Tag Archives: Event Bartenders NYC

Studio 54 Reimagined

Early October Highlife was tapped by Interview Magazine and the Mavenry Agency to bring to life the 50^th anniversary of Interview Magazine and the one and only Michael Kors gracing the cover. The iconic magazine by Andy Warhol has been inextricably linked to Studio 54 since day one. Democracy on the Floor: Warhol at Studio 54. “Dictatorship at the Door, Democracy on the Floor”: That’s how Andy Warhol famously described Studio 54. So we set out with this mission statement to re-create those decadent times.

A frequent guest of Studio 54 Andy was scene as a beacon of the artistic movement in downtown NYC. Notice the wheatpasted Interview Magazine covers seen in the BG. Taking this identity we re-imagined this look and feel for a modern day step & repeat where the NYC style of advertisements juxtaposed with the Interview Magazine cover.

The Infamous White Horse

“It was a beautiful white horse that reminded me of mine,” she writes, “and I made the foolish decision to get on it for a few minutes … No doubt you will agree with me that it is one thing to, on the spur of the moment, to get on a horse in a nightclub, but it is quite another to ride in on one. As an environmentalist and an animal rights defender I find the insinuation that I would ride a horse into a nightclub offensive … I hope that you can understand the difference between ‘coming in’ on a horse and getting on one.”

Oh Bianca. You know what they say “if you see a white horse you have to get on it” it was the custom in Studio 54 for the guests to indulge in many things that are ‘white’ perhaps riding a horse in a club. not the best idea. But for this imagery, we re-imagined it as an instagrammable moment. This new approach allowed people to get up close and take a photo with the model decked in MKC and also the brilliant white steed!

DANCE, DANCE, DANCE

The dancing in the club was probably what everyone came for. They sex, drugs, and debauchery was what everyone stayed for. To encourage this care-free act of inclusiveness the Studio 54 Dancers were decked in Silver with choreographed movements that would make Diana Ross Blush 🙂 Then Adding in the roller girls brought everything full circle.

Dancers

Finally, it wouldn’t be a disco without the disco balls. Reimagined as a platform stage in the space, this provided not only a stage for the dancers put a branded moment for photos and more.

A preliminary rendering shown here and then the branded UV-Light logo added for a more dynamic moment. This providing more than just a stage to dance on, but an interactive instagrammable vision.

Mirrorball Stage

Finally, a good time would not happen without the people involved. Kudos to the team at Michael Kors, Interview Magazine, The Mavenry, and HighLife Productions.

The People

Disco

Never

Dies

Disco Never Dies

WRITTEN BY

HighLife Productions

How to Plan a Bridal Shower

Bridal Showers Bring May Flowers and what do May Flowers bring… Weddings

HighLife Productions September 11, 2017

A Bridal Shower is an important tradition filled with excitement and fun. An excuse to get together with all of your besties and throw down. Here our chef RAPT took things to a whole nother level with some innovative farm-to-bar cocktails and delicious eats. A tropical themed escape in NYC that featured a Fig & Honey infused coconut water rum cocktail served in a coconut, a watermelon and vodka collins with grilled rose petals and finally the “Bea-llini” with sparkling rose’, green market peach, and lavender. Delish.

But most importantly here are 5 tips and tricks from the pros on how you can have a killer bridal shower without breaking the bank

LADIES ONLY — this is a time to celebrate and tell debaucherous stories from the bachelorette party. This is a time to gather with a small group of friends during the day-preferably Sunday and relax. This is not a time to throw on the heavy EDM music, do tequila shots and take that last chance at flirting as your single life comes to a close. Fresh food and drinks are a requirement and if you are inviting 30 of your closest friends and family — don’t forget the mother of the groom! Then it’s important to keep it classy San Diego.

2. Decor and Design- The best events are those that you can call your own. This does not include renting out the back room of the local irish pub where the normal brunch crowd sips bellini’s and mimosa. FIND A PRIVATE SPACE. There are tons of great, effective, inexpensive ways to do this. Splacer.co is a great resource as well as peerspace.com and breather. All of these online space sharing/finding sites are like airbnb but for the hour. Hell! We have even done pop-up parties IN airbnb’s just go online and reserve the place for the day. Another fantastic resource would be a friends building with an event space. Like the one pictured here. If you have a wonderful space you won’t need need much in the way of decor. A few classy balloons. Some fun bridal toys and you are set!

