An Evening at Studio 54
Employer: Glispa
Role: Senior Marketing & Global Events Manager
Duration: Jan 2018 – June 2019
Team: HR
What I Led:
End-of-Year Event Strategy · Theme Concepting · Experience Design · Vendor Management · Onsite Production
Wins:
➤ Delivered a legendary themed holiday party (Studio 54) that staff called the best company event ever
➤ Created emotional release and reconnection after a tough year of acquisitions, layoffs, and change
➤ Used creative touches (lighting design, DJ curation, era-specific visuals) to build an immersive experience
Why It Matters:
Company culture is created with the collective of employees, not through values written on the wall or telling folks how to behave. This event turned a difficult year into a shared celebration, proving that well-designed internal experiences can uplift teams, reinforce unity, and spark joy that lasts far beyond the dance floor.
When it came to planning Glispa’s annual holiday bash, I knew it was important to create an epic event. The year had been filled with a lot of change: acquisitions, a rebrand and a layoff - and it felt like people really needed to feel like they had a moment of release. And nothing does that better than a photobooth and a party.
In Berlin, there aren’t many opportunities to get glam, so I wanted to give my coworkers a chance to get their best threads on. We also wanted music that was celebratory, fun to dance to, and widely loved - and what’s better than soul and funk? It became clear that a Studio 54 would be the perfect intersection of what we needed.
My job was to design and deliver:
An unforgettable holiday party that felt inclusive, uplifting, and FUN
A concept that gave people permission to show up fully (and glamorously!)
An event that allowed team members to feel part of something special after a tough year
For an added touch of fun (and a boatload more pictures) we had several disposable cameras on the tables, making sure we could really capture the disco vibes in a format more reminiscent of the era.
I did a pretty extensive search for the DJ. While Berlin is full of folks who can spin, this genre is often not the easiest to source. I scoured soundcloud playlists, surveyed our staff and made sure to find someone that was certified groovy. As you can see from the pics below, I got the job done.
I’m a big believer in using interesting details to set the mood. I set the lighting to fit the mood, starting in a dark purple for dinner and moving to more orange/red for the dance party. I also wanted to provide a bit of historical context and flair, so we created a video reel created of clips and old footage from Studio 54, and had it projecting the entire evening to get people in the era.
RESULTS
Unanimous employee feedback calling it the best company party ever
High attendance and engagement, including guests of employees
Increased team cohesion and morale in the months that followed
Photos and memories that reinforced the company's employer brand from the inside out
