Same event. Same team. New event theme. We love it when a one-time booking turns into an ongoing partnership. Returning year after year for the Discovery Cube Orange County annual gala is one of the highlights of our calendar! See how each year’s event theme breathes new life into the gala through the creative event design.
How an Event Theme Turns Something Familiar Into Something New
Every year that we return to the Discovery Cube Orange County, we are invited into a fresh take on an event built from years of collaboration. As seen from these photo highlights, previous event theme ideas included a disco night, an intergalactic evening, and highlights from a prehistoric paradise.
This year’s event theme dove into the world of golf calling itself the “Par Tee of The Year”–pun fully intended! Described as a “green carpet gala benefitting science education,” the event used golf as a launching point for bringing in those fundraising greens. The evening consisted of a reception and dinner followed by live entertainment performed by the Southern California based band, The New Originals.
Wanting to make sure that everyone got the message, the original event invitation provided a vision board of “tee-rific” costume ideas to wear that night. The look was described as “Clubhouse Chic meets Caddyshack” and everyone in attendance took it seriously!
We knew in order to match this level of commitment that we had to be all in with our innovative event design. The following are the audio visual services we provided for the charity gala:
- Technical Project Management
- Stage Management
- Show Crew & Technical Support
- Lighting Design
- Audio Engineering
- Video Production
While we provide similar services each year, Discovery Cube usually has one small unique request to accompany the season’s event theme. Ideas for a sportscaster desk to be built beside the main stage were considered but later scrapped as a part of the brainstorming process.
Instead, we did something completely new by turning the light lock (a dark hallway about 20-feet long) into a museum with lighting for exhibits. The execution of each anniversary of the gala leaves very little to the unexpected so finding a surprise challenge like this one is always welcome!
What a Night of Science for Kids Brings to The Stage
Being asked to do new lighting in the darkened hallway allowed for further collaboration with the lighting team of the Cube’s following annual event: Pumpkin Palooza. We have been utilizing the Palooza fixtures for their gala event for a few years now, and it really increases the impact of our design while minimizing labor and effort.
While attendance and dollars raised are generally the key markers of this event’s success, we look instead to the collaborations built and relationships deepened. Working together with the Discovery Cube team always goes well and this year was no exception to that trend!
The Discovery Cube’s mission is to “INSPIRE and EDUCATE young minds through engaging science-based programs and exhibits therefore creating a meaningful IMPACT on the communities we serve.” Nothing represents this better than the faces of both the youth and adults in attendance enjoying the night to the fullest.
How to Measure a Successfully Executed Event Theme
Beyond the faces (and costumes!) of those in attendance as proof of success are the final counts from the evening. Data gathered from the event boast of the following amazing results:
- 330 guests in attendance
- $409,500 net and $660,800 gross in funds raised for the center
While we don’t have it in writing, the CEO and the gala Board Chair were overheard arguing together over who had the better time that night! This was in addition to their chatting over how reliable they have found Brite Ideas as an ongoing partner for the event.
The Discovery Cube’s Sr. Manager of Special Events, Spencer Davis Bruemmer, further elaborated on this relationship:
“We couldn’t have made golf look good without YOU and your incredible team! We look forward to next year!”
The ease of bringing the year’s vision to life allowed us to succeed in our schedule goals, pull off the new museum lighting, and create a beautiful golf-themed event that brought in so much financial success. We are looking forward to what our skills and in-house gear will bring to the Discovery Cube Orange County’s newest event theme next year!
Vendors
Client/Venue/Video Content | Discovery Cube Orange County
Production Fulfillment | Brite Ideas
Event Furniture Rentals & Ground Cover/Dance Floor | Signature Party Rentals
Catering | Blueberry Hill Catering
Game | ParTee Golf Simulator Rentals
Band | The New Originals & VOX DJs