3. FOOD & DRINK — As this is mainly a brunch type event the food should be light not filling. This is not considered a full sit down meal. But an opportunity to get together with friends and enjoy some company. The same goes for the drinks. they should be seasonal and light. NO LONG ISLAND ICE TEA’s. As much as you like them, now is not the time. Save that for the bachelor party. Pictured below one of our cocktails served in a coconut. FUN RIGHT!

4. THE FUN — Games and toasts and gifts. Bridal showers are perfect opportunities for gift giving and for games that involve the bride and the baby to come and all the fun of getting married. This is precisely the time to make it happen! The best stories come out between friends with cocktails!

5. THE BRIDE — At the end of the afternoon this whole shebang is all about the bride. This is where you need a dedicated team of bridesmaids to swing into action and take the burden of decorating, hiring the caterer, finding the venue, and deciding on the menus and games. Here is where the bridesmaids step up and take control.

Message us on Instagram or hit us up via email and we can give you more tips and tricks to help make sure this ever important event goes off just right 🙂

xoxo

HighLife Productions & RAPT

HighLife Productions

Experiential Marketing NYC

Branded Events: Depth not Width

HighLife Productions March 17, 2017

A Branded event is different and yet the same as a private event. The thesis is always the same — to provide the best time possible for your guests. With branded events however you want to maximize your brand’s exposure and impressions — and not all impressions are good impressions. So how can you do this?

GETTING THE MOST OUT OF YOUR EVENT
1. Who are you inviting?
The guest list, especially at a branded event, is of utmost importance. These are the people/press/influencers/VIPs you are trying to reach with your message/product. This carefully cultivated list should be filled with people who actually care about you and your product. Depth not width. What I mean by this is that the people who are your fans will propel your message and support you more than the person who is attending because they are getting paid/free drinks/doing it for their own agenda. Carefully think about those around you who are on YOUR side and will be YOUR champion.

2. Interaction/Immersion
A branded event should be all about your brand. It is the star. it is the focus. From the minute your guests walk thru the door and beyond the star of the show should be your brand. This is a delicate line to walk because you want your branding to be present but not “in-you-face.” Classy vinyls on the window, signature cocktails, thematic color schemes all communicate your brands vision and aesthetic w/o saying “BUY ME.” Aggressive, in your face branding and advertising can actually have the exact opposite effect you are trying to build. Think about it like dating. Woo the girl/guy, charm her, flirt, tease, entice. Don’t try to get to home plate at the on the first swing.

3. The Staff.
At a branded event every staff member is a brand ambassador. From the bartender, to the check-in staff, to the waitresses, to the DJ. Everyone is a representative for the brand so having a staff that is courteous, attractive, professional and attractive all help cultivate the premium experience for the staff.

4. Social “Call-to-Action”
Because you want a lasting impact to stay with your guests when they leave you need a savvy social media plan. 1. Facebook event page- this is where all your info is displayed the where, when, why. 2. Ticketing confirmation and RSVP whether it’s splashthat or eventbrite these tools keep track of guests contact info (which is imperative to your mailing list) plus allow more branding activations on their pages 3. Custom hashtags allow you to see the impact of the event as well as cool photos people post themselves. 4. Snapchat geo-filters further propel this conversation outward on a variety of platforms. 5. Also what I like the most “Marco Polo” App which you can send custom video messages to all your attendees with announcements and then thanking them for coming. 6. Finally get everyone to follow your instagram and FB for further updates and news. Give your guests a little treat like a discount code on their next purchase or VIP access just for showing up at this event. Remember to seduce, charm, tease, your fans not go all in for the close right up front.

5. The Wrap Up
So what’s next? Your branded event was a huge success, the venue was amazing, the decor inspiring, the staff charming as hell, and the whole thing went off without a hitch. Video. Text. Voice. These three pillars of marketing are the three content channels with which you should develop assets from your event to keep your brand on the forefront of people’s minds. Use your event vid to chop up into super 1min chunks for IG, Use stills as a little reminder of the great times your guests had, and finally follow up with a blog or an email thanking everyone for coming and give them a little extra discount on the side for being so super cool.

BONUS

Events are one of the only ways I know to combine all of these things into one element. It’s all encompassing and totally immersive. These are the kinds of things that leave lasting impressions on people. Deep meaningful impacts because they touch the soul and something emotional within us. Seeking this deeper connection is much more meaningful than spreading all your marketing work to as many channels to as many people as possible without saying something meaningful. Depth not Width