ORLANDO Rolling carts stacked with 1,000 white flip-flops with the blue American Express logo flanked the entry to the opening party for the Delta Air Lines Global Sales Conference at the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin on Monday night. As the 850 guests arrived, they swapped their shoes for the flip-flops and headed out to the party set up around the Swan’s pool and beach. There, they saw more renditions of the brand’s signature blue square logo everywhere they looked: on bar carts, furniture, pillows, balloons, a sand sculpture, swizzle sticks, ice cubes, and even on the side of the Hummer used as a DJ booth by Mix on Wheels.   “This is all about making sure every one of these people knows we are a partner with them. We are their single largest distributor,” said Jeff McMenamin, manager of global supplier relations for American Express. “The flip-flops are a way for us to say, ‘Be comfortable tonight, have a good time,’ and it’s also a more intimate gift than a T-shirt or hat.”

The flip-flops also came in handy as guests made their way onto the sandy beach, where Ice Magic had set up round and octagonal clear acrylic tables and white leather lounge furniture embroidered with the American Express logo. Christina Dix, program manager of global meetings and events for Delta Airlines, said they came up with the theme of “Fire and Ice” as an alternative to typical beach parties. “I knew I didn’t want tropical or Caribbean or South Beach. We wanted something different and modern,” she said.  

The party, produced by Houston-based Elias Events, incorporated fire and ice in a variety of ways. Some of the clear acrylic tables from Ice Magic were topped with spherical ice centerpieces with candles inside. Every table had a wireless LED light inside the base that glowed either blue or orange. Shortly after guests arrived, two performers from Fear No Ice used electric saws and other tools to carve a large block of ice into event’s logo showing flames and the American Express logo. Another entertainer performed a variety of juggling tricks with fire.  

Several specialty cocktails also went along with the theme. A tequila-based drink called Burnt Orange included an orange slice caramelized on site by bartenders wielding mini blowtorches. Another drink station was set up inside the pool’s drained hot tub: standing inside it, two bartenders served Nitro Sangria, a wine-based cocktail topped with nitrogen freeze-dried fruit.