Monday Mashups: How Going Back in Time Benefits Events of Tomorrow

July 20 marks the 50th anniversary of astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landing on the moon, and to celebrate, BizBash shares that the Smithsonian Channel recently held an event that took guests back to that year—1969—through food, photo ops, and interactive vignettes. The celebration also coincided with the network’s new programming tied to the anniversary, including the six-part series Apollo’s Moon Shoot, which premiered June 16, and the documentary The Day We Walked on the Moon, which premieres July 7.

Smithsonian Channel tapped marketing and event agency Advantage to produce and design the event, which took place June 12 at Second Floor in New York’s Chelsea neighborhood. Joanna Brahim, vice president of communications for the Smithsonian Channel, said the network wanted to deliver a fun, interactive event for guests to learn something new about July 20, 1969, as well as get excited about the new programs.

Vignettes included a 1960s-inspired living room where actors sat down to watch the event on TV; a replica of a Mission Control room with actors portraying NASA employees; a glam station that provided Twiggy-inspired makeup and wigs; a GIF booth that invited guests to pose as if they landed on the moon; and a gallery wall that displayed imagery and facts about pop culture, sports, and life in 1969.

The event also gave a nod to the decade through era-specific food and drinks with modern twists. Smithsonian Channel and Advantage crafted a menu that included Spam fried rice served in Spam cans, mini Jello molds, gimlets and Manhattans, and dishes including turkey and beef with veggies, meatloaf sliders, and shrimp cocktails served on TV dinner trays. Florian Wehrli, executive chef for Laurent Tourondel Hospitality—the company that owns Second Floor—executed the menu for the event.

To further celebrate the anniversary, Smithsonian will screen The Day We Walked on the Moon at 70 Smithsonian-affiliated museums and institutions on July 20. And on June 24, the brand released an Apollo’s Moon Shoot augmented-reality app, which allows users to interact with real Apollo artifacts and share their experiences on social media. Amazing! Join in the celebration and devour the details of going back in time for your future events!