Like any inaugural event, the producers faced some logistical challenges, including long lines, instances of food shortage, and some technical malfunctions. Festival-goers also complained about the lack of cell phone reception. "I think the vendors did a really good job in preparing, and they made adjustments for Sunday," said Superfly co-founder Rick Farman. "You can do all the planning in the world, but until you try something, you just don't know."

Still, the folks at Superfly say they have every intention of doing it again next year. "There are a lot of things we can do better," added Farman, "and we made a lot of those adjustments from Saturday to Sunday."

Spanning across the park's Nethermead area, the ticketed event was divided into several individual sections, including the urban farm experience known as the "Urbarn," the kitchen theater tent, and three different stages. Winemakers filled the wine-tasting tent, selling more than 100 wines by the glass or in taste-size cups. There was also a beer pavilion, which offered sips of domestic and foreign craft beers.

Extra Mooga tickets, which sold for $250, gave holders access to talks and showcases by renowned "foodies," such as former critic and cookbook author Ruth Reichl, Momofuku's David Chang, and actor and stand-up comedian Aziz Ansari. Additional perks of the all-inclusive package included access to a main-stage viewing area, an Extra Mooga "sack" filled with favors, and a one-year subscription to New York magazine. 

"It's mostly a young industry, but [it's] growing and maturing, and we have to do the same," said Genome manager of corporate events Sarah Marcus. "Even in our aesthetic, that's the goal moving forward."

With that in mind, the Internet company partnered with Swank Productions to give the blank space a more modern aesthetic. To achieve this, the team used a color palette of predominantly white, with pops of black and gray. White, mask-shaped chairs scattered throughout the venue were the focal point of the design, and other decorative elements included white ceramic vases filled with curved blue Lucite sticks. The producers also found subtle ways to incorporate the brand's logo, including using it on art pieces that hung from the walls, placing it at the bottom of serving dishes, and embedding it into some of the furnishings.

In keeping with the minimalist, somewhat futuristic design, the logo also appeared on a main wall by way of laser-projection technology. Other lighting components included the use of only fluorescent bulbs to maintain the color scheme. "I really wanted to play with light because [it] has a lot to do with the Internet and technology," explained Swank Productions event designer Colin Whitfield.

For entertainment, Gotham Synchro's trio of synchronized swimmers, dressed in head-to-toe bodysuits, swam in the venue's indoor pool, and a female DJ duo from S.C.E. Event Group spun tunes.

During the intimate affair, Creative Edge passed hors d'oeuvres, including California rolls, truffled tater tots, and yellowtail sashimi, small servings of steak au poivre—grilled New York strip, wilted rainbow chard, and fried "butter" ball—and pasta in a creamy black truffle sauce. For dessert, waitstaff served small bites of cheesecake mousse lollipops and pistachio ice cream sandwiches. Looking to match the decor, the catering company also provided a nitrogen bar to mix dry-ice cocktails, including a cucumber and lime gin fizz concoction.

However, it's not just the timing of the efforts from smaller brands that's worth noting, but their approach as well. What's stealing attention away from the so-called "big five" are affairs that boast a similar level of entertainment, style of venue, and even receptions with lavish buffet spreads. No longer casual diversions at restaurants, clubs, or blank event spaces, the newer additions to Upfront Week are taking over large, landmark theaters and putting talent and big-name musical acts on stage.

For instance, on the same day ABC held court at Avery Fisher Hall with Jimmy Kimmel, Univision packed the 1,800-seat New Amsterdam Theatre for a show that finished with a performance by Shakira and was followed by a party at Cipriani 42nd Street. Sofia Vergara, star of ABC comedy Modern Family, even made an appearance on stage at Univision, saying, "I might work someplace else, but this is where I live." Turner showed its serious and playful sides another day, bookending the CBS announcement at Carnegie Hall with a morning presentation for TBS and TNT at the Hammerstein Ballroom and late-night bashes for Adult Swim at Roseland Ballroom and TruTV at Providence.

