Rayna Katz | BizBash

More from Rayna Katz

How This Food Podcast Turned Into an Interactive Live Event

The chefs, including Esther’s Kitchen owner James Trees (pictured), were encouraged to create something that represented their culinary identity. The crowd size was kept small so that the chefs could try out new dishes that may not have been possible at a larger event.

How a PR Pro Launched a New Food Festival—With No Budget

Storm King Art Center

Foursquare's Dennis Crowley Shares His Favorite Places

The Diplomat Beach Resort, the 1,000-room oceanfront resort in Hollywood, unveiled a slate of new food and beverage spots in the spring as part of a $100 million renovation. New to the property are: Point Royal, a coastal American concept from chef Geoffrey Zakarian; Monkitail, an izakaya eatery from chef Michael Schulson; Diplomat Prime, a 1950s-inspired steak house; Playa, a beachfront restaurant and bar with Latin cuisine; Portico Beer & Wine Garden, with views of the Intercoastal Waterway; and five other concepts offering casual fare, desserts, cocktails, and more. Diplomat Prime, Monkitail, and Point Royal all offer private dining. The property, part of Curio Collection by Hilton, has redesigned its guest rooms and added other upgrades, including new poolside cabanas designed by fashion designer Trina Turk. Overall, the resort has 209,000 square feet of meeting and function space.

Best of 2017: 10 Most Notable Miami/South Florida Venue Openings of 2017

Dream Downtown, a sister property to Dream Midtown, renovated its PHD Rooftop Lounge. The New York hotspot updated its indoor/outdoor space with new furniture, furnishings, and art. Offering dramatic views of the Empire State Building as well as of the Hudson River, the 4,400-square-foot lounge holds 350 guests for reception-style events. The space's amenities include two full-service bars, a DJ booth, audiovisual equipment, and a retractable canopy.

Best of 2017: 10 Most Notable New York Venue Openings of 2017

Ritz-Carlton Reserve Dorado Beach

DJ Irie Shares His Favorite Places

#4 Holiday Event Hundreds of thousands of people filled the West Lawn of the United States Capitol building for the tribute to active service members, veterans, and military families, leading to seven million social-media impressions. Broadcast for the 28th year on PBS, the show featured actors Joe Mantegna, Laurence Fishburne, and Gary Sinise. Performances were given by opera star Renee Fleming, Vanessa Williams, American Idol winner Scotty McCreery, the National Symphony Orchestra, and more. Auli’i Cravalho, the voice of Disney’s Moana, sang the national anthem. The concert was streamed on Facebook Live. Next: May 27, 2018

Washington’s Top 100 Events 2017

Bolstering its already substantial presence in the Seagram Building, Major Food Group is opening the Lobster Club, a Japanese eatery, in November. Marking the North American debut of Michelin-starred chef Tasuku Murakami, who will helm the kitchen, the restaurant takes over the former space of the Brasserie, a French hotspot whose heyday was in the 1980s. The new iteration of the space, designed by Peter Marino, will feaure priceless Picasso plates on floor-to-ceiling shelves behind a long-onyx bar, as well as Picasso-inspired sculptures in a nod to the decor of the space’s former tenant. The venue seats 150, including 10 in a private dining room, or holds 300 standing, and is available for buyouts. Classical Japanese fare will be served at the establishment, while cocktails are set to feature Japanese ingredients, such as tea, yuzu juice, and sudachi.

10 New Venues in New York for Winter Meetings and Events

Patricia Padilla, former executive director of the United Nations Foundation and founder of the new firm 196, shared how nonprofits can use events to communicate their message and motivate their supporters to take action.

6 Tips From Event Pros for Making Memorable Live Experiences

The evening featured a mix of rectangular and round tables with brightly colored linens. Projections of monkeys on the wall tied the room into the gala's theme.

How This Zoo Gala Got Into "Monkey Business"

As the first female executive editor in the 160-year history of The New York Times, Jill Abramson made headlines both when she was appointed in 2011 and when she was fired three years later. Now a lecturer on non-fiction narrative writing at Harvard University, she previously held other senior editorial positions at The Times, as well as the Wall Street Journal, and also has taught at Yale and Princeton. She speaks to issues surrounding women in the workplace, including pay inequality. Abramson’s agency, WME Speakers, provides prices on request.

6 Keynote Speakers to Talk About Female Empowerment

Looking to provide Diwali-theme ideas, Nuage Designs enlisted Tinsel Experiential Design to design a tablescape in keeping with the holiday. Orange Hemp Flocking linen reminiscent of traditional henna designs was provided by Nuage for the base of the design. A floral runner in bright fuchsia, yellow, red, and orange was strung across the table in keeping with the colorful nature of Indian celebrations. Party Rental Limited's gold florentine plates were topped by Nuage napkins to complete the festive table.

7 Ideas for a Diwali-Theme Event

The release of thousands of lanterns, which lit up the night sky, served as invitation to other states to come to Las Vegas, according to organizers.

Lantern Festival Takes on Added Meaning in Wake of Vegas Shooting

On October 5, Classic Car Club at Hudson River Park's 1 Pier 76 was the site of a party to celebrate the release of Artemis, a new Audible audiobook set on the site of the first lunar colony. The event featured a recreated, internally lit moon, which was created by covering white linen with NASA surface images of the moon. Guests including astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson and actress Rosario Dawson, who narrates the book and read at the event, attempted to 'lift' the moon for a photo op.

New York Comic Con 2017: See Interactive Activations From HBO, Amazon, and More