Picture this: You get invited to an intimate dinner at an upscale L.A. restaurant with a speakeasy vibe, and when you’re shown to your seat, the table’s surface is all digital and serving up content for the evening. That’s one of the experiences 50 attendees took part in at Mercedes-Benz Presents The Table, hosted at Verse Los Angeles on June 28.
Designed to spark connections and conversations, The Table brought together celebrities, musicians, entertainment executives, stylists, brand partners, media, influencers and up-and-coming creators to mix, mingle and share their perspectives and ideas across music, fashion and art, while learning about Mercedes-Benz’s brand story, evolution and DEI initiatives through a playful, tech-driven experience.
Spanning two long tables, the surfaces’ “screens” (sealed under an acrylic layer to protect from food and drink) displayed curated animations and images that matched the speakers’ presentations throughout the evening. Mercedes-Benz USA cmo Melody Lee welcomed the audience to the dinner and spoke on the brand’s history and future before introducing Oscar Torres, Verse’s executive chef, who outlined the menu’s four courses as they were served. Digital content on the table aligned with each plating.
In between the second and third courses, special guest Alicia Keys introduced her protégé singer-songwriter Ayoni for a performance. As the Barbadian-born, L.A.-based artist spoke on her music career and rise to success, the tables filled with imagery of growing plants and flowers blooming. The team interviewed the speakers ahead of the event to gather key points from their speeches and personal stories to translate them into corresponding moving graphics.
Erica Bolden, head of diversity, equity, inclusion and people analytics at Mercedes-Benz USA, says attendees were particularly excited to see and hear from Ayoni.
Beyond the digital tables, attendees were engaging with the brand from the very beginning of the evening, as they were offered the opportunity to either test-drive or be driven to the event in a Mercedes-Benz vehicle. Equipped with Dolby Atmos and Apple Music, the vehicles immersed drivers and passengers in a playlist of music from artists who would be in attendance, setting the stage for the pre-dinner reception at Larrabee Studios, where Keys recorded her hit song “Girl on Fire.”
Upon arrival to Studio 6, attendees enjoyed a cocktail hour and embarked on 20-minute tours of Larrabee Studios led by staff members in groups of 10 to 15. Owner Manny Marroquin showed journalists around the recording studios, while delving into music’s development process, such as the audio engineering and mixing that takes place in the space.
“It really was a life-altering, once-in-a-lifetime experience hearing songs in the studio. Our car is a close second, but [the attendees] were in the room, asking all these questions, really excited,” Bolden says. “For example, Fleetwood Mac recorded in one of the studios, and just to see their faces, totally able to fan out, it was a great partnership and a wonderful experience for us and the attendees.”
After the reception and tours, attendees headed to Verse, Marroquin’s nearby restaurant, for the interactive dinner, at the end of which, attendees once again had the chance to ride in a Mercedes-Benz, as they were chauffeured home.
With this being the first run of The Table culinary series, Liz Weber, brand experience marketing principal-lifestyle + branded entertainment at Mercedes-Benz USA, says the team is coming away with valuable insights, like potentially opening up the table to a larger group and growing it into a quarterly program that is held in different U.S. markets. A second iteration of The Table will be hosted in New York later this year.
“What’s good about this event is that it doesn’t have to be done the same way every time,” she says. “We’re excited to reimagine the next one, keeping the table of content and the storytelling but changing it for a new audience and a new location.” Agency: Engine Shop.
Inside The Table Culinary Series:
Photo credits: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock for Mercedes-Benz USA; Gonzalo Marroquin/Shutterstock for Mercedes-Benz USA