The importance of being able to join the broadcast networks in their B-to-B sales pitches was not lost on USA Network, which moved to the Thursday afternoon time slot after hosting an upfront a fortnight before Upfront Week in 2011. The decision made jointly by the NBC Universal-owned property's sales, marketing, and programming departments was designed to underscore how big a player the brand has become. Not only was USA Network able to fill Alice Tully Hall's 1,087-seat Starr Theatre, it also managed to amplify the event on social media networks. This included inviting more than 100 fans to tweet from the arrivals carpet using the #USAUpfront hashtag and having wrestler John Cena announce an additional hour of W.W.E. Raw programming on stage and via Twitter simultaneously.

That's not to say that the broadcast networks didn't make a splash themselves. NBC moved from last year's site of the Hilton New York to Radio City Music Hall, an appropriate choice for a presentation that included live vocal performances by Smash's Katharine McPhee and Megan Hilty and The Voice winner Jermaine Paul. John Legend, Kelly Clarkson, and Robin Thicke joined Kimmel as party of ABC's entertainment line up, while the CW's late morning gathering at New York City Center put rapper Flo Rida on stage. Fox returned to the Beacon Theatre, making headlines this time for an appearance by Britney Spears—a new judge on X Factor—and Mary J. Blige as the closing act.

CBS, which has the highest viewership of the broadcast networks, put on a much more energetic function than last year, opening with a comic skit that had Jo Ann Ross, president of network sales, in a waitress outfit beside the stars of 2 Broke Girls, a hip-hop opera mash-up with LL Cool J and soprano Danielle de Niese, and New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning brandishing the Vince Lombardi trophy when talk turned to the Super Bowl.

The lengthy list of more than 200 presentations and discussions included Buddy Media's "How to Master Social Advertising," Flavorpill's "Sifting for Culture on the Internet," and Yahoo's "Big Data, Big Solutions." Speakers included New York Times columnist David Carr, Tumblr founder and C.E.O. David Karp, and Mozilla Foundation chairman Mitchell Baker.

In terms of visuals, decor producer Stoelt Productions sought to give the historic Upper West Side institution something of a makeover, putting the focus on the host brand rather than the museum's exhibits. This entailed placing oversize versions of the trophy at the entrance, at the center of the reception area in the Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda, and in the middle of the bar at the after-party, which itself was flooded with red lighting.

The stage presentation was also given a bit of a revamp, with LED panels, uplit columns, and plenty of dramatic lighting. Produced by Phoenix Productions, the show saw a new host, Joan Rivers, and special honorary awards go to photographer Annie Leibovitz and chef/author Anthony Bourdain.

As one would expect, the venue is filled with an eclectic assortment of accoutrements, from vintage furniture and decorative vases to various flowers and trees. Naturally, the furnishings can be changed for private functions and Castle & Pierpont principal Rori Pierpont can provide additional decor.

C&P 164 holds as many as 150 for receptions or 50 seated; an outdoor garden is also available.

The clear-font tent serves as a blank slate of sorts, with little in the way of permanent furnishings save for air-conditioning and heating systems that make the site available for year-round use. The structure has clear vinyl sides that can be rolled up, and Bentley Meeker can set up full theatrical lighting. Additionally, United Nations Catering has preferred relationships with Empire Force Events, which provides event design and management, as well as staging and audiovisual supplier Pro Sho Sound.

In terms of capacity, the Ambassadors River View has room for 600 for receptions, 300 seated with a dance floor (or 350 seated without a dance floor), or 400 theater-style with a stage.

Events can also be combined with private, 30-minute tours of the General Assembly and Security Council for 20 people at a time.

Measuring 4,000 square feet, the street-level Solo Event Space has its own entrance, high ceilings, and white walls and flooring. Among the on-site amenities are a built-in stage, LED lighting, sound equipment, and audiovisual gear.

The venue holds 250 for receptions or 160 seated banquet-style. The site can also be configured for theater-style presentations or classroom-style meetings.

