Event Theme Ideas

February 15, 2018

Overall, 60,000 square feet of Pier 35 was used for the event, with 40 vendors creating 11 distinct camp-inspired vignettes.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Upon entering the event, each guest was given a wooden coin to spend in the “General Store.” The store space—which was designed by Bright Event Rentals and M. Design Styling and Florals—offered camp-theme swag such as beanies, tote bags, candles, homemade granola, and more.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Rustic glamping-inspired decor was designed to complement the pier’s exposed wood ceiling. In one section rentals by Bright Event Rentals, greenery and flowers by Hunt Littlefield, and catering by Betty Zlatchin Catering offered a stylish place for guests to relax.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Shelter Company created a teepee structure for its camp-inspired vignette.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Greenery and tealights from Revel Floral hung from the structure. Shelter Company created a stylish seating area featured Southwest-inspired patterns and stools that resembled tree trunks.

Photo: Colson Griffith

On one end of the venue, Soulflower Design Studio created a circular seating area inspired by the mandala symbol of Hinduism and Buddhism. A projected background scene, produced by Impact Lighting Audio Video, displayed changing images of a tranquil lake and mountain setting. Acoustic duo the Easy Leaves performed in the space.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Abbey Party Rents and Scarlett & Grace Florals created a lush lounge area with overhead trees filled with string lights. Global Gourmet Catering provided refreshments in the space.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Tying into the rustic look, the Abbey Party Rents lounge featured elegant leather couches and a wooden trunk that served as a coffee table. Vintage rugs completed the cozy, upscale lounge feel.

Photo: Colson Griffith

In Blueprint Studios’ lounge, a wood-paneled wall featured cutouts in the shape of pine trees. Elaine Bell Catering offered a variety of bacon-inspired treats, such as hard cider bacon brittle and spiced candied bacon bows.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Blueprint Studios' lounge was highlighted by a campfire-inspired coffee table and flowers from Scarlett & Grace.

Photo: Colson Griffith

On-theme centerpieces from Taste Catering & Event Planning featured warm orange and red florals with scattered pine cones.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Hensley Event Resources created a lodge-like structure for its vignette. String lights added warmth to the space, which was filled with rustic wooden furniture and blue-and-gold tablecloths, as well as simple florals by Scarlett & Grace and food by Checkers Catering and Special Events. The lodge was surrounded by green hedges.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Libations Unlimited served warm drinks such as coffee and hot toddies throughout the evening from a wooden camper.

Photo: Colson Griffith

Another beverage option came from Clubhouse Caravan and Bartenders Unlimited, who served drinks such as “adult Capri Suns” out of a mobile bar. M. Design Styling and Florals decorated the space with cozy seating, a hammock, and plenty of greenery.

Photo: Colson Griffith

A craft area allowed guests to make pom-pom garlands and other camp-theme flair.

Photo: Colson Griffith

The experience took place August 15 and 16 at Sousa House NYC. The four-story townhouse was decked in on-theme branding and signs, including a neon sign that read: “Staying in is the new going out.”

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

HBO and Bumble branding was displayed throughout the space in Bumble’s signature yellow and white coverage. Guests watched The Devil Wears Prada in a living room featuring decor that included 3-D block letters.

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

One installation featured a bathtub filled with yellow candy, surrounded by rubber ducks and yellow balls inspired by emojis.

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

At each film screening, servers handed guests cocktails inspired by that film. For Girls Trip, guests were given yellow cocktails in plastic daiquiri sip cups, inspired by cocktails that can be found on Bourbon Street in New Orleans, the setting of the 2017 comedy. Guests were also given branded headphones for the film.

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

The screening room for It displayed a sign of the iconic quote from the horror film. Guests snacked on popcorn in branded yellow boxes.

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

Those who watched It were served on-theme Bloody Mary cocktails, renamed "Bloody Georgie" in a nod to a character in the film.

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

The event's hashtag was displayed in a marquee table centerpiece.

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

The home's patio featured branding for both companies on the outside of a wooden veranda. The veranda housed a yellow couch where guests could pose for photos and watch Back to the Future.

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

Guests were invited to write on the walls and share their favorite reason to stay home and watch a movie.

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

Additional decor included a wine rack that displayed bottles with HBO and Bumble branding on the labels.

Photo: Courtesy of HBO

In a twist on the ball pit photo op, guests could lay in a pool of colorful Koosh balls, a popular ‘90s toy.

Photo: E. Geno Frazier/Langley Avenue

What’s the 1990s without a trip to Blockbuster? One area of the space had a wall of old VHS tapes.

