A few shots from the Skype party at CTIA Mobile 2009

Company parties at tradeshows have messages. Skype's Wednesday night party at last week's CTIA Mobile 2009 event had a few.

• Fruit: Celebrating the launch of Skype for the Apple iPhone and announcement of Skype Lite for the Blackberry. Without permission to use the logos, Skype had the two fruit (apples, blackberries) on murals, in staff wigs, inside furniture, in cocktails, in ice sculptures, and in deserts.
• Circus: Performers from Cirque du Soleil (or something similar) performed throughout the evening, on stage and intimately. Jugglers, strong men, gymnasts, acrobats, mimes. Buxom hostesses in dramatic wardrobe spent an hour learning how to demo Skype for iPhone and four hours in makeup. Message: excitement.
• Ice: Skype ice sculptures decorated a Bellagio ballroom. An ice tower at the entrance, an ice pool table (along with pool cues and billiard balls) on the terrace, and a large monument in a lounge area. Message: we're showing our money.

Everyone there had a great time. Good food, smart people, pleasant music quiet enough that you could talk them, warm weather, and elbow room amid garishly over the top decoration and eye candy.

This was the first year Skype showed up in force at CTIA Mobile. The party was spoils of Skype's war as the company moves into mobile telecom in a big way, with high margins, high growth, increased share, and sustained profits.

After the circus acts, Scott Durchlag introduced Skype's first television commercial. 

A six foot tall ice tower in the Bellagio hallway.

 

A full size pool table cast in ice. Folks played for hours, even as it melted. The far right pocket was a sure thing as it warmed up first.

This large ice statue overlooking the courtyard was filled little apples, symbolic of the iPhone.

After the party, the ice crew dismantled the Skype sculptures.

Heavy, massive ice blocks.

Skype carted off in pieces.

I asked several CTIA Mobile alumni if the event was overkill. They all said it was a shout out to the mobile carriers that Skype was here in a big way and here to stay.

My take: Old school B2B industry marketing. Just one deal with any of dozen heavyweights there will pay for Skype's party, press conference, Showstoppers press event, and sponsorship of the VIP Lounge at the Las Vegas Convention Center.

tags: skype, party, ctia09, ctia, citamobile09, bellagio, lasvegas, vegas, marketing, promotion, april, blackberry, apple, circus, iphone, tv, commercial, advertising, ice, fruit

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