The mini photo prints can be branded with anything from a logo in the bottom corner to a unique background. “At an event for a sports brand, we made the prints come out looking like collectable hockey cards,” says Gunneras. Rental packages are tailored to the event, but typically start around $5,000 per day and include a couple of printers, as many as 500 prints, and one or two staffers to set up and run the system.

This year, one of the most prominent trends was the lack of floral centerpieces (and in some cases, no centerpieces at all). Instead of flowers and greenery, designers made objects like vases, books, wine bottles, and elaborate chandeliers the focus of the settings. And apart from a few installations that employed vibrant patterned fabrics, many of the tables took a conservative turn when it came to color, opting for a palette of subdued, neutral tones. Finally, several designers took inspiration from the home, creating tables with homey, residential styles. Here’s a look at the most inspiring ideas and trends on display.

While I couldn't make all 1,200 get-togethers, I did drag myself to the Eat In and the "Meet Your Farmer" event held at Eataly, the Chelsea mecca for Italian edibles, and finally hoofed it to the "Autumn Celebration," which was a true grassroots effort—it was a bring-a-dish event at the home of Jenny N.

Well, it was supposed to be. Reading through the impenetrable Web site that supported Food Day, I was intrigued that Jenny N. was inviting people, strangers really, to her East Side home via FoodDay.org, so of course I RSVP'd "Yes." After assigning the covered dish part of the event to my food companion, coincidentally named Jen, I was pleased that Jenny N. accepted my response with a friendly email giving her address and apartment number.

I should back up and tell you that Jenny N.'s gathering, while it sounds odd, was the type of Food Day event that the organizers were hoping for: a grassroots sharing of food and ideas about how to make the world a healthier place. Just about every single food cause was involved. There's an organization called Meatless Mondays that promotes exactly what you think. There was a charismatic guy who talked so enthusiastically about school cafeterias that I wished I had children. They were among the dozen or so exhibitors in the tent city that surrounded the Times Square Eat In.

1. Kojami
Based on his own experience as an event attendee, Randall Olade created Kojami, a free mobile app that allows smartphone users to find and share information about any event. The marketing tool is designed to tackle the repetitiveness of posting events on social media, while also looking to give guests the ability to purchase tickets and R.S.V.P. directly through the app. There's also a post-event report feature, which breaks down analytics—from attendance to survey results. It can also be used to check in guests at the door and devise table placements.

2. Qrious
Aside from attendance numbers, ensuring guest, exhibitor, and sponsor satisfaction can be just as important to the success of an event. Web-based mobile app Qrious is a free social discovery platform that helps guests connect with people that are important to them at business functions and conferences. "We present matches using a 100-point professional compatibility index that we call the Qrious score, in rank order so that [guests] can prioritize their time and efforts while they're at an event," said co-founder John Federico.

3. OneLobby
OneLobby is another service that allows attendees, organizers, and exhibitors to socialize before, during, and long after an event is over. "This is the pain that we're trying to solve," said founder Jordan Smith, pointing to a picture showing a crowd of dumbfounded event guests. To build the buzz before an event takes place, planners can link to OneLobby to create an e-community, which enables participants to network, plan business meetings or informal get-togethers, or discuss a particular session.

4. Maestro Market
Maestro Market is an online marketplace that connects users to experts, including speakers. In addition to finding new voices to add value to an event, the tool gives users an opportunity to engage with authors, songwriters, stylists, and others in additional ways, such as one-on-one Skype-based conversations or Twitter chats.

5. P&V's Webcasting Tool
To extend the reach of an event, P&V Enterprises partner Pat Ahaesy presented the company's Webcasting tool, which is available both live and on demand. Planners can use this service to capture and add production value to their event, as well as to live streams.

6. Yapp
If you're lacking technical or design knowledge, but want to create a customized mobile app for your event quickly, there's Yapp. Currently invite-only, Yapp is a WYSIWIG-type editor, which allows users to create apps that can be downloaded, viewed, and interacted with on iPhones.

