In the Unlikely Event

What happens when you build a brand-new festival around culture's biggest names—and your headliner is suddenly out just weeks before opening day? Host Rick Kiley sits down with Tucker Silver to revisit the launch of ComplexCon, Complex Magazine's ambitious experiment in music, fashion, sneakers, art, food, and retail. With no blueprint, the team had to convince brands, talent, ticket buyers, and even their own colleagues that the vision could work. Then Kanye West dropped out. Facing refund requests, nervous partners, and an unfinished show, they had to prove ComplexCon was bigger than one star. Hear how they turned a crisis into the launch of a cultural institution.

What happens when you're asked to insure the Washington Monument, cover it in plastic days before New Year's Eve, or delay a world-record fireworks display with the clock ticking toward midnight? Host Rick Kiley and Soho Experiential co-founder Jeff Bojis sit down with veteran pyrotechnics producer Joe Mercante for two high-stakes stories from the world's biggest celebrations. From America's Millennium Celebration in Washington, D.C., to a 60-mile fireworks spectacle across Dubai, Joe shares how meticulous planning, clear safety protocols, and the discipline to hold the line turned impossible moments into unforgettable shows. Hear why the best event plans aren't about preventing every problem—they're about knowing exactly what to do when one arrives.

What happens when a 120-to-140-mile-per-hour windstorm hits the day before an Adidas pop-up opens near Coachella—and the city shuts down the entire structure? Host Rick Kiley sits down with Brad Jackson of Out of Office to revisit Adidas's 2018 Clima Ultra Boost activation in the California desert. The plan was a black mirrored roadside retail experience set among the wind farms. But after extreme winds made the site unsafe, officials chained the doors and barred guests from entering. With hours to go, Brad and his crew transformed shipping containers, black gravel, and the closed installation into a new retail moment and photo-worthy art stunt. Hear how they got the shoes into people's hands and salvaged an impossible situation.

What happens when the giant truck carrying the very thing that makes your event famous—the color powder—sinks into the mud just 30 minutes before 7,000 runners cross the start line?   In this episode, host Rick Kiley sits down with John Connors, founder of Peak End Creative and a founding member of the team that launched The Color Run. They travel back to 2012, to the second-ever Color Run in Austin, Texas. After a successful debut in Phoenix, the team was hit with a "perfect storm" of Texas rain, a disintegrating course, and a logistical nightmare that threatened to derail the fastest-growing running series in history.   John recounts the visceral, high-pressure moments of watching his event spiral: from runners losing their shoes in "suction-cup" mud to the heart-stopping moment the main color truck got stuck right in front of the main stage. Hear how the team used the "Event Serenity Prayer" to pivot in real-time, turning a stuck truck into an iconic DIY stage and delivering the "color promise" against all odds. 

What do you do when your "Super Bowl" event for 1,000 guests suddenly balloons to 2,700 RSVPs just two weeks before showtime—and then a global tech outage hits? In this live-recorded episode from the TruNorth Presents: The Business of Experiential event in New York City, host Rick Kiley sits down with Marie Christofferson (Experiential Marketing Lead, Campari Group) and Jeannie Veneri (SVP of Client Services, SoHo Experiential) to recount the chaotic production of Noche Neon. This massive event celebrated the 25th anniversary of Espolón Tequila during the legendary Tales of the Cocktail festival in New Orleans. The team faced a "comedy of errors" that would break most producers: a 3x surge in attendance, the infamous 2024 CrowdStrike travel outage that stranded key staff, a DJ testing positive for COVID on event morning, and a centerpiece neon backdrop that arrived in plain black and white. Hear the incredible story of how the crew "acted like ducks"—calm on the surface while paddling furiously underneath—to solve every crisis, from hand-coloring a massive scenic wall with Sharpies to turning a production assistant into the night's headlining DJ.

