Objective
Our discerning repeat client asked us what Whistler corporate outdoor event we would design if we could produce anything at all. We set out to create a signature experience that captured Whistler’s natural splendour, married with transcendent music, and celebrated fresh, local BC food and wine sourced within 100 miles (160kms) of the resort.
Challenges
- The client wanted to dine out under the stars with absolutely no tenting! Whistler is a mountain resort and weather can change at a moment’s notice.
- A small, lakeside park footprint presents limitations for a 900-person outdoor event.
- The toad migration at Lost Lake happens annually around the same time as this event.
Strategy
- Create this lakeside, sensory experience for 450 guests over two back-to-back evenings. While the first event is on, the other 450 guests enjoy a Whistler Village dine-around, then swap experiences the following evening.
- Design a 7,100 square foot dining platform with two-tiers, constructed for maximum guest comfort and optimizing event sight lines.
- Compliment the surrounding lake and forest environment with a “natural elements meets crystal glamour” décor theme.
- A Kabuki drop under the saddle span tent to reveal the 60-piece Vancouver Symphony Orchestra with a choreographed visual presentation on a centre LED wall.
- Build “toad shoots” under the event staging to allow for possible migratory access between the lake and the park.
Award Winning Results
A standing ovation on both evenings and the happiest Event Director you ever did see. We made history in Whistler with the first event of this kind. As a result of hearing the lakeside orchestra, the locals launched the idea with the Municipality to bring the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra to Whistler, where they performed every summer for eight years.