Photo: E. Geno Frazier/Langley Avenue

Graffiti on the walls promoted the New Balance and Foot Locker brands.

Photo: E. Geno Frazier/Langley Avenue

A wall made from Nerf toys offered a fun photo op.

Photo: E. Geno Frazier/Langley Avenue

2. Escape From Alcatraz

#2 Sports Event
During its tenure as the most secure federal prison in America, only 36 inmates tried to break out from Alcatraz. Today, as a tourist attraction, 2,000 athletes attempt the journey from The Rock each year as part of the Escape From Alcatraz Triathlon. Barring dangerous conditions on the water, the race includes a 1.5-mile swim from Alcatraz Island to the San Francisco shoreline, followed by an 18-mile bike ride to Golden Gate Park and an 8-mile run to Baker Beach. Next: June 2019

Photo: Rocky Arroyo

Camp Thrillist

Food, travel, and lifestyle website Thrillist partnered with Club Getaway to hold its first-ever Camp Thrillist, a weekend camping experience for young professionals August 17-19 in Kent, Connecticut. Chef Matt Marotto of Cryo Cream created Glampfire Sundaes, a liquid nitrogen sundae consisting of graham cracker ice cream, toasted marshmallow, home-made graham crackers, Pop Rocks, and a chocolate syrup injector.

Photo: Eric Nurbin

Odwalla Road To Our Roots Tour

Juice and food brand Odwalla kicked off a nationwide VW van tour August 16 at the Park eatery and lounge in New York. The van, which was designed by IMG Live, pays homage to the brand’s origins of three musicians selling juices and smoothies from a VW van in Santa Cruz, California, in 1980. The brand partnered with numerous health and wellness, food, art, and style experts for the promotional tour, which will take place through October. Future tour stops include Seattle, San Diego, Los Angeles, and Atlanta.

Photo: Courtesy of Odwalla

For the Television Academy's Governors Ball in 2016, which took place after the Emmys in Los Angeles, Sequoia Productions created a “Nature’s Elegance” theme. Centerpieces by LA Premiere alternated between low birch-wrapped looks and towering, colorful designs rising more than three feet tall off tabletops in trumpet-style vases; overall, the look included more than 50,000 hydrangeas, 80,000 roses, and 20,000 succulents. Fabrics were done in neutral, earth-inspired tones, and sequin mesh, metallic silks, and floral sequin organzas added an element of glamour.

Photo: Nadine Froger Photography

For the City of Hope Spirit of Life gala, held in Los Angeles in November 2016, Namevents created a stage that resembled the moon's pocked surface and used fiber-optic panels in the roof of the tent to resemble stars. The sides of the tent were also draped black, and the carpeting was black as well so that the focus remained on the stage.

Photo: Line 8 Photography

The New Yorkers for Children gala in fall 2012 had a "light the way" theme, inspired by the nonprofit's mission to improve the lives of young people. David Stark handled the decor, embellishing a photo backdrop of a forest scene with white birch trees, lush greenery, and a path lit by lanterns.

Photo: Billy Farrell/BFAnyc.com

At another Billy Butchkavitz-designed HBO Emmys party, held in Los Angeles in 2015, real fire was a decorative element: 24-foot-long reflecting ponds showcased multiple flaming sculptures. A 27-foot-high flame sculpture on a rotating platform was the party’s centerpiece, and ombré-patterned custom carpet covered 50,000 square feet underfoot. The event's 25-foot-high decorative perimeter walls were covered with flowing draperies embellished with iridescent paillette sequins and punctuated by 25-foot-high red lacquer columns.

Photo: Gabor Ekecs

The Allie Awards, held in Atlanta in March 2016, had an “Xperience the Elements” played out in three themed environments that channeled earth, water, and fire. Your Event Solutions created a 16-foot-long table with a built-in water feature.

Photo: PWP Studio

Stone Wall Citron print premium linen, prices vary by location, available in the mid-Atlantic region and parts of New England from Party Rental Ltd.

Photo: Courtesy of Party Rental Ltd.

Watercolor-printed acrylic runner, price upon request, available nationwide from Blueprint Studios

Photo: Courtesy of Blueprint Studios

1. Decorate a dance floor.

The dance floor is an obvious place to make an impact. For a private event, designer Preston Bailey created a unique dance floor that served as the evening's focal point. Hundreds of flowers were covered in Plexiglas, creating a massive floral carpet. "The result was a statement piece that allowed guests to dance on air," said Bailey.

