Going all out to impress

W Taipei and Roxy outdo themselves for their third summer collaboration by harnessing celebrity power and stunning visuals.

W Taipei ChioTian Drums

Event brief
W Taipei has been welcoming summer with its signature Shock Wave Summer Party for the past two years, an event that precedes a series of pool parties held every Sunday and one that is rolled out in partnership with Roxy, a global brand renowned for its surfwear and boardsport products.

The summer festival was due for its third edition in May 2015 and the luxury hotel needed to develop a concept that would continue to impress its guests.

W Taipei ChioTian Drums

Challenges
W Taipei knew it had to outdo itself for the 2015 edition and at the same time meet Roxy’s show requirements.

Wet weather concerns were also on the minds of the organiser, as the party was to be held outdoors.

Additionally, as pool operations had to be halted during the set up of the event for four days, W Taipei had to be ready for potential complaints from hotels guests who were being inconvenienced.

Solutions
To raise the bar on the 2015 edition, the hotel featured an opening act by the hotel’s very own music curator Sona Eyambe, a music genius who had toured the world with popular DJs Derrick Cator and Mark Farina and spun for parties hosted by luxury labels such as Louis Vuitton.

To bring an even more energetic vibe to the party, W Taipei built a million-dollar concert-standard stage on the WET Deck by the pool, which came with a giant backdrop that spelt ‘WOW’, a massive 250-inch LED screen and a crystal runway, revealed Julian Lin, the hotel’s assistant e-marketing manager.

Fellow organiser, Roxy, chose to up the entertainment ante by having Chio Tian Folk Drums & Arts Group as the curtain-raiser and held a fashion parade featuring world surfing champion Kelia Moniz, global brand ambassador Monyca Eleogram and 20 celebrities and models to showcase its summer bikini collection.

To spread Roxy’s brand message “#ROXYReady to explore Taiwan”, finger food was served on specially designed surfboards while Taiwan’s representative dessert – pineapple pie – was featured on the menu to give off a summer vibe.

To guard against wet weather, the hotel installed a large tarpaulin over the WET Desk and a drainage system. It also conducted a traditional ceremony to pray for good weather.

To prepare its guests for the party, the hotel posted closure notices on its website and online travel agency sites, and issued advisories to its guests via reservation confirmation emails and pre-arrival emails. The same notices were placed on premises too.

The hotel was also prepared to transfer guests to its sister hotel Le Méridien Taipei should they insist on swimming during the affected days.

Key takeaways
Lin discovered that the presence of “many celebrity-like models with huge influence on social media” at the event allowed the hotel to benefit from publicity generated by Roxy’s  VIPs and media.

“For an instance, the welcome amenities we prepared for the Japanese models and bloggers created an enormous social media impact for our hotel,” he noted.

Event: Shock Wave Summer Party and Roxy 25th Anniversary Fashion Show
Venue: W Taipei’s WET Deck and WET Bar
Date: May 29, 2015
Number of attendees: 300

 

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