Other companies that presented at last year's PlannerTech in New York and D.C., including Event Farm and Social Tables, returned this year to show off updates and upgrades for their products.

Today, he oversees a team that stages some of the most prestigious sports events in the world, including the Super Bowl, for which planning starts four years in advance. Bringing more than 200,000 people to the host city each year, the Super Bowl calls for extreme security measures, including a temporary flight restriction over the stadium, closing off streets, and installing over 130 magnetometers (the type of metal detectors you see in the airport) to process as many as 80,000 people in just three hours.

Speaking of high-security events, IMG Fashion executive producer Christina Neault produces Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week, the traveling trade show that, when it hits New York, is considered the city's largest media event and draws more than 100,000 attendees twice a year. For 35 days before the eight-day showcase at Lincoln Center, Neault's team takes over the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center to build about 20 tents, each equipped with power, lighting, and restroom capabilities.

Her biggest secret? "You've got to have fun at what you're doing," she said. Overseeing a team of about 500, the Fashion Institute of Technology graduate looks for certain qualities in potential hires. "Someone who's really upbeat, team-oriented, and great work ethic," she said. "I like people who have worked retail or have been bartenders or waitresses—I think [the service industry] gives you the mind-set to work in the events business."

Also managing a team behind one of the largest business events in the country—the Wal-Mart annual shareholder's meeting—is Mark Shearon, founder and managing partner of experiential agency Proscenium, who shared that things don't always go as planned. "You have to have redundancy with every single part of the show, including people, equipment, and even talent," he said, explaining how to always have a plan B.

He went on to share an incident where he had to find a last-minute talent replacement for Susan Boyle and ended up making the arrangements to fly in Miley Cyrus—who had recently launched a clothing line with Wal-Mart—for a performance. "You've got to be prepared," he said, "and think about all the things that can go wrong and have a plan for that."

One notable change this year deals with the judging program for the Clio Awards. In addition to bringing jury members—some of the most influential executives in advertising, from firms like Publicis, Ogilvy, and BBDO—to Las Vegas for a three-week stint, the team behind the Prometheus Global Media-owned competition invited more junior agency staffers to help assist with the process. These volunteers came from the group of employees that work on the award submissions and were chosen to build brand awareness with the younger generation.

"It was a huge success for us to get people who knew the industry and were interested in it—and great at helping us out," said Nicole Purcell, executive director of the Clio Awards. (Purcell works closely with Clios director Karl Vontz, one of our 2012 Event Innovators.) "They learned so much from judging, about the work, and about entering better. They're pushing their agencies to get more involved now with Clio."

"It also makes a difference in being able to cultivate relationships live on-site somewhere, even in terms of ticket sales," said Brooke Barasch, the director of marketing. "Just having people there and developing relationships, all of sudden people that have never attended the event before are all coming because of the word of mouth from people that were part of the judging process."

A bigger investment in social media is also helping to add more buzz. Much like last year, the planners revealed the winners via the networking platforms before the big night, promoting which categories would be announced on what days, starting April 30. Newly added elements for the 2012 ceremony include live tweeting from the event and an initiative devised with the help of Carrot Creative. The latter will display Instagram images taken by guests and tagged with #InstaClio and #SpottedatClios on a 70-inch screen at the post-presentation reception.

Although Purcell and Barasch declined to release specific details about the award presentation itself, the plan is, according to Purcell, to "step up the presence onstage." This includes having comedian Joan Rivers serve as the night's host and bringing in some key names to present awards to winners that include Piyush Pandey of Ogilvy & Mather India, and photographer Annie Leibovitz and author/TV host Anthony Bourdain, who are also being honored.

That's the situation Lucretia Gilbert, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation's director of development and special events, faced when Evelyn Lauder died in November of last year. Lauder, a regular on the New York benefit scene as an attendee, board member, and honoree, founded the nonprofit in 1993 and was heavily involved with its philanthropic efforts. Gilbert's team was already in the midst of planning the 2012 fund-raisers when they received the news.

