The Brandywine River Museum wanted to hold a formal current/future donor recognition event to celebrate its 30th anniversary, introduce the museum expansion plans to key audiences and applaud the efforts of the board of directors and staff members. The goals of this event depended on delighting and inspiring a very sophisticated audience with surprise and awe.

P.W. Feats created out of foam and scenery an incredibly detailed construction site that included construction 'workers' walking faux beams, directing guests to their tables, musical compositions featuring jackhammers and back-up beeps, nail canapé toothpicks, serving tables set atop sawhorses, linens with blueprints of the new project, a mini top-loader filled with ice and chilled wine, a silver lunch truck serving hors d'oeuvres, and classic-domed silver lunchboxes filled with fine silverware, caviar and watercress sandwiches and thermoses of pumpkin bisque.

The representation was so convincing that the local paper published photos of it as the real thing, captioned “new building well under construction.”  The piece de resistance was watching the Board Chair suddenly be hoisted via a large boom out over the VIP audience, to give his welcome toast.

“If you build it the dollars will come,” and that’s exactly what happened. The board of directors raved about the event and how it contributed to their success in raising donations for the project and securing the interest, membership and dollars from the next generation.