LDJ PRODUCTIONS

CASE STUDIES

THE SITUATION

After an 8-year hiatus, our longtime client, Matrix US, relaunched its marquee educational event, Destination. The brand would bring together 2500 hairdressers and 600 sales consultants and needed to showcase the creativity of its top Artistic Educators and convey the brand’s image to its global family. 

Matrix reached out to LDJ Productions to create an opening show to kickstart the conference and energize the audience. In the words of the Vice President Shows & Events, US Matrix Professional Haircare & Color  “The inspiration for tonight’s show was that we first wanted to ultimately wow everyone and open up their imagination and inspire them in ways they have never been inspired before. We wanted the experience to be different; different from any other [industry] show and event [they] ever attended…” 

 THE SOLUTION

Inspired by the NYC experiential musical “Queen of the Night”, LDJ proposed an environment brimming with mystery that would envelop guests entering the cavernous 55,000 sq. ft. event space.  The goal was to create an opening show that would transport guests into a mood, a moment and a culture, creating an experience that was fun, exciting and memorable.

  The Walk-In Experience: Transported into a mysterious world of intrigue, highlighted by dancers and performers acting as “sparks of imagination” on each of nine separate stages, guests slowly made their way into the room. Over each stage floated a cloud of inflatable orbs containing programmable LED’s that were triggered by voice and signals, and synced by time code to a custom audio track. Initiated by the performers and triggered by specific cues in the audio track, brilliant lighting effects periodically rippled across the event space, engulfing guests in a multi-sensory playland. 

The Show: The highlight of the live show was comprised of 4 scenes, each designed to showcase the creative vision of each the brand’s Artistic Educators. The creative direction of each of the 4 themes – Ocean Sounds, Untamed Beauty, Murmuration and Robotic Energy – was brought to life through custom video, lighting, audio and choreography.  Stunning hair and makeup truly showcased the creativity of the brand, inspiring brand love and bringing to life the organizing principle of the brand’s key tagline, “Imagine All You Can Be.”

 THE TESTIMONIAL

“Thank you all for such an amazing Destination 2016!! This weekend was a celebration of the strength of our artistic team and the value of the education and partnership we provide to our salons and stylists. They were impressed, they saw Matrix in a new, different and elevated way and I heard nothing but rave reviews the entire weekend from our guests! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR AN  OUTSTANDING WEEKEND.“ 

Paul Schiraldi
VP, General Manager, Matrix, A Brand of L’Oreal USA

THE SITUATION

Rodan + Fields, the largest beauty company currently disrupting the industry with it’s digital-first, direct to consumer model, operates a high-calibre sales incentive travel program with 8 to 10 incentive trips each year.  Their top 300 earners and their guests were awarded a trip to Cannes for the 2018 RFx Circle Trip.

ITA Group, R+F’s strategic logistics partner, was executing the travel and logistics for this luxurious trip.  A five-star hotel buyout at the iconic Hotel Barriere Majestic, top-notch activities and over-the-top evening events were just a few key facets of the event.  R+F, seeking to surprise and delight their audience, wanted to create an experience designed around the haute couture and “je ne sais quoi” of French fashion. 

THE SOLUTION

ITA Group tapped LDJ Productions to concept the crown jewel of the event a bespoke fashion show and dinner staged at the private Cannes-Mandelieu Airport, featuring collection curation in partnership with Farfetch and its luxury brand partners, and casting of celebrity models including Christie Brinkley
and Alek Wek.

RFx culminated in an extraordinary reception and dinner at a private château in the hills of the Cote D’Azur. As part of a fragrance launch, ITA Group supported the curation of a sensory experience throughout the rooms of the château, designed to educate and enthuse attendees about the new branded perfume. 

THE TESTIMONIAL

“You and your team have been nothing short of AMAZING! Xo”
Cary Pierce
Senior Director, Events, Rodan + Fields

“Thank you again for creating such a memorable night with us for all of our attendees!”
Sarah Morrison
Senior Manager, Incentive Events, Rodan + Fields

THE SITUATION

As one of the “Big Four” global fashion weeks, New York Fashion Week (NYFW) ranks among the largest, most complex events in New York City.  Twice yearly, over 100,000 guests descend on the city to see upwards of 300 shows all over Manhattan.  For years, event property owner IMG Fashion hosted the central hub for NYFW in “The Tents” a 100,000 square foot custom built complex in order to centralize many of the most prominent shows and mitigate the logistical challenges of moving the audience of editors, buyers and industry insiders all over Manhattan.  As the event grew over time, IMG did not have the capacity internally to handle the technical or operational planning of this high-profile, high complexity event.

