For Immediate Release:

Friday, July 19, 2024

LAS VEGAS—Sphere, the 17,600-seat entertainment venue that opened in Las Vegas last September, has grabbed headlines for its visually stunning residencies from bands like U2. But last month, the venue hosted a very different type of event: a corporate keynote.
The address from Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Antonio Neri took place during HPE Discover, the company’s annual technology event that drew 14,000 attendees to the nearby Venetian Convention & Expo Center June 17-20. As Neri spoke, Sphere's 160,000-square-foot, 16,000-by-16,000-pixel wraparound screen—the highest-resolution LED screen in the world—showcased custom videos and animated graphics that fully immersed guests in the tech-forward concepts.
Sami Saaud, founder and chief creative officer of No Filter Creative, spearheaded the address's creative direction in collaboration with i4D Event Services and the venue's in-house content studio, Sphere Studios. Saaud, who has been working with the HPE team since 2012, was approached about the project almost a year ago and asked to focus on spotlighting HPE’s past, present, and future, plus the power of AI to solve the world's biggest problems. 
"They wanted to use the state-of-the-art venue to showcase not only their latest AI solutions but also their strategy and vision in a totally new and immersive way," he recalled. "This is the kind of design opportunity you may only get once in a lifetime—so naturally, I was all in." "The address focused on everything from HPE’s impressive history and culture as a Silicon Valley innovator to the power of AI to solve the world’s biggest problems," Saaud said, noting that HPE's 84-year history made up the first act of the speech. "The second act was about HPE’s customers and its ability to partner and bring its ecosystem together to drive business outcomes. It also focused on the HPE purpose of advancing the way people live and work."Photo: Eric Draper PhotographyA highlight of the address centered on the emergence of HPE as a generative AI enterprise power, featuring a partnership with AI powerhouse NVIDIA and its founder and CEO, Jensen Huang. "The presentation also marked the formal unveiling of the first-ever co-developed and co-branded HPE offering: NVIDIA AI Computing by HPE, including a breakthrough turnkey HPE Private Cloud AI service," Saaud noted.Photo: Eric Draper Photography
So, what exactly goes into delivering a presentation on Sphere's colossal LED screen? A whole lot of technical prowess—and a healthy dose of creativity. "The sheer magnitude of Sphere's canvas, spanning an area that fully envelops the audience in an immersive LED canvas, served as a platform for boundless creativity," Saaud explained. "But how does one achieve coherence on a screen larger than three football fields? That’s one of the many questions we asked when navigating the intricacies of this groundbreaking immersive experience."
"This is the kind of design opportunity you may only get once in a lifetime—so naturally, I was all in," said Saaud.Photo: Eric Draper PhotographyThe key, he continued, was finding innovative approaches to maintain visual impact while amplifying the HPE CEO’s message—without overshadowing his words, of course. "This meant stepping into uncharted territory," Saaud said, noting that he leaned into 3D visualization, spatial reasoning, and virtual reality to develop the show.
"Embracing Sphere’s cutting-edge technology unlocked exceptional opportunities to transform the seemingly impossible into reality," he added. In particular, "virtual reality proved to be a game changer in our creative arsenal, offering insights and possibilities previously unexplored. Sphere Studios’ VR simulation tools were instrumental in refining the project’s visual impact, offering new perspectives on how designs would manifest on Sphere’s massive canvas." Saaud has been working with HP and HPE since 2012—and credits that long-standing relationship with the success of the project. "As we know in this business, relationships are important, but it goes deeper than that," he explained. "In this kind of work, trust is everything. And the trust placed in me by HPE President and CEO Antonio Neri, chief marketing officer Jim Jackson, chief communications officer Jennifer Temple, and the entire HPE leadership team was the culmination of 12 years of hard work, close collaboration, and consistently delivering on a shared vision."Photo: Eric Draper Photography
In terms of the visuals, HPE's theme of “Intelligence Has No Limits” also provided extensive creative latitude. "Given our canvas, we knew we wanted to tap into Sphere’s leading-edge technology to tell our story," Saaud said. "We posed pertinent questions, engaged in active listening, and developed a deep understanding of the nuances of HPE’s technology. Then, we delved deep into the essence of the concept to distill its core components and translate them into a visual form."
He added, "Every facet of design, from subtle visual cues to immersive storytelling elements, was tailored to amplify the brand's presence and purpose, forging an emotional connection that transcended the confines of the screen. As the presentation unfolded, the brand emerged as the hero—subtly building the narrative and leaving a lasting impression on the audience." "Each decision was guided by new and old learnings, intuition, and a relentless pursuit of excellence," summed up Saud. "We worked with i4D Event Services and Sphere Studios to use creative problem-solving to develop approaches that preserved visual integrity and effectively conveyed our message."Photo: Eric Draper Photography
While most keynote speakers don't have a backdrop like the Sphere to play with, Saaud emphasized the power of visuals to enhance a presentation—regardless of event size. "[Use visuals as] a storytelling vehicle to amplify your message and engage your audience emotionally," he advised. "Know your audience, then incorporate images and animations that resonate with your core themes and avoid clutter. Effective visuals can transform complex ideas into memorable experiences, leaving a long-lasting impact. And at the end of the day, isn’t that what it’s all about?"