To celebrate their landmark 100th anniversary, the National Automobile Dealers Association wanted to commemorate with an extraordinary invitation-only, opening event unlike any other in the history of their annual conventions. They wanted something BIG in the Big Easy, a high stakes event for such an exclusive celebration.
We produced an authentic, mind-blowing New Orleans carnival, which included a spirited Mardi Gras parade throughout the entire venue complete with mini floats and police escorts, a battle of the high school bands, and culminating into a magnificent fireworks show over the Mississippi River. We kept the good times rolling throughout the night with non-stop entertainment and performances throughout the space.
We assembled 20 of the city’s most exclusive restaurants to serve well-known delicacies, such as famous chargrilled oysters from Drago’s and traditional Bananas Foster by Brennan’s. Outside in the plaza, guests were treated to the city’s most popular food trucks serving up loved-by-locals fare. We placed seven-foot-tall LED columns at each food station that identified each restaurant, chef and dish, so guests could easy find menu items across the event space.
Custom-branded bars featured LED screens displaying branding videos, while centerpieces were accented with red florals, emphasizing NADA’s main brand color. Contemporary décor included white lounge furniture groupings, strategically placed communal pub tables, and lighted high boys.
Based on the contracted number of vehicles provided by the client’s transportation partner, we planned to drop off 120 attendees every minute. This gave us a full hour to transfer 6,000 guests to the event. We also designated two arrival points to relieve crowd congestion, each outfitted with grand entrance concepts where guests were given branded LED beads to wear throughout the event.
Because of the dynamic layout of this multi-venue complex, we strategically placed people movers to guide attendees to locate entertainment, food, bars and numerous activations. This included can’t-miss LED-lit stilt walkers with custom signage that informed guests of event details and encouraged them to explore the space.
NADA rang in their 100th anniversary in the biggest way possible in the Big Easy. By immersing guests in the raucous world of Mardi Gras — from the Mardi Gras parade to the fireworks show over the Mississippi River — we created an experience that was undeniably New Orleans. Plus, the celebration didn’t just include one grand finale, but several high points that left attendees wowed beyond anything they’d seen or done before.