Photo: Courtesy of PrestonBailey.com/John Labbe

2. Find a branding opportunity.

The floor can also be an unexpected place for logos, sponsor information, or branding. The TEDActive conference in 2013 took over some of the host venue's Spanish tiles for its own messaging. The special tiles at La Quinta resort in the Palm Springs area also guided attendees along the walkways to the various event venues on the sprawling property.

Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash

Toronto-based artist Sonny Tran creates eye-catching 3-D chalk art images, graffiti installations, massive murals, and realistic paintings for major brands. For YTV, a popular teen channel in Canada, Tran customized a snowboarding graphic to promote a new TV show.

Photo: Courtesy of the Idea Hunter

For a sweet sixteen party in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, the dance floor featured the birthday girl's personal logo, which was inspired by Andy Warhol and comic-book art.

Photo: Courtesy of Rodney Bailey

4. Go high-tech.

Energy Floors offers human-powered, interactive dance floors for event rentals worldwide. The eight-inch-deep tiles each house small generators; the tiles compress when stepped on, activating the generators to convert the kinetic energy produced by the dancers into electricity. The power can be used to activate the colorful LED light tubes inside the tiles that respond to the movement of dancers or nearby electrical systems.

Photo: Anneke Hymmen

A similar idea was created for a Ferragamo fragrance launch in 2010 in New York. A 22- by 24-foot dance floor was erected over the venue's existing pool. Drained of water, the recessed space held a neon Attimo sign surrounded by dried flowers.

Photo: Billy Farrell/PatrickMcMullan.com

At the National Association for Catering and Events' 2012 gala in Washington, guests danced on a floor that was embedded with LED lights. "We used this element because they looked like night stars," said the gala's co-chairwoman, Aisha Malik.

Photo: Evelyn Alas

3. Make it functional.

Floor decor can serve a bigger purpose. During Chicago’s Pitchfork Music Festival in 2015, carpet company Flor handed out some 5,000 squares of carpet so that guests could make their own carpeted seating areas on the grass—creating a functional and eye-catching decor idea. When the weather turned stormy during the festival, attendees used the carpets to cover muddy spots on the grounds.

Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash

The Revel Group in Chicago hosted "Revel Provocateur," a dinner for the area's top event planners, in 2015. The evening's menu was illuminated on the floor.

Photo: Erika Dufour

In 2015, the Bata Shoe Museum's 20th anniversary gala in Toronto used a maze to inspire guests to explore its galleries. Hot-pink patterns on the floor led guests to different galleries and parts of the event.

Photo: Ryan Emberley

The American Ballet Theatre's 2009 fall gala in New York got guests moving after the performance with projections on the dance floor. The floor played images of 1950s movies during dinner, and later busy street scenes moved in time with the music for dancing. The look aimed to complement the troupe's contemporary and unconventional programming, with dark colors and silhouettes inspired by artist Kara Walker.

Photo: Kevin Tachman

The Phantom of the Opera held its 25th-anniversary show and gala in 2013. To avoid the complications that come with laying carpet over stairs—especially on a snowy night in New York—the event's producers projected a strip of red light over the library's front steps, effectively creating a virtual red carpet that led to the entrance. Hundreds of LED candles sat on either side of the illuminated pathway.

Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash

5. Tie in the overall decor.

Expanding wall and ceiling decor down to the floor can also have a big impact. At the Museum of Contemporary Art's 2015 Benefit Art Auction in Chicago, colorful stripe-on-stripe decor expanded all the way to the floor, creating an optical illusion. Ghost chairs and striped tables allowed the design to feel fully immersive.

Photo: Kent Drake Photography

At the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2016 Costume Institute benefit, a 65-foot double helix—made of roses and lace—rose to the top of the ceiling, anchored in place at a rigged point. The pattern extended to the carpet, a patterned and hand-painted sisal featuring a red-and-pink double helix. It took six months to stencil the carpet.

Photo: Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art/BFA.com/Shutterstock

For a Mad Men-inspired corporate event in 2013 in Washington, a lighting projection on the floor evoked the image of a falling man from the show's opening credits.

Photo: Bryan Blaken/Freed Photography

Fashion designer Patricia Field made her first foray into Miami Art Week in 2016 with a December-long pop-up shop and gallery. A simple—but effective—catwalk was created by placing two strips of red tape on the floor.

Photo: Michele Sandberg for BizBash

7. Or make a big statement.

The Brussels Flower Carpet is a 19,375-square-foot mosaic of 700,000 intricately arranged begonias that comes to life every two years for five days during August in the central square of the European capital city. Meant to incite conversation about nature, cities, and art, the designs have typically incorporated themes from Belgium’s history since the first carpet was created in 1971. It takes 100 gardeners four hours to arrange the petals by hand.

