Event Activation Experience for CND – a Division of Revlon

IO “nails”  an elevated Social Media-driven event activation experience for CND- a Division of Revlon

The Challenge:

Image Options was tapped by The Social House- a leading social media agency in LA- to help create “the Shellac Luxe Experience” for Premiere: The International Beauty Convention in Orlando, Florida.
Their Client was CND a nail products division of Revlon. The event was the Global launch of a new line of Gel Polish- Shellac Luxe.

The Vision:

The booth needed to be an experiential “color wheel” walkthrough of six separate room experiences, highlighting the six steps of a visit to a nail salon and the innovative ways in which CND has brought products to the process to enhance both the professional and the consumer experience.

Drawing inspiration from many of the world’s most compelling experiential Museum experiences, each room had to create a fantastic environment that was social media post- worthy and celebrated a different stage of the “nail salon experience”:

Room 1: Color Consultation Room – “Welcome to Color, Re- Imagined!”

This room celebrated beginning of the journey, where a visit to the nail salon starts with color selection

  • The entry way was a tunnel shrouded with 6000 balloons, each had to be blown up and installed on a special framework.
  • The custom entry carpet matched the primary colors of Shellac Luxe- CND’s latest nail polish line.
  • Custom display Pedestals of brightly clad MDF and acrylic housed the latest Shellac Luxe products.
  • Two video screens flanking the entry played a loop of Jan Arnold, Co-Founder of CND, celebrating the new products and their advantages.
  • Interest was so great for this Experience that we created a roped entryway to manage traffic. (As you will see shortly, the over 2500 attendees who experienced the journey through this booth were not disappointed by the wait.)

2: Speed and Removal Room – “Time is Money!”

The concept here was “Time is Money”. To a nail professional, time used removing old nail product is time wasted.
CND’s new Shellac Luxe is a 60 second removal product and as such, an innovation in the industry.

  • The backdrop- made of SEG Stretch fabric featured the face of Jan Arnold, Co-Founder of CND, printed on a collage of faux dollar bills that blanketed the walls of the room.
  • 65 “Cuckoo clocks” constructed out of a Pall board -a new shape-able and recyclable PVC alternative- surrounded the room.
  • Each clock had an alcove that contained one of the 65 colors available in the new Shellac Luxe line of Gel Polish
  • The clocks were wired with LED lights set into the alcoves, that ran on a 60 second timer- so they would simultaneously light up the product colors to the sequenced sound of a cuckoo clock.
  • In keeping with the “color of money” theme this room carried, the flooring was custom green pile carpet.

Room 3: Care and Condition Room – “Welcome to the Pamper Zone.”

This room focused on the preparation stage for the next application of nail polish starting with the moisturizing and care of the cuticle.

  • Front and center was a giant bottle of Solar Oil- CND’s primary conditioning product for nail beds and cuticles.
  • Inspired by the droplets of golden oil the walls were covered with gold SEG stretch fabric and mirror finish 18” golden half orbs.
  • Flooring was printed in golden tones on a durable, (high- heels proof), Eco- Floor vinyl product
  • An elevated light fixture and custom golden beanbags as seating for the Social media photo experience complimented the overall feel of being in a sunlight- washed room of golden oil.

Room 4: Art of Precision Room – “Getting on the Grid.”

We were unaware before we did this project, that the art of nail enhancement is rooted in geometrically consistent applications of nail products- and that nail techs are trained to use a grid to understand how to apply nail products evenly.

This “Dimension Room” concept, with its eye- tricking geometric lines, was designed to represent that.

  • Walls were printed on SEG stretch fabric and pre-placed in-house to ensure the exactitude of each line.
  • Flooring was printed with lines to line up with the walls perfectly using Eco Floor vinyl product.
  • Interactive Video Screens articulated the process involved and served as Social Media posting stations.

Room 5: UV Curing Room – “A Deep Purple Experience”

In the nail color application sequence, UV light is the catalyst for the curing process.

We sought to creative an immersive experience to replicate that.

  • Set in blackout darkness, this room layered a UV LED tube tunnel with mirrored walls to produce an infinity room of UV illumination!
  • Custom aluminum Framing, protruding up from a deep blue carpet, supported gantries of flexible LED faux-neon strips
  • Mirrored walls made of Mirror finish acrylic bounced the light and the images of the attendees around in an elevated photo-experience that created tremendous upload traffic.

Room 6: Embellishment Room – “Let there be BLING!”

  • Arguably the best part of getting your nails done is the finishing artistic touches. For this experience, CND partnered with Swarovski Crystals to create elevated artistic statements that paid tribute to their involvement in the enhancement of nail art on a global level.
  • One might say that this room appeals to anyone who enjoys shiny things…
  • Inspired by the Oscars 2018 Stage backdrop was a photo op archway, crafted from a faceted backer that was bejeweled with hundreds of hand placed Swarovski crystals. Two crystal encrusted ottomans provided by Swarovski provided stage props.
  • A custom counter with a clear top filled with Swarovski crystals highlighted some of the more creative enhancement possibilities that the CND team ideated.
  • Stretch fabric walls were also encrusted with crystals and served as a backer for crystal- studded mirrored panels.
  • A custom chandelier was fabricated on site from glittering Swarovski crystal balls, to refract and project a breathtaking array of light points over the whole experience.

Other elements:

  • The outside of the Experience was clad in an imported silver- finish stretch fabric for a slightly enigmatic and upscale metallic exterior façade that invited the curious to explore the interior.
  • The circular center Atrium, with entrances to all the rooms, was a clean white execution of hard paneled custom walls with minimalist text descriptions at each entrance- each detailing the concept and experience that the attendee was about to experience- and elegantly mimicking the Museum-like experience of the project.
    Flooring was of faux wood floor paneling.
  • A custom- fabricated 30’ diameter fabric ring banner prominently identified the Shellac Luxe Experience to attendees and was viewable from any corner of the vast Convention Hall.
  • Elements of the main Experience were also used throughout the event at breakout education sessions that CND was hosting throughout the two- day event

Shout -Outs go out to:

The Social House- whose creative geniuses dreamed up this experience.
Monster Media – for their implementation of the Interactive AV and digital screen installations

Swarovski -for generously supplying / loaning a veritable “sea” of crystals

The Crystal Ninja- for their incredible on-site application of what essentially became a crystal art installation

Final Word:

Thank you Social House and CND for letting Image Options help you with this incredible launch. One might say that, together, we nailed it!

For a full awe-inspiring VIDEO walkthrough…
Watch the video here.

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