No. 03 · Seattle Seahawks · Championship experience
The first ring ceremony.
The Seattle Seahawks had won the Super Bowl for the first time in franchise history. Now we had roughly six weeks to create something the organization had never done before: its first championship ring ceremony.
The brief was deceptively simple. Make the night unforgettable for the players, coaches and organization. Keep it intimate. Keep it completely confidential. And be ready with another plan if the date or location became public.
I co-led the experience with Desi Rook through CRG Events, bringing together the creative, production, security, entertainment and operational pieces behind a night the team would only get to experience for the first time once.
RoleCo-Lead · Experience Strategy · Production · Partner Leadership · Security + Logistics · Contingency Planning
Years2014–2015
The assignment
Protect the moment.
This night was intentionally for the team, not the cameras. The date and location were kept confidential so the players, coaching staff, executives and their guests could celebrate together without press or public attention shaping the experience.
That meant the event plan had another plan underneath it. While we built the night itself, we were also monitoring for leaks and maintaining a contingency path in case the location or timing became public. Every partner had to understand not only what we were creating, but what we were protecting.
The pivot
Some people move mountains. We moved a marathon.
Late in planning, a change in the event plan meant the dinner could no longer happen where originally intended. So we built a new room.
A custom tent was constructed off the museum and transformed into a full ballroom, complete with the production, design and detail the night deserved. Making it possible required moving the starting point of the Seattle Marathon.
The detail
Nothing about the night was ordinary.
The rings. The tablescape. The security. The pacing. A surprise performance by Usher. Even late-night treats from Seattle icon Dick’s Drive-In.
Every detail was designed around the team and the significance of what they had accomplished, with one surprise after another building toward the moment they finally opened their Tiffany & Co. championship rings together.
Behind the experience
The magic only worked because the operation underneath it was airtight.
A night with this level of visibility came with layers most guests would never see: confidentiality protocols, Seattle Police coordination, A-list talent, VIP movement, detailed transportation plans and the secure transfer of millions of dollars in championship rings across the city from Tiffany & Co. to the venue.
The job was to make all of that complexity disappear for the people in the room.
Built withCo-leads: Ali Hooks and Desi Rook · CRG Events (now Opus Agency) · Creative, production, design, entertainment, security and operational partners.
What happened next
And then they went back.
The following season, the Seahawks returned to the Super Bowl, and our team headed to Phoenix to produce the organization's official after-party. There were two versions ready: one for a win and one for a loss. With the game decided in the final seconds, Plan B became the plan. Different moment. Very different mood. Same job: know the room and build the experience it needs.