CHÂTEAU D’HAUTEVILLE:
EVENT PLANNING
Experiences abroad. Designed for connection.
Through concept-driven events and immersive design, Jace Erich Evans’ work in Switzerland as the organizer of internal events consisted of creating environments that engaged, surprised, and connected. At Château d’Hauteville, this meant producing 10 large-scale themed events and interactive programming opportunities for an international study abroad cohort of 80+ participants seeking deeper cultural immersion and inter-program belonging.
At the intersection of storytelling and event execution, Jace presents diverse, bold experiences backed by structure, detail, and intent.
KARAOKE AND MOVIE NIGHTS
In the cellar and attic of Château d’Hauteville overlooking Lake Geneva, movie nights were a key way for opening the program in the early fall and winter—low-stakes, but high-impact entry points into connection for residents to engage lightly with one another. Screening Little Women (2019) and Lalaland (2016) with themed snacks and light refreshments, events like these helped shift a group of strangers into something more immediate.
Karaoke invited risk and play. Jamming to old 2000s anthems together, these events created rhythm through performance and excitement. In an abroad setting where everything is unfamiliar, these moments grounded residents, turning simple formats into intentional tools for building trust and community free of judgement.
CHÂTEAU HALLOWEEN BASH
Once a cold, abandoned underground wine cellar, Jace transformed the château’s “cave” into a full-scale immersive production for Château d’Hauteville’s first Halloween Bash—set against a stormy night and built through spooky teaser promos that sparked anticipation across the program.
Collaborating with the Student Activities Committee, Jace managed a large-scale budget and executed every detail, from ambient lighting and bloody décor to themed food, drinks, and a staged photo booth. Anchored by fog machines and 2000s club beats, the night balanced structure and chaos: costume contests, mummy wrapping games, and a packed dance floor led by Jace as DJace. Bold, cinematic, and maximal, the bash was an opportunity for residents to dance their way into the Halloween season with a haunting community by their side.
AUTUMN IN THE ATTIC
Transforming the château’s overlooked communal attic space into an intimate, Dead Poets Society-inspired salon, Jace organized the cozy event, “Autumn in the Attic”—a warm, reflective escape that marked the shift away from summer, into the deep Swiss autumn. Framed by soft firefly lights, rusty leaf decorations, dim candles, scattered snippets of lyrics relating to autumn, and maple snacks, the event invited residents into a slower, more intentional kind of gathering, built on a shared creativity and warm nostalgia.
Collaborating with the Student Activities Committee once again, Jace curated activities with purpose—from journaling materials, to slam poetry readings, to cozy screening of Notting Hill. The night prioritized stillness over spectacle, offering a space for vulnerability and quiet forms of expression. Thoughtful and atmospheric, “Autumn in the Attic” invited residents to step out of the frantic pace of abroad life and into something as soft as the late November snow that was to come.
MURDER AT THE CHÂTEAU
There’s been a murder! But who did it?
In the château’s “orangerie,” Jace turned the formal dining room into a 1920s-inspired immersive theater for the chateau’s first “Murder at the Chateau.” Functioning as a high-concept dinner where 25+ guests were assigned specific characters to play as, guests embellished in pearls, flapper silohuettes, and hidden motives became part of a riveting murder mystery. In the middle of dinner, Jace (as the host) announced that a murder had occurred in the foyer. From that point forward, events unfolded—secrets were revealed, alliances formed, and surprises blurred the lines between performance and reality. Tightly executed and interactive, “Murder at the Château” turned dinner into a bloody narrative that residents brought to life with commitment and a killer Trans-Atlantic accent.
CHÂTEAU PROM
As a final, high-energy celebration that marked the nearing end of the program’s experience abroad, Jace reimagined the orangerie into a space for an 80s-inspired Château Prom. With a chevron pallate of blues and silvers, the night was ornamented in ABBA and atmosphere, with snacks, limbo contests, and playful photo opportunities for guests.
Bouncing back and forth between high school nostalgia and dancing excitement, Jace’s Prom offered residents a final space to celebrate together under flashing lights and glamor.
CHÂTEAU YEARBOOK: VOL. 1
As the first year at Château d’Hauteville, Jace’s “Château Yearbook: VOL. 1” officially established the program’s legacy as the first cohort attending the new international program.
Jace invited residents to design a personal page with their name and pictures from their travels abroad that would be included amongst a collection of other residents’ pages. Each page was personalized to the contributors’ personalities, and together, offered a curated capsule of the diverse experiences that the international program enjoyed together.
Residents were offered the option to purchase their own personal copy. Today, programs that have followed the 2023-2024 class of Château d’Hauteville continue this tradition that Jace has had the honor of spearheading.