THRILLIST X VIRGIN VOYAGES PRESENT: REVVEL
3 DAYS OF FOOD, MUSIC AND CULTURE ABOARD THE SCARLET LADY
Thrillist partnered with Virgin Voyages to celebrate the long awaited launch of their new ship Scarlet Lady. Their new and utterly glamorous cruise ship defies traditional cheese-ball notions of cruises and takes a sustainability seriously. To celebrate, we dreamed up a party befitting the occasion and introduced a new, travel-hungry audience to the concept of cruising done the Virgin way.
Our three-day event series included exclusive on board dinner parties, signature Thrillist cocktails, custom, up-cycled merch, a drag pool party starring Trixie Mattel, a prohibition disco produced by House of Yes, and an all-night DJ festival headlined by Major Lazer Soundsystem. For those who wanted to keep the party going, we set up VIP overnight packages allowing attendees to stay on board. All events were underscored by an airtight Covid-19 safety protocol thanks to a partnership with CLEAR.
Through a sweeping digital and video package, we built an iridescent, oceanic fantasy world for REVVEL’s brand ID and spread the word, focusing on talent. For the experience on board, we pulled the aesthetic through with merch, ultrashiny signage and decor, immersive screens and an enormous art installation.
I oversaw every element from initial concept with our Virgin Voyages partners through execution. Elements included logo, ID, aesthetic design, naming and promotional copy, event page and comms, video package design, all promotional assets, overseeing execution of all physical materials and merch, and building one enormous ocean wall.
But it was SO worth it. I got down on the dance floor along with over 4000 attendees, helped score countless bookings for Virgin Voyages and not one resulting Covid case!
DINE ON THE WATER DINNER SERIES
We activated the ship’s six premiere restaurants with special menus and cocktail programs to inspire Thrillist fans for an evening of high end food, dancing and Scarlet Lady exploration.
FEELING NAUTY
DRAG POOL PARTY
Trixie Mattel hosted a concert, day time pool party and impromptu runway event on the Scarlet Lady’s Top deck. With over 1000 attendees, we managed to give NYC’s drag glitterati a glimpse of the Virgin Voyages while enjoying NYC’s hottest pool party.
music festival
At night, we took over every single stage the ship had to offer to create multiple music parties. A 90’s hip hop jam session hosted by DJ Jazzy Jeff, a Prohibition Disco in the ship’s nightclub hosted by The House of Yes, and a pool deck concert from
Major Lazer Soundsystem.
DESIGN AND PROMOTION
We brought the energy of the event to life through an inspiring design package that drove promotion as well as every interaction on the ship, including elements like an upcycled merch store and an immersive underwater landscape photo backdrop. Here’s me and my crew getting our little mermaid vibes on.
But did Sir Richard Branson personally promote the event? Yes. Yes, he did.
Our pop-up shop featured branded merch mixed with upcycled wigs and accessories to get the party started
Iridescent towels were a key pool party giveaway.
