Behind the Scenes: Building a Holiday Wonderland

Mar 6

As a member of the Revel Rouge family, we are excited to give you the first look at our new docuseries, Behind the Magic. This series pulls back the curtain on what it truly takes to bring our events to life, from the early morning load-ins to the final transformation.

We are incredibly proud of what this event firm has grown into. We are grateful to share this journey with you and invite you to follow along as Revel Rouge continues to evolve.

Please enjoy, Behind the Magic: Building a Holiday Wonderland.

When guests arrived at the Angel Orensanz Foundation that evening, they stepped into a fully realized winter wonderland. What they did not see was the immense transformation that had taken place just hours before the doors opened. Event videographer Milan Misko captured the process, documenting how the historic Angel Orensanz Foundation was reimagined in less than a day.

At Revel Rouge, we approach events as immersive productions rather than traditional gatherings. Our goal is not simply to decorate a venue, but to reshape it entirely. Every element is considered through the lens of experience. Lighting, the scent of pine from surrounding trees, sound design, the textures of furnishings and drapery, the choreography of performers, and the food and drink all work together to create an environment guests feel rather than simply observe.

To create that environment, an enormous amount of infrastructure must be brought in. Audio visual systems, lighting rigs, projection mapping, furniture rentals, special effects, staging, and performance elements all arrive within a tight production window. Hours of planning and coordination come to life in a matter of hours as crews move quickly to construct an entirely new world inside the Angel Orensanz Foundation.

It is a scale of transformation that often surprises people. Guests frequently tell us that walking into one of our events feels like entering a film set or stepping into another world entirely. That sense of transport is intentional. It is also what separates an immersive production from the average holiday party.

Our founder Hank Stampfl often says the details are what make the illusion believable. With more than a decade of experience designing and producing large scale events, he approaches every project with a meticulous eye.

From selecting the correct weight and texture of drapery to coordinating the technical team required to install six crystal chandeliers inside the Angel Orensanz Foundation the day of the event, every decision contributes to the final atmosphere. Mirror and reflective tables were layered throughout the room to create a sense of iciness across the floor, evoking the feeling of a snow covered meadow reflecting the sparkle of sunlight across frozen ground. His background also informs the performance side of our productions, ensuring that talent is positioned correctly within the space, supported by proper sound design, staging, and even costuming.

The result inside the Angel Orensanz Foundation felt less like a traditional event and more like a Broadway production unfolding in real time. What makes that even more remarkable is the timeline. In many venues, a transformation of this scale would require an additional full day of installation. Most clients understandably prefer not to extend their venue rental, so our team often builds these environments the day of the event.

Nine hours before the first guest arrived, the Angel Orensanz Foundation looked entirely different.

In the video, Hank describes the vendors we work with as family, and it is hard to find a better word for the relationships we have built over the years. These long, fast paced production days require trust and collaboration between dozens of creative partners. Florists, lighting designers, technicians, performers, furniture teams, and production crews work side by side under intense timelines to bring a shared vision to life inside the Angel Orensanz Foundation.

Those days can be demanding, occasionally chaotic, and always exhilarating. But they are also what make the process so rewarding. Creating these environments together has built a community of collaborators who understand one another’s craft and push each project further than the last.