FirstBank · Lagos

The Brief

FirstBank came to us with a private New Year celebration for the Group CEO — hosted at the CEO's official residence in Ikoyi, Lagos, on the evening of 3 January. Guests spanned stakeholders, FirstBank staff, and the CEO's own family and friends: a room that had to read as one exclusive evening, not two separate audiences sharing a venue. The brief was to build a night full of excitement and anticipation for what the new year would bring — for people who'd shaped the last one.

The Challenge

Private residence events at this level carry a particular tension: institutional enough for stakeholders, personal enough for family. And because the venue was the CEO's own home rather than a hired space, every piece of infrastructure — security, multi-media, parking, power — had to be built in rather than assumed. Our task was to make the residence feel transformed for one night, without it feeling like an institution had moved in.

Our Approach

We built the evening's design language around the Group CEO's own personality rather than a generic New Year template — a cohesive theme running through stage, lighting, furniture and décor, developed in close coordination with FirstBank's marketing and corporate communications team so the branding stayed consistent without overpowering a private occasion.

Guest Experience

Dining ran from canapés through a full three-course menu, with a wide protein selection — meat, chicken, fish, snail and vegetarian — alongside grills, intercontinental and local African cuisine, small chops and dessert. The evening's entertainment layered a live band, guest artist performances, dancers and an MC to carry the room through the night, with a midnight fireworks display to usher guests into the new year and an onsite photobooth for the moments in between.

Production

Full technical build across stage design, audio-visual, lighting and furniture — standing infrastructure at a residence with none of it in place beforehand, coordinated overnight from the 3rd to be fully operational for the following evening. On-site staffing covered check-in, guest management, parking and ushers throughout, run in direct coordination with FirstBank's own team to keep the evening moving without friction.

Brand Moments

FirstBank's branding was present but restrained — carried through consistent event styling agreed with the bank's communications team rather than overt signage, in keeping with the intimacy of a private residence. Curated gifting was built into the evening as a parting note for guests.