Overview
THE BACK ROOM is Detroit’s avant-garde nightclub experience for distinguished professionals. It’s a Brand Offering by Doberman. A private party for those who want something beyond the usual, with curated dance music, surreal installations, and photo-worthy moments. I run it as an event and marketing strategist, project lead, and host. Its first night drew 177 guests with no tickets and no ads. Two volumes in, it has drawn 642 RSVPs and 342 attendees.
Audience
C-suite executives, professionals working in Fortune 500 companies, founders, and tastemakers. Not a public crowd: a curated, invite-only list of people who are asked individually and come because someone they know invited them.
Why I started it
Detroit has plenty of networking events for professionals, but most are low energy and transactional. The few that try to feel like a party rarely pull it off. The crowd isn’t right for it, and nobody dances.
THE BACK ROOM puts entertainment first. It’s a real party, where professionals come to have fun rather than to pitch. Nobody has to be on their best behavior, and guests are free to go all out. A carefully curated guest list keeps the room right for it, and people actually dance.
The experience
Each event features avant-garde art installations that transform the space in striking and unexpected ways. Art is not decoration at THE BACK ROOM. It is built into the event itself, shaping how guests experience the room throughout the night.
Inspired by dreamlike visuals, the installations create a setting that feels transportive, theatrical, and visually distinct. Music, spectacle, and environment blend into one experience: a nightclub party that feels like stepping inside a living work of art.
The rule
No tickets. No ads.
Entry by invite only.
Strategy
One message at a time. Every guest is invited individually, so the list stays curated and the invitation carries weight.
Cohosts as promoters. Each cohost carries an RSVP target and invites from their own network.
Guests bring guests. Guests can invite people who fit the vibe.
Zero-cost production. Venues are secured at no cost through Jetlag Society, and sponsor money covers the full production.
Partners
Jetlag Society sponsored Vol. 1 and became a production partner at Vol. 2. They bring and pay for the DJs, and their connections get us venues for free.
All-Motion Studio joins as a production partner for Vol. 3 in 2027, handling installations and wardrobe.
Vol. 1 · March 2026
242
RSVPs
177
Attended
$5K
Bar sales
Held at Midnight Temple. Sponsors: Jetlag Society, Think Technologies, and Lahuta, with a $1,500 sponsor budget. 49% of our RSVPs checked in (119 of 242), and guests they brought made up the other 33% of the 177.
Vol. 2 · June 2026
400
RSVPs
165
Attended
$5K
Bar sales
Held at ZUZU Detroit. Sponsors: All-Motion Studio, Stand with Crypto, and Think Technologies, with a $3,100 sponsor budget. Jetlag Society joined as production partner. From Vol. 1 to Vol. 2, RSVPs grew 65% and the sponsor budget more than doubled. Vol. 1 reached its venue’s capacity and Vol. 2 filled most of a larger room, so attendance held near 170 as RSVPs grew.
49% of Vol. 1’s RSVPs checked in (119 of 242). At Vol. 2, that fell to 28% (111 of 400). At both, guests our RSVPs brought along made up about a third of the crowd (33%), around 55 people each time.
I think three things drove the drop. The event was free, so some people likely RSVPed just to hold a spot. It was early summer, when a lot of people are traveling. And parking downtown was hard to find, which may have kept some people home.
For Vol. 3 in 2027, we’re choosing a venue with easy parking, and RSVPs will come with a small refundable deposit, so saving a spot means committing to it.
Sponsorship installations
Sponsors show up in the room as sponsorship installations, built for the night instead of printed on a banner. THE BACK ROOM team and All-Motion Studio make them by hand in the studio.
Promotion on Instagram
The announcement posts for each volume and the recap posts after Vol. 2, live from Instagram.
Credits
Strategy, lead & host
Young Park
Sound & production
SOKO
Sponsorships & production
Srikar Chiravuri
Venue & production
Dominique Lacea
Advisor
Shaun Zhang
Production partner
Jetlag Society (venues and DJs, production partner since Vol. 2)
Production partner
All-Motion Studio (installations and wardrobe, from Vol. 3)
Platform partner
Esti Gadja
Vol. 1 sponsors
Jetlag Society, Think Technologies, Lahuta
Vol. 2 sponsors
All-Motion Studio, Stand with Crypto, Think Technologies
Timeline
January 2026 – June 2026
Vol. 3 underway for 2027
Where it’s headed
Vol. 3 is underway for 2027. THE BACK ROOM keeps running on the same model: invited guests, cohost promoters, free venues, and sponsor-funded production.