Swarovski commissioned Mexico City architecture and design firm Fernando Romero Enterprise to create an installation that explored humans’ relationship with the sun. Composed of 2,880 custom-made Swarovski crystals, the work, called “El Sol,” was a geodesic structure scaled to one billion times smaller than the sun. Swarovski celebrated the work at a dinner December 3 at Soho Beach House penthouse produced by Shiraz Events. This year marked Swarovski’s 10th year partnering with Design Miami.
Design Miami makes an opening statement each year with a new, thought-provoking entrance pavilion. This year it held a design competition among students from Harvard’s Graduate School of Design. The winning entry, dubbed “Unbuilt,” featured 3-D foam models of unrealized design projects that were arrayed in a sort-of canopy.
Art Basel official sponsor BMW announced the short list for the BMW Art Journey at an Argentinian barbecue December 3 at the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The company shared information about the project, which selects an emerging artist to undertake a work-related journey, in the BMW Lounge set up in the garden.
Temporary tattoo brand Tattly offered six custom designs created for Art Basel at its “Parlor Station” in the Miami Beach Botanical Garden. The Brooklyn-based company is a partner of Art Basel’s crowdfunding initiative, which Art Basel and Kickstarter founded to promote select nonprofit visual arts organizations.
At Scope art fair, VH1 sponsored a lounge to promote its upcoming hip-hop movie The Breaks. Viacom's special events team produced the event. The film is set in New York City in the 1990s, so the look of the lounge included several references to the era and culture, including at the food stands.
The lounge featured hip-hop apparel, and guests could listen to playlists curated by Q-Tip at headphone stations. Decor elements such as a bowl full of pagers, sneakers hanging by their laces from overhead power lines, and catering trays plastered with albums from artists such as Lil’ Kim continued the theme.
The DJ booth had a throwback look, with space for speakers and albums on shelves built into its façade.
The art collective Dawn of Man created digital projections at Mondrian South Beach, presenting them on unusual surfaces such as the hotel's pool after it had been covered in ping-pong balls. A number of different images were on display during the Objekt Magazine & Ruinart Party December 3.
The billowing wall of a poolside cabana also served as a projection surface. In addition to Dawn of Man images, guests also saw a preview of the Spring 2016 collection from Canadian fashion designer Marie Saint Pierre.
Vanity Fair brought its Social Club concept to Art Basel after successful campaigns during the Oscars and the Emmys. The lounge, open December 3 to 5 at the Wolfsonian-Florida International University, featured programming that included film screenings, panel discussions and interviews led by Vanity Fair editors, and brand activations. The co-working space NeueHouse helped curate the programming.
Lincoln Motor Company sponsored an immersive activation called “Sound of Luxury” that invited guests to sit in a 2016 Lincoln MKX and experience its Revel audio system with a light show.
The lounge offered bloggers and journalists space to work as well as treats from sponsor activations. Sisley-Paris offered beauty appointments in a lounge-within-a-lounge. Other sponsors with activations included Nespresso and Movado.
Design Miami presented its Visionary Award to Yves Béhar at a 400-person dinner December 2 sponsored by watch brand Officine Panerai. Ainsworth Associates produced the event, which took place in a tent in the design district. The menu from caterer Creative Edge Parties started with snapper crudo followed by pan-seared striped bass, Meyer lemon sorbet, and an array of sweets including tiramisu bites, lavender shortbread, chewy chocolate caramel tarts, and hazelnut biscotti.
Pastry chef Dominique Ansel debuted his first pop-up in South Florida with a soft-serve window at the Setai hotel in Miami Beach. Ansel created two flavors: caramel stout with chocolate “caviar” and sea salt brownie (pictured) and burrata with balsamic caramel, confit strawberry, and micro basil. The pop-up was intended to be a two-day event but ended after its first day on December 2 after the ice cream sold out.
