By: Allie Hughes, Summer 2013 Marketing Intern
Whenever people find out I am a marketing intern at the
Gwinnett Center this summer, the first question they always ask is, “What is it
like to work during a concert?!”. So…let
me tell you!
So far, I have worked three events this summer, but Beyoncé
was by far the biggest event I have ever been to at The Arena at Gwinnett
Center, working or not. I realized it
was going to be a crazy day from the moment I pulled into the parking lot. Staff usually parks in the back, but Beyoncé
had a whopping 28 tour buses, so we parked in the front. When I walked up to The Arena that morning,
there were already people lined up at the Box Office waiting to get last-minute
tickets. There were also people
wandering around with lawn chairs in tow prepared to wait outside all day so
they could be first inside when doors opened for the general admission floor
tickets.
Seeing The Arena transform throughout the day was fascinating. The first time I got a peek, there were so
many boxes and crates that I did not see how the stage crew could possibly keep
it all organized, but by afternoon it had turned into an elaborate stage set-up
ready to be rocked by Beyoncé. Before this internship, I had never really
thought about how much time and effort goes into setting up a stage…and the
most amazing thing is they do all of that work for a 3 hour show, tear it down,
pack it up, and get ready to do the same thing the next night. All I can say is the stage crew deserves more
recognition than they receive. THEY are
rockstars.
Before the doors opened, there was a security meeting in
which the venue staff met with the tour staff to ensure that everyone was aware
of the operations for the night. They
discussed things such as how the pyrotechnics and confetti would work and what
happens during parts of the set list.
These meetings are interesting because they are all so different depending
on what artist is performing.
After the meeting, The Crafty Cakery provided a cake to give
the tour, welcoming them to The Arena at Gwinnett Center. The cake looked absolutely AMAZING! Don’t
believe me? Take a look for
yourself! Doesn’t it look delicious?
One thing I have to say about Beyoncé fans is that they sure
are enthusiastic!
If you looked up
“dedicated” in the dictionary, you would probably see their picture.
They waited outside all day just to be close
to the stage.
As if waiting outside all
day isn’t dedicated enough, they waited through a thunderstorm.
The grey skies were illuminated with frequent
lightning and the rain was enough to flood the back entrance.
With weather like that, I expected them all
to be tired and cranky, but the anticipation was enough to keep them cheering and
having a good time.
To thank them for
their patience and dedication, Gwinnett Center staff passed out frozen lemonade
treats courtesy of Proof of the Pudding.
I really enjoyed interacting with the fans because they were all so excited
for the concert and appreciative of the lemonade.
With show time approaching, we decided to go up to the
catwalk to take some pictures for our social media sites. The view from that height was
breathtaking...and a little scary. Everybody
below looked like little bees (or should I say Beys?) buzzing around, but it
really was remarkable. When the music
for “Who Run the World” started and the dancers climbed up from underneath the
stage, the crowd erupted, but nothing had prepared me for how loud the fans
would be when Beyoncé herself appeared.
Let’s just say my ears are STILL ringing.
I now have a new answer to the age-old question “Who run the
world?” ….BEYONCE. That’s who.
