Meet The Former Corporate Lawyer Planning Singapore Grand Prix's Buzziest After-Party

In late 2014, Jeannette Tan gave up a successful, stable career in corporate law, working across the UK, Malaysia and Singapore, to start her own company, Imaginoire, specializing in high-end event planning.

“Having practiced law for more than 10 years, it was when I obtained my Singapore permanent residency that I finally decided to take that brave leap to start up my own business, pursue a completely different passion and make the switch from corporate to creative,” says the Malaysian-born entrepreneur.

Tan’s company is today best known for its groundbreaking series of high-end after-parties it staged during the 2015 Singapore Grand Prix — Boudoir Noire. The all-night, champagne-drenched soirées raised eyebrows by bringing the naughty, nudity-laden contemporary cabaret of New York’s infamous The Box to conservative Singapore, alongside risqué burlesque performers such as Sukki Singapora and top-tier DJs.

After a hiatus in 2016, this Singapore Grand Prix weekend (September 16 and 17), Tan and her team return with a variation on the theme, rebranded Boudoir Blanc. Where the previous outing took place at the 1920s art deco Capitol Theatre, the 2017 event will occupy another historic structure, Clifford Pier, which was Singapore’s main passenger landing point for several decades following its construction in 1933, and boasts a panoramic view across the harbor to the iconic Marina Bay Sands complex.

Tan says that though she considers herself a social butterfly, and even during her legal days, would usually be roped in as designated "party liaison" among her group of friends, she never “specifically planned or ever imagined I would one day be running my own luxe lifestyle events management and creative agency, or organizing major parties. But here I am today, doing what I love and am passionate about. I have the good fortune of being able to call this ‘work’ while also finally realizing the extent of my right brain potential.”

She credits her parents with sparking her interest in nightlife, and backing her in pursuing a career path somewhat less "safe" than law. “I think having cool, sociable parents growing up definitely played a huge part in my unplanned yet unsurprising career shift,” Tan says. “My exposure to nightlife and parties actually started from a fairly young age. One of my parents’ closest family friends, who’s sadly no longer with us, owned some of the top nightspots at the time in Kuala Lumpur and is legendary for shaping the Malaysian entertainment scene, so as kids we would often get invited along with our parents to attend special celebrations and private events at their club venues with their family,” she says.

There’s no shortage of luxurious nightlife options available in Singapore during the Grand Prix weekend. But Tan argues that the venue is one of the key things setting her event apart, the Clifford Pier location offering not only “breathtaking views,” but unbeatable ease of access from the racetrack. 

“Besides taking over a different heritage site to transform into Singapore’s most glamorous trackside party, this time around Boudoir Blanc is entirely Imaginoire’s original in-house creation and concept,” Tan explains. She notes that while the adult-oriented theatrical entertainment of The Box won’t be present this instalment, “All of our shows will of course remain super edgy and boundary pushing yet glamorously seductive, and each of the two nights at Boudoir Blanc will also feature different entertainment themes and completely different shows, with 12 incredible acts per night.”

These include cabaret, magic, cirque-themed and burlesque performers, such as ex-Moulin Rouge star Ms. Fallon Dee, and a musical bill headlined by French tropical house act Klingande and DJ Lead of Tokyo’s new 1Oak nightclub.

Why should the wealthy Singapore Grand Prix race-goer chose to spend their time and money attending Boudoir Blanc? Tan says she strives to create events that are immersive and theatrical. “Entertainment experiences that are a lot more edgy, boundary-pushing, daring, very bold and different from anything else you would ever be able to see or experience here in Singapore — or indeed, in this region. I think that for affluent consumers who are highly experienced and may feel like they’ve ‘seen it all’, they’ll naturally appreciate and gravitate towards our events.”

The key to keeping this discerning customer happy, says Tan, “is to ensure they have an exciting and memorable experience from the minute they enter until they leave.”