February 21, 2001

54th Presidential Inauguration

Washington, D.C.

by Denise Harrison


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Designer/Installer/Operator:
Current Events International

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Current Events International (CEI) in Jessup, MD was the official technical services provider for many of the 54th Presidential Inaugural events. Those included nine inaugural balls, three candlelight dinners, the VP Elect's Salute to Veterans Event, the 1st Lady's Salute to American Authors and the Prayer Service at the National Cathedral. The balls ranged from 4,000 to 12,000 guests, and were held in the largest venues in the Capital, such as the National Building Museum, Washington Armory, Union Station, Reagan International Trade Center, Washington Convention Center, Washington Hilton and Marriott Wardman Park Hotel.

The contract was for design, management and production of all lighting, audio and video needs for the events from Thursday January 18th through Saturday, January 20, 2001.

With the final election results being confirmed so late, this year's Inaugural team had far less time than normal to do it's work. Ajay Patil, Vice President of Sales for CEI, and the company's point person for the Inaugural effort said "CEI pulled together equipment and personnel from all over the country for this mammoth undertaking in less than three weeks."

CEI used an incredible amount of equipment. Eight hundred intelligent lights, more than 4,000 Pars, and 500 Source 4 Lekos, more than 3,000 feet of truss, 600 channels of dimming, 700 channels of press mult, 580 speaker cabinets, 230 power amps and 300 motors were used to provide lighting and sound.

Brian Boatwright, CEI's overall production manager on the project, said that from a lighting standpoint alone, it was quite a challenge. "We have to consider the requirements of the press and make sure the Presidential party looks good on television; the needs of the wide variety of national and local entertainment; and the decorative and architectural lighting requirements at each very distinct venue."

The King of Prussia based company has been in business for thirteen years, during which time it has worked on the 1993 and 1997 Presidential Inaugurals, 1996 Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, the 1995 and 1999 Governor Ridge Inaugurals, the NCAA Final Four, the Super Bowl, the Sugar Bowl, the Republican National Convention, Mardi Gras Balls and numerous other corporate events around the world. CEI has handled events in Madrid, Paris, Geneva, Milan and Berlin, as well as throughout North America in cities as diverse as Vancouver, San Francisco, Los Angeles, San Diego, Las Vegas, Chicago, Phoenix, San Antonio, St. Louis, New Orleans, Miami, Tampa, Orlando, Atlanta, Charlotte, Richmond and Ames, Iowa.

David Sorin, President of CEI, says "We are involved in any number of exciting events in the course of a year, but there is nothing like a Presidential Inaugural-it is part spectacle, part history and really provides the sense of being part of something very important and very patriotic."



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