Dakota Laurin has done something quite amazing—he’s brought Princess Diana back to life. As the director of the new Princess Diana: A Tribute Exhibition at The Shops at Crystals, Laurin spent the past three years curating the story of the famed royal’s life.
“We really try and tell the story of her life, get nitty-gritty—the untold details behind every artifact,” says Canadian native Laurin. “We handpicked ... them based on the story and narrative we wanted to tell. (Diana’s) story has been told many times, but not in a way that’s complemented by real-life items and artifacts.” In fact, the immersive exhibit holds more than 700 artifacts—from Diana’s childhood, her marriage, her divorce, motherhood, her humanitarian efforts, her style icon status, her tragic death and the continuation of her life through her two sons—spread throughout 12 rooms.
Laurin joined the company that helped create the exhibit, SBX Group, in 2018, after working the business side of sports and entertainment. He then transitioned to what he does now—business development and strategy on various projects that create both permanent and touring exhibits throughout the country. He recently moved to Las Vegas to help launch the Diana exhibit, a project that he had his hands on from inception to execution.
“(It’s) three years in the making; it’s cool to be able to dive into something that you have no idea what it’s going to look like,” he says. “And then see it all the way through, years later, and it comes to life and has success—it’s fulfilling in that sense.”
Product: Gift shop
Take a piece of Princess Diana home with you by stopping at the gift shop, where you can find popular items like the black sheep sweater that Diana was famously photographed in. The company that originally designed the sweater re-created it just for the exhibit. Don’t miss the rose-scented candles, too (Diana’s favorite flower).
Benefit: If you purchase the audio guide, you’ll hear the untold stories behind some of the artifacts.
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