Events That Inspire: Cocktails at the Castle 2018, The 7th Annual Mercer Museusm Gala Fundraiser

Mercer Museum
Bucks County Historical Society
Cocktails at the Castle
October 12, 2018

One of our favorite things about Autumn, and there are quite a few, is our annual partnership with the Bucks County Historical Society to produce their annual Cocktails at the Castle gala and fundraiser. The Mercer Museum and Castle are renowned in the region for supporting history and education programs, bringing new art to the public, and preserving important pieces of our country’s story.
Throughout the planning stages for this year’s Gala, the client was looking for ways that they could build upon the successes of previous years, improve the guests’ experience, as well as highlight the sponsors in a new way.

One of the ways we accomplished this was to establish a new grand entry for the Gala, as well as an all-new guest flow pathway through the event space. To accomplish this, we used a new open-front, red-carpet Welcome tent for registration. Guests with VIP ticketing and with Gala ticketing each had their own covered entrances to the event, which streamlined and sped up the registration process. Those with VIP ticketing were directed to the right, where they enjoyed early champagne cocktails under a specialty tent that we provided, then proceeded into the VIP Reception in the Elkins Gallery, and then through the museum to the Gala in the Marquee Tent. Guests with regular Gala Admission were directed to the left at Reception, where our sister company, Benchmark Event Services, had constructed a new staircase entrance down to the Marquee Tent. This eliminated the rough terrain in that section of the lawn, as well as providing a covered and heated entrance into the Gala.

Another new feature this year was the breathtaking elegance provided by the Skylight Lounge area in the Marquee Tent. We installed a Clear-Top Tent and stylish and comfortable lounge seating where guests could relax and enjoy specialty craft cocktails from local distilleries and breweries, all under the starlight of a crisp night in Montgomery County. It was a breathtaking experience to remember.

The remainder of the Marquee Tent featured traditional yet modern elegance from bottom to top, from our fully-floored tent to the chandeliers and swag draping, perfectly showcasing the incredible quality and variety of the  culinary specialties from our fine local businesses. Guests were able to “sip and savor” in style.