One of the biggest annual events on the South Beach spring-break circuit, the Victoria’s Secret Pink pool party moved to a new location this year, swapping the sands of Lummus Park, where last year's outing was held, for the newly renovated poolside at the Shelborne Beach Resort. The party, a heavily branded event for Victoria's Secret, was also a chance for the Shelborne to show off its recent multimillion-dollar renovation.
“We have a huge photo mural of last year’s party in our lobby, which prompted us to want to host the event on-site at our newly renovated poolside this time around,” said Marisa Marcus, director of marketing at the Shelborne.
The March 14 event, which took three days to set up, transformed the upscale beachside lounge into a Victoria’s Secret Pink haven, clad in signature logos, banners, balloons, and pool furniture. Celebrity hosts Joe Jonas and Victoria’s Secret models Chanel Iman and Elsa Hosk rang in the afternoon party, which began promptly at 1 p.m. Approximately 800 guests of all ages were welcomed with Victoria’s Secret Pink branded promotional merchandise, from beach towels to sweatbands, blow-up beach balls to sunglasses. Upon entry, attendees posed for pictures at the event’s massive step-and-repeat, before grabbing gratis Popsicles from the Pink ice cream stand.
Branded games, designed to appeal to the event's target audience of college students, included water Pink Pong (the company’s underage, alcohol-free version of beer pong), a photo booth, a surfboard signing station, and dance-offs courtesy of Miami’s own DJ Irie. An outdoor pop-up store greeted shoppers with a chance to stock up on Victoria’s Secret Pink apparel and other products for sale. Shelborne’s on-site taco stand, Lucy’s Cantina Royale, was open for lunch service, as was the outdoor patio of Vesper American Brasserie.