With a painter’s eye and a love for the unexpected, David Stark has spent more than two decades blurring the lines between fine art and event design. As the founder and chief creative officer of Brooklyn-based David Stark Design and Production, he’s earned a reputation for turning everyday objects—think backpacks, basketballs, and even MetroCards—into large-scale, conceptual installations that are as thoughtful as they are theatrical.
Stark’s work is perhaps most famously on display at the Robin Hood Benefit, one of New York’s most high-profile annual fundraisers, where his immersive designs help the event raise more than $60 million each year to fight poverty. A BizBash Hall of Fame inductee and a frequent name on our lists of innovators and top designers, Stark is also the author of seven books, including 2013's popular David Stark: The Art of the Party, a visual deep dive into his creative process and celebrated career.
How his role has evolved—and stayed consistent—over the past 25 years:
"I started in the events industry by accident in a very different capacity. With a former partner, we were a duo that created floral arrangements for very small parties and weekly accounts—restaurants, lobbies, offices. I was a painter who fell into working with flowers as a way to support my artmaking.
It's radical to think that I have evolved over the years into running a full-service creative agency that designs and plans events that are essentially strategic marketing platforms for corporations and elite not-for-profit organizations while also producing social events that celebrate personal milestones all over the world. These experiences are now the art that I create with a team of the most extraordinary artisans, producers, thinkers, and leaders.
We are currently a team of 48 full-time, with even more that are part-time, and we operate a full-on fabrication shop in Brooklyn where we build the magic we design.
I don't know exactly when the shift was made, but I evolved from making floral arrangements with my own hands out of the loft that I lived in to becoming a creative director, mentoring a team of uber-talented stars who teach me every day as much as I give them. What remains constant, though, is the goal to elevate the work we do as an agency to the realm of installation art. We hold that mission near and dear, and it will always be our driving force as we innovate into the future." 
For watch manufacturer Urban Jürgensen's recent collection debut, Stark reimagined Santa Monica Airport’s industrial Barker Hangar into an immersive supper club. Inside, an elevated cocktail platform encouraged guests to view the round dining pavilion from above, while a hidden after-party space was later revealed for dessert.
Photo: Corbin Gurkin
What trends/tech have had the biggest impact on events today:
"Of course, social media has completely altered the landscape of events. We are all exposed to so much more, so much faster than ever before, and those realities have utterly transformed not just events but the world. If the experiences we create are a reflection of society, then how we market to it, inspire emotional connection, and gain traction has been forever changed.
But on a more personal, artistic level, computer technologies have completely transformed our artistic processes at David Stark Design. We live in 3D programs; we can't design without them! And AI innovations and a plethora of design program inventions provide us the ability to dream up out-of-the-box solutions time after time with confidence. We have invested in a team who are wizards with these programs, all with a shared mindset that raising the bar is our collective goal." 
Guests entered the Urban Jürgensen through a dramatic facade, inspired by one of the brand's own watch dials.Photo: Corbin Gurkin
Advice for his younger self:
"A business is a living, breathing organism that ebbs and flows and changes over time. It has its highs and its lows, its challenges and its joys, and riding the various waves of the journey is what makes a business exciting and rewarding. I used to get really upset when something would go 'wrong'—when a valued employee would leave the organization; we didn't get a piece of business that we really wanted; something didn't work out exactly as planned at an event. Now I realize that that's just part of it—embracing the flux of it all is what business actually is, and recognizing that reality flushes the angst out. It doesn't make a problem less of a problem, but I now realize that as a leader and as an organization, I/we have the strength to solve whatever curveball is thrown our way. There is never not a curveball, right?!
The other thing I think about a lot, and this goes back to my days as a fledgling artist at the Rhode Island School of Design, is there are many ways to be an artist, and they don't necessarily have to be justified by the set majors at colleges and universities. I would have wanted my younger self to realize that crafting an artistic future of my own design is a terrific path forward. I learned to be a creative problem solver at RISD, even though my initial intentions were to be a fine artist, a painter. Today, I apply my learnings to everything I touch in business and design, though, despite the fact that I graduated with a BFA and an MFA in painting, a career path that was supposed to be very different.
I hope that is meaningful advice to young people starting their careers today. I am living proof that you can invent an artistic career for yourself on your own terms. I would have enjoyed that whisper in the ear back in college, when my professors would say things like, 'Only one percent of you will be artists.'"
An event he'll never forget:
"Oh, there are so, so many of them, but when I first moved to NYC after college, I worked as a server for a caterer, which was my first exposure to glamorous events in the big city of dreams. One of the parties that I worked at was a sizable anniversary celebration that The New Yorker magazine threw for itself at the Manhattan Center. Robert Isabell designed this production, and there were challenges. The oversize, iconic cartoons printed out on gatorboard kept falling down, and tempers flared.
I often think about this night. Cartoons aside, it was magical, but the evening also stands as a great reminder to me that when faced with challenges onsite, keeping calm as the captain of the ship is definitely the choice to make." 
For Robin Hood's 2025 benefit gala, Stark designed an entry tunnel with sports-style banners that celebrated the nonprofit's 37-year history. See more: Robin Hood's 2025 Benefit Gala Had the Home Field Advantage—How a Sports Theme Helped Raise $72 MillionPhoto: Courtesy of Robin Hood
What he hopes his legacy will be:
"I think what we do as an industry is analogous to the world of couture in fashion. I mean, where else are such skilled artisans and technicians making custom experiences for people with their hands?! I hope that we might be seen as a catalyst shining the spotlight of value on the handmade, on traditions of craft that are centuries old, and the importance of physical artmaking, especially in the age of digital production. That's a lasting impact that would make me very happy as an artist and as a professional."
What excites him most about where the industry is headed:
"I think we are now in a period of open-minded thinking, which is really exciting. I wouldn't say that the events world has always been open to radical ideas—oftentimes corporate 'activations' can feel a little derivative to me. Right now, though, there's an excitement to embrace new visions and innovative approaches, and we're here for it.
Maybe 'breaking the internet' is at the core of clients' goals, but I'd like to believe that raising the bar is in the zeitgeist—not just to garner social media likes and new followers, but for the sake of innovation and progress."
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This feature is sponsored by Convene, a global hospitality company that manages a growing portfolio of brands that design and operate premium event venues, meeting spaces, and flexible office.