THE SOLUTION

Since 2001, LDJ had served as the on-site venue management team for IMG, liaising with sponsors, designers, vendors and crew to streamline the flow of goods, services & information supporting 60 to 80 designer shows & 15 to 20 sponsors activating in 5 venues over 10 days within an install/dismantle period of 4 weeks.

In 2013, LDJ took on a larger role to develop all the technical needs for multiple venues ranging in size from 150 to 1500 people, balancing the specific needs of scenic, lighting and audio design for both the live event and for the important editorial stills and videos of the show.  Under our auspices, our technical sub-vendors hire, contract, pay and manage legions of stagehands and technicians twice yearly on this massive show.

On the logistical side, we work closely with all stakeholders - clients, various brands, security, vendors, and staff - to operate venues which are tightly scheduled and necessitate a successfully flowing audience to keep the back to back show guests - up to 12 distinct audiences per day! - arriving and departing with a smooth and pleasant guest experience.In 2018, the platform once again moved to a semi permanent home, Spring Studios. LDJ played an important role by partnering with IMG in the move to the new venue including all city coordination, design, permitting and other roles associated with the re-imagination of the platform. Current sponsors include E! Entertainment, Papyrus, Evian, Lexus, and Tresemme. 

For over 35 seasons, LDJ Productions has become synonymous with a well-produced, seamless experience amidst the frenzy of NYFW. 

Strategically, we have relocated and redesigned these high-profile shows three times and are always looking ahead to growth and the next location.  With each move of a large-scale event like this comes a, technical, creative, logistical and financial overhaul, thinking through set design, way-finding, crowd circulation,, security, press accreditation and access, collateral distribution, camera positioning, live-streaming and bandwidth optimization, financial projections and countless other departments and line items under our purview.  

 THE TESTIMONIAL

“Congrats, the venues are breathtaking and tomorrow when we start to see collections come to life on those runways we’ll be reminded why we do this. Thanks to each and every one of you for your phenomenally hard work, for the ridiculously long hours, for your team spirit, your friendship and your sense of humor.”

Catherine Bennett
Senior VP, Managing Director, WME I IMG Fashion

THE SITUATION

Entering our 4th year of partnership with The New York Times, Andrew Ross Sorkin, & CNBC, we have seen the event grown in stature and scale. As evidenced by the absolute top tier talent pool of guests and interviewees, LDJ was asked to not only put on a technically flawless show, but to also “make everything bigger and crisper”. While that task may seem easy enough, we were under strict guidelines to ensure the budget is fairly neutral year-over-year and to not do anything to block the beautiful room’s (The Appel Room @ Jazz at Lincoln Center) views of Columbus Circle and the SW corner of Central Park. The Times team also wanted us to add in multiple new sponsor activation areas and utilize various spaces in the Atrium as well as Dizzy’s for NYT Task Force sessions, which were invite only intimate conversations with certain guests in the morning.

THE SOLUTION

We worked with the labor and staffing partner to split shifts and provide various pricing for different hours of operation over an additional day of rehearsal, finding that adding an entire additional day would allow us to best minimize overtime for a substantial product load-in.  We also used new LED panel technology that allowed us to pre-assemble portions of the main video wall, allowing for a lower labor call-time.  To ensure flawless show run, we added additional microphone runners and backstage managers to ensure talent and guests were properly queued.  We provided Andrew with up to the minute cue changes based on information he gave us during each planned break, allowing for the event he wanted and decided would flow better as he engaged with the audience allowing for additional Q&A time with certain morning or afternoon interviewees.  For sponsors, we had staffed a sponsorship production and sponsorship liaison to intake requests, vet with the Times team, and then produce creative and budgets prior to the event.  The result was multiple activated sponsors and potentially repeat event revenue.

THE TESTIMONIAL

“Thanks, once again, for making the DealBook Summit a success. The months and months of planning paid off. You all executed this tight-rope walk the past 48 hours beautifully. We made a crazy, over-the-top, amount of news and the pickup is everywhere you look. I am so appreciative for the around the clock work that's been going on these past couple of weeks. Please know the feedback has been phenomenal . And for all of it, I am deeply grateful. Standing ovation. With gratitude”
- Andrew Ross Sorkin
Editor-at-Large for The New York Times