commissioning Weekend 2025. The innovative custom NeonFlex LED UFO-stage effect, combined with 680-panel curvature LED walls and multi-level custom staging, created an immersive worship atmosphere that enhanced the significance of this sacred celebration.

Our advanced video control systems featuring the NovaStar MX6000 Pro 8K controller, dual GrandMA3 lighting consoles with ArtNet network infrastructure, hundreds of Ayrton, Martin, and Chauvet moving heads including 44 PXL Curve 12 pixel-mapping fixtures, and L-Acoustics audio systems provided the technical foundation for worship experiences led by Israel Houghton and The Salvation Army's premier musical ensembles. The comprehensive shop preparation and custom engineering solutions ensured flawless execution throughout the three-day event, supporting the ordination and commissioning of new officers embarking on their ministry calling.

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Takeaway for New Customers

If your event matters to your reputation, leadership, or mission, production is not the place to cut corners.

This case study shows what happens when planning, engineering, and execution are treated seriously from day one.

If you need that level of control, EventStarts is built for it.

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Services Related to This Project

EventStarts delivered complete turnkey production for The Salvation Army Commissioning Weekend at Hershey Lodge Pennsylvania, featuring innovative custom stage design with 387 modular stage platforms creating dramatic multi-level configurations for worship, ceremony, and performance. Our groundbreaking custom NeonFlex LED technology created a stunning UFO-stage effect using proprietary rental-grade digital RGBW strips with pixelated control via ArtNet and sACN, custom-fitted to MPROW stage systems with full redundancy. We deployed 680 P3.9 LED wall panels in custom curvature configurations controlled by NovaStar MX6000 Pro 8K Master Controller with 8K processing power, 8 NovaStar CVT10S fiber converters, and Spyder X80 video processor for advanced image management. Our concert lighting design featured hundreds of professional moving heads including Ayrton, Martin, and Chauvet fixtures, 44 Chauvet Colorado PXL Curve 12 pixel-mapping fixtures, plus 84 Chauvet Color STRIKE M strobes, all controlled by dual GrandMA3 Full Size consoles with NPU rack and complete ArtNet network infrastructure providing seamless integration between lighting, video, and custom LED effects. Professional audio included L-Acoustics PA system, Yamaha Rivage digital console, and Shure AXIENT wireless systems optimized for worship leader Israel Houghton and The Salvation Army musical ensembles. EventStarts provided complete engineering and rigging services with hundreds of feet of bolt truss, power distribution, and 500lb block and roll systems. Our comprehensive shop preparation included complete video, lighting, staging, and audio prep with all cable labeling, custom looms, paperwork, and technical designs. From custom LED fabrication to multi-day event production, EventStarts delivers innovative technical solutions for religious organizations, conferences, and ceremonial events throughout Pennsylvania and the Eastern United States.