One of the hardest parts of planning an experiential marketing event is finding the right venue. The venue can make or break the event, which is why choosing the right one is so important. Recently, a number of luxury brands have chosen mansions as venues for their experiential marketing events. Here’s what you need to know about this trend:

The Pros and Cons of Having Too Much Space

Brands are often drawn to mansions because they offer a great deal of space for the event. This is certainly a benefit to choosing a mansion for your experiential marketing event venue, however the amount of space can be a drawback as well. Brands will need to fill all of the space within a mansion in order to make the event feel finished. Filling thousands of square feet of empty space can be a daunting–not to mention expensive–task. So, although it may seem as if having a lot of space benefits your brand, it’s important to keep this drawback in mind when deciding if this is the right venue for your event.

Gives Guests A Taste of Luxury

Every luxury brand wants to ensure their target audience knows their products are high-end. Hosting an experiential marketing event at a mansion allows the brand to introduce their products to their target audience while in a luxurious setting. The guests will then start to associate the brand with luxury as a result of the event. For this reason, a mansion is the perfect venue for brands that are trying to establish themselves as high-end. However, this is not a logical venue choice for brands that offer lower-priced products or services.

Offer Instagram-Worthy Photo Opportunities

If you are trying to create buzz on social media about your brand, a mansion may be the perfect venue for your experiential marketing event. Many mansions are designed with high ceilings, arched doorways, breathtaking entrances, and manicured landscaping. These features are beautiful on their own, but they look even better when accented with flowers or other decorative elements.

All of these design elements photograph well and scream luxury, so your guests will be eager to take photos to document the experience. Because there are so many Instagram-worthy photo opportunities in mansions, hosting an event in this type of venue is ideal for brands that are eager to get people talking on social media.

Access to Bathrooms and Kitchen

Having access to bathrooms and a kitchen is a huge benefit of choosing a mansion as your experiential marketing event venue. Having a kitchen makes it easier for the caterers of the event to serve guests promptly. Because there are bathrooms within the venue, the brand does not need to plan to bring in facilities for their guests to use. This simplifies the planning process for everyone involved.

Limited Changes

Many mansions are historical homes, which means there are a great deal of restrictions regarding what you can and cannot do on the property. It’s important to find out what is off limits prior to choosing a mansion for your event. For example, if you cannot incorporate branded décor or bring in your own furniture because of restrictions outlined in the contract, this may not be the best venue for your event. Review the fine print of the contract carefully so you know the rules.

Examples of Experiential Marketing Events in Mansions

Lancome is one of the many brands that have hosted an experiential marketing event inside a mansion. The beauty brand first hosted an event at the Academy Mansion in New York City. A year later, Lancome chose a spacious six-story townhome in Greenwich Village for its annual event.

Beauty bloggers, influencers and other guests had the opportunity to try Lancome’s new product lines at both of these events. Each room within the mansion focused on a different product line and offered a unique experience. Guests could travel freely throughout the mansion to experience everything that Lancome had to offer. This approach made the event more intimate since each room seemed as if it was a separate party.

Absolut Vodka went one step further by turning a historic mansion in the Hollywood Hills into a permanent home for their luxury brand, Absolut Elyx. The brand hosts numerous events at this mansion throughout the year, including luncheons, art shows, and even private martini-making classes. The goal of this approach is to convey a more authentic sense of the luxury lifestyle. Instead of simply hosting a single event at a local venue, the brand hosts multiple events at their own mansion. This impresses guests and sets the Absolut brand apart from other high-end vodka labels.

Harrods welcomed their guests to the James Burden mansion in New York City to celebrate the holidays. The brand decorated the mansion with sparkling holiday lights and festive décor to set the mood. Guests were also treated to British Christmas foods and given the opportunity to decorate gingerbread houses. The clients that were lucky enough to snag an invite to this event also had the chance to explore Harrod’s latest products and purchase their favorite pieces before they were made available to the public.

These events are quite different from one another, but they do share one thing in common. Each of these three brands went above and beyond to create a memorable event in a luxurious setting for their customers to enjoy. Use these events as inspiration when planning your next activation.

Are you interested in hosting an experiential marketing event at a mansion? If so, let the team of skilled experiential marketing experts at Factory 360 help. Take the first step towards hosting an engaging and effective experiential marketing event–call our office now!