This Isn’t My Halftime Show, It’s for Everyone (Lessons from Bad Bunny) - Newsletter #53

 (Inspired by the Forbes article by Sonia Thompson (one to follow) and many other articles now in the mix - on Apple and Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl strategy, looking at intention, marketing, and cultural impact.)

When Apple’s marketing team asked Bad Bunny what he wanted his Super Bowl Halftime Show to be, his answer wasn’t about personal achievement or ego. He said, “This isn’t my halftime show. This is for everyone,” and Apple, ROC Nation, and the NFL listened.

That simple yet profound intention reframes what you’re creating, and who it’s for.

He was articulating a production philosophy.

And for those of us who build events, conferences, concerts, convenings, festivals, and community gatherings, that sentence should be our north star.

Because when something is truly for everyone, it changes everything.

Historic Because It Was Specific

The halftime performance was historic not just for its scale, but also for its specificity.

It centered Puerto Rican culture unapologetically on one of the world's largest stages. It embraced the Spanish language without dilution. It leaned into cultural identity instead of sanding it down for broader comfort.

It wasn’t trying to be neutral. It was trying to be true.

And that’s what made it expansive.

Then there was the theatrical layering.

The cultural shout-outs, the nods to ancestors, neighbors, community, businesses, and food in places across Puerto Rico, New York, and Los Angeles.

As a theater geek at heart, I loved it. From a marketing perspective, I will study it. From an event producer's perspective, I deeply respect it.

Because that level of detail signals something profound: This isn’t decoration. This is intention.

It wasn’t “look at me.” It was “look at us.”

And when you center “us,” more people see themselves inside the experience.

After 10,000 Events, Here’s What I Know

After three decades in tech theater and producing, and close to probably attending or creating over 10,000 events/dinners/experiences/plays/performances, I can tell you this:

The events people return to are not necessarily the biggest. They are not always the flashiest. They are rarely the ones obsessed with their own branding.

They are the ones that feel like a favorite holiday place. Like a beloved vacation spot. Like somewhere you know you’ll be taken care of.

The ones I love are the ones where I can feel the organizers' care.

You feel it:

• In the green room setup.
• In the volunteer briefings.
• In the way speakers are welcomed.
• In how the crew is spoken to.
• In how quickly water appears when someone needs it.
• In whether there’s actually somewhere to sit.

Care is palpable.

And people come back to care.

Speakers Don’t Always Complain, They Just Don’t Return

Here’s a quiet truth producers need to understand:

If you treat speakers/performers poorly, they don’t always make noise.

They don’t always blast you publicly. They don’t always send long complaint emails.

They simply stop applying to your calls for content. They quietly decline your invite next year. They recommend another event instead.

And word gets out.

This industry is smaller than people think.

But when you treat speakers well, compensate fairly, communicate clearly, provide real hospitality, and respect their preparation, they return.

They advocate for you. They bring others. They protect your reputation when you’re not in the room.

Reputation in events is built backstage.

“For Everyone” Is Not a Tagline

If your event is “for everyone,” then it must actually reflect everyone.

Look at your speaker lineup:

• Are there women?
• Are there people of color?
• Are there people with disabilities?
• Are there diverse lived experiences represented beyond a single panel?
• Or does diversity show up once and disappear?

Do you have a code of conduct? Is it posted? Is it enforced? Or is it a PDF no one reads?

Is your event accessible?

• Can someone using a wheelchair navigate every room?
• Is the stage accessible?
• Are captions provided?
• Are quiet rooms available?
• Is signage clear and intuitive?

And then let’s talk about the “small” things — which are not small at all.

Are there enough places to sit? Is water easy to access? Are dietary restrictions handled thoughtfully? Is there food someone can actually eat if they’re vegan, gluten-free, halal, or kosher? Are you asking in advance, or scrambling on-site?

This is the nitty-gritty of thoughtfulness.

And it should be baseline. Not a bolt-on.

When I teach event production and talk to the hundreds of event producers I work with daily through my job and community, these are the conversations we have. They are a thoughtful bunch, and I appreciate these conversations where I learn as much from them as I share my experiences. 

We talk not just about stage design or sponsor tiers.

We talk about how your event makes someone feel.

Because that is the real metric.

The Invisible Army

When you put on a show, it is not about one person.

Not the headliner. Not the keynote. Not the producer.

It is everyone.

The stage managers on headset. The lighting programmers. The sound engineers. The loaders. The dressers. The drivers. The hospitality staff. The volunteers. The cleaning staff. The security guards. The local nonprofit partners. The city bureau contacts.

These are roles of service.

And service roles are often invisible.

The numbers behind the scenes are enormous. Entire ecosystems exist so that a single moment on stage can feel effortless.

When those teams feel respected, it shows. When they feel dismissed, that shows too.

In my days in the theater, I have played "background" or an "extra" where you, as a person, those roles, and the people in them, are not celebrated; they are simply forgotten. 

Not in Bad Bunny's world. The ‘set’ during the Super Bowl Halftime Show, 380 actors literally embodied grass/sugarcane, becoming living set pieces to evoke the fields of Puerto Rico. Not projected. Not implied. Embodied.

The next day, the joy popping up on Threads from the performers who embodied the 'grass' was striking. That pride doesn’t happen when people feel like props. It happens when they feel like collaborators.

That energy radiates outward.

Events Don’t Just Create Culture, They Move Economies

Bad Bunny and Taylor Swift understand something sophisticated:

When they tour, they don’t just perform.

They activate cities.

They drive hotel occupancy. They fill restaurants. They create temporary hiring spikes. They increase tourism. They shift local GDP.

They bring cultural connection and economic impact simultaneously.

If you are producing an event somewhere, you are entering a local ecosystem.

Talk to the visitors bureau. Partner with local nonprofits. Hire a local crew. Highlight local artists. Give back to the community hosting you.

An event that extracts will never be beloved.

An event that integrates becomes part of the city’s story.

The Producer’s Real Job

Your job is not to put on your show.

Your job is to hold space.

Space for:

• Cultural identity.
• Audience belonging.
• Speaker excellence.
• Learning.
• Teaching.
• Sharing.
• Crew pride.
• Brand Trust.
• Accessibility.
• Dignity.
• Local partnership.
• Collective joy.
• Building Belonging.

When your intention is, “This isn’t my halftime show, this is for everyone,” you plan differently.

You budget differently. You communicate differently. You lead differently. You measure success differently.

And when you get it right?

People don’t just attend.

They return.

Like a favorite holiday place. Like a tradition. Like somewhere they belong.

After 10,000 events, that’s the difference I’ve seen.

Not spectacle.

Care.

Not ego.

Everyone.

That’s production.

And that’s the standard.

Or it should be.

Empathy makes us human; actions make us warriors.

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