PRESS RELEASE
APRIL 6, 2020
NEW TYPE OF GRADUATION CEREMONY AS
MOBILE DRIVE-IN THEATER GETS REPURPOSED
Community Engagement thru Services Outside of Movies
AUSTIN, TX — Ultimate Outdoor Entertainment® — Graduating students throughout the country, at both high school and university levels, will not cross a stage to accept their diploma. “But the students are not as upset as their parents, it seems. Most of our customers are parents, and many have expressed sadness over missing this moment they’ve been looking forward to throughout their child’s life,” said Kat Randolph, Marketing and Sales Director of UOE. “Our Mobile Drive-In Theater package gives graduates the opportunity to receive that recognition and share that special moment, not only with their families but also their fellow students and friends – safely.”
Some universities have chosen to postpone events, while others have scheduled virtual graduation ceremonies. The Mobile Drive-In Graduation Ceremony brings the virtual graduation to life. Technology improvements over the last few years can allow for this celebration to include live footage from remote speakers and school administrators, streaming from inside or from the safely in their vehicles. Photos and videos of the graduates, whether previously filmed or live-streamed, can be shared in place of their walk across the stage. “We are most looking forward to seeing videos from viewers in their vehicles cheering, beeping their car horns, and feeling that community support of their efforts and achievements. We want the class of 2020 to feel what we all remember feeling, a valued sense of accomplishment among peers, parents, and respected faculty who helped along the way,” said Randolph.
UOE has sold out of their Mobile Drive-In LED Screen packages for this upcoming Easter Sunday, and drive-in graduation ceremony requests are beginning to catch up. “It has been challenging in the last two weeks to prepare and coordinate our largest screens and most experienced technicians for these huge last-minute bookings. We are making them happen, and we will be ready for the graduation ceremonies coming up over the next two months!” said Eric Lord, Director of Operations.
“We anticipated communities wanting to get out of the house safely after being cooped up for a few weeks, but we had no idea the extent of opportunities our Mobile Drive-In Movies would provide to so many different events that can no longer move forward in the standard way. We continue to be amazed at the new customers we are assisting, and the opportunities we have to serve increasing needs as they arise in this new environment. We are also very gracious to our regular customers who were forced to postpone recent events and who continue to book for summer and fall outdoor movie nights. We all know those will be much needed once we’re allowed to safely gather again.”
–Laura Landers, Owner and CEO
UOE’s drive-in division, branded as Full Moon Drive-In®, has literally exploded during the current COVID-19 atmosphere. The Drive-In has experienced a true reawakening due to it’s mobility. “When you can take the Drive-In experience directly to the customer, and customize it for their individual event needs, whether it’s a traditional movie, a semi-virtual graduation ceremony, or a drive-in church worship service, we are creating unique solutions for customer’s event needs”, Landers said. As the social distancing ordinances are extended, the Mobile Drive-In Theater offers not only movies, drive-in church and graduation services, but also provides a way to hold community fundraisers and gather communities in as close to the traditional way as possible – but socially distant and safely together.
After receiving over 100 inquiries from churches, universities, high schools, and traditional movie theaters looking for alternative solutions in this new era, UOE is gearing up for a busy summer season once the stay in place guidelines are lifted.
As a small business operating at a national level, UOE will continue to provide Drive-Ins and single-family Backyard Movie drop-off packages throughout the COVID-19 crisis until and they can resume all rentals again.
Ultimate Outdoor Entertainment (UOE) is the entertainment company taking outdoor events to the next level. UOE started in 2008 as a small business operating out of a garage in Austin, TX. Today, still a family-owned business, UOE operates in more than 20 major cities across 12 states, offering outdoor movies, LED screen rentals and photo booth rentals nationwide. www.uoe.com.
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If you would like more information about this topic, please call 888-669-1298 or email events@uoe.com.
