BAT wanted to hold their afterwork party in their own Hamburg office instead of an outside venue. Six artists turned the 900 square metres into a neon club in five days, complete with a Polar Bar and a glowing Shine sign.
The brief
Turn an office into a nightclub without losing the office. BAT didn't want to move to an outside venue — they wanted their own space made unrecognisable for one evening.
That's mainly a scheduling question: how many days can the space be blocked, who's still working in the building during that time, and what happens to the walls afterwards? The frame was set in advance: five days of setup across 900 square metres.
How it went
Our six-person artist team first painted all the white walls and ceilings black. On that black base came logos, slogans and neon strips — that's what creates the club depth a plain lighting installation can't achieve.
The centrepiece was the Polar Bar, surrounded by glowing neon strips and a large Shine sign. On top came a huge Jägermeister logo and a drinking mermaid that got laughs all evening. What it mostly took was two things: a lot of masking tape and a lot of cans.
The result
Five days, six artists, 900 square metres, and an office the guests didn't recognise when they walked in.
If you're planning a company celebration in your own space, this is the lever no decor order can replace: the room itself becomes the attraction, and you need no extra venue, no shuttle, and no second contract. The format suits an afterwork event, a summer party and a Christmas party alike, because it doesn't depend on the weather.
Project facts
- Occasion
- Afterwork party in their own office
- City
- Hamburg
- Space
- 900 square metres
- Crew
- 6 artists
- Setup time
- 5 days
- Format
- Urban marketing, neon space design
- What remained
- Polar Bar, neon strips, Shine sign, logos and slogans
Frequently asked questions about this project
Can a whole office be used as a team-event space?
Yes, and at BAT in Hamburg, 900 square metres of office space became a neon club that way, with five days of setup and a six-person artist team. The company didn't have to move their afterwork party to an outside venue or sign a second contract.
The question you need to settle beforehand isn't an artistic one — it's about occupancy. For five days, the space was a workshop rather than a workplace, because all the white walls and ceilings were painted black first. Anyone working in the building during that time sits somewhere else, and that belongs in the quote before anyone touches the first can. In exchange, everything an outside venue usually brings with it falls away: no travel for guests, no shuttle, no foreign house rules, and no minimum spend at someone else's bar. Anyone who has ever coordinated a company party between room bookings and caterers knows the value of that shift.
Why are all the walls painted black first for a neon party?
Because neon only gets depth on a dark base. At BAT, the artist team first painted every white wall and ceiling black, and only on that base did logos, slogans and neon strips go up. A plain lighting installation doesn't create that club depth.
That also explains why a transformation like this is counted in days, not hours. The black base is the real work; the neon layer goes on comparatively quickly afterwards. If someone offers you the same effect for an afternoon, it's worth asking what the paint is actually going onto there. At BAT, the centrepiece in the end was the Polar Bar, surrounded by glowing neon strips and a large Shine sign, plus a huge Jägermeister logo and a drinking mermaid that got laughs all evening. These are elements a room doesn't offer on its own and a decor order can't replace.
How many people does it take to transform 900 square metres in five days?
Six artists are the crew that turned 900 square metres of office space at BAT in Hamburg from a white open-plan floor into a neon club in five days, including priming, logos, slogans, bar and signage.
For you as the planner, this number is the best test for a quote. A space this size in this timeframe isn't a decor job, it's a crew question, and what it mostly took was two things: a lot of masking tape and a lot of cans. If a provider names you a comparable space without putting the crew size and setup days next to it, half the calculation is missing, and you only notice on setup day. In the end, BAT had an office the guests didn't recognise when they walked in. That's the effect the five days are budgeted for, and it's also the basis on which you justify the effort internally when someone asks about the payoff.
- Staggered by group size: EUR 129 / 109 / 99 / 89 / 79 per person net, plus 19% VAT
- from 9 people, for companies
