Live from Tennessee: The first-ever music performance in two cities at the same time.

For three days, we beamed four artists from three Tennessee cities to a single street corner in downtown Chicago via a two-sided digital billboard. The artists — Jason Isbell, Citizen Cope, Old Crow Medicine Show and Ashley Monroe — not only were established hit-makers, but also had strong ties to Tennessee. Using multiple cameras and synchronized satellite feeds, we created a 360-degree view of the artists, giving the appearance they were actually standing on the sidewalk. Passers-by got an intimate performance and could actually interact with the artists, who chatted, took song requests, signed posters and even gave away trips to Tennessee. By turning an ordinary digital billboard into a portal, we were able to give Chicagoans a taste of what happens every day in Tennessee.

In the weeks leading up to the pop-up performances, we generated buzz by placing show posters in outdoor placements around Chicago hinting that Tennessee music was coming, but provided no details about where it might happen. Then days before, the artists used their social channels to further hint about the events.

We then set up an ordinary-looking digital billboard on Chicago’s famous Michigan Avenue and, for three days, turned it into a portal by beaming four artists from Tennessee onto the street corner to surprise passers-by with an intimate performance.

We invited press and influencers to attend the performances in Tennessee to further spread the word. After the live events, we turned the artists’ performances into 360-degree videos and placed them on Facebook, YouTube and the artists’ personal social channels.

Thousands of people saw the concerts live, but the event reached far beyond that, generating 1.24 billion earned media impressions and more than $2 million in media value. Ninety-four percent of those who saw the performances said it made them consider visiting Tennessee. Proof of that was a 38 percent increase in search interest from Chicago in the months that followed, and a 139 percent increase in bookings from Chicago in late summer.