Photo: Courtesy of flowercarpet.be

While a cranberry bog isn't a floor in the traditional sense, it still made quite a statement at Ocean Spray's 85th anniversary in New York. Food editors and bloggers were invited to a Thanksgiving meal that took place inside a bog filled with 900,000 cranberries and 21,000 gallons of water.

Photo: Nilaya Sabnis for Tyger Productions

Following a renovation, the Carnegie Library in Washington added a glowing dance floor showing a map of the city.

Photo: Beth Kormanik/BizBash

6. Keep it simple.

Sometimes all you need is some masking tape. During Austin's 2014 South by Southwest, event production agency MKG brightened up a dark room using neon masking tape and ultraviolet lighting, creating an edgy, Pop Art-inspired look for the party for online magazine xoJane.com.

Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay found a low-budget and on-theme way to display their 2015 fund-raiser's hashtag: It was spelled out in glowing neon tape on the floor.

Photo: David Fox

The event took place August 22 at the Glasshouses in New York. Lyft's logo was hung from the ceiling of the space, where guests enjoyed pre-panel cocktails and passed bites.

Photo: Max Lakner/BFA.com

Snarkitecture created a self-driving car installation with a mixture of upholstery foam and wood. The installation was meant to reimagine a car interior by creating a monochromatic, topographic landscape, mirroring a cave. The "car" was backed by a wall depicting a starry sky above a desert.

Photo: Ian Zelaya/BizBash

Guests were invited to pose for images inside of the installation. They also could share a GIF to social media that incorporated the hashtag #RideIntoTheFuture.

Photo: Max Lakner/BFA.com

The panel was moderated by InStyle editor Kahlana Barfield Brown and featured Taggart Matthiesen, head of product for Lyft’s autonomous initiatives; Snarkitecture partner Ben Porto; Jody Kelman, product lead for Lyft’s self-driving platform; and Bronx-based fashion influencer and “lifestyle futurist” Jerome LaMaar.

Photo: Max Lakner/BFA.com

Statistics related to the panel topic—as well as the event's hashtag—were printed on napkins.

Photo: Max Lakner/BFA.com

Elderflower French liqueur St-Germain and landscape artist Lily Kwong celebrated the summer solstice by creating a floral installation and a hedge maze, which debuted in June 2017 on the High Line in New York. The maze included a bicycle covered in greenery, designed to resemble topiary.

Photo: Benjamin Lozovsky/BFA.com

For the Governors Ball music festival in New York in June 2016, Bacardi hosted a house party in a two-story structure on the event grounds. The open-to-the-public space included an upstairs V.I.P. area, where topiary in the shape of a Bacardi bottle offered an eye-catching touch.

Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash

Logos created from topiary have long been a staple at events, but the Museum of Modern Art put a more unique spin on the idea using different shades of moss and greenery. The display mimicked the English countryside-inspired feel of the rest of the museum’s May 2014 fund-raiser, which featured traditional boxwood hedges, sculptured topiaries, and a faux lawn.

Photo: Carolyn Curtis for BizBash

For a June 2017 press event in New York, Marriott worked with BMF Media to create a series of vignette’s showcasing the company’s various brands. In the Tribute Portfolio section, a vertical garden featured a topiary shaped into the slogan "Live Your Now."

Photo: Courtesy of Marriott

At Tommy Hilfiger’s 25th anniversary party, held in New York in September 2010, designer Raúl Àvila created a 10- by 24-foot topiary in the shape of an American flag. The flag is a central element to the Tommy Hilfiger vernacular, and the topiaries were a dominant element throughout the event.

Photo: Jim Shi

Behr Pop-Up Color Shop

Guests tried their hand at decorating a life-size version of the Behr logo, paint-by-number style.

Photo: Diane Bondareff/AP Images for Behr Paint

San Francisco Symphony’s 107th Opening-Night Gala

The San Francisco Symphony held its opening-night gala on September 5 at San Francisco City Hall. The gala’s Grove Street after-party, which was designed by Blueprint Studios, featured a wall of doughnuts that formed the shape of the symphony’s logo.

Photo: Show Ready Photography

BOLD

Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive tapped experiential marketing firm AGENC to create a family-friendly event and photo ops for its second annual BOLD (“Beverly Hills Open Later Days”) campaign, which took place during weekend nights in August. The series featured a variety of Instagram-friendly displays, including 3-D chalk art that was placed throughout the streets of Beverly Hills to promote the campaign.

