The invitation-only activation for CMOs during IMEX demonstrated the power of live events
How do you surprise and delight veteran marketing executives who have seen it all? A collaboration among Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, InVision Communications, Allegiant Stadium Private Events and IMEX Group set its collective sights on wowing the leaders tasked with impacting hearts and minds every day—and the result was a masterclass in making an impression. We talked to the forces behind the debut experience of Brand Experience Summit on the Monday of IMEX and came away with three lessons.
1. Focus on the Target Audience POV
Meeting professionals know that some of the best ideas happen between sessions. Angie Smith, CEO of InVision Communications, explained that the idea for Brand Experience Summit started at Event Marketing Summit in May when a hallway conversation around involving event planners’ bosses’ bosses gained traction as a way of expanding the conversation about the role of live events to the top of the marketing pipeline.
The guest list for this high-touch, personalized experience included 36 chief marketing officers and senior vice presidents, essentially heads of brand, along with executives leading large portfolios of experiential events—by definition, people who have seen it all when it comes to activations.
Debby Jacobs Felker, founder and president of It’s Buzzworthy, described how after getting the call from Ashley Hinsen, vice president of sales and private events at Allegiant Stadium, asking for a collaborative experience that called on uniquely Las Vegas elements to wow the people charged with wowing audiences, the first step was to go to the stadium and take it all in. “Ashley and I stood there in the middle of the field and envisioned all the elements, the surprise of coming back for dinner, the energy of the music and the dancers coming down from the suites with literal fanfare, all of the senses heightened when they aren’t expecting it,” she explained.
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“What Vegas does so well is unique experiences with all the talent in town to instill emotion and I could tell by the looks on their faces and that they were filming it with their phones that we had succeeded,” she said.
But getting to that point required putting themselves in the footsteps of attendees and asking some fundamental questions. “What is someone going to remember? What senses do we evoke and when? Where’s the crescendo and where’s the next?” That’s the nuts and bolts of leaving an impression, regardless of budget, Hinsen advised.
Attendees were treated to a demonstration of how live events create brand advocate communities in a venue designed to excite rabid Las Vegas football fans. Who better to illustrate that message than Johnny Earle, founder and CEO of Johnny Cupcakes, a clothing brand and T-shirt bakery that has grown into a movement centered around the creative environment he created at his flagship store in Boston.
Dan Preiss, vice president, experiential marketing, Dell Technologies, pointed to the authenticity of their partnership with McLaren Racing. “As McLaren’s official technology partner, we help the team leverage our technology, which is critical in Formula 1, where every second matters.
“Having the ability to take this partnership and bring it to life with activations and custom experiences all over the world is something we’re quite proud of. In the end it’s truly about showcasing how ideas lead to innovation and giving our attendees the tools and motivation to take these experiences home with them and put them to use.”
Both examples inspired guests to feel like they were a part of something special.
“Sometimes we forget to talk about the true power of events to create brand loyalty because we are focusing on the logistics or the scores,” said Smith. “You have to take a step back and have other people talk about all the important things live events accomplish for a company.”
2. Make It VIP From Start to Finish
In a logistical feat of synchronizing busy schedules, attendees were driven onto the field at Allegiant Stadium in private SUVs. “It was essentially a stadium buyout for 35 people,” said Hinsen.
After a Champagne toast and opening remarks, each component of the afternoon moved to a different part of the stadium until guests were danced onto a completely transformed field for a big reveal of what felt like an intimate dinner in the middle of a space that holds 60,000 people on game days.
While guests were away taking part in progressive activations of numerous spaces, including the football and cheerleader locker rooms and an event space with a dramatic view of The Strip, a kitchen had been built on the field and tables placed on the 50-yard-line. Each moment built in intensity leading up to the grand finale. There, Silver & Black Hospitality in conjunction with local celebrity chef James Trees of Esther’s Kitchen awaited to explain the culinary mastery they were about to enjoy. It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience with modern nods to the past that celebrated “new Vegas” even the most jaded executive would want to share.
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“We thought ‘outside-the-stadium’ and gave each experience within the venue the opportunity for a real wow factor. The dinner on the 50 yard line was the ‘chef’s kiss’ to a day full of surprise and delight around every corner,” said Hinsen. She said the collaborative approach the team took to create a one-of-a-kind event is the way of the future for the stadium in creating experiences that people want to come back to.
“It was such a treat to be able to show off to this audience that a place like Allegiant Stadium can host an intimate private event and a concert for pink or a soccer game,” said Smith. “We made it about them and what they do and how they can open their eyes to what is possible and will advance your career. That is why they were willing to take time out of their schedules to trust that we would deliver,” she added.
3. Collaborate to Create Value
When creating something completely new from scratch, Rebecca DeLuca, vice president of destination sales with Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority, suggested getting the best team possible together. In addition to Allegiant and InVision, IMEX Group was an important part of the coalition, linking the purpose of live events with the goals of heads of brand. “IMEX America is our Super Bowl of events and we need to elevate who is participating,” she said. That is why it had to happen on Smart Monday so the marketing leaders could go see the energy at Mandalay Bay Convention Center for themselves while they were in town.
The short timeframe required the team to revisit every detail in regular meetings and texts. “We are still all texting regularly even after it is over,” DeLuca said.
From here, DeLuca is eager to explore what intimate experience could be planned for next year to continue the conversation. “When you get these brilliant minds together, you see sparks fly,” she said.
The fire the group was trying to ignite was bigger than the number of people in attendance or even Las Vegas. “It was about elevating this incredible industry and career that we’ve all chosen,” Smith said.
