Engage!12 Mandarin Oriental Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas
Weddings and Vegas are a natural pairing, so it was fitting that Engage! hit Sin City for the June 2012 event, held at the chic Mandarin Oriental, Las Vegas. Excitement started a few weeks prior, when Engagees received a pre-arrival package with welcome note and brass luggage tag revealing the color scheme of gold and marine blue. The overall gifting and branding of the event was Zen Fabulous,incorporating Vegas sparkle, zen simplicity inspired by the hotel, and handcrafted spa chic. Upon arrival, Engage! was a celebration of place, kicked off with an appearance by the Mayor of Las Vegas, accompanied by high-stepping showgirls.
Playing homage to the locale, lunches and dine-arounds at top Vegas eateries were determined by poker chips and playing cards, and a stellar array of luxury brands — Lanvin, Jimmy Choo and Tag Heuer — hosted breaks and showcased their products. This event also marked the debut of the Engage! Pinterest page, which garnered 203,382 followers in shirt order and the first time that Instagram was in play, allowing followers of the #engage12 hashtag to see the event in real time.
The dessert party, held in the MO’s sky-high rooftop bar, boasted the best views in Vegas, and the array of speakers was equally exciting, with some Engage! favorites (Ed Libby, Abby Larson, Tara Guerard and Marcy Blum) and the debut of four trend-setting planners and designers with styles all their own: Sharon Sacks, Matthew Robbins, Brian Worley and Jes Gordon, who shared the highs and lows of their careers. Business psychologist Peter Shallard offered tactics for dealing with the emotional ups and downs of entrepreneurship, while Peter Callahan made his Engage! debut, delighting all with samples of his signature small bites.
Of course, Vegas is known for parties. And the Farewell Gala raised the roof with décor from Revelry, and a surprise live boy-band performance from West Coast Music. Did people then go hit the tables? It’s Vegas, we won’t tell.
