Event Brand
This year’s Awards Gala took a bold step into Vintage Fresh - a 2025 trend where everything old is new again. We worked this idea into the client’s brand, and theme of this year, SHINE.
With vintage fresh, nostalgia meets modernity, reimagining design through bright, optimistic layers of colour, pattern, and texture. Inspired by Canadian landscapes, textiles, Indigenous artistry, and mid-century retro vibes, the visual identity was a vibrant patchwork of geometric shapes, flowing gradients, and kaleidoscopic palettes. Think fibre, reflection, and glass refracted into rich magentas, radiant yellows, cool teals, and electric purples, an energetic tapestry that feels both timeless and refreshingly now.
Sponsorship Management
An added layer of complexity came from the fact that the entire event was powered by sponsorships – with partners donating time, services, and products. Overall, we worked with 45 different sponsors, which required careful relationship management to ensure every contributor received the recognition they deserved. Sponsor logos were integrated into event signage, programs, and digital displays, while verbal acknowledgments and tailored thank-you moments throughout the evening reinforced appreciation for their generosity. We highlighted our sponsors in a unique rap performance where performers mentioned all 45 sponsors by name in a one-of-a-kind rap that had the audience captivated and awestruck at the creative brilliance. Balancing this visibility with the need to maintain a sleek, professional presentation was a strategic achievement in itself.
Arrival Experience
This first impression was a vital part of the overall guest experience. From the very first step into the venue, guests knew they were part of something extraordinary. The space was alive with anticipation, strategically lit to highlight architectural features, accented with rich textures and colors that reflected the sophistication of the 2024 brand [SHINE]. The welcome experience featured personable greeters and a seamless check-in process.
Our team prioritized this by providing attendees with their registration details and table assignments in advance to ensure they could enter the reception effortlessly, without waiting in line or encountering delays at the door. This high-touch service was elevated further for key attendees, who received covert advanced notifications in the form of personalized, welcoming text messages directly from industry insider [and part of our team!], Keri Miller.
Immediately after entering the doors, guests were invited to a pre-show reception where they could mingle over signature cocktails and beautifully presented hors d’oeuvres. The mood was a mix of glamour and warmth, carefully balanced so that attendees felt both celebrated and at ease. Sponsors and partners were integrated into the arrival space with tasteful branding, ensuring recognition without disrupting the immersive environment.
Gala Dinner
We designed the floorplan for maximum efficiency, laying out the aisles to ensure anyone, regardless of their location, could get to the stage as fast as possible. A lounge style seating arrangement in the past, this year we opted for traditional chair seating to keep the evening running smoothly and on schedule.
Chairs allowed award recipients to easily stand and make their way to the stage without delay, ensuring a seamless flow of the program. It also provided a more practical dining experience, giving guests the comfort and stability needed to enjoy their meals with ease.
Dinner was designed to be an enjoyable, seamless experience for guests, with no entertainment taking place in the audience during the meal, allowing food service to run efficiently and without delays. Dessert was served later during the afterparty, creating a natural transition from the formal program to the celebration. This approach allowed guests to focus on their dining experience while ensuring the awards show stayed on schedule and flowed seamlessly from one moment to the next.
The Awards Show
The awards ceremony itself was a precisely choreographed production. Every element was meticulously planned by our producer, Jocelyn, and our "e" stage management team, with the flow of awards, content on screen, and technical cues all timed to the second in a detailed tech script. This precision allowed the stage design - a modern, polished aesthetic based on the energetic colours of the event brand [SHINE] - to perfectly frame each presenter and winner as the star of their moment. Lighting shifts were timed to perfection, sound cues landed flawlessly, and multimedia elements kept the pace dynamic.
This level of precision was only possible with our host, Andrew Phung, who was as invested in the timeline as we were. He was incredibly dedicated to hitting his marks, working seamlessly with our "e" team to ensure the show moved flawlessly and every category reveal was elevated to an experience in its own right, creating suspense and joy in equal measure.
Our Artistic Directors, Brian Hansen and Edgar Reyes from fuze entertainment, collaborated closely with our producer and amazing partners to deliver a high-value, punchy entertainment production. Their influence was felt throughout the script’s flow and the integration of surprise entertainment moments that broke up the program and re-energized the crowd. Each performance was hand-selected and woven into the program with care, complementing the ceremony rather than competing with it. Genres and styles were mixed to appeal to a wide range of guests, showcasing the diversity and talent of Canada’s entertainment scene. This wasn’t filler between awards; it was an integral part of the storytelling, curated to delight the senses and keep the audience engaged from start to finish.
Between formal moments, guests enjoyed intentional opportunities to connect. From networking breaks with live music to photo-worthy installations, we created opportunities that encouraged interaction and social sharing. These elements didn’t just add to the fun; they deepened the sense of community and shared pride in the industry.
The After-Party
After the final award was announced, the night transitioned seamlessly into an after-party that kept spirits high. The shift itself was an event – transition entertainment moved through the space, with lighting following the performers to draw guests toward the celebration.
Music built in energy, ending the show on a high note and creating the feeling of a moving celebration that guided people from one room to the next. Guests could take their drinks with them, following the flow into the cocktail bar where the atmosphere transformed with vibrant lighting, more vintage fresh décor, and upbeat entertainment.
There, guests danced, toasted, and continued networking, surrounded by visual and sensory reminders of the industry’s vibrancy and the night’s shared success.
This seamless flow was also a strategic triumph. By designing the experience to move all guest energy from the main reception into the after-party area, we were able to begin load-out of the awards room precisely on time. This operational efficiency was a critical part of our planning, allowing us to save our numerous sponsors valuable time and money at the end of the night.
