Sophia S. Liau

Gene & Tonic

March 21, 2026 Events Coordination and Marketing BMEUSA

Gene & Tonic was Biomedical Engineering's first department formal: an elevated year-end celebration for BMEG students and their guests at The Brass Fish. I independently developed and delivered the event from its earliest venue search through the final night. The formal sold 106 tickets, welcomed 112 attendees and became one of the year's most celebrated BMEG events.

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Event Recap

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Independent Event Leadership

I began searching for a venue in August 2025 and independently managed the project through March 2026. My scope included venue selection, a $16,000 budget, catering for more than 100 guests, alcohol service, security, staffing, décor and vendor coordination. I also hired two DJs and managed the details required to turn a first-time concept into a polished department tradition.

Venue & Event Pitch

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Creative Direction & Guest Experience

I planned the publicity campaign beginning in early January and led the event's branding, graphics, captions, reels, menus, photography plan and posting schedule. The formal featured signature drinks named after biomedical engineering and physics concepts, custom candy bags from Karameller and florals from Celsia Floral for graduating students. These details created an experience that felt personal to the department while matching the more formal setting.

Publicity Campaign

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Budget & Demand

Gene & Tonic was the largest budget I had managed, funded through industry partners, the Engineering Undergraduate Society, operational funding and ticket sales. Tickets were released in weekly tiers and regularly sold out within a minute. Despite the scale of the event and the number of guests to feed, the final event remained slightly under its $16,000 budget.

Impact

The five campaign posts with recorded analytics generated 14,539 views, 379 impressions and 164 profile actions without collaborative-post distribution. Attendees repeatedly described Gene & Tonic as their favorite event of the year, and many personally thanked me for creating the formal. The success of the event also directly led to a professional opportunity with an AI company after its team saw my event leadership and execution.

Social Campaign