Heal the Bay hosts a fund-raising gala each year, but this year, for its 30th anniversary, the environmental nonprofit group recognized the need to turn the June 4 event from a rote annual date on the calendar to a bash where guests felt connected emotionally and physically.
Like its counterparts in previous years, the 2015 event took over the Jonathan Club on the beach in Los Angeles. But Heal the Bay president and C.E.O. Alix Hobbs brought on board first-time producer Events by Fabulous to make significant format tweaks.
Hobbs said the organization was "looking to create a gala with an intimate feel, an environment where our donors could really connect to the cause."
To do that, organizers emphasized the entertainment this year with a completely new stage design and event layout and shifted the lighting and video strategy to bring more focus to staging and speakers—all using the same budget as past years.
Three large high-resolution screens replaced a lower-resolution LED screen. The change was designed to capture attention and elicit an emotional response from guests by showing off the stories of the honorees and the mission of the charity, rather than through a speaker with a microphone.
The stage design—with a new orientation and floor plan—was another modification made to the event. “In the past, they had one stage with a sea of tables that left the back rows completely disconnected,” said Events by Fabulous’ president and creative director, Kimberly Seeherman.
This year, her team created a multistage arena, with a catwalk off the main stage that led into the center of the crowd and two additional satellite stages for performances. "Every guest had front-row seats to a stage within 30 feet or a perfect view of the screens, which displayed live feed from one of the four cameras capturing the show,” said Seeherman.
"One of the major issues in previous years was the lack of intimacy at the event. With [that size audience] it's hard to make everyone feel included. And because guests felt detached from the program, the charity had issues with lack of attention and talking throughout the presentation.”
Hobbs added, "There wasn't a bad seat in the house. It was really an opportunity to thank the donors and celebrate 30 years of the work that Heal the Bay does."
The moves worked: Despite rescheduling thanks to rain on the original May date, the event collected organizers' fund-raising goal of more than $1 million.