We enjoy a good surprise party like the rest of them, especially when the surprise takes you to three different cities in two continents on three consecutive Saturdays! Planning such an event takes creativity and code names! So how did we create three unique experiences that still had a unifying theme? We focused on interpreting the client's top three requests - great music, great food & showcasing each city - across cultures and time zones to make every party unique and unforgettable.
Prague: Consulting on City One of the birthday adventure required out-of-the-box ideas to properly showcase Old World Europe and the guest of honor's hometown authentically. Guests cruised down the Vltava River to see the “city of a thousand spires" from a new perspective. Dining on local Czech cuisine and dancing to local rock bands created an event that would be hard to top.
New York City: Top it we did, on the 34th floor of One World Trade Center with 180 degree skyline and Statue of Liberty views. Incorporating the guest of honor's love of classical music, we brought in a quartet from world-renowned Juilliard School to develop a custom program that featured composer Antonín Dvorak, a native of the client's home country. The quartet performed a full length concert with intermission and interspersed with intimate question & answer sessions. Taking inspiration from the New World, guests ascended to the 35th floor to geometric intersecting place cards paying homage to the bold lines of the very skyscraper they were dining in.
Arizona: Given the success of surprises in Cities One and Two, the final party had to be wild. Scouring the Arizona deserts, we discovered a decommissioned restaurant at Saguaro Ranch, a private gated community outside Tucson. From the venue, only the Tucson lights in the distance and miles of cacti are visible, there was not a person or building in sight. Upping the wild west atmosphere and helping guests look the part, One Experience branded a personalized cowboy hat for each guest. In the warm desert air, guests proceeded upstairs to dine under the stars where they found their tables with the help of branded prickly pears. Local country western band Canyon Walls kept guests dancing all night until the cows came home!
It is important to focus on details large and small when planning any event, but when planning three for the same client you must make each event stand out for different and authentic reasons. Focusing on local specialities and unique venues, like personalized branded cowboy hats or a customized concert, will make for an unforgettable three city party no one will soon forget.
Surprise!
-DTE Team
Photo Credit: Pretty Instant
