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Managing the Guest Experience

Last week I gave you a look at the spectacular performances by Quixotic, a Cirque Nouveau dance troupe at the opening event for the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Los Angeles. This week I want to show you how we created and managed a guest experience using LED wristbands and unique signage to guide groups through an event that took place over 73 stories. Want to know more? Read on!  

The program for the Grand Opening of the Intercontinental Hotel in downtown Los Angeles was very carefully planned with four timed vignette performances incorporating a new genre of cirque talent set to choreographed visuals onscreen. This culminated into a timed building lighting on the exterior of the venue. Everything had to occur exactly on schedule and there were a lot of moving parts!

The celebration took place across 73 floors of the hotel, and we needed a unique way to guide guests through venue. Upon arrival, guests were given a LED wristband, which was used throughout the evening to signal them that it was time to move on to the next experience. 

The 800 attendees were divided into groups and each group's wristbands blinked to indicate that their next destination was beckoning. 

The wristbands were a perfect solution to stay on-time and organized! 

We also used human signage, creatively dressed as lamps, and brand ambassadors to serve as reference points for the guests. 

The human lamps were a big hit!

These elements were a fun and creative way to incorporate technology into a very complex event and venue layout. Don't be afraid to think outside of the box!

Stay tuned for my last article next week about the logistics behind this magical evening!

Photos: Maya Myers Photography

David Merrell will be at Catersource! Click HERE for the most updated information on our 2019 show!

David Merrell

Founder/President

Since founding AOO Events in 1989, the name David E. Merrell has become synonymous with cutting-edge event design for live and staged productions. David is a sought-after producer with a growing list of Fortune 500 and international corporations for product launches, corporate events, celebrity-attended fundraisers as well as intimate weddings.

Throughout the years, AOO has taken home more than 25 awards in a multitude of categories including Best Event Décor, Best Entertainment Concept and Execution, Best Corporate Event, Best Logistics, Best Social Event, Best Wedding, Best Association Event, and Best Non-profit Event. Personally, David has been named “Designer of the Year” and “Marketer of the

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