Shiraz Events created a step-and-repeat using stacked crates of fresh vegetables at the May opening of Hudson Eats at Brookfield Place in New York.
At Weston Family Foods' annual group meeting, held at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto in May, 5th Element Events built a wagon out of bread. The production company shellacked and hot-glued real bread to create the decor piece.
The renovated Riverside ballroom at Radisson Hotel & Suites Austin Downtown in Austin, Texas, was unveiled during the city's Taste of Downtown event in September. In the spirit of the foodie fest, the venue's centerpieces featured produce, such as artichokes and potatoes, in fruit and vegetable cartons.
Event planner Kim Graham of Kim Graham & Associates used the concept of “yarn bombing” (including on the 28-foot bar's framework) to bring a sense of pliability to the industrial Pendell Boiler Factory space for March's Re-Make Event in Toronto.
To promote its original series Fargo, the FX network hired crochet artist Olek to outfit a double-decker bus with a wintry knit inspired by the show. Fans could score branded scarves and instant hot chocolate packets from the mobile artwork, which traveled around Manhattan in April.
This year's Governors Ball, held after the Oscars ceremony in Los Angeles at Hollywood & Highland in March, featured massive vertical garden walls from Mark's Garden and a starry ceiling designed by Larry Oberman in association with ELS. Two 18-foot-tall structures filled with floral arrangements and moss insets flanked the entrance to the park-like setting.
For its annual client and advertiser dinner, Swoop, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based media company, enlisted the help of chef Marc Forgione, who decorated his TriBeCa restaurant with vines, leaves, moss, and real grass carpeting. Animal sounds served as background music for the event.
The Museum of Modern Art’s event team transported guests to the English countryside with boxwood hedging, large topiaries, and faux grass on the floor of the lobby for its annual Party in the Garden in May.
The Walrus Foundation gala, held at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto in January, featured “literary life sculptures,” which were commissioned from Toronto artist Kalpna Patel. Each table held a stack of books with handmade paper covers and “exploding" books with pop-up letters carved from the pages that spelled out titles of iconic Canadian novels or sponsors' names.
Monument names on the National Mall as well as significant events were rendered in oversize letters and suspended from the ceiling at the Trust for the National Mall's annual benefit luncheon in May.
A chandelier that looked like abstract art spelled out “thank you” when viewed from a certain angle at the Human Rights Campaign's National Dinner, held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in October.
At the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic, held at Will Rogers State Park in October, Mille Fiori Floral Design mixed succulents with marigolds in the brand's signature color for some of the arrangements.
Guests received a potted succulent from florist Multiflor as a take-home gift at Washingtion-based 360 Live Media's office party in September.
The Museum of Modern Art honored Alfonso Cuarón during its annual film benefit in November. Taking inspiration from the writer and director's award-winning movie Gravity, the dining space included clear tables, sleek white chairs, deep blue carpeting, and geometric centerpieces. Large metal angular sculptures hung from the ceiling, while LED light strips, similar to an aircraft's path lighting, added illuminating accents.
For the premiere of Cosmos in March, Fox's creative services team transformed a parking lot in Los Angeles's Griffith Park into a screening room with spacey, LED star draping from Kinetic Lighting.
Creative Edge Parties provided carnival-inspired fare, like corn dogs, popcorn, cotton candy, and funnel cakes dangling from parasols, at Ted Baker's launch event, held at the High Line Hotel's Hoffman Hall in New York in February. Servers were instructed to imitate tightrope walkers, while circus-style acts performed throughout the space.
Rethink Breast Cancer's Boobyball fund-raiser, held at Toronto's Kool Haus in October, featured carnival mirrors, a fake elephant, and a hot-air balloon, along with classic big-top performers such as a clown and juggler. Vintage circus signage, like the Stila Cosmetics and Ardell Lashes display, was used throughout the pink-hued space.
Beverage brand Perrier teamed up with street artists JonOne, Kobra, and Sasu to create limited-edition packaging designs. 3dar, an animation studio based in Imperial Beach, California, helped develop the interactive light graffiti wall featured at one of the launch parties, held at the Colossal Paint Warehouse in Brooklyn in September. Guests used an LED-equipped spray can to "paint" on the warehouse wall; the artwork was revealed as the guest moved across the canvas.
To introduce its new GLA SUV, Mercedes-Benz enlisted Los Angeles-based street artist Mr. Brainwash to perform a live art exhibition during the car brand's Evolution Tour, which kicked off in July at Terminal 5 in New York. He continued to add to his freestyle design on the exterior of a brand-new GLA as the tour progressed.
At AT&T's U-Verse Art Lounge during the Austin City Limits Music Festival in October, there was a daily mural painting demonstration by a different local artist. Attendees could also win custom-painted Samsung cell phone covers.
Toronto Popcorn Company creates gift bags and tins and provides catering for meetings and events. The company, which is located in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighborhood, makes the snack in unusual flavors such as piña colada and cookies and cream and can prepare custom blends and gift labels. Staffers can produce as many as 10,000 gift bags, which start at $2 each, with two weeks’ notice.
To commemorate the 150th anniversary of President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, the Ford’s Theatre Society will present the exhibition “Silent Witnesses: Artifacts of the Lincoln Assassination” from March 23 to May 25, 2015. On display at the Center for Education and Leadership in Washington will be a collection of items that were in the theater or carried by Lincoln the night of his death, including his top hat, cuff button, and coat with the contents of his pockets, as well as John Wilkes Booth’s Derringer pistol and the bunting flag from the theater’s presidential box.
