A close-up of the Bulleit trailer bar, in all of its glory. Photo by Mason Pelt Media.
Picture this: More than 100 local media moguls, bloggers, social media personalities, and whiskey lovers gathered together for three hours of bourbon, barbecue, shopping, and networking.
With less than a week’s notice, these movers and shakers extemporaneously cleared their schedules on a Wednesday night for this pop-up event. Why? I’ll explain.
A fellow publisher reached out and introduced me to a rep for Bulleit Bourbon who had contacted him. Pleasantries were exchanged, and soon after, due to my local audience and their interests, this rep made me an offer I could not refuse.
Bulleit wanted to bring its $150,000 luxury tailgating traveling bourbon bar from the 2012 Neiman Marcus catalog stocked full of product, and set it up for me and 20 of my closest friends.
Personified as “Woody,” this personality-packed wooden bar on wheels was making a nationwide tour with Dallas on the schedule. Why was I so lucky to be given a private party? While not monetarily, being an arts and entertainment publisher does pay in some ways. This event paid off for Bulleit, too, as you’ll soon see.
A side view of "Woody" during setup. Photo by Neil Lemons.
While on the phone with the rep my wheels started turning. In a flash of PR clarity, it became apparent to me how I could add more value to everyone.
I proposed to the the rep that instead of 20 friends, how about 100 media types, food/drink bloggers, social media personalities, self promoters, and affluent bourbon-drinkers? We’d get local barbecue staple Lockhart Smokehouse to cater. And instead of having the party at a bar, how about we make it more private and cooler by having it at a whiskey-themed men’s clothing store?
It just so happened that the second half of the high-end men’s custom suit store where I direct digital efforts is called RYE 51. With all that said, she agreed. This event was a synergistic match made in whiskey heaven.
Woody in front of RYE 51. Photo by Mason Pelt Media.
The shindig started at 6 p.m. and officially ended around 8 p.m. To add to the scene, beats were being spun from Dallas DJ Mike Detloff.
According to Bulleit rep Christina Kavanaugh, Woody had travailed many previous stops. While in the Bay Area, Woody stopped at the Google Campus, Crissy Field, an Oakland A’s game, and a San Francisco Giants game. He also traveled to Southern California, Las Vegas, the Northeast, to a Broncos football tailgate in Denver, and to a Chiefs football tailgate in Kansas City before Dallas on October 8.
After Dallas, Woody is heading to Portland, Louisville, Kentucky, Austin, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, New Orleans, Chicago, St. Louis, and Tampa.
Needless to say, Woody gets around.
Jennifer Smart & sister Lauren Smart, who is the Arts/Culture Editor for Dallas Observer. Photo by Mason Pelt Media.
Kevin Gray of UrbanDaddy.com, Mark Schectman of 102.1 The Edge, Neil Lemons (myself). Photo by Mason Pelt Media.
What are some of the best ways to get local media to come to your pop-up party? Here are a couple of common sense tips, and I’ll also share some not-so-common tactics.
The 1-2-3′s of throwing a cocktail party that rocks
1. Have some sort of newsworthy attraction piece (most would think this is enough, but it’s not).
2. Offer free drinks, and not just any drinks, make them extra special with themed names for the night, even if they are traditionally called something else.
3. Have free food, and not just “light appetizers.” Bring on the barbecue!
Here is Mike Orren, President of Dallas Morning News' Speakeasy, a content marketing firm, having fun. Vice President, Integrated Marketing at Red Capital Group, JC Elliott is making faces behind his back. Photo by Mason Pelt Media.
Here are some not-so-obvious tactics:
– Use the word “exclusive” in the title of the event, especially when it’s true. Don’t overdue this.
– Second, have people pre-RSVP that your other guests know (or know of), and they will have a good time with whether they like you or not (there is deeper “social proof” tactic I won’t reveal here, but it helps get the ball rolling).
– Third, actually become friends with media people in real life and through social networks.
– Last, give them a reason why this spontaneous event happened out of the blue, combined with a sense of urgency on why they need to RSVP. In this case, the stars aligned and all these things really did happen in that way.
Bulleit fitting in the the scene at RYE 51. Photo by Mason Pelt Media
There you have it. That’s a partial formula for throwing a cocktail party that rocks. You can find Bulleit at your local bar or liquor store, or learn more by visiting www.bulleit.com. You can learn more about RYE 51 and Q Clothier by visiting their store in West Village.
All but one photo by Mason Pelt. Photo releasing under Creative Commons with attribution non-commercial.
Neil Lemons is the co-founder/editor of ILiveInDallas.com, an award-winning online digital publication about life in Dallas and D-FW cultural events.