TORONTO Advertising agency John St. celebrated its 10th Anniversary on July 21, inviting clients and employees to a cocktail party dubbed “Unignorable” (named after a company directive) at the vacant Quality Knitting Building. Audiovisual production was a major focus of the event, which was designed to celebrate the agency’s work. “We really pushed the boundaries on this one,” said Candice Chan, creative director at Candice&Alison Luxury Event Management.

While the entire party featured high-tech components, the focal point of the night was the three-dimensional architectural mapping presentation from Westbury National Show Systems. Three projectors spanned 67 feet of an interior wall and, for the majority of the party, they projected John St. television ads from the last 10 years. After a thank-you speech from John St., Westbury presented their custom-made mapping. 3-D graphics were projected onto an image of the brick wall, creating the illusion that the wall was transforming; it appeared to crumble and rebuild itself, and the windows seemed to fill up with water before shattering. “It added the 'wow' effect after the speech,” said Alison Slight, managing director at Candice&Alison.    

The Quality Knitting Building is under construction. While the vacant building had an unpolished appeal, the space came with its own challenges; Candice&Alison had to source air-conditioning units and bathrooms for the event.

Working closely with the ad agency, Candice&Alison incorporated John St.’s signature yellow into the details and decor at the event. Servers wearing yellow suspenders circulated with yellow shooters. Outside, guests walked a yellow carpet. Original lighting components such as glowing furniture, colour-morphing tiles, and illuminated yellow tubes contrasted with raw and unfinished space. Around 325 guests attended, and the party ended at midnight.