Behind the Scenes of the First—and Only—Private Event to Be Held Inside KC's New Airport Terminal

KANSAS CITY, MO.—It's safe to say that an airport is not your typical venue—especially one that's been under construction for the past four years. To celebrate its debut last month, the new 40-gate terminal at Kansas City International Airport, which broke ground in 2019, played host to an opening celebration for 850 attendees. For locally based, full-service event planning agency Platinum XP, winning this RFP was something like a dream. This is the first—and will be the only—private event to be held at the terminal.

"It's super exciting for us as a team to be a part of something so special to travel and tourism and something new that's coming to our industry," said Whitney Butler, Platinum XP's director of business development and event planning. "But then to be able to produce an event in a space that's never going to be used as an event space and have the only [event] that will ever happen there—that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us."

In one of many nods to the night's airport theme, guests were checked in at the ticketing counters, where they received a luggage tag with their name and table number.Photo: Adri Guyer

The grand opening celebration kicked off with a VIP cocktail hour, where attendees could mix and mingle with the night's emcee, comedian Rob Riggle (who's a KC area native). In one of many nods to the night's airport theme, guests were checked in at the ticketing counters, where they received a luggage tag with their name and table number. A local voiceover artist was even commissioned to do "fun pilot announcements throughout the hour" to help transition guests from one space to another, Butler said.

The main event was held inside the new terminal's headhouse, among the ticketing counters and security checkpoints. Fabricators created a ramp leading up to the stage that acted as a "runway," complete with pixel tube lights similar to what's seen on an actual airport runway. Local entertainment acts performed throughout the evening, in between speeches from sponsors and the major stakeholders involved in the airport project (which is the largest single infrastructure project in the city’s history).

Guests enjoyed performances from local groups like the Heartland Men's Chorus, the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, KC Friends of Alvin Ailey's Studio Dance Program, and Danielle Nicole Band. For an airport project that heavily involved local artists, the event's entertainment lineup meant to achieve a similar goal: to showcase the city's diverse cache of arts and entertainment.

Small airplanes adorned the tables' floral centerpieces.Photo: Adri Guyer

KC Friends of Alvin Ailey's Studio Dance Program was one of the local entertainment acts to perform during the event.Photo: Adri Guyer

"The thought that went into the terminal itself is just very localized," Butler explained, "which I think highlights Kansas City's people and our passion so much. It was really fun to pull some of those aspects into the event as well."

Producing an event of this caliber in a space not designed for events was, of course, not without its challenges. Which was the biggest? "I think the biggest logistical challenge we dealt with, honestly, was the food and beverage," said Ellen Sherman, an executive producer/event planner for Platinum XP. "This space doesn't have a liquor license. It doesn't have running water that can supply water for 850 people to eat dinner. There's no prep space. We were literally bringing in refrigerated trucks and having to get escorted down to the tarmac. They had to bring in 55-gallon drums of water so that we could supply water to our guests. And because there was no liquor license, we had to facilitate a liquor drop-off in a neutral location."

"To be able to produce an event in a space that's never going to be used as an event space and have the only [event] that will ever happen there—that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for us," said Whitney Butler, Platinum XP's director of business development and event planning.Photo: Adri Guyer

She added with a laugh, "They were prepping food in United gates." The untouched food vendor spaces within the airport weren't utilized because the individual owners wanted to avoid any damage before opening, which was "totally fair," Sherman noted.

Another major challenge was producing an event within an active construction zone. "We were wearing hard hats leading up to the event—probably even the day before," Butler said. It was a matter of working with the construction workers and trying to "be respectful of what everybody's trying to accomplish," she added.

Guests could find a number of custom-made photo ops, all airport themed, throughout the evening.Photo: Adri Guyer

After a successful private opening celebration, the Platinum XP team had to tear everything down to flip the activated spaces into an open house event for the public—taking place just two days later. The event welcomed 10,000 pre-registered attendees from the area who were eager to sneak a peek at the new airport. This proved to be more fulfilling than the planning team expected.

"I thought people were coming to this open house because it was something to do on a Saturday," Sherman said. "But what we found is that a lot of people who were coming to this open house had accessibility issues. This gave them a chance to come and get through the airport with a friend before they had to do it by themselves. I had a woman come up to me and thank me profusely, because it gave her the chance to guide her daughter, who is legally blind, through the airport before she had to travel by herself in two weeks. It really was something that a lot of people cared about and really needed."

The Platinum XP team had to tear down the opening celebration to flip the spaces for an open house event for the public taking place just two days later.Photo: Adri Guyer

Fun touches at the open house included passport books for kids who could visit different parts of the airport in a scavenger hunt and receive stamps. Some of the local artists responsible for the works inside the airport were also on hand to talk about their pieces.

Producing two different events for two different audiences, just days apart (in an airport!), was ultimately rewarding, despite the inherent challenges. "We're passionate about our city," said Lauren Rios, Platinum XP's director of sales. "We host, plan, and execute events here and nationwide, but being involved in something that's so big for Kansas City that's going to open up so many more doors, it's just awesome to say that we were involved in that, from a celebratory perspective."

VENDORS
Catering: Scratch Gourmet Express, Storia Fine Catering
Florals: Love, Lilacs Floral Studio
Linens: BBJ La Tavola
Planning/Production: Platinum XP
Rentals: Marquee Event Rentals
Swag/Gifts: Team Cocktail, Perfect Promotions