The spa at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress in Orlando reopened this winter following a $1.5 million renovation and rebranding as the Marilyn Monroe Spa. Inspired by the star’s California home, guests can choose from more than 100 treatment options offered in seven private rooms and a couples’ suite. In addition to massages, manicures, pedicures, and facials, the spa offers makeup application, blow-dry services, and eyebrow waxing. For groups, the spa can customize its offerings, including express services that can be coordinated with conference schedules.
Voilà Chocolat founder Peter Moustakerski recruited Christophe Toury (formerly of Jacques Torres Chocolate) and Dennis Teets (formerly a chocolate scientist for Hershey’s) to create an artisanal, interactive chocolate-making experience. Scheduled to open tomorrow in New York, the shop allows guests to make high-end chocolates, like gourmet truffles and chocolate bars, in 30- to 60-minute sessions. Pricing for classes ranges from $39 to $79, with special advanced classes and projects ranging from $100 to $150.
Classic Party Rentals recently debuted a furniture line designed and handmade in Los Angeles and customized for easy loading, transportation, and event usage. The rental company’s collections include a seven-piece modern leather set, traditional French country pieces, and casual outdoor wicker furniture. All items are available in California, Arizona, and New Mexico; pricing is from $75 to $495.
The recently renovated Marriott Stanton South Beach in Miami Beach has debuted “Selfie Spots,” five areas within the beachfront hotel designated as the perfect place to snap selfies. The areas are marked by a circular sticker and have the hashtag #StantonSelfie and the hotel’s social handles.
Host a private party at Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna, which is introducing a new “VIPRouge” experience at Sun Life Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, that’s suitable for both intimate and large groups. In addition to the best seats, guests will have access to a lounge area with food and wines from December 11 to January 4. The VIPRouge Salon option is a customizable experience designed for as many as 40 guests, while the VIPRouge Suite with a private reception is an ideal venue for groups of as many as 120 people.
Perfume house Krigler opened its first West Coast location at the Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in November. The shop includes a fragrance lab where guests can create their own custom scents and perfumed candles. During private sessions with current owner and fifth-generation perfumer Ben Krigler, guests can create unique fragrances meant to match their personalities and complement specific body chemistry.
Chicago rental company Shadow Box Dreams specializes in vintage furnishings. Owner Elaine Juriduco stocks pieces from all eras, focusing on French and provincial furniture such as sofas, settees, tables, and chairs. She also offers accent pieces such as old suitcases and vintage gumball machines. Juriduco previously focused on weddings, but she now provides services for meetings and events.
Billed as Boston’s first macaron truck, Cameo Macaron is a pale pink vehicle decked with Paris-inspired images. Serving the delicate treats in flavors such as Rose Petal and Island Coconut, owner Kinesha Elizabeth Goldson rents out the truck for private functions. She also works with local event firm Behind the Design to create custom dessert tables for weddings and events.
Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions executed the “romantic rhapsody in red” theme at the 2012 Emmys Governors Ball in Los Angeles with a giant rose concept and copious amounts of the color.
Stoelt Productions upped the excitement for the 2012 Clio awards after-party at New York’s American Museum of Natural History by flooding the event with red lighting.
The 2012 Pencer Brain Trust Gala in Toronto used flamboyant orange hues to support its edgy, rock theme.
Even cocktails at the 2012 Pencer Brain Trust Gala were infused with the color.
Billy Butchkavitz’s design inspiration at HBO’s 2009 Golden Globes party in Los Angeles came from the colorful “emotional architecture” style of Luis Barragán and vintage ’60s textiles. Butchkavitz washed restaurant Circa 55 and the adjoining pool area at the Beverly Hilton in a banana yellow animal print.
Torches floated on lily-pad-like structures in the Beverly Hilton's pool, which reflected yellow decor elements from HBO’s 2009 Golden Globes party.
Lush canopies of natural greenery popped against neon green Lucite tabletops at the Museum of Modern Art’s 2013 Party in the Garden benefit in New York.
At the Greater Washington, D.C., chapter of the National Association for Catering and Events’ annual fund-raising gala in 2012, the Emerald City Lounge was aptly colored and had an eerie feel.
Blue lighting and sequined tablecloths made for a striking look at Ronald McDonald House Toronto’s holiday season gala in December 2012.
Event planner André Wells designed the 2010 Washington Ballet ball around the gala chair’s favorite color. Nearly every shade of purple was used in event, dubbed the “Purple Rain Ball.”
Spoons of Eastern Shore crab were passed on lavender serving trays at the 2010 Washington Ballet ball.
More than 1,200 guests donned white garb for the fresh concept of Dîner en Blanc’s flash-mob-style dinner in New York in 2011.
At UrbanDaddy and Stoli’s launch event in New York in 2012, a pure white room was later transformed into a playful and colorful space as guests painted on the walls and lighting projections filled the room.
At Marc Jacobs’s final show for Louis Vuitton at Paris Fashion Week in October 2013, a set filled with escalators, a fairground carousel, a fountain, and more was rendered in all black.
Inspired by the “power of the press” shown in season 2 of The Newsroom, designer Billy Butchkavitz used a black-and-white newsprint palette for the show’s 2013 premiere party in Los Angeles.
