Thirteen new shops opened in Logan Airport's Terminal C Thursday with fanfare that varied from a ribbon-cutting ceremony to roving caricature artists. Corinthian Events was tapped to manage the event and worked on everything from decor to on-site logistics and creating passports for a game that lets guests accrue stamps in each shop in order to vie for raffle prizes.
Along with travelers already at the airport, the event drew 150 invited guests including members of the media, airline and retail executives, Massport employees, and high-level executives from Westfield Concession Management, which manages the shops.
"The celebration marked the finishing touches on a $62 million renovation of the oldest terminal at Logan Airport," said Mary Douglas, a partner at Corinthian Events. "Everyone involved in the project wanted to celebrate the beautiful new terminal and let business travelers know there's now even more reason to get to the airport early. For many of the retailers, this marks their first airport store, first U.S. location, or first Boston location, which made the event even more newsworthy."
Planners teamed up with a media partner Goodwin Group PR to spread the word about the milestone shops. Included: The Black Dog's first airport outlet, iStore Boutique's first U.S location, and the first Boston store for Be Relax.
When it came to selecting entertainment, Douglas said, "we had to keep some parameters in mind since the airport was opening and functioning at the time of the event. Specifically, nothing could be too loud to interfere with gate announcements, and space was also a consideration since the airport has heavy foot traffic."
Ultimately, strolling solo musicians roamed through the terminal. Caricature artists were on hand to sketch portraits, and magicians and jugglers captivated wee ones in an area called the Kids Zone. "Trivia Gurus" were stationed before and after security to present guests with questions; those who answered correctly received gifts from the new stores.
The biggest challenge of managing an airport-based event, according to Douglas, was "securing names and information from all people involved with the event—from the entertainers to greeters and delivery staff—way ahead of the actual date, for security purposes." Walkthroughs and setup also came with some hitches: "You know the time it takes to go through security at the airport sometimes? Try doing it six to eight times a day!" Douglas said. "We made sure to wear comfy shoes and plan our time accordingly."
