The Recording Academy Honors, presented by the Black Music Collective, were held during Grammys week in 2024. The 1,000-person gala was designed and produced by MVD Inc. and drew immediate attention with a multientry intersectional LED tunnel. See more: Grammys 2024: 40+ Trend-Setting Event Ideas From the Week's Star-Packed PartiesPhoto: Jorge Meza
Want to wow your guests? Start before they’ve even stepped inside. "We all know that an event needs an attraction point that pulls people in and entices them to flow through the customer journey," says Abby Beaudin, senior account director for immersive design studio Pinch, whose recent popular LinkedIn post highlighted the power of entrance design.
Beaudin encourages producers to consider two key questions when crafting an entrance. First, "What do we want people to feel the second they walk up? (VIP? Curious? Invited? Hyped? Grounded?) Your entrance sets the emotional tone for everything that follows," she says. Secondly, "How does the entrance reflect the core story of our brand or activation? The visual cues, sounds, and even pacing should send a message before a word is ever spoken."
The most effective entrances, she adds, aim to make attendees want to stop and look, take a picture, and go inside. "Materiality, colorways, production approach, fabrication, lighting design, sound design, and more all play a role in a grand entrance moment," Beaudin notes. "It's not just about size and scale."
At BizBash, we’ve seen plenty of inspiring examples over the years. Check out some of our favorite event entry moments from brands like Adidas, Pinterest, Netflix, LG, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, and more.
During Coachella 2023, Adidas teamed up with Puerto Rican rapper Bad Bunny on the Adidas Campus Experience, an on-site, cube-shaped pop-up that celebrated the pair’s latest sneaker release. Produced by Corso Marketing Group and fabricated by Whalefilm, the space’s eye-catching exterior boasted 50,000 live florals in 60 different varietals. On one side, Bad Bunny’s signature logo made from steel and pine formed a larger-than-life archway entrance. On the other side of the cube was the Adidas logo, which led to a shoppable experience. See more: Coachella 2023: 40+ Steal-Worthy Event Ideas From the Creativity-Packed Music Festival
Photo: Courtesy of Corso Marketing Group
One of the Cannes Lions 2022's most talked-about activations was Pinterest’s vibrant space, produced by Amplify. Rather than focusing on heavy programming or brand promotion, the space aimed to serve as an inspiring oasis for creators. In a memorable touch, guests entered through an immersive, black-and-white tunnel that used word art and sounds to emphasize the distractions and anxiety the internet can often bring to people's everyday lives. As guests emerged from the tunnel, they were greeted by serene ocean views and a colorful space that intended to highlight everything that was different about Pinterest in comparison to its online counterparts. See more: Cannes Lions 2022: How Top Brands Drew Attention at the Jam-Packed Festival of Creativity
Photo: Courtesy of Pinterest
For Netflix's futuristic Altered Carbon premiere in 2018, the streamer worked with Pen&Public to create a fun, immersive experience as guests made their way to the after-party. The entryway referenced the protagonist's experimentation with drugs; guests were given special glasses that refracted the light of a neon sign display, creating a psychedelic effect. See more: How Netflix Transported Guests 300 Years in the Future at Altered Carbon Premiere
Photo: Line 8 Photography
Another Netflix favorite came from its 2022 Emmys party, where Best Events transformed a raw studio space into a posh tone-on-tone affair layered with shades of cream, Champagne, and gold. Draping was designed by Dazian.
Photo: Tiffany Rose
At the 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show, held in March, the Entrance Garden by the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society in partnership with GMRdesign was titled Future Florentia; it aimed to embody the vision of flowers as symbols of the future, while also creating a "wow" moment and setting the mode for the full show experience. Attendees entered through a glowing arch tunnel made of 30 LED light arcs before standing under a circular, botanical chandelier made of 450 strands of flowers. See more: 11 Futuristic Floral Designs From the 2025 Philadelphia Flower Show
Photo: Courtesy of GMRdesign
Coca-Cola returned to Coachella in April 2025 to celebrate its "Real Magic" campaign with the Coca-Cola Pop Shop activation, designed and produced by Crown + Conquer. Inspired by the iconography of Coca-Cola, the activation reimagined the classic soda fountain with a modern twist. As guests entered, they were immediately immersed in the rich history of the brand by walking through a "soundsorial" corridor featuring the sounds of fizzing bubbles, pouring, and popping open a Coke. See more: Coachella 2025: The Most Talked-About Brand Moments and VIP Happenings
Photo: Joelle Grace Taylor
The Recording Academy Honors, presented by the Black Music Collective, were held during Grammys week in 2024. The 1,000-person gala was designed and produced by MVD Inc. and drew immediate attention with a multientry intersectional LED tunnel. See more: Grammys 2024: 40+ Trend-Setting Event Ideas From the Week's Star-Packed Parties
Photo: Jorge Meza
