Las Vegas is the dazzling epitome of glitz, glam, and over-the-top fun, so it is rare that an event hosted there has the potential to add shine to the neon-lit city. For one glamour-infused weekend, Sephora commandeered the spotlight with an event designed to educate, engage, and inspire its top brand ambassadors and regional brand managers. The cosmetics retailer has long been a pioneer in creating and cultivating a strong community of customers both online and offline, so this gathering reinforced the company’s commitment to connection.
Blueprint Studios set the stage for this alluring affair, transforming the promenade level of iconic Caesars Palace into a wonderland of beauty studded with a bevy of unique breakout rooms. The experiential event featured interactive, customized elements for hair, makeup, skincare, and fragrance. More than 20 of the leading beauty retailer’s best-selling brands were showcased in innovative, cutting-edge activations that allowed brand ambassadors to delve into the world of beauty, crafted so that attendees could interact with, learn about, and be inspired by its ever-evolving brands.
Selected for their can-do attitude, these brand ambassadors tap into even more passion and excitement for their work when they attend these conferences. Staged over three days, the event fused fun, education, and inspiration, and gave brand ambassadors the opportunity to educate and empower themselves to bring fellow customers’ beauty fantasies to colorful life and enabled brands to influence future purchasing decisions.
Re-creating a playful environment was a key component of the event, and the design set this whimsical tone. Sephora’s signature color scheme was reflected in the communal areas of the conference room, with black and white balloons positioned throughout. Atop the balloons, giant cherry-red lipsticks provided brilliant pops of color.
In the individual installations, some of Sephora’s most popular brands were represented in engaging and creative configurations. The breakout rooms were designed to foster a deep understanding of the brand in engaging new ways that would motivate brand ambassadors to evangelize to their customer base and carry the messaging forward through to their own personal social media channels and continue their role as influencers beyond face-to-face interactions. With this in mind, the design team kept the visuals at a colorful and aesthetically stimulating “Instagrammable” level.
One installation dazzled attendees with a giant, 7-foot-tall amethyst geode rock that was backlit to highlight its glittering crevices and contours. The Blueprint Studios team also educated attendees via a hands-on installation that was fashioned into an imagination-sparking little lab, which welcomed groups of 55 people per segment to learn about how pH is an important component of beauty products and skincare. Another activation featured a customized ball pit with a sea of more than 15,000 custom-colored balls for attendees to literally dive into the spirit of the event. A separate environment, crafted over two full days, reimagined a beautiful Japanese-inspired tea garden and featured custom drapes and graphics. One of the most popular attractions showcased a fragrance brand by staging a mock scene of The Bachelorette with an aromatic twist.
Along with being a banner event for brand ambassadors and branch managers to stay ahead of trends, the three-day event was a feat of logistics for the Blueprint Studios production team, which juggled a rotating roster of ever-evolving installations. Most activations were fast paced and back to back, keeping energy levels high and fueling crowd excitement. The education-based conference was a grand slam of glam that left attendees with a lasting experience that will carry through to their work throughout the Sephora network.
