Power of Production for Solaz Gala Celebration

Posted on December 14th, 2018 by Melissa Paul

Power of Production

The power of production in event design and the incredible impact it has on the success of an event should not be underestimated. From lighting and staging, set design, special effects, audio/visuals, entertainment and multi-media installations — it all plays a purposeful part in producing an unforgettable event! For example…

Event Production for Engage! Gala at Solaz

For the recent Engage Summits luxury business conference at Solaz, a Luxury Collection Resort we were inspired to plan the gala celebration, not down by the beach, but in the Canadas courtyard nestled deep inside the hotel grounds. Carlos Damy, our CEO and Executive Producer, knew Canadas was the right spot for the special event from the first moment he saw it! He immediately saw how the guests would arrive from the lobby just above, looking down to the oval courtyard space below and how the walls of Canadas could be used as gallery space. Carlos also saw it was the perfect space to showcase a Mexican Modern Art theme using the existing artistic interior design of the hotel as a starting palette, as well as to specifically take theatrical advantage of the contemporary external architecture of the buildings.

Embracing the Idea

Although the Engage! conference had never had a gala planned outside before (in #10yearsofengage), we were thrilled when Rebecca Grinnals and Kathryn Arce, the owners of the conference, and hotel management agreed to the plan! The event concept for the Engage! gala was a GO!

Dramatic lighting and special effects were used throughout the event, directed onto and from the various resort buildings. And as a focal point for the event program, music, and entertainment, a backdrop of LED screens was placed on a large multi-tiered stage. All night long event branded imagery and specialty lighting flowed with the action in the room. On the LED screens on stage, as well as on custom-made wooden framed screens placed around the perimeter. From the beginning of the event planning, we had dreamed about living paintings being involved. The wooden frames realized that dream as Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera’s artwork was exhibited on the screens throughout the night.

Entertaining Focus

There is so much to share about the event concept and design details involved, and we will be shining some specific light on each aspect of the event design in further blog posts. However, it is critical at this point in the storytelling to highlight the amazing synergy ELENA DAMY and ELAN ARTISTS created together for the gala. As a global specialist in music and entertainment, Josh Friedman and his talented team from Elan Artists, created incredible energy for the gala celebration. The production team also coordinated the program with the lighting, to make sure all aspects were cohesive to the big picture event concept. We will be sharing more on all the entertainment in a separate post someday soon!

Fireworks from the Buildings

AND we even shot fireworks off the buildings which lit the whole sky over Solaz Resort in sparkles! It was SPECTACULAR, to say the least! There is so much to share on this gala event, and we’ll be doing that more and more in the coming weeks, but for now… With our whole hearts and with deep respect, we wish to thank Team Engage for trusting our vision for the party. That gratitude and love extend to our hard-working event partners who contributed their time, artistry, talent, support, and collaboration!

{Event Credits: Event: #Engage18; Location: @solazresortloscabos; Creative Director + Event Planning + Event Design + Floral Design + Furniture & Decor: #elenadamy; Incredible Music & Entertainment: @elanartists; Event Branding, Gifting Design & Curation: @TPDDesignHouse; Escort Cards + Menus : @TPDDesignHouse; Fireworks: www.cabofireworks.mx ; LED screens, lighting, audio & backline: @trilogy.produccion.cabo; Staging & dance floor: @vvrproductionhouse; Lighting & audio for Gala cocktail & after party: www.encore-mx.com; Linens and napkins: @latavola; Chargers: @BBJLinenPhotographers who captured the event: @c10ike @lovelifeimages@katieedwardsphoto @bangastudios@erickelley }

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