E!’s House of Villians Premiere Party
Everyone loves a villain, including Empire, who was tapped by E! to produce the premiere party for their new reality competition seriesHouse of Villains. The new hit show, hosted by Joel McHale, brings together 10 of the most iconic villains in reality TV history to live in a mansion, while out-scheming each other through a series of challenges in order to win a cash prize and the title of “America’s Ultimate Supervillain."
Held in the West Hollywood restaurant Ysabel, the premiere party was attended by HOV cast, and dozens of social media influencers and press.
To maximize social media buzz,House of Villains show branding was seamlessly integrated throughout all of Ysabel, creating infinite instagrammable moments from the giant 8-ft snake-entwisted E! at entry, to the large projection over the 20-ft Step & Repeat, the vinyl-wrapped and plushed-out lounge steps, and the devil horn mirror clings in the bathroom.
Further amplifying HOV’s social spread, guests could step into either of 2 stylish, custom video activations where they could “Be the Villain,” accompanied by a menagerie of props representing the infamous cast (e.g. Fairplay’s RIP GRANDMA tombstone),or let everyone “Pick Their Villain Inspo,” while posturing for the camera amidst cast voice-overs like Bobby Lytes' line,“I’m going to be flat out honest.I AM a villain. But I’m a FUN villain.”
In between sips of specialty cocktails aptly dubbed “The Bad Apple” and “The Supervillain,” guests noshed on Ysabel’s delicious Contemporary American fare which included wagyu beef skewers, fried chicken sliders, and mushroom risotto. DJ Dazzler kept the energy high with her music stylings, and mixologists from Magic & Cocktails added plenty of flair in the form of smoke bubbles and fire effects while doling out drinks at the bars.
Empire is a leading producer of experiential events and premieres and managed elements including venue, design & decor, guest logistics, food & beverage, technical production, video activations, DJ, and permitting.
Guests received their first taste of technological innovation at registration, where they were welcomed by name on a reactive LED screen installation covering the full width of the entry wall. A large lunch café was created with a décor scheme that incorporated custom-built, ceiling-high steel LED frames draped with foliage to create smaller, intimate restaurant-style spaces that displayed both technology and nature.
A series of breakout sessions presented content targeted to attendees’ varied interests, while imagery displayed throughout the venue showcased real-life applications of how products designed to empower developers help to unleash the power of data and reimagine possibilities that will improve our world.
Every element of Microsoft Connect(); from registration, breakfast and keynote, to lunch and evening cocktails, were custom-designed to communicate exacting brand messaging and to deliver a high-touch guest experience to this important audience. The keynote and breakout sessions were livestreamed through an onsite studio built for this purpose and content was watched online by millions around the world.
Empire is proud to collaborate with Microsoft on this annual, top-tier business communication event.
To view excerpts of Connect(); 2017, please visit https://www.microsoft.com/connectevent
