You step into lush greenery with enormous, colourful leaves hanging off of curlicue tendrils. No, you're not hanging out in Stanley Park, just taking a sneak peek at the 2009 JUNO stage.

"I think this is one of the most ambitious sets we've ever attempted," John Brunton President & CEO, Executive Producer of Insight Productions tells CTV.ca.

"It's so colourful and dynamic, I really believe people will have smiles on their faces as soon as they walk into the arena."

Set designer Pete Faragher adds that when he and Brunton were looking at a photograph of Vancouver taken from space, the city was immediately surrounded by nature.

"You get out of the city and you're in paradise, so we wanted the larger than life foliage to surround the set," he says and laughs. "The set lands somewhere between Alice and Wonderland and the Wizard of Oz, set in Vancouver."

Initial inspiration

Wanting to stay away from clich�s -- ocean, mountains, skiing -- Faragher decided to combine the colourful fecundity of the West Coast with the clean lines of Vancouver.

"The stage portion of the set is very reminiscent of the architecture that's going on in downtown Vancouver right now," Faragher says.

Alongside the stainless steel, glossy black flooring, Brunton notes that the video screens are the largest he's ever worked with.

By changing the lighting and images projected onto the screens and video cubes, each band will be provided a distinct backdrop.

"In the Grammy's, it's a new set up for every act," Faragher says, "but we're able to maintain a thread of design throughout the show, while still allowing each band to have their own look."

Setting up

Late on Saturday night, General Motors Place began to shift from a sports arena into a concert stage. The lighting was hung on Monday and the stage set-up began first thing on Tuesday morning.

The 40-60 staff members will have to work fast though, as musicians begin rehearsing on stage on Friday.

Exciting performances

Where the awards show used have much more formal seating arrangements, Brunton says the focus has shifted to making the performances much more accessible.

"We started inviting fans to stand and have been designing sets to allow fans to come right up to the edge of the stage," Brunton says excitedly.

"It replicates much more of a rock and roll environment and it sparks way more dynamic and exciting performances."

Tickets for JUNO events and the 2009 JUNO Awards are still available. Click here for more information.

The JUNOS air on March 29 at 9 p.m. ET on CTV.