Six rooms inside Casa Silencio were dedicated to seductive live performances.
For a brand called El Silencio, the company sure made a racket for the grand opening of its hotel and distillery in Mexico. The artisanal mezcal maker has a rich storytelling history and a penchant for flirting with behaviors and practices that live just below the surface of society, which served as ample fuel for its theatrical Casa Silencio launch event in November. More than 800 close friends of the brand were invited to attend the all-nighter at the 16-acre luxury property to enjoy artistic performances, installations, live music, food and craft cocktails from sunset to sunrise.
Attendees gathered in Oaxaca City for the event, and El Silencio then shuttled them 45 miles out to the rural (and we mean rural) Casa Silencio property, where all of its mezcal is made. When guests arrived on-site, they were greeted with a cocktail and directed to a torch-lit path that led to the distillery’s entrance—and the multisensory spectacle that awaited. “It was very exciting because you come up this hill and then you can get a sense of, wow, I’m not in Kansas anymore,” says Chet Lang, director of events at El Silencio.
As guests officially stepped foot onto the Casa Silencio property, which was illuminated with vibrant colors, their eyes were drawn to its focal point: a mountainous backdrop featuring massive projections of the brand’s logo, the Alebrije, and other moving images. They were also met with an acoustic set from guitar duo Hermanos Gutierrez, who performed as the sun set.
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From there, attendees were invited to choose their own adventure and explore every corner of the vast property, which offered a different experience at every turn. The setup provided a platform for guests to curate their own stories and experience the event on their own terms—something that was critical to the event strategy. “Every aspect of the property was meant to lure you in so that we weren’t really guiding you,” says Lang.
Rituals, traditions and ancestry were themes woven throughout the event.
Each attendee touchpoint was designed as a tangible representation of El Silencio’s brand, which is steeped in ancestry, mystery, mythology and a bit of mischief. That included the “Residents,” six bespoke Casa Silencio rooms brought to life by irreverent characters who immersed guests in various theatrics—one room was even dedicated to BDSM. Among the key players: a tantric dominatrix duo, soulful musicians, a playwright, and a shamanistic healer who concocted potions inspired by “all things mystical” in the distillery library.
“There wasn’t a lot of shock and awe,” says Lang. “It was more something to observe. It was like magnified minutiae of different aspects of life that were really intriguing and fun to look at.”
At the heart of the property, attendees encountered the Casa Silencio Tahona room, where El Silencio crushes cooked agave for its mezcal. The experience design served as a nod to the mezcal-making process, and included a maze of agave piñas, the heart of the agave, artfully scattered across the floor, while dancing light, evocative of the oven’s fire, permeated the room.
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The drinks, of course, flowed freely, but food was also an important element. A dynamic lineup of authentic Oaxacan cuisine curated by El Silencio’s executive chef Daniel Robles was available and served throughout the night, and paired with the perfect mezcal cocktails. There was also a “Portal,” a 53-foot-long communal table that served as the foundation of an interactive culinary experience guided by DJ Isaac Soto meant to replicate the technological process of mezcal creation. Soto used a combination of digital and analog techniques to make it happen, including placing El Silencio on top of his speakers so that the experience was literally infused with the brand’s sound, helping to illustrate its alignment with the music industry.
Additional touchpoints included ground-level LED spheres that lit up pathways to the temple-like bar and main stage, performances by the likes of Who Made Who, Roderic and the Pachanga Boys, and a “technological garden” illuminated by fiber and glass spheres behind the main stage that directed guests to a dedicated space where they were invited to release their inhibitions and envelop themselves in performances by magicians, illusionists, fire performers and more. And, given the celebratory nature of the event, fireworks displays periodically lit up the night sky.
“The relationships that we built with anyone who came to this event, I’m sure, will be everlasting,” says Lang. “There’s depth to this. It was great to be able to show it off in a tangible form. It was like, ‘I’m here. I’m living inside El Silencio.’ It was really special. And we’re as much a marketing company as we are a mezcal brand so with everything we do, we always aim to create experiences that go far beyond simply enjoying our products. We want people to become part of this story and we’re eager to share it with others.” Agencies: Lux Studio, Mexico (creative, production); Travel Oaxaca Premium, Mexico (transportation); Sequel, Los Angeles (p.r.).
