SuperBowl Tailgate, Billionaire Style

By Pippa Edelen

This past weekend I attended the best tailgate ever. As a die-hard football fan who likes to be close to the action, I was thrilled when Runco dealer extraordinaire Andrew Guenther from Advanced Audio Design in Naples, FL proposed that Runco support his sponsorship of the Bombardier Touchdown Lounge in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida.

This uber-fancy tailgate consists of private aircraft owners to fly in and be a part of the most incredible SuperBowl party outside of Bourbon Street. What made this tailgate so special? Well, to risk sounding gauche, the massive bank accounts of the attendees. You see, the “tail” in question is referring to the stern of a G5, Global Express or Learjet 60.

To help paint a picture, three Rolls Royce Motor Carriages greeted each guest at the entrance (specifically two Phantom Coupes – each in two-tone and one was a Drophead, natch - and the new Ghost. And, as only the elite know, all three models open in the back to allow for “seating” on the tailgate.) Behind the half-million-dollar automobiles was a glowing bar that had three Runco LCD’s hung from the scaffolding while three more, along with a Runco XP-OPAL65 DHD, decorated the rest of the hangar. Just beyond the bar, the granddaddy display stopped the attendees in their tracks. The impressive 16-foot-wide Stewart Filmscreen was illuminated by two double-stacked Runco VX-33d’s. Despite having enormous hangar doors open to allow in tons of Florida sunshine, the VX-33’s rocked. They are so bright that even daylight couldn’t degrade the gorgeous HD images. The Lounge was open Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and by the time the game rolled around Sunday evening, every chair, stool, leather couch and settee was angled at the impressive, monster display. But no one needed to crane their neck or sit up close to see the action because the set-up was so enormous, it impressed no matter where you were in the hangar. Coupled with more than a quarter-million dollars worth of CAT audio, this party was simply superb. From the food, to the sponsors, to the double-stacked VX-33d’s, I’d argue that nothing beats tailgating, billionaire style.

Pippa has a degree in Journalism from U of O and spends most of her time writing fancy words, orchestrating events, shining up websites and generating press for Runco.