Since a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away!
Jedi uses a Force for good and Sith uses his dark side for evil .
Star Wars: The Force Awakens
I attended the Elite Experience Event by Accor Group at Sofitel JBR, courtesy ‘AND EVENTS’ . .
I have always loved ‘The Beach’ as well as the beach-front at Dubai Marina. No less, ‘The Walk’ and its beautiful arena is my favorite too. The tall residential blocks along with hotels and restaurants make a lovely backdrop for the blue stretch of water of the Gulf. A stretch of around 5-6 kilometers is a beautiful walk-way and its accessibility to the beach by foot makes it one of the most visited attraction among tourists and the locals. Whenever I have visited Dubai, I have never skipped a chance to be here. This place never ceases to delight the visitors.
Venue of the Event
Before this day, I had never had a chance to visit any of the luxury hotels there but last Friday, I had the privilege to attend a event at the Infiniti Pool lounge of the Sofitel Dubai Jumeirah Beach. This hotel has an excellent position at the Marina and I have always marveled at it from the beach. Today, the reason of visit was to attend a loyalty program event of the Accor Group. I was here with my friends from AND Events. Honestly, I have never been a great fan of Star War movies but ‘Star Wars’ themed after-party, post the premiere screening of the latest movie sounded fun.
A few hours before the Event
More than the after-party, I was excited to be privy to all the action that was going behind the scene. The inside story was absolutely adventurous due to the adrenaline rush all around me. While the hotel management was setting up the food counters, the team of AND events was super-actively handling the last minute checks. From putting new batteries in the saber lights to setting up music and lights, from checking on the rehearsals of the dances to adding more sound affect, everything about the event kept them on their toes. And if you thought organizing an event is a cake-walk, I would say rethink because its a myth. From understanding the purpose of the event to ensuring that everything goes in place, the D-day is super crucial. Honestly, I was both impressed and surprised to see the amount of detailing that goes in the preparations of an event.
Let us understand the inside story
Suppose you had to do an event themed on Star Wars, what would be the first thing that you would think of? And what if you didn’t know much about it? Even if you knew everything about it, how would you make it exciting? To organize a party, the list of things to be done is endless. And, there comes the need of the event planner. Had I not got the opportunity to be a part of the inside story, I would have never learnt all this. When I heard from the horses’s mouth, it became all the more insightful. This was my chance to see event planning and execution closely. A few important lessons were doing creative and unique things with lots of passion and lastly you don’t raise a toast until everything is executed as planned. Read on to know about the event now…
Infiniti Pool Lounge
The colorful props were placed right at the entry point of the terrace area. The photo station plays a crucial role because that’s where the party mood is set in. The floor of the hotel where the party was happening needs a special mention too because it is a beautiful place to swim, have lunch or organize a party. It is known as the Infiniti Pool Lounge of the Sofitel as its beautiful swimming pool that extends to the edge, overlooks the blue waters of the gulf. In the month of December, Dubai has breezy and pleasant weather and that day it was a lovely afternoon when we were all enjoying being out in the open.
Accor Group
The accessibility to the event was a simple-do. Customers who had 2000 points in their loyalty card (Le Club) could redeem their points to enjoy a day of ‘Elite experience.’ The event had started with the movie screening of the latest flick of Star Wars at Platinum Movie Suites (REEL CINEMAS) and once the movie was over, the guests were directed to Sofitel for an after-party. I have regularly been associated with Accor group for hotel reviews in India and I must say they have a loyal customer in me too. I always appreciate the extra effort that they always make towards extending customer-satisfaction and hospitality. I am a proud member of Le Club too. Organizing such loyalty programme is a great idea indeed. I am glad that something like this happened in Dubai and I was part of it.
All about the After-Party
At around 4 p.m. when the movie winded up, the guests reached the Infiniti pool lounge. The funky props at the photo-booth pepped them to pose and bring out their crazy side. The Saberlites was a favorite prop. I could see that the children and their parents were having great fun in making different poses. The hosts supported them and added to the fun element in their photographs. Once the clicking around was done, the guests were directed to the open terrace where they were free to chat, make conversations and enjoy drinks and small bites.
The DJ was doing his job really well. The music was peppy and it was keeping everyone engaged. As far as starters are concerned, the guests had interesting choices. There were food counters too that served lamb chops, fish, shells, dal-rice, etc. and the dessert section looked super tempting in red and black. I love the food of Sofitel, Mumbai but this was my first visit to Sofitel in Dubai. I tasted some of the small bites and found them yum. The macaroons were delicious.
I heard one of the kids ask his father, ‘What happens next?’ I smiled at him but did not utter a word. Of course, I knew the plan. (Remember, I was accompanying the team who was making it happen). Soon it was announced that a dance performance was about to roll. Everyone who had been eating took a pause and waited for the act. I was looking forward to it too. A few hours before, I had seen the rehearsals and was keen to see the final execution. As expected the final performance turned out to be super fun.
The dancing troupe was a cool bunch. They were good with their work. It was a short and sweet performance but it spread a lot of positive energy in the air. I must say the flips were really impressive. The picture (above) with give you an idea of it.
After the first act, there was time for the next one. The Star-Wars inspired performance was yet to happen. It was a theme act that was meant to be enacted in character costumes. For the lights and sounds effect to be seen and enjoyed by the guests, the dark setting was very important. All this while the guests were having fun over drinks and food.
Soon, there came a treat from the nature’s side when we saw the sun paint the sky in orange and yellow colors. The view of the setting sun from the side of the Infiniti pool of Sofitel was breath-taking. The other guests of the hotel who were taking a dip in the pool too stopped to savor the changing colors of the sky. The ring of the Sun shone bright and skyscrapers looked beautiful under its shadow effect. There was none who did not pause to notice the pretty sight. The cameras and mobiles were out to click pictures.
The moment, nature’s source of light (Sun) took a plunge in the sea and was gone for the next day, the blue lights were switched on. The terrace and its surroundings looked beautiful under the affect of blue lights. Once it was dark, the moment was just right for the next performance to follow on.
The children really got excited to see the characters walk in. A small fight was enacted as per the Star-Wars theme. It was a battle performance and was fought with saber-lights that shone bright and tight. It all looked so real and absorbed everyone in the melodrama. No doubt the kids jumped with joy and even the elders were thrilled to the core. Even though, I have never been a Star War fan, this act was the stealer of the party.
At the end of the event, every one looked happy. The event came to an end after this show. And just after this the guests got busy in posing with the STAR WAR characters and collecting their hard copies. There were giveaways too. After the guests were gone, it was our party time. I could see my gang all upbeat and cheerful because the show had turned our super well. We rejoiced and raised our own glasses.
It was a day well-spent in Dubai. Before this day, I had never part of an event management. It was fun to observe it minutely and closely. I must say AND Events are a cool gang and are great at their job. At the same time, I must appreciate Accor Group too for giving such memorable experiences to their customers. It enhances the customer-brand bond any day. I am really looking forward to be a part of more of their events. I loved playing my role of the Social media enthusiast. I posted and tweeted all the happenings of the event live.
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Happy Blogging!!!
wow thats amazing.. nice pictures. i wish to be a part of it.