As a lover of festivals and finding opportunities to have a good time with family and friends, GlitterandGumbo decided to share our perspective of the 2018 BET Experience from a “First Timers” point-of-view.
So, if you are unaware the BET Awards Weekend is held annually in Los Angeles, California. LA is like a second home to me, due to my family roots being planted in this area. It’s been quite some time since I visited this neck of the woods however, it’s always good to feel the cool warm breeze of Cali on my hot Texas skin. I was quite pleased to wear a cool light jacket during my stay, which is rare or nonexistent in Texas or Louisiana during the Summer.
My assistant and I arrived early in the week to prepare for this festival and some other events (not sponsored by BET) surrounding the Awards Weekend. There were several other opportunities for my outlet to experience but it became quite a challenge to juggle everything in the daily time span.
Our hotel location was in the heart of Downtown LA and in close proximity to the Convention Center, Microsoft Theater, and Staples Center. During the Essence Festival we normally stay Downtown as well and walk to the various events being held.
We had two days, Tuesday and Wednesday, to work some other events and go sightseeing. On Tuesday afternoon, the Staples Center slowly started developing into a BET festive appearance as signs and banners were coordinated around the area. Several people were seen taking pictures in front of the network logo.
The Essence Festival and BET Weekend have the similarity of not officially launching until around Thursday afternoon. The BET X Live stage kicked off the event with performances outside the Staples Center by Hood Celebrity, Kash Doll and Rico Nasty with hosts Safaree and Amara La Negra. A concert featuring LL Cool J, Nas, Ludacris, Ne-Yo, Doug E Fresh, and DJ Z-Trip concluded the night.
Friday would become the defining moment for me to witness the BET Experience. For some reason I was thinking the Los Angeles Convention Center opened early in the morning but a 5:00 p.m. entrance time rang loud and clear on my schedule. The New Orleans Morial Convention Center during the Essence Festival opens at 9:00 a.m. so there was a slight pause as I had an a-ha moment.
The LA Convention Center displayed the BET decor nicely and provided sponsored booths for fans to complete interactive sessions. Corporate stages, as well as the placement of booths featuring the television shows seen on the BET Network were intermingled throughout the colorful environment. View a quick recap of the stations and fan responses below in our video.
After reviewing the main segment of the Convention Center, we quickly rushed over to West Hall to watch the first ever Celebrity Dodgeball game. Due to a late start time, we had a moment to chill inside the venue as fans waited patiently. This event allowed everyone the opportunity to see their favorite television and music stars battle for elite dodgeball status. I truly liked this idea and considered this game a fun occasion. The Love & Hip Hop franchise brought the most entertaining segment as they fought competitively for bragging rights.
Overall, it was a decent festival experience and hopefully next time if permitted, I will dive into more interesting activities. Thank you to the BET Network for the opportunity.
