Event Report: Elegant Branding For An Iconic Santa Barbara Experience

The Event: Night 2 of a 4-Day VVIP Incentive & Reward Program.

The Date: April 9, 2019

The Location: A private polo estate in Santa Barbara, California.

The Experience: a highly curated evening, consisting of an exclusive, private polo match, preceded by a cocktail reception and followed by dinner and after party.
We took many extra steps to address a big concern related to an event on Polo grounds: safety of jockeys and horses. No one was harmed during the event.

The Guests: 260 VVIPs from around the globe


The Concept: 
The VVIP guests constitute the top sales force of the client company and get invited to an outstanding, exclusive experience. These 4-day events take place in various locations around the world. In each location the client selects iconic experiences that define the geographical area.

The 2019 program took place in Santa Barbara, California, a famous equestrian center.
Polo is the most exclusive equestrian sport. Its history dates back over 2,000 years. Also known as the King's sport, it is an expensive passion for the horse owners and players. Very few horses have the necessary physical and emotional aptitude for Polo and it takes years to train a Polo horse. Many players hail from large South American ranches. The British Royals are famous players and observers.

Our Task for the Private Polo Event:
We supported the marketing efforts of our client by creating custom event marks that matched the elegance of the occasion.
We created custom logos and lockups, basing design on the company colors for all items. We incorporated the event concept. One example is the evening program in form of a traditional Polo fan that was distributed as guests arrived.



Fascinators and Fedoras - and a customized, branded, florally enhanced photo opportunity backdrop.

EW Vice President and Executive Producer Kristen Rensch: "The client provided guests with a hospitality suite where they could select the right headwear. Fedoras for the gentlemen, fascinators for the ladies. We created a 12-foot wide Polo horse photo experience in company colors. We added live floral to horse legs, the jockey, the saddle and the Polo stick. The floral added dimension to the backdrop. Guests loved the photo activation. A great way to remember this specific event."


Anticipating Weather Challenges:

We could not have asked for a more beautiful day! California perfection, at least in the afternoon. The reception took place on the upper pool terrace of the estate, overlooking the polo field. However, the weather forecast warned of strong wind gusts later that evening.
We decided to err on the side of safety and prepared for the wind challenge. April weather on the California coast varies wildly and cold nights are to be expected.

The tidewater tent held up beautifully as winds gusted to 20-30mph later in the evening. Special staking and tie-down techniques held the tent safely in place without causing any damage to the polo field turf. We had added sidewalls to keep the dinner guests comfortable. It turned out to be the right call.


Event ROI:

As is customary, the polo match opened with the performance of the national anthem, beautifully presented by up-and coming singer/songwriter Nora Tirrell.

Kristen: "As musical entertainment was woven throughout the totality of the 6-hour long event, we contracted a very diverse 7-piece band that can do it all. The band members played in various combinations and styles for the different phases. A band quartet performed as guests entered the tent and at the start of dinner. The trumpet player played the Call to Post which was followed by the national anthem. The whole band concluded the evening on stage during the 2.5 hour dance after party."

Working with Horses:

While the Polo estate managed all the horses and jockeys. we were tasked to curate every other aspect related to the evening. 

We executed a deep dive into Polo to learn every aspect of the sport.

Working with horses and producing an event on Polo grounds affected every step, from load-in to teardown to timing.

The Number One concern: the safety of the horses and the jockeys.

Polo grounds consist of compacted sand under the lawn, a very firm surface. We had to ensure that we would not damage the grounds during any aspect of our production.

This meant:

• no trucks on the polo ground. We built a plywood highway and hand wheeled or carried everything in. The special preparations and the load-in required two days.
• the dinner tent and adjoining catering kitchen were installed on top of plywood floors. 
• we kept restrooms off-field but in close proximity to the dinner event.

Timing and Event Flow:

A typical Polo match takes 2-3 hours. At the Santa Barbara estate the game is usually played on a field the size of 9 American football fields. This is the reason that Polo matches are more of a social event than just a sporting event. Much of the action happens far away from observers. Therefor they socialize a lot.

We adapted the match to a corporate event by shortening it to a 45-minute game, played on a portion of the standard field in order to keep all the action within view. Of course, we provided beverage tents and seating in the polo field perimeter for the social aspects.

Kristen: "We are so thankful that we had the once-in-a-lifetime chance to produce a private Polo experience. It was truly beautiful."

Wishing you a wonderful week.