Las Vegas firms strive to rebuild the events scene post-pandemic.

REBUILDING LIVE EVENTS IN VEGAS

PRG, 4Wall Entertainment and Main Light West share Las Vegas’ road to recovery, after the city’s iconic Strip switched its dazzling neon lights off to the public for the first time since 1963.

Words: Jacob Waite Photos: Ameer Basheer (Unsplash) & TPi

When Las Vegas’ non-essential businesses closed their doors to the public in March 2020 to prevent the transmission of COVID-19, it was the first time that the city’s iconic neon Strip had dimmed since President John F. Kennedy’s funeral in 1963. As the sleeping giant of live entertainment strives to recapture its former glory days, supply chain and workforce challenges continue to plague its progress. However, amid the drudgery of a citywide rebuild, there are pockets of positivity in the bustling warehouses and offices of Las Vegas’ PRG, 4Wall Entertainment, and Main Light West.

With four decades of experience in the lighting industry, 4Wall Regional General Manager of the West Coast and Senior VP, Larry Mikalishen was well-placed to spearhead the Las Vegas office’s response to COVID-19. “The pandemic affected us greatly,” he began. “We kept thinking that this would be a threemonth issue, yet here we are two-and-a-half years later, where it’s still posing an issue.” With non-essential businesses closing, the lockdown was an ideal time for refurbishments and lighting systems refits. “Our Systems and Integration department was extremely successful in helping us survive the pandemic,” Mikalishen noted.

“All of our locations stayed open during the entire pandemic servicing TV, virtual, and other forms of business, but Las Vegas, in particular, was mostly doing Systems work.” PRG’s Las Vegas office echoed these sentiments. “Thankfully, we have a great crew, who were highly understanding of the challenges we faced and stuck with us as and when we required their services during the lockdown,” said Adam Parrish, PRG General Manager, Las Vegas. “One benefit of the lockdown was getting all the equipment back in the warehouse to sort, catalogue and identify shortfalls in some of our processes to implement procedures to improve our workflow.”

Like most companies, PRG pivoted to provide alternative events. “It was nice to see the company adapt to what the clientele requested, such as virtual and remote solutions, and provide new offerings and alternative virtual solutions,” Parrish acknowledged. PRG Scenic Technologies’ sales team pivoted with what they were chasing from corporate and touring events to interactive experiences, car shows, and refurbishing establishments across the Strip.

“We chased new markets, and the company survived the pandemic as a result of innovating and adapting to emerging markets,” Kyle Garrelts, General Manager of Operations and Engineering at PRG Scenic Technologies, clarified. “Automation was a life raft for us in lockdown. Typically, you’d see variable speed hoists at every gig. However, with the lockdown of live events, companies and buildings wanted to refurbish their systems. We ended up with refurbishment and fabrication projects all over the Strip.” In lockdown, PRG Scenic Technologies also updated and improved internal processes within its facilities, reducing costs where possible with novel additions like censored lights throughout the building and restructuring rooms to allow for growth in departments as well as examining resources, people, material and inventory. “We started by turning unknowns into known factors,” Garrelts remarked, explaining the choice to develop an inventory system to analyse the cost and availability of materials and the availability of vendors. “We’ve adapted with what’s going on in society and we’re ready to jump back on the horse.”

‘A GREAT CITY TO DO BUSINESS IN’ Having spent 21 years on the books of 4Wall, Vancouver-born Mikalishen highlighted why, despite the past two-and-a-half years, Las Vegas remains the opportune place for growth. “First and foremost, Las Vegas is one of the top convention areas in the country and that makes up a large part of our business. Secondly, the

The PRG Scenic Technologies team; PRG Las Vegas General Manager, Adam Parrish; 4Wall Entertainment Las Vegas; Main Light West.

Strip’s attractions – casinos with showrooms – are ideal for our Systems Integration department. We also have an airport to provide international travel links, allowing our team to focus on global projects,” he continued. “It’s a great city to do business in.”

Capitalising on the demand for entertainment technology in the city, Main Light – the largest national dry hire provider in the US – expanded its operations amid the pandemic with the formation of a new 40,000 sq ft shop at 6435 South Valley View in Las Vegas. “This is the opportune city to set up shop in because of the demand for convention work,” suggested Main Light West CEO, Randy Mullican. “There was no other strictly dry hire company before we moved in. It’s a great time to service the market without competing with local rental houses.”

Throughout the pandemic, Main Light took the opportunity to rebalance its inventory by selling off older equipment and acquiring gear in demand by production companies looking to supplement and access quality equipment from a trusted dry hire resource.

