At the seventh annual Call of the Game dinner in March, held at South Florida's Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, painted guitars served as centerpieces. Oversize guitar picks displaying numbers let guests know at which table to sit.
Photo: Courtesy of Reid & Florentino
The tables at a graffiti-theme bar mitzvah designed by David Stark Design and Production, held at Center548 in New York, displayed numbers on spray-paint cans.
Photo: Susan Montagna
Instead of going in numerical order at the October 2011 dinner for Boston's Institute of Contemporary Art's anniversary, each table number represented an important year in the museum's 75-year history.
Photo: Liz Linder
At CyberCoders's Gatsby-theme event, a tightrope walker from Zen Arts hovered 30 feet overhead, surprising guests at dinner and teasing the crowd with leg lifts, wobbles, and the splits.
Photo: Callie Biggerstaff
Event planners boarded up the exterior of Long View Gallery with pallets and faux brick to create a speakeasy feel. A sign next to the door read: "Closed for violation of the National Prohibition Act by the order of the United States District Court." Event security wore mafia-style fedoras to complete the scene.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
Black and gold accents highlighted another full bar, and a birdcage containing a crystal chandelier hung overhead, adding another on-theme element.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
Another custom bar had rows of oversize crystals across its front.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
In the tent, a rustic bar served bourbon and Scotch.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
At the entry, a partial wall featured a complex Art Deco pattern surrounding the host company's name.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
The space was divided into three areas that had their own design themes. One featured black and white furniture, crystal chandeliers, and strings of pearls.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
The downstairs space was decorated in tones of gold and black, used to effect in the draped walls. Seating vignettes included chesterfield sofas and black wing chairs.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
Roving card dealers dressed in flapper costumes presided over games of blackjack and poker using custom chips—actually chocolate coins—with the company logo.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
Servers from Oysters XO roved the grounds shucking oysters for guests. The uniform, complete with pageboys and suspenders, was meant to evoke the scene around a New York City dock.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
A deconstructed Caesar salad was served by the glass. The stiff romaine leaves mimicked the look of a flapper's feather headdress. Other bites at the event included wasabi deviled eggs, candied bacon, and a "bees knees" cheese station.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
A DJ from Washington Talent Agency spun music from Pink Martini—and offered guests a shot of Maker's Mark. An old-fashioned mail drop collected entries for a drawing to win a bottle of locally made Green Hat Gin.
Photo: Rodney Bailey/EventPhotojournalism.com
To maintain the evening's sports theme, servers from Main Event Caterers wore referee uniforms.
Photo: Stephen Elliot/Mud Productions for BizBash
Animal Planet also incorporated the New York City skyline into its activation, the Puppy Bowl Experience at Discovery Times Square Exposition. Projections above the images of Manhattan blended a starry night sky with tweets from guests.
Photo: Courtesy of Animal Planet
In Chicago, Truffleberry Market puts a twist on mozzarella sticks with its molten Brie with balsamic fig jam appetizer. "We typically serve it with cherry ale, but we had a client who loves apple ale, so we've used apple ale as another version," said executive chef and owner Brittany Ferrin.
Photo: Logan Beck
Place Faces on Stage
The Children's Defense Fund's Beat the Odds award ceremony at the Beverly Hills Hotel in 2012 honored five Los Angeles high school students who overcame personal obstacles and achieved academic excellence. To incorporate the teenagers into the night's visuals, the organizers used a gallery of black-and-white portraits as the backdrop for the stage.
Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages
Illuminated Signage
For a new take on event signage, Ultra Vista Systems offers 3-D lighted signs. The Los Angeles company can customize signs with illuminated brand names, logos, or art in a lightweight and low-voltage design.
Photo: Courtesy of Ultra Vista Systems
To launch its latest special edition art series label—and raise funds for Haiti—Ferllen Winery teamed up with the Amigos Near Foundation for an arty event in Miami in February. On the deck upstairs, mounted pieces from photographer Tomas Loewy floated on the turquoise water, giving the appearance of unusually decorative rafts.
Photo: Tomas Loewy
Gilt City Hamptons House
With production handled by internal staff, Gilt City found inventive ways to integrate sponsor signage into the decor of its Hamptons House, painting logos on rocks and placing them in elegant photo frames.
Photo: David X. Prutting/BFAnyc.com
In March, Vogue Eyewear hosted an al fresco party at a private mansion in Los Angeles. In the backyard, beach balls and a gobo of the brand's logo decorated the pool, around which furniture groupings and lanterns hanging from trees created a summery feel.
Photo: Courtesy of Vogue Eyewear
