Wherever it goes, Us Weekly follows an event formula: Pick the hottest, newest venue in town and put sponsors front and center. For its June 5 Hot Bodies event in Las Vegas, the magazine stuck to the plan, selecting the week-old Encore Beach Club for the afternoon event. The magazine's executive director of integrated marketing, Heawon Yoo, and senior integrated marketing manager Victoria Lopez planned the event from their base in New York, and Lopez oversaw it on site. The magazine team tapped Los Angeles-based Caravents to produce.
"Us Weekly’s success hinges on our immediacy in breaking celebrity news, and with the currency in reporting the latest in entertainment. As a result, it’s a priority to partner with the most buzz-worthy Las Vegas venue, which we were happy to find with the Encore Beach Club," Yoo said. "Our event occurred within a week of the opening, which allowed us to be as timely with our designated celebrity hot spot as possible. And by all accounts, this has been the most successful Us Weekly Hot Bodies event to date, drawing a total number of guests that exceeded our expectations." Final guest numbers were still being tallied.
The consumer event, hosted by Melissa Rycroft of Dancing With the Stars and The Bachelor, was open to anyone who was at the club during the program hours. Bikini-clad guests picked up complimentary cocktails from Pinnacle Vodka or a Select 55 beer. Servers also passed around individual Jell-O desserts.
Activities included 10-minute massages from Encore Spa therapists and photo shoots in a Skechers cabana where guests could snap pictures with summery props in front of a green screen. Pictures were printed on site, in logo sleeves, putting guests on the cover of the Us Weekly “Best Bikini Bodies” issue. Models wearing Bic tanks encouraged guests to spin a prize wheel for a chance to win Us Weekly gift bag totes and other prizes. Special K offered a high-end summer tote bag sweepstakes, with goodies like Tory Burch flip-flops, Gucci sunglasses, an Amazon Kindle, and a Juicy Couture romper.
"The fun, fresh, and summery palette of turquoise, bright orange, and canary yellow complimented the impeccable design of the Encore Beach Club," said Angela Tormey of Caravents. "The event was once again the perfect combination of product integration and activities that people could get excited about, all within a DJ-enhanced poolside party atmosphere.”
