When Pharrell replaced the Pont Neuf with a golden runway, it wasn't a fashion show. It was a two-week production dressed as one.
For Pharrell Williams' debut as Louis Vuitton menswear creative director, the brand shut down the Pont Neuf, painted it gold, filled the seats with Beyoncé, Rihanna and Jay-Z, and brought in Voices of Fire to sing his own composition live.
Only a thousand people saw it in person. Everyone else watched a beautifully produced film that appeared on Instagram within two hours. That was always the plan.
The event was the plate. The film was the meal.
Modern events are not events. They are films with an audience in the room to make sure the film looks alive.
When you plan a launch, an activation, a store opening: decide on the film first. Decide the two shots that will move the internet. Then design the event so those two shots are inevitable. This changes the entire budget conversation.