We spoke with Gilbert to find out how Lauder's death affected this year's benefits and what the foundation's event department is doing to continue the efforts established by Lauder nearly 20 years ago.

Evelyn Lauder had a central role in the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. After her death, were there any concerns about continuing the event program as scheduled?
As our founder, Evelyn Lauder worked for 17 years with many of the people on our leadership team and event chairmen. They really did know what she would have wanted. We knew she would have been very disappointed had we not carried on with the same fortitude and stamina that she had already invested. Plus her husband, Mr. Leonard Lauder, graciously stepped forward immediately to fill in for his beloved wife as acting chairman of the B.C.R.F. board of directors, and for us, that was the greatest encouragement and endorsement of all. He really worked collaboratively with the B.C.R.F. team and our event co-chairs to ensure the Hot Pink Party would be a success. One of the most touching moments was when he took to the stage at the event in New York with two of Mrs. Lauder's granddaughters, Rachel and Danielle, at his side.

But the first thing that really crossed our mind was how were we going to make the Waldorf bigger.

What was the biggest challenge faced by the event team?
Really it was about how do you honor and pay tribute to someone of that caliber. How to recognize her in a meaningful way that would touch so many people in the room. That's what we came up against, and that's what we worked so creatively on: how to bring Mrs. Lauder into our events and include her passion and commitment so you could feel it without her presence.

What did that mean for the Hot Pink Party fund-raiser in New York?
This year's Hot Pink Party was themed "Celebrating My Fair Evelyn's Dream." Our entire team, including Monroe Alechman, decor consultant, worked very hard to creatively incorporate Evelyn's favorite things throughout the evening. Mrs. Lauder's favorite peony flower was not only included in the event centerpiece, but each guest received an "Evelyn Lauder dream scarf," which was inspired by her photograph, "Poetry in the Light." The scarf represented Mrs. Lauder's deep love of nature, flowers, beauty, and life.

We also opened the evening with a gorgeous video tribute that artfully demonstrated her shared and personal commitment for finding a cure for breast cancer. And Sir Elton John gave a special tribute performance in honor of his dear friend.

With such tributes, I assume there has been increased interest in the organization's events this year, is that correct?
All of our major foundation events have all been so well received this year; the New York Hot Pink Party was a sold-out affair. We had a terrific Hot Pink luncheon in February at The Breakers in Palm Beach, and next week is our Boston Hot Pink Party at the InterContinental hotel on May 17. Quite honestly, our little B.C.R.F. special events team is working around the clock on making sure that all of our events continue to be executed as they would have been under Mrs. Lauder’s leadership—no detail overlooked! We vow to make our champion proud at every B.C.R.F. Hot Pink event. She will always be our inspiration.

It's been a labor of love for our team and an overwhelming outpouring of support. It's a happy task for us to figure out how to take this support and turn it into long-term support, which I think is what we're going to do and what we're going to work on.

How do you keep the annual fund-raiser fresh?
It's easier than you think—it's always pink, but always different. We have new event leadership, and this year Brian Williams was a new addition and co-emceed the event along with Elizabeth Hurley. We also have a wonderful decor and "set designer," Monroe Alechman, who each year helps us develop an appropriate theme and then translates this into a magic environment at the Waldorf. And we have a slightly different combination of sponsors and event co-chairmen each year, so that gives each event a unique flavor as well. We're already thinking ahead to the April 17, 2013, Hot Pink Party and how to make it exciting.

What's in the works for the Boston Hot Pink Party?
The theme for the Boston event is honoring inspiration women. It ties in very nicely and was actually set in motion prior to everything happening. We're honoring two women, Elisha Daniels and Sandra Krakoff, who will receive humanitarian awards. Both were there when we started the group with Mrs. Lauder and both are breast cancer survivors. It's the story of how one person can make a difference and that's what both these women have done with the B.C.R.F. group in Boston and how we've expanded that event from $260,555 in 2006 to last year's more than $1 million.