In March, Target hosted an event in New York to launch Pillowfort, a new line of home decor for children. Areas in the event space were themed according to motifs within the collection. In the "Floral Fields" area, decor stretched up to the sky with faux clouds. Caravents produced the activation.
At the summertime fund-raiser outside of Chicago in 2010, Bill Heffernan of HMR Designs used thousands of sheets of cellophane and chromed lightbulbs to design 16 cloud-like chandeliers. As night fell, a pink lighting scheme gave the floating fixtures a raspberry-hued glow.
To celebrate the opening of a Magritte exhibit in 2014, the Chicago-based museum hosted a gala with decor from HMR Designs. Riffing off the Belgian artist's surrealistic work, the design firm filled the dining room with 45 floating clouds. Images of clouds and blue skies also decorated the tabletops.
The iconic retailer celebrated its 111th anniversary with a gala in New York in 2012. With 13 cloud-like shapes spun from pure raw cotton suspended overhead, Van Wyck & Van Wyck bathed the Grand Ballroom in Bergdorf's signature hue by changing out the room's chandeliers with 300 hand-dipped lavender light bulbs.
The National Ballet of Canada went with a “White Hot” theme for its fourth annual fund-raiser at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts. Four models dressed in white body suits and wigs stood guard atop risers on the stage as guests entered the hall for dinner, and event organizers created a cloud effect on the stage.
The line between movie magic and reality was blurred at the Warner Brothers party for the American premiere of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix in Los Angeles in 2007. Following the film's screening, 900 guests found themselves immersed in the wizard world of ancient castles, prophesies, and enchanted fireplaces for the premiere party. In one area, attendees could lounge under a ceiling that featured alternating projections of clouds dotting blue skies and stormy weather.
The American Cancer Society hosted its 10th annual Discovery Ball on April 2 at the Hilton Chicago. To match the event's celestial "Soar Beyond" theme, designer Rishi Patel of HMR Designs incorporated butterflies, sunshine, and clouds into the decor.
The rustic wood-fronted DJ booth had a backdrop of greenery decorated with framed botanical art.
The event design of the Wolf Trap Ball, hosted by the Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts, featured screens with scrolling images of the national parks that rotated throughout the reception and dinner. Plants and greenery walls around the dining areas, as well as floral centerpieces, also reinforced the night’s theme celebrating the National Park Service's 100th anniversary. The event was held in September in Vienna, Virginia, and raised $1.5 million.
For the 2016 Headdress Ball, which was held in September at the Orlando World Center Marriott, the Hope and Help Center selected “Love” as the theme. It included a pre-party dubbed the “Love Lounge,” which was filled with red lighting and decor and logo gobos on the walls, while chocolate-heart centerpieces decorated the tables in the ballroom. The event is the largest annual fund-raiser for the nonprofit, which provides support and services for people infected with and affected by H.I.V./AIDS around Central Florida.
For the City of Hope’s Spirit of Life gala, which was held in November, Natalie McAdams of Namevents designed a night under the stars—inside a tent in the parking lot below the Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles. To recreate the outdoor evening look, the production team built a stage that resembled the moon's surface and used fiber-optic panels to resemble stars.
Howard Brown Health held its second annual Halloween soiree, the Big Orange Ball, at restaurant and event space Carnivale in Chicago in October. More than 400 costume-clad guests attended and raised money to provide health and social services to Chicago’s L.G.B.T.Q. and allied community. RuPaul’s Drag Race season eight winner Bob the Drag Queen performed and emceed the event, along with a special meet-and-greet for “R.I.P.” ticket holders. Kehoe Designs provided the themed decor.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra held its opening night gala in September, raising $1.5 million. The gala dinner, created by Café ArtScience's Patrick Campbell, was served in four rooms at Symphony Hall, each decorated in different artistic themes (watercolor, charcoal, dance, and architecture) that were inspired by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition," which had been performed by the orchestra prior to the dinner.
Design Exchange's annual fund-raiser, held in November at the Canadian design museum in Toronto, featured the theme "Dispatch" and explored the country’s intersections of design, art, and culture. Each floor showcased interactive installations and multi-sensory experiences, while Drake’s producer DJ Boi-1da performed a live set. Proceeds from the event support DX's public and education programs.
For nonprofit organization Knock Out Abuse Against Women’s Knock Out Abuse seated gala dinner at the Ritz-Carlton, Washington D.C. in November, florist Millicent Bluford created a mix of centerpieces, including some with thistle, cabbage, and miniature carnations.
