Industry and press were invited to explore a first-look at the experience over complimentary drinks, food and live music from DJ Nala. Hosted by Billie Eilish and Finneas, the estate was lit up special for this exclusive night time event. At 9pm, the audience was treated to a debut listen of the album itself with Billie giving a speech and then immediately diving into the pool with her friends fully clothed before also singing Finneas Happy Birthday.

Notable guests included Olivia Rodrigo, Willow and Jaden Smith, Khalid, Karrueche, Will.i.am, Duckwrth, Ben Platt, Amanda Kloots, Sabrina Claudio, Dove Cameron, Caitlin Reilly, Gracie Abrams and Eric Andre.

Due to the extremely high profile nature of the event mixed with the growing concern over the Delta wave of the COVID pandemic, production details for the VIP event were a shifting target. We eventually settled on building an offsite drive-thru testing facility for all guests on top of the Beverly Hills Hilton parking structure manned by nurses and staff in full costume. Despite the circumstances we made the most of it with the experience starting at first contact.

Once onsite, the release party featured elements unique to that evening including an Impossible Burger food truck designed to the event with tray pass bites, macaroons for all guests and an open bar provided by Dos Hombres. Unlike the fan experience, all guests were able to partake in all aspects of the Destination at their leisure.

A cohesive narrative guided guests from the moment they arrived for check-in at the Beverly Hills Hilton. Fans boarded open-air shuttles to the property, where our tour guides (dressed in custom designed and handmade boilersuit uniforms) led attendees through 4 core areas over 45 minutes. Fans had the opportunity to literally follow in Billie’s footsteps and experience the album exactly as she intended it – and as she demonstrated at the party the night before.

BAs were trained to be ‘in-world’ as staff of the estate, each hosting a section with talking points related to the album. Attendees were able to ask questions to have a fuller sense of immersion and discover areas creatively directed by Billie herself.

Spotify Enhanced Albums, a first for the brand, were brought to life through dedicated areas within the experience: Billie’s Suite, represented in-app Billie Mode (ex: a vanity with personal polaroids; custom content on vintage TV screens), the Fountain to represent Lyric Mode (ex: vinyl art lyrics and a custom pool menu), and the Garden Bar to represent Fan Mode (ex: fan wishes to Billie hung on a tree).

Each area had design details that related to every song on the new album for attendees to find. Provided a brochure upon entry, guests had a blast exploring the serene landscape while getting an early listen to the record. Those lucky enough to be there on the final day were even treated to sky writing in the air saying “Happier Than Ever”!