TEDx Portland 10th anniversary at Moda Center

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Image of a man standing on the main stage at the TEDx Portland 10th Year anniversary event
Musical performers on stage at the TEDx Portland 10th anniversary event
Woman presenting at the TEDx Portland 10th anniversary event
People on the main stage at the TEDx Portland 10th anniversary event

Client Objective

TEDx is a global brand built on one promise: ideas should travel. For TEDx Portland’s 10th anniversary at the Moda Center, the local team needed that promise to feel true in the room and on the record.

After multiple Covid-era cancellations, the objective became bigger than simply “put on a show.” They wanted a night that felt earned. Fifteen talks, live performances, and a packed arena require rhythm, clarity, and trust in the systems behind the curtain. Every cue has to land. Every handoff has to feel effortless.

So we approached this like a broadcast and a live event at the same time. Big, cinematic projection for the audience. Clean, consistent audio for every speaker. Multiple camera angles for storytelling. And a workflow that stays calm even when the program moves fast.

Benefits and Results

TEDx Portland asked to go big, so we built a canvas that could hold it. High-brightness 4K Barco projection filled a 130-foot widescreen, with additional portrait screens for IMAG and supporting content. The result felt immersive and intentional, not just “large.” It pulled attention to the stage, then kept it there.

To match that scale, we designed coverage like a live broadcast. A multi-camera package gave the director options for emotion and momentum, from clean close-ups to sweeping motion that made the arena feel intimate. Every transition mattered, because TEDx is built on pacing. The technology had to disappear so the ideas could do the talking.

On the audio side, we focused on one thing: intelligibility. Talks live or die on consonants. With a d&b line array system, a Yamaha CL5 console, and the right mic choices, every speaker stayed present and understood from the front row to the back section. The show landed as the biggest indoor TEDx Portland event to date, with a look and sound that matched the ambition of the night.

Key Systems

  • Projection: Barco UDX-4K40 4K laser projectors + Barco UDM-4K22 4K projectors

  • Screens: 15’x60′ borderless widescreen + 13.5’x24′ projection frames for IMAG

  • Screen management: Barco E2 4K screen management system

  • Cameras: Sony HDC-4300 camera package + Panasonic AW-UE150 4K PTZ + RF camera system + 24′ Jimmy Jib

  • Switching: Blackmagic ATEM 2 M/E production switcher

  • Recording: AJA Ki Pro Ultra Plus recorders + Pak media

  • Audio and mics: d&b line array system + Yamaha CL5 console + Shure Axient wireless + DPA 4066 headsets + Cedar DNS1000