A quick adjustment of the tie, a shine on the shoes, and off we went: the glamorous yet fast-paced atmosphere of the Venice International Film Festival welcomed us with open arms. Movie stars, red carpets, flashing cameras everywhere, and, between a walk on the red carpet and a press conference, a truly exciting project to deliver.
We worked alongside LG Electronics, one of the event’s sponsors, with a far from simple assignment: organizing and managing the experience of the Top Clients attending the 68th Venice Film Festival, overseeing hospitality, logistics, and a range of special activities designed to enhance the brand’s presence on the Lido. All this while taking care of another essential part of the project: capturing the Festival live and revealing what usually happens behind the scenes.
HOSPITALITY MANAGEMENT AND LOGISTICS FOR TOP CLIENTS
When an international brand decides to sponsor an event of this scale, it requires a highly sophisticated organizational machine, built on tight schedules, precise coordination, and extremely high expectations. It is not simply about “being there,” but about creating experiences that strengthen strategic relationships and leave a lasting impression.
For LG Electronics, we managed the arrival, welcome, and logistics of participants from key retail companies such as MediaWorld, Saturn, Unieuro, and Euronics. Every detail was coordinated for our guests, including airport pick-ups, transfers, hotel accommodations, event access, and daily transportation.
All of this took place in the unique setting of Venice. A stunning city, certainly, but not exactly designed for fast logistics: crowded water buses, canals to cross, and a huge influx of visitors during the Festival. This is where experience makes the difference: meticulous planning, contingency solutions always at hand, and the ability to stay calm under pressure.
Alongside the hospitality services, we also designed and coordinated exclusive side programs for guests and their companions, including private tours and tailored experiences, allowing them to truly immerse themselves in the atmosphere of the Festival—not just as spectators, but as protagonists.
EVENT SETUPS AND GUERRILLA MARKETING ACTIVITIES
LG Electronics arrived at the Venice Lido with a clear objective: showcasing its cutting-edge Cinema 3D television and its Smart TV featuring an application that allowed users to relive the highlights of the Festival. The challenge was straightforward: how do you stand out in an environment already saturated with stimuli, images, and world-famous names?
Our answer was to occupy the event’s key locations and let the technology speak for itself. We designed, produced, and managed a series of display installations positioned throughout the Festival’s main venues. LG televisions became the true stars of the installations, prominently displayed and paired with different support structures depending on the location and level of protection required.
Around these installations, we developed guerrilla marketing activities designed to attract attention, engage visitors, and encourage interaction. Guests were invited to wear the iconic “no-stress” 3D glasses and enjoy an immersive visual experience featuring spectacular images, movie trailers, and exclusive Festival-related content—and, let’s be honest, the chance to see George Clooney just a little closer.
SOCIAL CONTENT MARKETING IN 2011? YES, AND IT WAS ALREADY WORKING BRILLIANTLY
Looking back today, one aspect of this project feels particularly forward-thinking. LG Electronics chose to tell the story of the Festival from a completely different perspective, creating an authentic editorial narrative based on what was actually happening, both inside and outside the official Festival venues.
This was 2011, long before the term “content marketing” became the buzzword it is today. Yet LG had already fully understood the value of original content across social media platforms. Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube became the stage for a parallel narrative alongside the official Festival.
We worked as a true on-site editorial team, producing exclusive daily content: the arrival of movie stars, press conferences, behind-the-scenes moments, the hectic pace of the Festival staff, and the glamorous social life of parties, vernissages, and evening events. A genuine “Festival beyond the Festival” that brought audiences closer to an event often perceived as exclusive and inaccessible.
WORKING UNDER PRESSURE
The Venice Film Festival was one of those intense experiences that literally have you running from one side of the city to the other—strictly dressed in formal attire—moving between conference calls, unexpected challenges, and installations to inspect.
The pace was relentless, with multiple activations running simultaneously, different stakeholders to coordinate, and an environment where even the smallest distraction could not be afforded. From the initial planning to on-site operational management, every single detail mattered.
It was undoubtedly a demanding project, but also an incredibly rewarding one. Because it is precisely in these high-pressure environments, under the spotlight, that the ability to transform an event into a truly memorable experience is put to the test.
WHAT THIS EXPERIENCE TAUGHT US
Even today, the Venice Film Festival remains one of those projects that perfectly represents who we are and how we work. A highly complex, high-profile environment where strategy, creativity, and operational management must move together seamlessly, without ever losing control of the details.
For Showreel, it confirmed that the best experiences are created by combining vision with execution: thinking big while managing every single transfer, every installation, and every piece of content published in real time with the same level of care.
Whether it’s a film festival, a corporate convention, a special brand activation, or a brand experience project, our approach remains the same: transforming every event into a coherent, memorable story—and, whenever possible, one that is genuinely enjoyable to experience.
