Bandit provides these services at no cost as a means of giving back. Bandit set the stage floor with VL 2500s to cover the room with patterns and colors, while GRNLite LED Battens lit the upper balcony walls. ZR 44 smoke machines gave the senators and representatives a dramatic entrance. Additional lighting came from custom UT gobos shot with ETC 5 degree ellipsoidal, while the stage lighting and control was provided by the venue.
In addition to legislators hearing personal testimonies from the reigning Miss Tennessee, UT Martin's Hannah Robison, and speaking with UT President Joe DiPietro, four members of the Tennessee Senate took on four members of the Tennessee House in a football throwing contest. The Tennessee Vols starting quarterback (and honours aerospace engineering major) Josh Dobbs offered his analysis as the state representatives pulled out a win.
While the Bandit crew, including technicians Jimmy Murray and Maurice Weiss, had a very small window for load in and programming, Bandit client representative Shawn Lear shared the clear vision from the coordinators enabled a smooth set up. "Working with vision of Mike Gregory and Tiffany Carpenter from the University of Tennessee made our day on the Hill," said Lear. "They were very precise in what they wanted the room and stage to resemble, allowing Bandit's crew chief Tyler Veneziano to assign crew to specific load-in actions to accomplish this challenge."
Bandit Chair and UT alumni, Michael T. Strickland stated, "It is always great to be able to give back and help the University achieve their mission. The education of the next generation is our top priority, and we can never do enough to advance that initiative. The future of the world sits in our universities today."
(Jim Evans)
