UVLD was excited to return for Walmart Associates Week 2023. Once again, we were fortunate to work for the top-notch production team led by David Kenyon and LEO Events.

This project is unique on many levels, and it highlights UVLD’s ability to integrate a top-level corporate event with world-class headliners. We rely on a great time to pull off a great show.

Associates Week is an annual celebration centered around Walmart’s shareholder’s meeting. It’s a vibrant week-long celebration dedicated to Walmart’s associates from around the globe. This year, the festivities kicked off on June 2nd in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where a grand celebration featured entertainment and messages from senior leaders.

Greg Cohen and Matt Webb tackled the challenge of lighting the multi-level set designed by the ever-awesome Star Kahn at the Bud Walton Arena. Working with creative direction from LEO’s Chris Simmons, they had the crucial task of creating a lighting design that catered to the live audience’s viewpoint and looked great for the cameras. Steve Barrett made everything run smoothly by flawlessly executing his job as technical director.

As in past years, the talent was eye-popping: Shina Twain, John Legend, Snoop Dog, Sam Hunt, and Rachel Platten, to name a few. The show was hosted by Kevin Hart.

Kevin Lawson took the lead on lighting the Wednesday night concert, where he showed his skills in a different setting. Using his experience in TV show lighting, Kevin crafted a unique atmosphere that transformed the arena into an intimate concert space. Collaborating with Billy Idol’s lighting designer and creating a personalized set for Salt’n’peppa and Wang Chung kept him busy, but his work paid off with a great-looking concert.

Over at the Barnhill Arena, where Walmart International and the Sam’s Club subsidiary held their shows, we were once again thrilled to be involved. Sam Swagert faced the unique challenges of a different set and a compressed schedule but navigated them smoothly to deliver a fantastic-looking show.  Sam was responsible for enhancing the audience experience through the programming of Glowmotion wristbands, which added hype and emphasized brand colors. Jim Dorroh was the technical director for this venue.

Pete Campbell served as production electrician and made it all happen. Gear was from upstaging, and UVLD remains grateful for their ongoing contribution to this project.

This year’s Walmart Associates Week was another opportunity for us at UVLD to showcase our expertise and passion for what we do. Working with a fantastic team, including the brilliant David Kenyon and the crew at @leoevents, made the process even more enjoyable and rewarding. We’re grateful for these experiences and look forward to many more in the future.