Two stories of revved-up luxury, a surprise concert from a country music legend, free flowing champagne, sumptuous food elements, mesmerizing performers, and the sexiest collection of sports cars in Houston elevated the new Porsche dealership’s grand reveal party. The Porsche cognoscenti were met with a steady stream of opulent details, some high octane and other ethereal but all over-the top, befitting the high-performance car maker.
The opening of the Porsche River Oaks dealership drew more than 500 guests, many of whom arrived in Porsches from their personal collections. From the first red carpet step, it was evident this fete was far beyond your basic celebration. For good reason. The store entrance was dressed in custom fitted red shimmer walls with large plexiglass logos and Lyteposts, a unique take on the typical stanchion. Guests arrived in the foyer to a stylish Veuve Clicquot cart and glasses of champagne topped with sugar cubes emblazoned with the unmistakable Porsche logo. They stepped in front of a gold shimmer step and repeat wall with large plexiglass logo, which was flanked with stunning red rose arrangements. They posed with a fire red Porsche 911 complete with its own pyrotechnics or at the 360-photo booth, ideal for Instagram influencer pictures. A strolling saxophonist entertained the crowd in this first floor space.
The “ethereal space” was a complete transformation of the valet drive. The space hosted a massive ice wall raw bar also featuring the Porsche logo and loaded with shrimp and oysters (and the cutest mini-Tabasco bottles on the side), a cocktail chemistry station with drinks created in vessels akin to tail pipes, beautiful white furniture with gorgeous white flowers, and massive balloon clouds installations. An 8 foot by 8-foot scrim served as the main point of entertainment as it housed silver rhinestone laden performers plus a psychedelic, interactive art installation complete with kinetic motion tracking. The scrim would later be used to show a concert from the featured artist.
Fashioned out of the dealership’s spotless shop, the “high-octane” pop-up club space kept the party hopping with multiple logoed bars, dazzling, digital 3D mapping elements and motion lighting, and a cool DJ booth with a water wall backdrop. In addition, one-of-a-kind sweet and savory treats were presented with fiery panache by Los Angeles-based Gastro Garage, who bill themselves a theatrical gastronomy. Of course, this being a Porsche dealership and all, it was only right for the high-octane cars to shine, and shine they did, lining the shop walls.
Leading up to the second-floor showroom was a stunning display of red flowers. Once at the top of the stairs, the guests were treated to an entirely different vibe with a Rokestra trio, cheese wheel pastas being tossed with fresh truffle, cleverly served noodle dishes, unique salad shelves and an endless parade of passed hors d’oeuvres. The furniture is this space matched the Porsche logo with elements of red, black, gold and white.
For the most unique ribbon cutting ceremony, two drones delivered the Porsche red ribbon to executive team including Porsche North America CEO for the official opening, eliciting awe and applause from the crowd. Topping off the full evening was a surprise performance from country music superstar Clint Black, who took to the microphone after a Kapuki drop of black drape revealed his stage. The bars included a host of high-end cocktails and signature drinks such as the 911 martini, which had the cutest red 911 Porsche sugar cube sitting on the glass’ rim.
A funky stilted character dressed in white roamed through the spaces and delighted the guests with its interesting formations. Tying the myriad of dynamic activation areas together was a show-stopping collection of vintage and collectible Porsches, an eye-catching sculpture series – The Whale Tail Project – from European artist Johans Lamic reinterpreting the iconic 930 turbo spoiler and stunning red rose arrangements everywhere you looked.
Guests in the valet line ended the evening on a sweet note with pina colada popsicles, a goodie bag of Porsche swag and Cirque du Soleil-style acrobats soaring high above the crowd. It was a proper end to an over-the-top night for one of the world’s most lauded automotive labels and its sparkling new Houston home.
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