Danny Tran · Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino · 2023
How Danny Tran Defied the Odds and Built the Largest Permanent Makeup Event in North America on His First Try
Summary
The permanent makeup industry's largest live event drew about 300 people. Danny Tran, founder and CEO of Highstoke Media, wanted to build the biggest one in North America with a seven month old brand, no attendee list and an industry that doubted him. We ran teaser videos while the venue was still being secured, took the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood, Florida, ran two stages like a music festival and built more than 16 interactive installations ourselves. More than 800 attendees came, against a projection of 600.
The Problem
The permanent makeup industry had been underserved for too long: its largest live event drew only about 300 people. Danny Tran wanted to blow that out of the water, and not with another boring PMU conference. He wanted workshops and business combined, and he wanted it to be the largest PMU event in the country.
This was the first PMU World. The brand was only seven months old, with no attendee list and no past footage to market with, and Danny had never run an event this size. We had five months to build it.
What We Did
Here is how we built it, from the first plan to the last guest out. One team held all of it.
- 1Ran teaser videos while the venue was still being secured, building curiosity before there was anything to buy. When they landed, ticket sales jumped from 100 to over 300 overnight.
- 2Secured the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood, the Guitar Hotel, on one of the most popular weekends of the year.
- 3Ran two stages at once like a music festival: one for business, one for practice, so attendees could learn and do on site. Added a sponsor hall and a VIP area.
- 4Built more than 16 interactive installations ourselves, made for selfies and content, after South Florida installation companies could not produce what we needed.
Challenges Overcome
What stood in the way, and how it was handled.
Nobody believed in this event. Danny ran a marketing agency in an industry that is mostly women, and many doubted a man could pull it off. No permanent makeup event had ever been attempted at this size, and the brand was only seven months old, with no attendee list and no past footage to show.
So the event had to prove itself before anyone could see it. Teaser videos built the story while the venue was still being secured, and when they landed, ticket sales jumped from 100 to over 300 overnight. By the event, more than 800 people were on site, against a projection of 600.
Scope of Services
Everything we were accountable for.
How It Went
More than 800 attendees were on site, against a projection of 600, making it the largest PMU event in North America. Seven months earlier the brand did not exist.
Attendees loved the two stage format and left wanting to come back next year.
- Client
- Danny Tran
- Venue
- Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, Hollywood
- Year
- 2023
- Attendees on site, against 600 projected
- 800+
- Attendees on site, against 600 projected
- Largest PMU event in North America
- #1
- Largest PMU event in North America
- Saved off contracts
- $148K
- Saved off contracts
Right For
Female beauty entrepreneurs and salon owners in an underserved niche, and the founders who serve a niche like that and want to give it an event of its own.
Inside PMU World 2023.
Select a frame · Open to enlarge
Steal This
The riches are in the niches. PMU World could have been a beauty world or a beauty con, and it would have been too wide. Focusing on permanent makeup, a corner of the beauty industry many people do not even know exists, made a room built for one group of people, where they felt at home and every session and piece of content was made for them.
Sell the story before the venue is signed. Teaser videos that ran while the Hard Rock was still being secured took ticket sales from 100 to over 300 overnight.
Questions, answered
Who produced Danny Tran's PMU World 2023?+
Iconic Events, a Florida based event production and coordination company, produced the first PMU World for Danny Tran of Highstoke Media at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida in April 2023, delivering coordination, production, content, installation buildout and attendee, sponsorship and speaker management for more than 800 attendees.
What did Iconic Events actually deliver for PMU World 2023?+
Coordination: Planning and coordination from first concept to the last day. Production: Two stages run at once, one for business and one for practice. Content: Teaser videos and event content. Installations: More than 16 interactive installations, built in house. Attendees: Attendee management. Negotiations: Venue and vendor negotiations, saving $148,000 off contracts. Sponsors: Sponsorship management and the sponsor hall. Speakers: Speaker management. Post: Post production content.
How much did working with Iconic Events save on production?+
Consolidating strategy, creative, production and on site execution under one accountable team saved the client $148,000 against a multi vendor build.
How many people attended PMU World 2023?+
800+ attendees. The room was sized against the commercial objective rather than a headcount target.
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