Designing for Connection
For LEO Events’ most recent program at Allegiant Stadium, the opportunity was as exciting as it was ambitious. The vision called for two distinct, back-to-back audience experiences inside one of the world’s largest sports venues – a dynamic corporate general session followed just one day later by a high-production concert celebration. The challenge was to ensure each experience felt entirely its own, with a unique stage environment, energy, and audience journey.
Our team embraced the opportunity to push the boundaries of what had been executed inside the stadium in the past, designing and delivering the largest production ever staged in Allegiant to date – with more than 1,000 rigging points and 700,000 lbs. of weight suspended from the ceiling.
At the center of the strategy was an intricate dual-stage environment – a primary stage positioned at the 50-yard line to optimize sight lines, intimacy, and engagement for 19,000 attendees, with an entirely separate concert stage concealed behind it, waiting to be revealed for the second audience experience for more than 30,000 people the next evening.
What followed was a meticulously choreographed feat of creativity, engineering, production, technical mastery, scheduling, and safety management. On a surgical turnaround schedule in which every minute mattered, LEO transformed the stadium from a polished corporate environment into a world-class live entertainment spectacle– completing the conversion ahead of schedule, without a single injury or accident, and leaving stadium officials stunned by both the scale of the transformation and the precision that powered it. In the end, our team succeeded in making these two dramatically different experiences feel equally immersive, energizing, and VIP from every section and seat in the house.
Start with the Furthest Seat
Every production decision – from elevated staging and IMAG screens to zoned audio – was designed with the farthest attendee in mind, ensuring no seat felt secondary. Cable cams and cinematic camera work added sweeping perspectives, capturing the audience and the action in ways that made everyone feel part of the story.
“The massive, 40-foot by 270-foot, LED screen we installed at the 50-yard line stretched from sideline to sideline – and even slightly beyond. Standing four stories tall, it was an incredibly commanding visual element. Powered by media servers, it gave us the flexibility to push content in new and creative ways, delivering a truly immersive, larger-than-life experience for every seat in the stadium,” LEO’s VP of Production Services, Phillip Johnson, said.
An Extensive Canvas for Content
Our team strategically placed media servers in the video signal path allowing us to manipulate video dynamically across the arena. These “last in line” servers allowed us to orchestrate content, video, and IMAG in a way that opened up more creative opportunities.
“Beyond the stage and primary screen, we also took a fully immersive approach by activating media surfaces throughout the venue – extending the visual experience far beyond a single focal point and truly enveloping the audience in the content,” LEO’s Senior VP of Creative, Chris Simmons, said.
Our teams even utilized the stage floor to bolster content through LED panels covering the entire surface. “The stage floor opened the door to truly immersive storytelling, allowing us to visually amplify key moments in real time through LED. For example, taking a concept like ‘a sea of blue’ and transforming the entire environment to red at a pivotal moment brought an executive’s message to life in a way that was immediate, powerful, and unforgettable for the audience,” Senior Producer, Kristin Hagan, said.
Audio That Connects at Every Level
A venue of this scale also required the ultimate precision in sound design. Distributed audio zones eliminated echo, ensuring clarity from the floor to the upper bowl. “From an audio standpoint, we had to be careful to avoid reflecting sound off the structure, which can negatively affect clarity,” Johnson said. “Achieving true intelligibility in a space this large was essential so every message landed exactly as intended across every section of seating.”
Intimate Moments, Stadium Scale
Lighting also played a critical role in the overall attendee experience. Competing with the stadium’s diffused natural light from overhead, the team had to balance visibility for cameras, color saturation, and overall impact of visuals. “Instead of fighting it, we leaned into the natural light of the space. The upside was that it created a more communal atmosphere – you could look across the stadium and see the audience, which shifted the experience from being solely stage-focused to something more shared and connected,” Johnson said.
Playing into this communal atmosphere was one of the most impactful technical design elements, a custom-built sun shade positioned above the stage and presenter area. Our primary goal was to minimize the effect of natural light within the space, giving the production team greater control over the stage environment, screen visibility, lighting balance, and audience focus throughout the program. To achieve this, the team conducted a detailed sun study months in advance, mapping the sun’s position throughout the show schedule to determine the optimal placement, scale, and coverage needed for the structure to perform effectively in the venue.
Our solution was a circular sun shade, 96-feet in diameter, that served both functional and aesthetic purposes. Beyond creating consistent shade coverage for presenters and production elements, the structure dramatically improved the audience sightline experience. From the audience vantage point, the shade transformed what would have been a brightly lit roofline into a clean, dark backdrop behind the stage – enhancing visual contrast, directing attention toward content and speakers, and creating a more polished, controlled presentation environment. Beyond functionality, the shade also created a unique visual element, and lowered the ceiling closer to the floor seating, effectively grounding the space.
Designing for Equity
It was imperative to our team that every seat across the stadium offered an equal attendee experience. From immersive visuals to interactive LED elements to strategic audio design and beyond, the team ensured that each person in the audience could connect with the content and participate fully.
The success and impact of this corporate event proves that a stadium setting doesn’t have to feel impersonal. With thoughtful production strategy, immersive visuals, precise audio, and intentional moments of connection, even a venue as massive as Allegiant Stadium can become the ideal stage for shared, human-centered experiences.
If you’re looking for an events partner to give your message the stage, clarity, and impact it deserves, let’s talk.
