Lyft at SXSW
One of the silver linings to quarantine is that we are catching up on all the WSE blogs! Another one of our favorite events that we produced was the SXSW Lyft House and VIP Backyard BBQ. We took the Doyle House, which was built prior to the Civil War and mentioned on an 1872 map of Austin, and set up a HQ for drivers during SXSW. We used the house and backyard for an epic invite only VIP BBQ Party.
This event was challenging in many ways, one major challenge being that the Doyle House is not a typical venue. Alternative venues are always a fun change of scenery for events but there are a few key steps you should take when planning at one of these venues to ensure that your event goes off without a hitch.
Step 1: Please have a site visit before you either A) agree to produce the event or B) pitch the space to a client. This may seem obvious but it is one of the biggest issues facing producers during SXSW, especially if they are not from the Austin area. A lot of places claim to be venues during SXSW but they may not be setup properly with permits and other major infrastructure elements.
Step 2: During your site visit make sure you check the following things:
1) Fire exits: What is the plan for getting guests safely on and off the property. If you are not sure call the Austin Special Event office and see if they have the venue on record and you may be directed to the fire department.
2) If you are planning on serving booze check to see if there is fencing or check to see if you have the the ability to add fencing to the property. Permits will require this so make sure it is doable otherwise you are not having a bar at your event.
3) Power! For the Lyft event this was an issue as the Doyle House only had 2 outlets throughout the entire property. Make sure you have space for a generator or the ability to add additional power to the property. In this case we did both. We added 2 circuits with the help of the venue and a professional electrician and had a backup generator on hand just in case.
4) Rain Plan: For any event being held outside look at your tenting options. Are there trees in the way? Can you put up a tent? Is there room for water barrels, stakes or concrete weights? For this event tenting was a challenge so we had one of our trusted tenting partners come out for an additional site visit to make sure we could get enough coverage. This was essential to making sure that the guest count was not impacted.
5. Load-in and out: Make sure trucks can actually get to your venue. During SXSW many streets are closed off so getting ahold of street closure maps and making sure you have a route to your space is crucial.
6. Bathrooms: How many guests are you having x how many bathrooms exist - how old is the plumbing in question = how many bathroom trailers you need to bring in. Added note: Is there a water supply? If not, you may need to bring in water truck service for bathrooms, catering and your bar.
Step 3: Permits: Make sure you fill out all the required permit paperwork. Here at WSE we make sure all permit applications are filled out on time and with the correct city departments for all our SXSW events. If many permits are required for your event do not wait until the last minute or you could face issues like not being issued a permit at all.
Once all these steps have been completed then you can begin designing and creating a fun event.
For the Lyft event it was important to create a space that was comfortable, felt like Austin and had great branding that could be viewed from the street to gain more visual presence. Our other priorities were to have multiple seating areas so guests could network in small groups, have a low-key presentation area that could double as a stage backdrop (which now currently lives in the Austin Lyft office) and to have an event that put a smile on our guest’s faces.
Fun creative elements:
Custom marquee light and wood backdrop wall. This created a branded focal point for the event and doubled as a presentation backdrop and stage backdrop.
Custom cocktails and full mixology bar selection.
Branded doughnut snack station.
Fun bathtub non-alcoholic drink stations so guests could help themselves.
Branded lawn games.
Branded street acrylic lollipops so branding could be seen from the street.
Curated furniture selection to add to the overall event aesthetic. We focused on reclaimed wood, leather and woven textures.
We love producing SXSW events and social events of all shapes and sizes! Check out our full corporate event gallery to see some of our other work. We cannot wait to get back to planning events soon!