Five designers contributed to the fourth Elle Decor Modern Life Concept House, a 6,000-square-foot loft at the 250 Wynwood condominium building. They were: Matthew MacDonald, Daniele Busca, Sam Robin, Elizabeth Martin, and Fernando Wong. Private events at the house included a breakfast and an evening V.I.P. kickoff catered by the Genuine Hospitality Group. The public was invite to purchase tickets to view the space throughout Miami Art Week.
Corona’s Electric Beach event series came to Miami Beach, with Chilean street artist Dasic Fernandez creating a live art installation at the Clevelander on December 5. The artist spray-painted a 10- by 10-foot mural on a wall covered in vinyl records.
New York-based Bounce Sporting Club popped up at Hyde Beach Miami for a December 4 event. Decor mixed classic New York images like subway stops with the Hyde logo.
Artist Jay West created a live art installation by applying paint to two bikini-clad models and guiding their movement on a canvas.
Museum of Modern Art Design Store opened its first pop-up during Miami Art Week. Located at Delano and working with the Skateroom, the store featured a limited-edition series of skate decks featuring artwork by Andy Warhol, made in collaboration with the Andy Warhol Foundation for the Visual Arts.
Spotify curated a special playlist at a brunch the music streaming service hosted with the art and fashion publication Visionaire at the Soho Beach House penthouse on December 3. Guests could take home prints featured in the Visionaire 65 Free issue and were also invited to try the Spotify Concierge program.
The cycling studio SoulCycle previewed its offerings at an outdoor pop-up at 1 Hotel South Beach, where it plans to open a studio in January. While riders sweated through a workout, artist Gregory Siff created a custom installation on site using acrylic paint and paint pens on wood panels. The pop-up, which ran December 1 to 4, also featured live DJ sets.
Guests tried out an interactive oceanic virtual reality experience called “Cry Out: the Lonely Whale Experience” at a December 4 event sponsored by Dell at Maps Backlot. The actor Adrian Grenier, Dell’s “Social Good Advocate,” curated an oceanic art gallery and announced the launch of his Lonely Whale Foundation.
Guests were invited to a construction site for a lecture on art and sustainability and an art unveiling on December 1 called “Illuminate the Night.” Swire Properties, which is readying Brickell City Centre to open next year, hosted the inaugural lighting of the “Climate Ribbon,” a 150,000-square-foot elevated glass trellis. The evening also saw the debut of the six-ton “Dancers” sculpture by Allen Jones. Actor Elijah Wood and Zach Cowie performed a DJ set for the 400 guests.
Co-working space WeWork brought its series of warehouse parties to Miami for an event at Thompson Miami Beach on December 3. Hosted with artists FriendsWithYou, the gathering had a “house party” theme. DJ DZA played a set of late 1990s, hip-hop, and old-school music at a pop-art Barbra Streisand DJ booth. The Workshop produced the event.
With the goal of translating the colors of the sunset into soft-serve ice cream, artist Spencer Finch devised a solar-powered ice cream truck and offered free treats. The “Sunset (Central Park)” concept previously appeared at the Contemporary Art Museum of St. Louis and in Central Park. In Miami, the truck was parked next to the sales center for Hyde Midtown Suites & Residences from December 1 to 5.
Low-fi design like glittery balloons and beach balls were part of the decor at Nylon magazine’s F*** Winter Night Brunch at Dream South Beach. The Fat Jew hosted the event, making an entrance by throwing condoms at guests. White Girl Rosé was the other presenting sponsor of the event.
In the new networking area at Sapphire Now in June in Orlando, guests could choose from seating options such as wooden pallets, leather cubes, and cadrboard cubes, which were strong enough to sit on but light and easy to move.
At Social Media Week London in September, shipping crates became “Skypepods.” Each unit was equipped with Microsoft products and enabled with Skype so attendees could get work done or chat with colleagues online.
Pallet chairs from Dublin company This Is What We Do were one of the seating options in the Media Village at Web Summit in November 2014.
