"You Can't Beat the Experience" - Pan Am 1982

Picture
Project Name: Pan Am: Return to the Skies
Opening: 2023
Role: Creative Director, Producer, Show Writer, Graphics, Media Production, Character Performer, Logistics Coordinator, Researcher
Overview:  On June 3, 2023, Pan Am: Return to the Skies took guests back to the jet age for a whirlwind tour around the world. This exclusive, invite-only event featured guests in elegant mid-century attire journeying from Italy to Japan to Mexico and beyond, meeting fascinating characters and collecting coveted passport stamps, drinks, and memories during one of two unforgettable seatings. The event received rave reviews and, though may have been designed as a one-off experience, keep your eyes on the skies—something extraordinary might just be on the horizon.

Welcome Back, To the World's Most Experienced Airline

For my 30th birthday, I wanted to go all out and create an unforgettable experience for my friends and family. Inspired by my love for Slim Aarons, vintage fashion, and the golden age of jet travel, I set out to create "PAN AM: Return to the Skies!" This event wasn't just a party; it was a heartfelt thank you to everyone who has made my first three decades on this rock so wonderful and an opportunity to continue to refine my skills as a Creative Director and Producer. 

Come Fly With Me
Drawing from the progressive dinners of my childhood and the iconic Pan Am world tour flights of the 1970s, I developed a storyline where guests would embark on a one-day world tour with the beloved, defunct airline. My grandfather's legacy as a Pan Am pilot adding a bit of personal significance and being the deciding factor over TWA. The vision of the event was to transport guests from their everyday lives into a fantastical journey across the globe, all while keeping things within a sensible budget, not exactly an easy task. 

You Presence is Requested

Guests received personalized postcards featuring a custom-designed Pan Am destination poster, inviting them to RSVP as well as  indicate preference for either an afternoon or evening flight itinerary. They were also given guidelines on period-appropriate attire and a brief history of the airline in order to set the stage for the adventure ahead. The itineraries teased destinations like Tokyo, Rome, and London, but purposely obfuscated how exactly we would be visiting each of these exotic ports of call, building anticipation and excitement for the event.

With everyone's RSVP's in I divided the over 60 guests into two groups had a "travel agent" character reached out to each guest to provide them with their boarding passes and to answer any questions they may have in the weeks leading up to the event, without giving away any surprises. 

Cleared for Take-off!

Soon the day of the flight was upon us. As guests for the first itinerary arrived at The Luca Lanai, they were greeted with a welcome reception and given their personalised passports for the journey ahead. The Afternoon Group then boarded a luxury chartered "party bus," decked out on the interior with Pan Am decor, period-appropriate food and beverage options inspired by vintage Pan American World Airways Menus, and even genuine 1960s/70s Pan Am Stir Sticks that I had been scavenging the internet for months in order to procure.

Soon it was time for take off. With all our guests safely onboard they were treated to a custom in-flight safety video featuring Drag Queen personality Debra Messy, fully decked out as a Pan Am stewardess, and then we were on our way!

So Many Fabulous Places to See

As our "plane" set off for our global tour it was soon revealed that each of the international locations on our itinerary were to be represented by carefully selected locations all across the city! A complex and ever evolving timetable that took into account city wide traffic patterns, food and beverage offerings, and thematic cohesion would guide us as we traversed the city on our global grand tour.  

For our Afternoon in the Air Guests would have the opportunity to visit:
  • The South Pacific = The Luca Lanai (Welcome Reception)
  • Rome, Italy = The Getty Villa (Coffee & Cultural Sites)
  • London, United Kingdom = Ye Old Kings Head (Appetizers)
  • Mexico City, Mexico = Olvera Street (Late Lunch)
  • Los Angeles, California = Grand Central Market (Dessert & a reference to the defunct Grand Central Air Terminal)


Along the way, our consummate Airline Stewardess, via pre-recorded videos, would get comedically more and more fed up with her increasingly unruly passengers providing jokes and laughs in each new onboard safety video. But that's not all! The musical soundtrack for the voyage also traveled along with the guests gradually blending from mid century hits of the departing country into those we were headed to, helping to prepare the guests for the exciting new international adventure that awaited them.

An Evening of Elegance

The evening itinerary mirrored the afternoon's excitement, with guests starting their adventure with a reception and passport issuance with All Seasons Brewery assuming the role of the legendary Pan Am Worldport at JFK and soon we were off again with a whole new cabin of surprised and delighted passengers.

Those enjoying an Evening of Elegance would have the opportunity to visit:
  • New York City, New York = All Seasons Brewery (Welcome Drinks)
  • Los Angeles, CA = The Griffith Observatory (Sunset)
  • Tokyo, Japan = Little Tokyo (For Dinner)
  • Munich, Germany = Red Lion Tavern (Dessert)
  • The South Pacific = The Luca Lanai (After Dinner Drinks)

Thank You for Choosing Pan Am World Airways

In the end the responses to "PAN AM, Return to the Skies!" was more than I could hope for and each of the guests I had the chance to talk to in the days and weeks that followed seemed more effusive than the last. Getting the chance to create such a memorable experience for my friends and family was truly a gift in and of itself and a fun and unique way for me to use my talents and skills to show them what they mean to me.