“First Class” was the theme of the American Chamber of Commerce (AmCham) South China’s winter ball, a concept that came about after AmCham and the Garden Hotel Guangzhou’s events team chose to spotlight the airline industry.
Winning Pitch
Held a month before Christmas, the ball hosted more than 500 guests in the Garden Hotel’s ballroom, celebrating the year-end with staff and friends of the Chamber. Guests were led through a simulated first class experience, featuring a 3D mock-up of a 787 Dreamliner erected outside the hotel entrance, a “check-in” experience at the hotel reception, and a red carpet gangway leading to the ballroom’s entrance.
Highlights
Dressed as flight attendants, staff waited on guests with the hotel lobby decorated as the first class lounge of the ball’s fictional airline, AmCham Airlines. Guests were encouraged to dress up too, with many arriving as pilots, pursers and attendants. The escalators were decorated to imitate aircraft boarding gates, while temporary walls lined the ends of the ballroom, plastered with images of plane windows that gave view to famous sights from around the world.
The menu’s theme was also rooted in travel, with each of the 11 courses offering a taste of a different cuisine along with a beverage from each region. Aircraft centrepieces decorated tables together with menus in the form of an airline boarding pass, while dishes were served from Japan, the US, Morocco, Australia and China. The entertainment followed the same line, with acts choreographed to conjure the effect of a world tour.
The Upshot
“A wide range of performances took place, from Beijing Opera – to Victoria Secret-themed shows – each chosen to represent a destination’s culture,” said General Manager of the Garden Hotel, Franco Io. “Later in the evening a Mexican Mariachi band played, which sent guests straight to the dance floor.”
Ensuring that the evening was seamlessly “first class”, Harley Seyedin, Vice Chairman of AmCham South China, credits the Garden Hotel’s imagination and planning.
“They did a magnificent job coordinating with our team, suggesting that the food selection emulate the local foods offered at each of the evening’s “destinations” to the staff costumes and decorations inside and out of the hotel,” he says. “Every moment of the ball offered a different experience. Surprises were announced throughout the evening, and were well received by guests who were implored to “follow their ‘First Class’ dreams”. Seeing hundreds of people dancing all at once was just superb.” l
