Another night to remember (for a select few) from Louis Vuitton

When Louis Vuitton Korea throws a party, the company makes sure it’s the talk of the town for weeks afterward.
To promote its custom-made “Special Orders” products, Louis Vuitton Korea recently held a black-tie gala on the 42nd floor of the Star Tower building in southern Seoul.
Along with a series of classic travel luggage, the company showcased LV bags designed for five major Korean figures: a sports bag for the soccer player Ahn Jung-hwan; a specially crafted bag for the architect Seung Hy-sang; a watch case for the actress Lee Mi-yeon; a violin case for the violinist Yang Sung-sic, and a briefcase for the Kolon Group chairman, Lee Woong-ryul.
Many Louis Vuitton parties have guest lists numbering well into the hundreds, but this event was limited to 160; present were chief executive officers, company presidents, movie actors and leading fashion designers.
The entire hall, from floor to ceiling, became a spectacular light show featuring the French brand’s logo in multiple colors.
Entertainers were flown in from Paris, Kuala Lumpur and Sydney. During the candlelit seven-course meal featuring duck liver, truffle dumplings and pink champagne granite, a French opera ensemble, La Brigade des Chanteurs, sang “La Traviata.”
“In terms of scale, the event required at least four months of organization, from sourcing the venue to the actual event itself. We merged the best production, entertainment, design and communications teams together to execute the event with panache,” said Francois Delage, Louis Vuitton’s general manager for the Asia-Pacific region.
The IHT-JoongAng Daily spoke with Mr. Delage after the party.

What are some past examples of Louis Vuitton’s special events?
Louis Vuitton has a reputation across the world for organizing spectacular events. In 1998 in Hong Kong, we pioneered a new party concept, “secret venue,” when we opened the Central Landmark store. About 2,000 guests danced until 5 a.m.
Our events department, based in Paris, works with the finest talents in production and entertainment to ensure that our parties are remembered. In December 2002, our Louis Vuitton Cup party in Auckland, New Zealand, was the talk of the town. We used a wonderful choreographer who also worked on the film “Lord of the Rings.” The party was more like a spectacular film set.

What is the strategy behind organizing “VIP-only” events?
Events are a core part of our global communications strategy. If you recall the opening party of the Louis Vuitton Building in Seoul, we invited 3,000 people. For the Special Orders event, we only invited 160 people.
For each event we develop a strategy in terms of our guest profile. Special Orders require a very intimate setting and presentation, so we were limited in the number of guests we could invite. We presented them in a gallery-like fashion to highlight their unique design and our savoire faire, or know-how.

Regarding Special Orders, how is your business doing in Hong Kong?
Special Orders is a consistent and important business around the world, and in Asia, Hong Kong is among the leading countries in terms of orders. We have a lot of people here who request the Special Orders mah-jongg set.

How is the issue of counterfeits in Hong Kong being handled?
To tackle the burgeoning problem of counterfeiting, a dedicated team has been established in Paris with satellite offices in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Rome, New York and Buenos Aires. The intellectual property department is actively involved in government lobbying, implementation of policies and raising awareness of counterfeiting problems.

by Ines Cho