This year's Governors Ball drew inspiration from cinematic history, with 3,000 photos from the academy’s archives used as decor. Cheryl Cecchetto and Sequoia Productions designed and produced the event, which was held at the Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland on February 22.
The Academy's Governors Ball featured table linens and carpeting in rustic orange hues to complement the historical Hollywood vibe, proving that orange might really be the new black.
For the first time in 51 years, the City of Chicago played host to the N.F.L. Draft during a weekend of activities that ran from April 30 to May 2. A new, free fan festival known as “Draft Town” was held in Grant Park. At "Combine Corner," guests could participate in some of the same activities that prospects take part in at the N.F.L. Scouting Combine, including running the 40-yard dash.
The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario hosted its 14th annual fund-raising gala on April 25 at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex. Instead of traditional floral centerpieces, designer Bill Fulghum decked tables at the circus-theme event with giant pieces of cotton candy.
Caplan Miller Events recently designed a Formula One-theme bar mitzvah for an Austin, Texas, teenager. The event took place at a local racetrack, where each garage was decorated as a different F1 location—Monaco, India, Shanghai, and Italy—with custom cabanas and international menu items, like vegetable samosas with tomato chutney, steak frites, and steamed dumplings, from Kurant Events.
On May 13, a promotional event for Ketel One vodka took place at New York's Sir 37. To let guests experience the brand's classic and flavored varieties, a tasting bar was stocked with sample pours. Ketel One's national mixologist, Ricky Gomez, led attendees through the taste test.
In late April, the Brookfield Zoo outside of Chicago hosted its annual fund-raising gala. The event featured animal-theme decor from the Flower Firm, including a bar with leopard spots and eyes.
The company hired performers to dress in disco-appropriate garb, hit the dance floor, and mingle with guests.
The game show's wrap party had a '70s theme in 2011, and guests danced on a colorful, light-up dance floor. The Los Angeles bash was produced and designed by Poko Event Productions.
Bud Light turned Crested Butte, Colorado, into “Whatever, USA,” painting the streets and lamp posts the brand’s signature light blue color and bringing in 1,000 fans for an all-expense-paid weekend in September. KC and the Sunshine Band performed during a Saturday Night Fever-theme event. Bud Light provided guests with '70s-era costumes.
At the after-party for a 2012 gala at the Art Institute of Chicago, Kehoe Designs brought in bars that were covered in mirrored tiles. A glowing display of Absolut vodka bottles formed the bars' backdrops, and golden drapes surrounded the room.
The Toronto benefit for Rethink Breast Cancer had a disco theme in 2010. Signage, designed to look like pink disco balls, highlighted various activations throughout the venue, including the booth where DJ Vaneska spun tunes.
M.A.C. Cosmetics studded a branding event in Toronto in 2008 with golden mirror balls, bare-skinned servers with gold-colored trays and cocktails, and a slew of go-go dancers.
For the 2011 event at the Los Angeles Convention Center, the party's theme was “A Night at Studio 54,” a nod to the Grammys' 54th year. As part of the decor, a truss surrounded a giant mirror ball. The Recording Academy's Branden Chapman, Rex Supa, and Clay Upton were the event's executive producers, and Along Came Mary Productions, helmed by longtime collaborator Mary Micucci, produced it.
