Your Brand Is Your Decor...
Or at least part of it! We here at HYPE! have always believed that a company’s brand should play a central role in the décor of corporate events. The 50th Celebration of TGI Fridays, in its founding city of Manhattan, proved to be the perfect opportunity to kick it up a notch. HYPE! was privileged to consult for the 4th year with Strike Up Your Brand for the TGI Fridays Global Business Conference. And let me tell you, they LOVE their brand! Each year becomes a challenge to outdo the last, but 2015 was a huge success.
Each year we incorporate POP, signage, soft goods, service items, tchotchkes, attendee flair (and anything else we can think of) to put the Fridays Fun into each event. We had the goods shipped cross-country to consolidate freight and shipping costs. Sorting through 2 semi-trucks of boxes is a lot of work but is a great workout. If you've planned an event before, the pictures below might look familiar to what your storage room looks like in those first few hours of preparation.
The production company was hard at work for several days transforming the Hilton Midtown Grand Ballroom. It takes a village, people!
Fridays took over the hotel - from the lobby to the elevator doors to the pre-function space. Believe me - if it could be branded, it was! Our branding and graphics teams worked tirelessly to install all of these elements throughout the hotel. The teamwork they executed to install the graphics under the escalator alone was pretty impressive. Installation began on Wednesday and by the end of day Friday, the New York Hilton Midtown was transformed.
The Fridays international owners arrive a day early, not only to combat jetlag but to participate in additional programming. Each year kicks off with a lovely dinner for the owners, their guests, and the executive leadership team. With pint-size entertainment, a wonderful evening of Fridays cheer was had by all.
Time to officially get this party started...literally. The first order of business was to host a happy hour prior to the Opening General Session. Fridays food & cocktails were served in Fridays-branded glassware, from Fridays-branded bars by Fridays best Bartenders Worldwide. The Fridays & Hilton culinary teams worked in tandem to execute a flawless event.
Immediately following the Opening General Session, all 1,250 guests walked over to Rockefeller Center for a rockin’ New York-style party. With the ice rink covered in red carpet, it became a dance floor like no other with the DJ and break dancers keeping the crowd pumped up all night. Even bystanders overlooking the party were dancing to the beat.
Inside the concourse and the restaurants, there was a little something for everyone: bucket drummers, street performers, singer-songwriter duo in the beer garden, a jazz trio, Fabulous-Baker-Boy-esque singer in the Soho Piano Lounge and even Lady Liberty herself made an appearance.
Once again, the Fridays brand was incorporated into the décor of the event. If only we had a picture of the lone pillow in coat check intended to be taken home as a souvenir…those are always a huge hit but rarely see the end of an event.
The final night celebration party took place on The Intrepid. It was a party through the decades and for the decades! From 1965 to Beyond, the yearly theme was woven into every detail from the décor to the entertainment to the giveaways.
Why can’t every meeting wrap up with a Hangover Brunch?! That’s exactly how we began the final day of this epic 50th Celebration. The attendees were given a sneak peek into new menu items and cocktails (in Fridays-branded glassware of course) that were featured in Fridays soon-to-be-debuted Hangover Brunch.
Cheers to another great event! And Cheers to 50 Years!