Checking in With: Greg Holford, Just Returned From The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Osaka, Japan

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Catching up with Greg Holford who just returned from nearly 5 weeks in Japan where he directed
the World Press Event and the Grand Opening of "The Wizarding World of Harry Potter" at Universal Studios Japan.

"We held two very different, distinct events for this opening. For the World Press Event on July 14th we had about 1,200 invited guests. Domestic and international media as well as Universal Studio and Warner Bros. officials attended opening night. Opening Day for the public took place the next day. We rolled out the opening as a gradual event, inviting 500 selected guests to lead the first wave of 5,000 as we opened the gates. In total, we had about 15,000 people in the park the first day.


The Monday Opening Night concept included a red carpet arrival for the attending "Harry Potter" stars Tom Felton (Draco Malfoy) and Evanna Lynch (Luna Lovegood. In keeping with the theme of magic and wizardry, we revealed Hogsmeade with a "Spell" - as speeches concluded we illuminated in stages, slowly growing until Hogsmeade was brought fully into light. We then immersed all guests with fireworks that surrounded the entire land. We really surprised the guests with that effect!

We also created magic for the big public Opening Day.
Early Tuesday morning, Lynch and Felton performed a mock "Revelio" spell -- a charm used to reveal concealed objects -- after which the archway entrance filled with smoke.
As it cleared, Hogsmeade village and all its characters were revealed to the masses of fans waiting to access the new attraction. 
                                                     
Once revealed, Tom and Evanna led a parade into the courtyard. We all believe that magic was involved in the opening. It had been raining for the whole month and a large typhoon ravaged the region. The rains stopped just hours before the Opening Night festivities started!"
No time to rest for Greg. He is booked up for the foreseeable future, already developing concepts for another big assignment: the 2022 World Cup in Doha, Qatar!


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