Setting up shop in Las Vegas, it appears, was anything but a roll of the dice. “Looking back on the decision now, it was great foresight. We’ve curated a cohesive group which collaborates well together, and they truly care about the sector and one another, which is a testament to the company,” Mullican reminisced. “Fundamentally, this business is about the people and treating the customers how you’d like to be treated.”

‘SURVIVING THE SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES’ From next to no income to sporadic employment integrating systems and delivering virtual or behind-closed-doors events, coupled with shortages of experienced crew and ever-increasing shortfalls of the supply chain, the issues the industry has faced and continues to face are many and wideranging.

“Our largest struggles right now are hiring people to fill positions and having equipment delivered on time,” Mullican outlined.

“The supply chain is incredibly challenging; fortunately, customers are a lot more flexible and understanding of this as it’s a global issue.”

With the supply chain an enormous problem for all industries, 4Wall – which operates a used and new gear shop – continues to invest in available equipment, albeit, not at the same rate as pre-pandemic. “We had to slow down our typical workflow of selling used gear because replacements simply aren’t arriving fast enough,” Mikalishen reported. “Even getting gear to events nowadays is difficult with a shortage of trucks and drivers. The fuel prices are rising, so when trucking costs are the same as the rental, it’s rough.” Highlighting further problem areas such as manufacturing lead times on product and sourcing materials, as well as an in-demand, skilled workforce, PRG Scenic Technologies’ paint department has focused on expanding its services and capabilities. “This became a necessity due to client demands, society and the evolution of shows,” Garrelts said, highlighting the firm’s increasing focus on flame retardant applications.

“This new service will call across all markets and is something which we have not focused on in the past. Now, the whole team will be trained for flame retardant applications.”

Las Vegas doesn’t have much competition for flame retardant applications, however, PRG Scenic Technologies is slowly beginning to shift its tack to provide solutions for interactive experiences, such as creating bespoke flower walls for events and providing artistic lighting fixtures for ceilings the length of two football fields of lights for the likes of Van Gogh Exhibition: The Immersive Experience.

VIVA LAS VEGAS Over time, Las Vegas has grown to accommodate the increasing demand for live entertainment. With tourists and revellers flocking back to the city amid the return of in-person live events, alongside hybrid and remote productions, servicing the needs of audiences and clients with solutions of varying demands and complexities will be key to sustained success. “We’re continuing to see more stadiums, arenas, and convention centres built here,” Parrish proclaimed.

“There is an ever-growing demand for live entertainment and production support throughout the entire city. A lot of sectorspecific companies in Las Vegas work together, rent equipment and execute shows together depending on availability of kit, staff and timing.”

Connecting companies in the area, not only to unify standards in Las Vegas but also to support each other and collaborate on projects, is at the core of PRG’s ethos. “In today’s market, it’s difficult to hire. If we need to find a carpenter for a week or two, I’d rather contact a local company for temporary staff to maintain the core of Vegas,” Garrelts continued. “Our current goal is personal and personnel development – improving workflows, systems, and inventory. Not only does this grow our individual skill, but our communications and toolsets also improve.” Meanwhile, Main Light West’s immediate goal is the acquisition of new equipment, increasing its available inventory to provide solutions for more customers. “We have a good spread across good market segments in the touring and production, conventions, corporate and industrial shows, as well as the house of worship market,” Mullican revealed. Spending time with Las Vegas rental and dry hire outfits, it’s apparent that a ‘people and quality-first’ approach is key to the challenges that lie ahead. With a lot of experienced technicians leaving the sector, introducing, nurturing and accelerating the progress of talent considerably faster than pre-pandemic levels in order to plug the gaping holes left by the COVID-19 pandemic is at the forefront of the city’s road to recovery.

“It’s interesting to see a shift in talent, as the next generation of crew come through the door and offer opportunities for those from alternative sectors,” Garrelts observed. “Our aim is to maintain the quality that we’re known for amid all the issues of the rapid restart. We’ve hired people who are proud of our product and take pride in making our clients happy,” Mikalishen added. “We are constantly increasing our fleet of gear and our workforce. In the rental industry, if you invest in moving lights, you need cable, distro, and consoles. Everything you buy requires infrastructure.” While the next few years may be the sector’s toughest in recent history, they may also breed creativity and innovation in the way productions are catered for and how audiences consume live entertainment.

“I’ve seen a great deal of technology shifts during my time in the industry, and the pandemic has pushed even more boundaries. It’s an exciting time for all of us as we see Las Vegas evolving and improving the ways entertainment can be delivered,” Mikalishen concluded. www.4wall.com www.prg.com www.mainlight.com