What happens when your entire national marketing campaign is built around an international icon who suddenly and tragically passes away mid-tour?   In this episode, host Rick Kiley and co-host Jeff Boedges travel back to the 1990s with guest Paul Robinson, a veteran brand activation leader. They recount a high-stakes promotional tour for the network Romance Classics (now WE tv) that involved touring three of Princess Diana's original dresses—purchased at auction for $700,000—across major U.S. malls.   The campaign, boldly titled "Dressed to Di For," was a massive success until the unthinkable happened: the tragic death of Princess Diana in Paris. Paul and Jeff relive the heart-pounding Saturday night of Labor Day weekend when they had to act without client approval, scrubbing "exploitative" branding, securing priceless assets, and literally peeling wraps off promotional trucks in mall parking lots before the sun came up. It's a masterclass in gut-instinct decision-making and protecting a brand during a global tragedy.   Links:   Website: https://www.sohoexp.com   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UnlikelyEvent   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0dqPOmSUXp2cyUVJc7LnrY?si=4b8a9f3a203f4cc0

What happens when your $400,000 luxury vehicle reveal is suddenly upstaged by a $70 million private jet—and a looming tornado?   In the kickoff to Season 2, host Rick Kiley is joined by Heather Salkin (Co-Founder & CEO of Artists and Robots) and Executive Producer Theresa Loguercio to recount a high-stakes launch for Ferrari. The mission: transform a raw, industrial airport hangar in Dallas into a world-class luxury experience for the reveal of the Ferrari Portofino.   Everything was on track—complete with a "scent sommelier" and immersive projections—until the weather turned. With a tornado and hail threatening North Texas, the hangar's primary residents (multi-million dollar private jets) had to be moved back inside for protection, right into the middle of the meticulously built event space.   Hear the heart-pounding story of how the team managed a last-minute structural redesign, moved massive trussing and walls, and navigated the ultimate "space sharing" conflict just 24 hours before the curtain rose.     Links:   Website: https://www.sohoexp.com   YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UnlikelyEvent   Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0dqPOmSUXp2cyUVJc7LnrY?si=4b8a9f3a203f4cc0    

Season 1 proved one thing: the best stories don't come from perfect plans. As we head into Season 2 of In the Unlikely Event, we're looking for event organizers, producers, and creative leaders willing to talk honestly about the moments that tested them and what they learned along the way. If you've got a story, we're listening. 🎧 Explore Season 1 and connect with us at sohoexp.com/podcast

What happens when a multi-year, record-breaking mission to the edge of space is threatened by a mysterious, untraceable signal just hours before launch?   In this episode, host Rick Kiley and co-host Jeff Boedges are joined by event producer Ben Nelson (Director of Ground Operations for Stratos) to discuss the years of work that went into Red Bull Stratos. This was the mission where Felix Baumgartner ascended to 128,000 feet and jumped from the stratosphere, breaking the speed of sound.   Ben recounts the immense scale of the operation in Roswell, New Mexico, and the final, heart-stopping crisis: a mysterious communication interference that nearly shut down the entire, multi-million dollar endeavor. Hear the incredible story of the team that built a temporary mission control in the desert and the final-hour scramble to save a stunt that pushed the limits of human courage and event production.   Links: Website: https://www.sohoexp.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xTyqEy1cd8I Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0HQ2CmoStTwRMNyLtuq9ue?si=BLNrAgx3R5KnuMs_vCDqYA Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/pushing-the-edge-of-possible-producing-red-bull-stratos/id1852356725?i=1000741576997  

What happens when two powerhouse female producers are tasked with creating an authentic men's experience at a festival historically dedicated to women?   In this episode of In The Unlikely Event, host Rick Kiley is joined by award-winning experiential producer Carmen Jones and brand architect Dawn Marie Gray to discuss the challenge of launching a bold new initiative at the Essence Festival of Culture in New Orleans.   The festival, a massive cultural event focused on Black women, decided to launch a men's experience in 2022 to expand its audience. The twist? The two creative strategists brought in to conceive and execute the vision were women. This fact alone created a major internal challenge when a "council of men" demanded a "direct men's perspective," threatening to halt the project.   Hear how Carmen and Dawn Marie navigated the skepticism and pushed forward with their intentional vision, centered on the "five E's" (Enlighten, Enrich, Empower, Elevate, Embrace), to create an authentic and successful space for Black men at the festival.   Links: Website: https://www.sohoexp.com YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mH8dSxRYqek  Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0rBQm8DoTAhYEDBDJBaCDP?si=wdrIWGciTNCVjg7r3bZDeA  Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/essence/id1852356725?i=1000740488803