On Web Summit’s Pitch stages—site of the event’s start-up competitions—organizers used upcycled chairs made from chipboard.
At C2 Montréal in May, organizers used custom furniture pieces that were designed to facilitate conversations. Overall there were fewer chairs than people to encourage mingling.
TEDxKalamata hosted its event in Greece’s ancient Theatre of Messini, taking advantage of the amphitheater’s unique atmosphere and seating.
At Cisco Live in San Francisco in May, attendees reclined on beanbag gaming chairs in the halls of the Moscone Center to watch keynotes, do work, and take breaks. Organizers said they chose this style chair as an "edgier but still functional" alternative to traditional beanbags.
Guests had two options for lunch at Cisco Live: they could sit outside in the Yerba Buena Gardens on Cisco-branded blankets or at round tables, or they could eat inside the Moscone Center where organizers used picnic tables and Astroturf to create a park-like feel.
"Movies have historically made a big impact on event themes. We’ve all planned and attended our fair share of The Great Gatsby, Moulin Rouge, and Alice in Wonderland parties," said Sarah Miller of Austin-based Caplan Miller Events. "One [movie] that I am personally looking forward to [in 2016] is Tim Burton’s Alice Through the Looking Glass. Event professionals, dust off all your Alice in Wonderland props. It’s back!" Miller also thinks the Ghostbusters remake could translate into more '80s-theme parties, and the slew of new superhero movies will likely mean more action-packed bar mitzvahs.
"Film is always a fun and engaging theme, but with the likes of Kung Fu Panda 3, Finding Dory, and Moana, planners can have fun and use bright, lively color palettes, interactive entertainment, and catering that has a whimsical touch. This also creates an opportunity for an event to be family-friendly, as many corporate events are finding ways to include attendees' families when appropriate," added Gina Wade, president and owner of event production company Gina Wade Creative in Los Angeles. As for 2015's year-end blockbuster, Brian Worley of Santa Monica-based full-service event production company YourBash thinks Stars Wars "will become the barometer for bringing all ages together. As we saw with Moulin Rouge and Gatsby, both movies were highly visual and were the inspiration for many events after their releases. Star Wars, with all of its visual eye candy, will provide a totally new and futuristic genre for event decor."
In terms of tunes, Joel Beckerman predicts a back-to-basics trend. "Look at the popularity of live Broadway musicals on TV, and with us rounding out the year with the phenomenon that is Adele’s album 25. There’s no doubt that natural-sounding vocal performances are back 'in' again. No autotune or sophisticated vocal processing here," said the founder of New York-based Man Made Music, a strategic music company specializing in sonic branding. In addition, Rihanna recently announced a new string of concerts—the Anti World Tour. Produced by Live Nation, the shows will kick off on February 26 at Viejas Arena in San Diego, with nearly 40 shows lined up in New York City, Los Angeles, Toronto, Chicago, Vancouver, Washington, and more. Samsung is the presenting partner on the North American leg of the tour, while PUMA is a supporting partner. Plus, Kanye West and Katy Perry are set to release new albums in 2016.
In 2016, the Metropolitan Museum of Art's Costume Institute benefit will take inspiration from the museum's spring exhibition titled "Manus x Machina: Fashion in an Age of Technology," which explores the impact of technology on fashion—from the sewing machine to 3-D-printed garments.
While the Met has always drawn upon historical movements for its gala themes, a new-old figure has made his presence known. "The cultural phenomenon that is [the Broadway show] Hamilton will continue to steam roll forward. I don’t remember a time when Broadway was the obsession on so many people’s lips in the way that this production and [composer] Lin-Manuel Miranda are. When we talk about potential performance talent for future projects, the conversation now has Lady Gaga and Lin-Manuel Miranda in the same sentence. Pretty fabulous," said event designer David Stark. Other Broadway shows event planners should have on their radars include Steve Martin and Edie Brickell's new musical Bright Star, and Waitress with music and lyrics by singer Sara Bareilles.
