University of Southern California Widney Society Gala

Judge Robert Maclay Widney assembled a small council of leaders and shared his vision for the great university they would establish on the American frontier known today as the University of Southern California. They pledged to nurture and support the fledgling university; their vision, leadership and support which has inspired the Trojans for 132 years. In the spirit of Judge Widney, USC started a new tradition in 2012 to honor its leadership supporters by establishing a donor recognition society in his name. Benefactors who have donated $1 million or more in gifts or pledges to the university will be inducted into the Widney Society, recognizing their extraordinary generosity and foresight in creating an enduring legacy for the future at USC.

The inaugural gathering of the Widney Society brought together some 350 donors and guests. The gala dinner took place outside Widney Alumni House and Arena Americas was called upon to custom design and install a temporary environment that would accommodate the dinner and stage under one continuous structure in the limited space involved. Because it was important for the guests to see the house during the dinner, we had to design and manufacture the tent’s profile to create taller, custom legs along with the associated custom framework and fabric.

This event quickly turned into an annual celebration and Arena Americas has been working with them every year since.

Testimonial

“Everything was amazing and the tent blew everyone away! Your event manager was fantastic to work with and worked very hard. Please make sure the right people know that I truly appreciated his work ethic and his professionalism. Thank you again for everything!”