At the 2021 Robin Hood Benefit, guests entered the event through the “Turnstiles Gateway to Opportunity,” a tunnel of thousands of oversize MetroCards, each with a $33 value, which were later distributed to Robin Hood community partners. Beyond the hanging cards, a main focal point was large letters spelling out the word “forever," which were actually made from candles that sat on scaffolding shelves—but attendees perceived them as upright because of their reflection in the mirrors above them. A sign spelling “NYC” hung above the display, so “when you walked down the entry hallway into the cocktail space, 'NYC FOREVER' read as one powerful statement,” explained designer and producer David Stark. See more: Robin Hood Benefit 2021: See What It Takes to Produce New York's Largest Annual Benefit
Photo: Courtesy of Robin Hood
Another cool entrance at a Robin Hood Benefit came in 2019. Also designed and produced by David Stark, the event had a math class-inspired "Robin Hood to the Power of You" theme, intended to factor donors into the equation for finding solutions to issues like hunger, unemployment, homelessness, and more. The entrance had an oversize classroom desk and chair plus a digital blackboard programmed with stop-motion content that showed a hand writing out various messages. Guests then walked through a tunnel of 7,000 backpacks arranged in colorful rows. The backpacks were filled with school supplies and donated following the event. See more: Do the Math: New York's Biggest Benefit Turned an Equation Into Event Design
Photo: Lisa Vecchione/BizBash
The Dropbox Design Summit in 2024 took on a "Blank Space" theme. Held in Palm Springs, Calif., the event—produced by OTHR Agency—embraced reflections, shadows, and empty spaces that served as a metaphor for the creative process. A striking mirrored entryway greeted guests with the message "Thoughts Become Things." See more: How Dropbox's Unique Summit Theme Leaned Into the Power of Blank Spaces
Photo: Bryson Valencia
The 10th annual Knot Gala, which took place in 2019 at the New York Public Library, featured the theme of “Shine Bright” and was planned and designed by Jove Meyer Events. Guests were greeted by a rainbow floral installation and an illuminated sunburst entryway.
Photo: Courtesy of The Knot
At CES 2024, LG's exhibit—produced by Czarnowski Collective—featured 15-foot-tall enclosed perimeter walls meant to shield attendees from distractions while amplifying the brand narrative. Elements included a 40-foot LED tunnel, a rotating vehicle display, and the moving OLED entrance display. See more: CES 2024: Where Cutting-Edge Tech Met Innovative Exhibit Design
Photo: Courtesy of Czarnowski Collective
February 2024 marked People magazine's 26th year hosting the after-party for the Screen Actors Guild Awards. The event was designed and produced by Event Eleven with an undulating ceiling entry made from naw natural wood. The team carried the undulating shapes and raw natural wood throughout the event space, giving the walls a canvas for lighting from Images by Lighting to play with shadows.
Photo: Line 8 Photography
This dreamy, museum-inspired floral tunnel was created for Disney's 2022 Emmys party, where "modern botanic brilliance" was the theme. Sterling Engagements worked with ENSO Creative on the floral design and decor, which mixed jewel tones, botanical greens, and luxe blooms. See more: Emmys 2022: Inside Parties From Netflix, Disney, Paramount, and More
Photo: Jordana Hazel, Hazelnut Photography
Sterling Engagements also designed a photo-friendly entry moment for the 2019 Disney Emmys party, where guests could take photos in a tunnel of twinkle lights. See more: Emmys 2019: Design and Production Highlights From the Week's Most Glamorous Parties
Photo: Maya Myers Photography
BDG—the company behind digital brands like Bustle, NYLON, Elite Daily, and The Zoe Report—hosted the buzzy NYLON House, presented by Samsung Galaxy, during Coachella weekend in 2023. Designed and produced by Event Eleven, the event greeted guests via an interactive tunnel-slash-art installation, designed in collaboration with Media Pollution, that showcased the night-ography features of the then-new Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. As guests walked through the tunnel, they saw video footage of themselves shot using the cutting-edge phone camera. See more: Coachella 2023: 40+ Steal-Worthy Event Ideas From the Creativity-Packed Music Festival
Photo: Line 8 Photography
In 2019, Delta Air Lines hosted a pre-Grammys party designed and produced by MKG. Guests entered the celebration through an installation of hanging gold records, a theme that would continue throughout the event. See more: Grammys 2019: Event Design Highlights From Music's Biggest Week
Photo: Tyler Curtis
During Art Basel 2024, Chase cardholders could purchase tickets to attend the Sapphire Presents: Miami Art Week Exclusive Concert inside SCOPE Art Show. An artsy entry tunnel that evoked the Chase logo was a popular photo spot for guests. See more: The Best Events, Activations, and More From Art Basel Miami Beach and Miami Art Week 2024
Photo: Courtesy of Chase Sapphire Reserve
The premiere of Amazon’s Prime Video’s series Homecoming, starring Julia Roberts, took place in 2019. Swisher Productions and 15|40 Productions used live fish tanks in the arrivals area to evoke the main character’s office.
Photo: Marissa Joy Photography
In 2024, the opening reception for the U.S. Travel Association's IPW aimed to offer thousands of global visitors a fresh perspective on host city Los Angeles. The Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board worked with Russell Harris Event Group on the gathering, which took on an “Eats, Beats, and Streets” theme that celebrated the city's diverse street art, music, and culinary experiences. The entrance moment was designed like a freeway to create the feeling of being transported to the various cities that make up LA County. See more: How the Streets of Los Angeles Became the Star at IPW's Opening Night
Photo: Courtesy of Russell Harris Event Group
