From Make-A-Wish Dream to Make-A-Wow Extravaganza. 

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Alberto Castillo

For decades, Encore has helped bring the Annual InterContinental® Miami Make-A-Wish® Ball to life, making it bigger and better each year. The challenge for the 2022 festivities?  Make the event more magical than ever by immersing the participants in an unforgettable experience to increase levels of excitement and inspire greater donations. With Alberto and team on the task, consider the wish granted.   

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Alberto Castillo

Director, Event Technology
  • Thousands of events
   
  • National Ambassador for Encore
   
 
  • Developed/runs local workshop for Event Managers
 
 
  • Loves ATVing in the Everglades with his daughters
 
  • Always entertaining guests at home
   
 
  • Family and faith are his guiding forces
 
The Challenge

For the 27th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, Alberto and team were tasked with making the gala event more magical than ever in unique, immersive and memorable ways — with just three compressed setup days. The creative ask:

  • Stage an engaging opening reception, including a branded publicity “step and repeat” backdrop and reception with silent auction areas. 
  • Create a “supernature” themed experience between the reception/silent auction areas and the grand ballroom gala event space.  
  • Bring to life an immersive “NY aquarium” in the grand ballroom for the main dining and open auction event.
  • Delight participants with live performances and an iconic entertainer.
  • Further surprise guests by executing an afterparty featuring a multi-act cabaret show and nightclub experience, requiring a major room flip in just two hours.  
The Solution

Alberto and team worked closely with multiple stakeholders from the hotel, the Make-A-Wish Southern Florida chapter and their third-party designers to make the dream come true.

Solutions included: 

  • Sourcing people and gear from 20+ regional venues, with Encore working 24/7 shifts over three days.
  • Creating a transitional experience between the opening reception/silent auction and grand ballroom that featured a mesmerizing “supernature” LED tunnel depicting the New York subways overtaken by nature. 
  • Producing the grand ballroom event, including a 140-foot LED wall to create a “NY aquarium” experience with coral-like décor, beautiful lighting and ambient audio that brought the underwater world to life. 
  • Creating an outfitted performance stage for the live auction and applause-worthy entertainment.
  • Quietly flipping the prior reception/silent auction rooms into a surprise afterparty with a multi-act cabaret show and DJ while guests enjoyed the grand ballroom event. 
  • Perfectly planning and executing everything from staging, video and audio to complex lighting, rigging and power for an astounding start-to-finish event experience, using three highly skilled project managers across rooms and a stage manager for the big show. 

 

   Key Solutions Used in This Story
   ProductionTechnology 
   Staging Services
   Scenic & Décor
   Show Management  
Audiovisual Solutions
     LED Walls
     Audio
     Video

Infrastructure Services
     Rigging
     Power		                                        
The Result

The inspirational event left both the customers and charity ball participants in awe. The guests were so moved by their experience that it was a history-making year with a record-setting $5.4M raised in just one night. This was more than twice as much as the previous charity ball! For the customer’s vision and charitable event goals, it was truly a larger-than-life dream come true.

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