Equinox Hotel Opening (Hudson Yards, New York)

  • Jess Willis

Equinox Fitness is a very well known American luxury fitness company that operates several separate fitness brands: Equinox, PURE Yoga, Blink Fitness, and SoulCycle. They have more than 130 locations within the US, as well as in London, Toronto, and Vancouver. Along with the new major Manhattan suburb, Hudson Yards, came the first-ever Equinox Hotel situated in the now bustling neighborhood. I had the great opportunity project managing this opening/reveal with Oxygen Eventworks as the main production company, leading the opening party alongside MATTE Projects – the event producers and creative team. The design included a range of light activations throughout the space, from LED washes to uplights and pixel tubes; the color red theming the night. We also build out substantial sound systems, both inside and outside, hosting several famous New York DJs. My role in the lead up to the event as well as on-site was to project manage, as mentioned, on behalf of Oxygen Eventworks; handling crewing, logistics, and client communication. When onsite, it involved 360 production execution; collaborating with the event producers, and then managing and supporting my team throughout the event.