An immersive journey through light and sound; an authentic Chicago rave culture experience for a rural university in Southeast Iowa.
The Challenge:
Maharishi International University, a healthy lifestyle campus, sought to provide an authentic rave culture experience to their students. The requirement was to design and produce a multi-featured offering so appealing that the students would rather stay in their small college town (10K residents) over Halloween Weekend to attend, rather than travel to a major city for alternative offerings outside of sober party culture. Additional requirements: design and produce effective offerings for introverts and epileptics.
Our Solution:
The team designed a two-pronged offering to simultaneously engage extroverts and introverts, and those with and without photo-sensitivities - fully integrated into one seamless event layout & experience.
A "chill-out room" with tarot readings, face painting, and massage, with multiple 5–8-person social nooks and floor seating to engage (solo or in groups) in giant Jenga, assemble glow stick dance-wear, or play with arm spinners. All shielded from flashing or repetitive lights.
A pipe-and-draped dance hall featuring world-class laser shows by City Boy Lasers, high-end sound production, and live glow flow art performers (hoop, poi, and martial staff) on multiple raised platforms. Custom shadow box with integrated dance stage. A Halloween-themed tunnel lead between the two rooms for a seamless experience, and a live-print photobooth for guests to take home their memories.
In Numbers:
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245 attendees
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3 technology partners (City Boy Lasers, Hawkeye Photobooths, Lucid Journey's Productions)
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4 contributor partners (Bring the Noize, DJ Nina, Madam Panda Witch, Wennonah Carter Massage)
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4.8/5 average rating for Would Participate Again
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4.6/5 average rating for Overall Experience

