Henry explains his approach to the design, "We looked at the design as three elements: first, the arrival experience which included the walkway up to the venue, second, the walk from the venue entrance to a pre-function area, and finally, the dinner and entertainment itself which was located  in the open courtyard within columned walls under a clear walled and ceilinged tent."  

"Working within the venue certainly wasn't without its distinct challenges," said Henry.  Being a government owned building, along with its landmarked historic status, the Legion of Honor Fine Arts Museum had to remain open to the public during load-in and rehearsals. In addition, the event was essentially outdoors, which meant cueing and rehearsals had to take place at night after closing hours.

"Another test of resolve was on the night before the event, the first and only dress rehearsal, and there was a torrential rainfall. Although it doesn't rain much in California, UVLD Production Electrician Sal Restuccia anticipated this event and budgeted accordingly upfront.  Thanks to Sal and his Local 16 crew, as well as 4Wall coordinating the ebb and flow of trucks, everything was taken in stride," explained Henry.

As for instrumentation, the designer decided to go with the Clay Paky Mythos fixtures as the main beam light, both inside and out. "They certainly have the punch and in their wide zoom mode, were perfect at low trim points within the tent for  texture," said Henry.

To light the 500ft of interior walls Color Force 72" and 48" LED strips were used. The Color Force 12's were used to up light the columns. For the entertainment, Martin MAC Viper DX's were used as front light at the high point of the tent and Martin MAC Auras were spaced along a pipe at the low pitch of the tent as back light.

Chauvet Rouge R1 Wash units lit the tent interior and individual tables. "These fixtures were a pleasant surprise. I originally specified Mac 101's for the task and was introduced to the R1 Wash by Bob Gaynor, of 4Wall Las Vegas, who offered these as a replacement. They have the added feature of being able to zoom in essentially the same sized package with higher output. They're now my favorite fixture in that range of units," said Henry.

MAC Viper Performance and Mythos units were used to highlight performers and sculptures within the audience. A ring of Ayrton Magic Blade-R fixtures were placed over a small circular stage that would spin and rise for dramatic cello performances by Tina Guo, an international cellist.