Lunar New Year’s at The Kennedy Center

During my first week as a Marketing Strategy Intern, I dropped into a meeting for the Dance genre. The team was brainstorming audience engagement ideas for the Chinese National Ballet’s Lunar New Year performance. When one of my managers asked for my input, I pitched the idea of a Wishing Wall—a space where audience members could write and share their hopes for the new year.

Due to time constraints, we got creative. I designed a large poster to serve as our "wall," sourced red gift tags, and used push pins to bring the idea to life.

On opening night, I tabled the event with my setup, and I was blown away by the response. Hundreds, maybe even a thousand audience members, stopped by to write their wishes and hang them up. It was a beautiful reminder of how even simple, scrappy ideas can create meaningful connections when rooted in cultural celebration