For Immediate Release:

Thursday, July 25, 2024

LOS ANGELES—Imagine your dream sleepover. Does it include feather boas, charm necklaces, a rooftop dinner with a view, and a sneak peek of The Bachelorette’s new season?
It just might after hearing about Disney Entertainment Television's recent overnight event, which gathered 24 influencers and members of the press for an exclusive gathering hosted by the Bachelorette herself, Jenn Tran. Held at Downtown L.A. Proper Hotel shortly before the premiere of Tran's season on July 8, the entertainment company teamed up with event agency Brand Like That to host the gathering.
"The inspiration behind the sleepover was truly our Bachelorette and her fun-loving, captivating, and playful personality," explained Nicole Balgemino-Kim, vice president of communications, slate publicity, and special events for Disney Entertainment Television. "We knew we wanted to celebrate the beginning of her journey by bringing together an incredible group of attendees who would celebrate this milestone moment with her. In the end, she was not just an incredible guest of honor, but also the life of the party." Twenty-four influencers and members of the press were invited to the overnight event.Photo: Courtesy of Disney Entertainment Television
As guests arrived at their hotel rooms, they were each greeted by a handwritten note from Tran plus a spread of gifts from various brands, including AAPI-owned businesses like Dagne Dover and Tower 28 Beauty, a nod to the first Asian American in the lead role in the history of the Bachelor franchise. Other gifts included sleepover essentials like Liquid I.V., silk eye masks, and 818 Tequila, plus Scentbird fragrances, Lulus accessories, custom Bachelorette-themed Insomnia Cookies—and, of course, a long-stemmed rose. 
"This was a fun project to work on because our teams just kept asking ourselves, 'What would we do for our own dream sleepover?' and executing that experience for our guests," said Balgemino-Kim, who noted the event took about six weeks to plan. "From playing on the iconic ‘Will you accept this rose?’ line and making a door tag that said, ‘Will you accept this room?’—to Jenn’s handwritten note—we wanted our guests to feel like there was no stone unturned for this one-of-a-kind Bachelor Nation experience for them, and that each individual was hand-selected to be there." As a surprise treat, guests watched the first half of the premiere episode, cheering alongside Tran as the men exited the limo on the screen.Photo: Courtesy of Disney Entertainment Television
After guests got settled, the evening kicked off with dinner on a rooftop overlooking the LA skyline—complete with a tequila shot toast from Tran herself—before guests headed to the pretty-in-pink "Slumber Party" room. There, attendees channeled their inner teenagers as they donned feather boas, made charm necklaces, got their color analysis done, and posed with prop diamond rings inside a branded photo booth. Later, in a surprise moment, guests watched the first half of the premiere episode with Tran. "We wanted to make sure to treat all of our guests to a luxury staycation in their own rooms, but also have an area where everyone could congregate and have pure, childlike fun," said Balgemino-Kim. "Our biggest inspiration was the iconic sleepover in The Princess Diaries 2, and the Brand Like That team absolutely nailed the vision."Photo: Courtesy of Disney Entertainment Television
Some of Balgemino-Kim's favorite details? "Our snack station, complete with rose-adorned signage and individual branded snack trays that everyone could bring to the screening area, as well as our pillow-fight photo moment complete with a bed, artistically draped sheets as the backdrop, and rounded out with dreamy, floating feathers," she said. A snack station featured rose-adorned signage and individual branded snack trays.Photo: Courtesy of Disney Entertainment Television
The next morning, ABC hosted a lunch with lifestyle and fashion brand Asian American Girl Club, which included a moderated conversation with actress Kara Wang—whom Balgemino-Kim described as "the perfect moderator, both as a Bachelorette superfan and an insightful discussion leader." Wang and Tran discussed the historic nature of being the first Asian American Bachelorette, and how Tran's culture and family will be a huge part of her journey this season. 
"Jenn is the first Asian American Bachelorette, and we wanted her to feel the support of the community that was ready to rally behind her," added Balgemino-Kim. "I myself am a member of the Asian American Girl Club, so I knew that partnering with [founder] Ally Maki and her incredible brand would reach the perfect audience to galvanize behind this season." "In the current world of influencer events, it was refreshing to see guests squealing and shrieking as they discovered all of our event details," said Balgemino-Kim.Photo: Courtesy of Disney Entertainment Television
Ultimately, Balgemino-Kim added, the overnight gathering felt exactly as she and her team had intended: like a group of close friends having a sleepover. "This event wouldn’t have been what it was without the incredible group of handpicked sleepover guests we invited," she said. "The room was buzzing—and in the current world of influencer events, it was refreshing to see guests squealing and shrieking as they discovered all of our event details."
While the ABC team is proud of the 400 organic social posts that came out of the event, Balgemino-Kim is also measuring success by the ongoing friendships she saw formed. "We created meaningful friendships between this amazing group of people and built a true community of friends to send Jenn off into her season premiere," she said. "Up until premiere night, we saw our guests sharing tune-in messaging, words of encouragement, and photos to spread the word about the season premiere."