Go Daddy Holiday Bash: Multi-Million Dollar Event Celebrates Employees
A multi-million dollar holiday bash in a huge arena. A bold, forward-thinking corporate executive. Name entertainment. Over-the-top theme areas. Cash employee prizes topping $1 million. Live news coverage. Sound like something from the heyday of the ‘80s? Guess again.
This was the Go Daddy multi-million-dollar holiday extravaganza that took place at Chase Field in Phoenix which was co-produced by Extraordinary Events, a Los Angeles-based international event producer, and SMG/SAA Ventures in Scottsdale, Arizona.
When Go Daddy’s executive chairman and founder, Bob Parsons, was asked why such a big holiday party in a down economy, his answer was, “Why not? Our people deserve it!”
They certainly did. In 2011, Go Daddy wrote $1 billion in business, hit the 51 million domain mark (an internet first) and produced the Super Bowl commercial that drew the most internet traffic. The team had a lot to be thankful for, a big reason behind the God Bless America theme.
Andrea Michaels, president of Extraordinary Events, and Charles Johnston, president/CEO of SMG/SAA Ventures, worked with Go Daddy’s vice president of corporate events and community outreach, Renee LaBelle Parsons, and Kim Gartner, director of corporate events, to create what Michaels calls “a once-in-a-lifetime event in the world of event planning.”
Michaels adds that although the budget was a rare treat these days, it was more the investment in creativity and the trust in Extraordinary Events’ execution that made this project so satisfying for her. “I envisioned what I wanted to do, and then was given enthusiastic permission to do it,” she says. “Seeing it spring to life was a dream come true.”
So what made the event so spectacular? Go Daddy and Extraordinary Events developed a concept to build enormous scale American icons, all three dimensional and photo realistic.
Hollywood’s finest set designers and builders worked feverishly to create a 40-foot Statue of Liberty that was the entry piece of the event. Other featured iconic areas included: Mt. Rushmore, carved with Go Daddy Girls’ heads; a Bourbon Street two-story restaurant complete with a Café du Go Daddy; a Las Vegas casino; an Indianapolis Raceway with Danica Patrick’s race cars; Hawaii with an enormous Go Daddy sand castle constructed during the party; a Hollywood movie theatre set with paparazzi, red carpet and a Go Daddy Walkway of the Stars.
The Go Daddy Gate Bridge was surrounded on one side by Chinatown and on the other by Alcatraz, all overlooking the San Francisco Bay at night. Each area had custom games and photo opportunities for the guests. Food and beverage was served within each area’s buildings and matched each set piece.
To top it off, the event’s centerpiece was a giant stage featuring entertainment performances by Dierks Bentley, Trace Adkins and Kid Rock.
It was what KNXV, who reported live from the event, dubbed “one of the best events in the country.”
To see a time-lapse video of this event, click here.