Shiraz Events teamed with the Oxygen network to produce the Oxygen Upfront event at the at PH-D Rooftop Lounge at the Dream Downtown hotel in New York City, transforming the space into an immersive event environment for attendees without overwhelming them with traditional graphics and signage.
2012 is a big year for Oxygen; the network has 50-percent more programming this year compared to last, and is launching 12 new shows this year. This event tied into a larger out-of-home campaign to spread the word about the new shows that started earlier this year.
The audience included 300 to 400 media buyers, executives and clients (as well as on-air talent), and Oxygen wanted to present the event in a way that was both non-traditional and super on-brand.
“Oxygen is a network for young women and we wanted to create an environment that really spoke to that,” says Oxygen Media vp-ad sales marketing Puja Vohra.
The PH-D venue was selected because of its cool aesthetics and gorgeous views of Manhattan. Oxygen wanted to make sure the event would be an energetic platform to celebrate the network’s new lineup of shows, and that the brand message was consistent for attendees from entrance to departure.
“Shiraz helped in transforming that space in a way that was super-branded, but it still retained what was cool about it, like the amazing view and fantastic décor. We wanted to have a balance of the two,” Vohra says.
Subtle elements like yellow flowers, pillows and round lanterns all tied in to the "O" message.
The entrance foyer featured colorful graphics hyping the network's new shows.
Branded balloons filled the hotel's atrium/courtyard.
The elevator was wrapped with graphics of Oxygen stars.
The "Generation-O" girls cheered guests on from atop a branded double-decker bus.
Oxygen ambassadors directed guests to the rooftop lounge once inside the hotel.
Inside…
The experience started before attendees set foot inside the Dream Downtown, with a branded double-decker bus parked out in front of the venue.
“It was very important that they saw a presence from afar. The bus was skinned with Oxygen graphics and it couldn’t be missed,” says Shiraz Events president Shai Tertner.
“Generation-O” brand ambassadors atop the bus were dressed in Oxygen’s signature yellow t-shirts and cheered guests on as they entered the hotel, amping them up for the experience.
“It got people excited and into the vibe and energy that we wanted to create,” Tertner says.
Inside, a yellow entry carpet brought guests into the hotel and up to photo booth to the right of the entrance, which allowed them to stop for a snapshot in front of a backdrop featuring their favorite Oxygen shows. The hotel’s interior atrium courtyard featured huge yellow and white branded balloons, as teams of Oxygen event gals with signs directed attendees to the elevators inside. The signs also listed the Twitter handles and hashtags that would play into the event environment later on.
Inside the elevator, the mirrored walls were wrapped with graphics of life-sized images of the stars of Oxygen’s popular shows, creating another level of immersion and excitement for guests.
“It was a way to take existing parts of the venue and turning them into an Oxygen world,” Tertner says.
Once upstairs, an entrance foyer featured floor-to-ceiling colorful branded graphics, which tied into the network’s “Live Out Loud” tagline and led guests into the main event space.
Upon entering, guests were met with a 14-by-25-foot arch structure embedded with programmable marquee-style light bulbs over a stage in the center of the space. The arch and the stage both took design cues from the iconic Oxygen “O” logo. The stage would later serve as a performance area for Oxygen talent to present their upcoming series, including “The Glee Project” seasons 1 and 2, “Girlfriend Confidential,” and “The Next Big Thing: NY.”
The sofas in the space were highlighted with yellow pillows and yellow floral arrangements throughout the venue all tied together to subtly envelope the guests in the Oxygen brand.
Projection screens throughout the venue ran content from Oxygen’s shows, as well as a Twitter feed that displayed the tweets of guests and celebs talking about the event. Those guests posting to Twitter using the @Oxygentrade and #getobsessed handles in their messages were showcased on the walls of the rooftop lounge. Photos of attendees taken throughout the night on WiFi enabled cameras were also displayed on these screens, surprising guests with their candid moments throughout the event.
Challenges
Time was of the essence for the team, as everything had to be out of the space within two hours of the end of the event, as it was scheduled to return to its regular function as a nightclub. Modularity was key when designing the scenery.
“Everything was designed in a way that it could be brought in overnight and set up quickly in the space. Our teams were able to break it down quickly, as well,” Tertner says.
The install and breakdown of the event was planned down to the minute because of the tight timeline, but the crew managed to get everything out in time, avoiding extra fees from the venue. Smooth.
