Inspiring Record-Setting Donations at Make-A-Wish® Ball

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.

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Objective

For the 27th Annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball, the team was 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 after party featuring a multi-act cabaret show and nightclub experience, requiring a major room flip in just two hours.  

Solution

Our 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. 

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.

Two women with long dark hair, dramatic makeup, large earrings, and glittering jewelry perform a choreographed dance on stage, wearing black and white outfits, against a purple-lit backdrop.
A group of performers in elaborate feathered costumes dances on stage with red curtains and ornate golden decorations, centered around one performer elevated above the others.
Four people stand on stage during an event, with two women holding a large abstract artwork. The background features blue lighting, and an audience is seated at tables in the foreground.
A large, elegant banquet hall filled with people seated at round tables, decorated with flowers and candles. The room is lit by colorful lighting and large screens with blue aquatic-themed visuals are displayed on the walls.
A large projection of a sea turtle swims across a blue-lit wall above a decorated dining area with floral centerpieces, candles, and elegant place settings.
A subway platform labeled Clark Street is flooded with water up to the platform level, with waves and water pouring in, while a train is partially visible on the right side.
Several framed artworks are displayed on easels along a carpeted hallway at an indoor exhibition. A person with long hair walks past the art, and white drapes cover the windows in the background.
A stylish arched entrance decorated with ivy and greenery displays the word SUPERNATURE above glass doors, with people visible inside through the entrance.
A large screen displays the text InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball with a blue, abstract background and spotlights shining upward.
Two women with long dark hair, dramatic makeup, large earrings, and glittering jewelry perform a choreographed dance on stage, wearing black and white outfits, against a purple-lit backdrop.
A group of performers in elaborate feathered costumes dances on stage with red curtains and ornate golden decorations, centered around one performer elevated above the others.
Four people stand on stage during an event, with two women holding a large abstract artwork. The background features blue lighting, and an audience is seated at tables in the foreground.
A large, elegant banquet hall filled with people seated at round tables, decorated with flowers and candles. The room is lit by colorful lighting and large screens with blue aquatic-themed visuals are displayed on the walls.
A large projection of a sea turtle swims across a blue-lit wall above a decorated dining area with floral centerpieces, candles, and elegant place settings.
A subway platform labeled Clark Street is flooded with water up to the platform level, with waves and water pouring in, while a train is partially visible on the right side.
Several framed artworks are displayed on easels along a carpeted hallway at an indoor exhibition. A person with long hair walks past the art, and white drapes cover the windows in the background.
A stylish arched entrance decorated with ivy and greenery displays the word SUPERNATURE above glass doors, with people visible inside through the entrance.
A large screen displays the text InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball with a blue, abstract background and spotlights shining upward.