Let's Start at the Beginning

When guests entered the space they were greeted with a Vintage Vegas party by themed entertainers. We began the party using a swanky, slow build with live performances from The Rat Pack, Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe. Guests enjoyed walking around and snapping selfies with the showgirls and other interactive characters while a speed-painter designed the Las Vegas skyline on a large canvas.

A DJ came over the speaker and asked the crowd if they were ready to switch up the party. As guests cheered, the lights and video graphics morphed into a crazy 80’s design as our high-energy 1980s band entered. The 1980s was all about excess, so we brought its “go big or go home” attitude with break dancers, Ghostbuster characters, and oversized, custom-designed Pac-Man characters. A host of 80’s impersonators, from Pee-Wee Herman to Tina Turner, grooved throughout the crowd as Jane Fonda-Esque exercise dancers tossed neon necklaces to the guests.

The DJ once again came on the speakers to ask the crowd if they were ready to move into the future. At this point the crowd was not just cheering, they were screaming. The DJ began to play pulsating tunes from his 3D booth, feeding into the crowd’s already frenzied energy. Mood lighting and graphics once again switched up to match the new theme. Electrifying futuristic characters moved throughout the space along with a myriad of LED glowing performers.

Keep Calm and Party On

We wanted to shake up the traditional event experience that uses different rooms and décor to segment themes. We began the bold challenge of transforming a single room into three different themes that would reveal themselves to guests over the course of the night. To set the foundation, we designed a plan that utilized furniture, décor, lighting, and screens that worked well with each theme. For the client’s high-priority item of entertainment, we scheduled a team of over 75 performers that would each have a role in all three thematic concepts. We developed a comprehensive show flow to map out the night, clearly detailing how the performers would be cross-utilized.

The event was originally scheduled to be in the pool area of the hotel, which only allowed a two-hour window for load-in. However, a sudden, rare rainstorm approached the Las Vegas Strip. Thirty minutes into our two-hour load-in window, the hotel made the call to move the party into the Chelsea Theatre. Our already short turn time became even tighter as we had 90 minutes to mobilize over 75 performers from a dozen different companies to new green rooms and performance spaces, liaise with the client’s lighting and audio provider to re-focus lighting and microphone placement, move and set all décor elements, and rehearse the transitions between the different themes. Had we been less experienced or unaccustomed to dealing with unexpected challenges, this could have spelled disaster for the entire night and set a sour tone for the beginning of the conference.

The Final Exclamation

The guests thoroughly enjoyed themselves and how our themes steadily increased in color and complexity throughout the night. Guests were continually surprised, which resulted in a heightened energy that continued to build each time the performers came out for the next theme. We knew we had hit the marks of our client after they kept walking by us and giving us a thumbs up to let us know everything was going great. We made sure to meet with the client the following day to conduct a post-event feedback discussion, and they told us several times how much they loved the concept we came up with.

1,600 guests, 90-minute set-up time, 75 performers, and 3 event themes in 1 event space after a brutal, sudden rain storm. We have backup plans so the last-minute weather doesn’t rain on your parade. It’s what we do!