Bored of traditional theater- or classroom-style room setups? Designing a arrangement with an assortment of furniture "is an ideal way to provide flexibility and choices for attendees’ different personalities," says Michele Wilde, the resort's director of conference services and event sales.
A threesided set up gives attendees a sense of proximity to the speakers.
Quartz also experimented with seating. In the front of the room there were couches reserved for V.I.P. guests, and in the back of the room there was a row of high-top tables where laptop users could work.
Bags that attendees received at registration had various charts taken from Quartz stories that could serve as conversation starters.
Quartz encourages its sponsors to bring unusual and engaging activations to its events. One example was a fully functional mini planetarium from Qualcomm.
Not every event wants to meet at a hotel. Variety and WWD chose Smashbox Studios for a different feel.
An unexpected addition to the stage was a DJ booth.
National Geographic hosted premieres for its latest documentary, Gender Revolution, last week in Washington and New York at the network's headquarters and TimesCenter, respectively. At the New York premiere, 15/40 Productions used candy Ring Pops to spell out #GenderRevolution on the message wall. Additional packaged pops sat on the floor for guests to take.
Fluffy Thoughts Cakes made each tier of the pyramid-style cake out of individual layers in each color of the rainbow for the Washington dessert reception.
Fluffy Thoughts also set up a table with macarons in each color, and flavor, of the rainbow.
For a creative dessert idea, Austin, Texas-based chocolatier Maggie Louise Confections’ clever collections include chocolate sushi, which can be customized with logos, colors, and more, for party favors, as well as a tech-theme “You’re the Bomb” set that works well as a corporate thank-you gift. All of her chocolates are hand-painted and made to order.
Automaker Ford launched its immersive experience studio on January 31 at the Westfield World Trade Center in New York. The company's first open-ended pop-up location offers a variety of activities including a virtual-reality station where guests can attempt to build Mustang vehicles while "atop" the Empire State Building. Friends can watch the build happen in real time.
The inaugural Toronto Light Festival kicked off January 27 and runs through March 12 in the Distillery District. For a selfie op, the installation by LightForm of the Netherlands offers two egg-shape sculptures lined with mirrors and trippy lights.
Vendors can walk through the neighborhood selling merchandise related to the festival including lights that spell out the event's title.
For Super Bowl LI, ESPN hosted its 13th annual ESPN the Party event on February 3 at a 65,000-square-foot warehouse located just outside of the Arts District in downtown Houston. The event, which was produced and designed by Event Eleven, featured decor including custom paneling with imagery printed onto raw sheets of plywood.
DC Central Kitchen and Martha's Table hosted the ninth annual Sips and Suppers fund-raiser January 28 and 29 at the Newseum in Washington. Hank’s Pasta Bar crafted the Farmer’s Pal cocktail with grilled persimmons, cardamom, vanilla-infused Scotch, aperol, cinnamon-infused dolin blanc, and a wheat sprig garnish.
Buffalo & Bergen restaurant's mixologist, Gina Chersevani, created the airline-theme Window cocktail for JetBlue's lounge with Maker’s Mark whiskey, blood orange, Angostura bitters, and blood orange bitters.
