The Making of Wonderglow Light Trail- A documentation of our journey creating a light trail based on Lewis Caroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland... Welcome to Wonderglow!
The Concept
Setting up a light trail
After spending some time liaising with Dartington Hall regarding holding an event on their premises, the concept of a light trail around their scenic grounds inspired us the most. The light trail would be based on Lewis Caroll’s Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and feature glowing structures based on the story’s most beloved characters. Setting up a light trail was a new challenge we were excited to get working towards.
Wonderland comes to life...
The light trail was designed to bring the magic of Wonderland to the doorstep of Dartington Hall, covering its Grade II garden landscapes in glowing lights and charming characters, creating an immersive experience for Alice lovers young and old. With the focus being on immersion, there were three key elements needing to be considered: the light displays, the music, and the route. We recognised the significance of using the landscape available to our advantage, encapsulating pre-existing elements of the garden into the trail, such as the winding paths, blossoming archways and rolling hills.
A Creative Event
At PNP Events, we thrive in environments where we can transform a location into something awe inspiring while still reflecting its natural, pre–existing charm. With events like Wonderglow, there is a lot more liberty in the creative approach we are able to take. When creating this light trail, we took the approach of ‘if we can imagine, we can make it’.
During regular site walks and discussions with Dartington Hall, the structure of the trail, as well as the key highlight points and areas for interaction, began falling into place. Tickets were on sale and there was a growing interest amongst the South Devon community to explore the wonders of Wonderglow Light Trail.
Our Solution
Using our Network
Working collaboratively with a partner tech company and freelance event staff local to Devon, we watched our vision come to life. With our knowledge of event production and the resources we have at our disposal, Dartington needed only to sit back and relax while the trail began to grow amongst the trees.
The PNP Ticketing Solution
The question we had to ask ourselves was “How can we use our skills to create a ticketing system for a light trail?”... We knew the trail paths were narrow in some places so we would have to consider time slot capacities when selling the event to ensure everyone attending had the best experience possible. At PNP Events, we are proud to have our own functioning ticketing system created by our Head of Marketing and e-commerce, which we have used for the last 4 years for events, some of which had over 55,000 customers attending. With some reconfiguring of the system, we were able to produce a functioning ticket sales platform for the light trail at lightning speed!
Marketing to the Curious
When marketing this themed light trail, we focused on creating a consistent tone of magic and wonder across all of our promotional platforms and media outputs. We used a branding specialist connection to create the original artwork and logo, and then our own internal marketing department to re-purpose the imagery, as well as photograph the event for posting purposes. With the content flowing, traction began to grow and people online were talking about how great the trail looked, and leaving their own glowing reviews!
“Fantastic light displays and ambient music, almost like you were really in Wonderland! Great for young and old.”
An Event Walkthrough
Arrivals Reimagined
Tracing the steps of our Wonderglow signs when entering Dartington Hall grounds leads customers to a field of fun before entering the light trail. Play a lighthearted game of croquet and watch your friends and family become the white rabbit in the humorous photo opportunity. Awaken your senses with the exciting range of flavoured hot chocolate available, keeping your hands warm as you head towards the trail entrance.
Walking into Wonderland
Once the sun has set and customers are ready to embark on their journey through Wonderland, the path of lights leads them towards the check in booth, welcoming them in by a towering ‘Wonderglow’ projection. The walkway winds round into the entrance to wonderland, a glowing keyhole-shaped hedge bridging the gap between normality and the enchanting trail.
Alice in Action
Lose track of time as you wade down the stairway of clocks, a heartbeat of ticking calls out to you. Towering hedges engulf you into the landscape and your journey begins. Cross paths with Alice as she invites you to join her tea party, celebrating all the beauty of wonderland and drinking tea with a friend. Brave the kingdom of the Queen of Hearts and tempt through her glowing tunnel, Sneak past the lair of the Jabberwocky before returning back to the keyhole, returning to normality…
The Company Mission
Here at PNP Events Ltd, we pride ourselves in creating immersive events in partnership with other businesses that entice customers, while promoting both parties as individuals and encouraging collaboration to create successful events. We promote our company mission of spreading excitement through immersive events, all while allowing our venues and company partner’s to explore just what wonders are possible with a stunning location and great events company to work with!
"It was a joy being the event manager for Wonderglow for PNP Events, being allowed creative freedom to create something very special was a pleasure. As ever I felt supported by the wider management team to enable us to launch and open this event in 6 weeks together, whilst cutting no corners.
Wonderglow was such a charming event that really won over the visitors- it was a delight to see families of all ages engage in it together. "
For more information on Wonderglow, visit our website wonderglowexperience.co.uk. If you are interested in working with us on an immersive event or experience, contact us here!
Contact Us!
Wonderglow Website
