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Renovations complete, FanFX teams up with SkyCam® for ASU’s return to Sun Devil Stadium

Tempe, Arizona 6/6/2019 — May 2019 was the first year back at Sun Devil Stadium for ASU’s graduation commencement ceremony due to a multi-year renovation that temporarily relocated the ceremonies to Chase Field, home of the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Sun Devil Stadium renovation included a redesign of the stadium, with the addition of seating, new suites, new concourses, and a new video board in the North end-zone, so naturally, the ceremony production was due for a renovation as well.

With a full plate of events happening campus wide, the ASU commencement committee tapped the services of FanFX for this big return to Sun Devil Stadium. Not only was the university re-introducing the undergraduate commencement to Sun Devil Stadium, but it was also a first for the W. P. Carey School of Business to have their ceremony held at the stadium as well. W. P. Carey outgrew the capacity at Wells Fargo Arena, where school ceremonies are typically held. FanFX, while covering several other campus events, staffed these stadium shows with a crew of nearly a dozen, an upgraded graphics package, and a new fan favorite, SkyCam. 

“The new graphics package created for these events gave them the fresh look that they needed! The transition graphics were wonderful and they helped provide that upscale, professional look we strive for in our events at ASU.” said Melissa Werner, Director of University Ceremonies at ASU, “The addition of SkyCam was just the right touch to show the impact and emotion of an event as significant as graduation. For me, knowing that Arizona State University was the first graduation event to incorporate SkyCam, was beyond thrilling!”

Stephen Wharton, Chief Operating Officer & Chief Technical Officer at SkyCam adds, “This was an exciting event for us to be part of, we are always striving to offer SkyCam as an element to be used for more than sports and want to continue growing in live events. Offering our SkyCam technology to ASU for their commencement ceremonies is what we hope to be the first of many taking interest in adding this element to their productions.”

Reaching beyond the audience in the stadium, ASU utilized their streaming service to reach those who couldn’t be at the event. Streaming, while producing a local show, requires thinking outside the box when producing a ceremony such as ASU’s commencement. Greg Cody, President of FanFX says, “Graduations are commonly known as being the same traditional camera on a podium, with a couple slides that run on screen. ASU knew they wanted a change, and they turned to us to help them get there.” ASU’s ceremonies now incorporating the additions of SkyCam, and a full graphics package provided by FanFX, a first time use of lower thirds and transitions, allowed their show to be taken to a broadcast level production.

FanFX brings technology to life. We specialize in the creation and implementation of workflows for newly installed control rooms, video boards, and LED signage. These workflows relate to every production we produce, as our goal is always to maximize efficiency, while creating engaging productions.

For questions or inquiries, contact Greg Cody at Greg@fanfxcg.com

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