Photo: Jasmine Lord

BOLD

One of the most popular photo boxes was a three-sided floral wall. Guests could take three different photos in the same spot, and the #BOLDBH hashtag was prominently displayed on each side.

Photo: Courtesy of AGENC

NKPR Festival Countdown

NKPR held its annual film festival countdown event in August at the public relations firm’s president Natasha Koifman’s private residence. The event was sponsored by Hounds Vodka, which had its name displayed with floating letters in a pool.

Photo: Ryan Emberley

DirecTV House presented by AT&T

Signage wrapped the building to display the DirecTV and Variety branding, and transparent signs at the entrance featured additional branding and on-theme slogans.

Photo: Michelle Quance

DirecTV House presented by AT&T

The Variety Studio featured a colorful graffiti wall with the phrase "Tell Your Story."

Photo: Michelle Quance

DirecTV House presented by AT&T

Celebrities who stopped by the studio lounge were asked to sign the graffiti wall.

Photo: Brian Patterson

Nespresso Pop-Up Cafe

For the first time, Nespresso Canada served as TIFF's official coffee sponsor. The brand partnered with the Mint Agency to create a pop-up cafe at David Pecaut Square, where consumers could enjoy free coffee and curated coffee recipes.

Photo: Courtesy of Nespresso

Coffee and Creators

Festival sponsor RBC brought its second annual RBC House to 11 Duncan Street, which hosted film parties, music events, junkets, and a series of panel discussions in partnership with Nespresso. The cast and creators of musical drama film Teen Spirit had a discussion with panelists in low plush chairs and the moderator in a director's chair. Rentals stuck to a black-and-white color scheme with pops of gold. The Mint Agency produced the event.

Photo: Eric Charbonneau

Mongrel House

Mongrel Media took over the Campbell House for a fourth season to host a series of events from September 6 to 12. The company commissioned Canadian artist Kent Monkman to create the tent over the bar area.

Photo: Cary Penny/Getty Images for Mongrel Media

Exit Reality can deliver and set up one of its cubes inside an event or venue so guests can step inside to have an immersive virtual-reality experience.

Photo: Courtesy of Exit Reality

The San Francisco-based Google Cloud Next conference, which celebrates developers who build on the Google Cloud, grew to 25,000 attendees in 2018—a massive jump from 11,500 people the year prior. The design-forward conference aims to promote networking and collaboration. “We look to fill every learning space with surprise and delight photo moments—color and creativity is a great catalyst for engagement,” says creative director Philip McDougall.

Photo: Bennett Sell-Kline

The first floor of the C.E.S. activation had a Google Home Mini Donut Shop. At a kiosk, visitors were able to ask the Mini a question, which triggered a box to slide down a chute. The box either contained a doughnut or a Mini.

Photo: Courtesy of Google

At the third Girlboss Rally, held in Los Angeles in April, sponsor Google Chromebook hosted a series of intensive sessions on ways its new technology can benefit small businesses. Signage on the walls discussed gender inequality in the start-up community.

Photo: Chris Swoszowski

The brand continued to activate at festivals including Panorama, where it showcased an island-theme experience. The activation provided a fresh take on water refill stations, with three that resembled outdoor showers. The space also featured a custom mural with colorful, cartoon illustrations depicting New York.

Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash

American Express held its first international Platinum House at London Fashion Week in September. Graffiti artist Jay Caes created a Brick Lane-inspired mural on a wall composed of Away suitcases. Throughout the weekend, guests received complimentary luggage stickers and could shop select items from the luggage brand's "travel uniform" program.

Photo: David M. Benett/Getty Images for American Express

Destination San Diego also allowed attendees to customize their own T-shirts and lino prints.

Photo: Cole Ferguson

In a fun twist for ComplexCon fans, nine custom Adidas gumball machines were placed throughout the convention; attendees who won a golden ticket were invited to attend a raffle of rare and exclusive Adidas items. YouTube star Qias Omar emceed the high-energy event, giving guests custom paddles with unique codes; a lottery ball machine determined the winner.

Photo: Courtesy of Adidas

Blue Apron’s Blue York City

The meal kit service held an immersive culinary experience at the Grand Tasting, which paid homage to three New York neighborhoods: Little Italy and St. Mark’s Place in Manhattan and Sunset Park in Brooklyn. The activation was produced by Civic Entertainment Group and Rebel & Rogue.

Photo: Courtesy of Blue Apron

American Airlines Flagship Lounge

The official airline sponsor of the festival had an activation inspired by its luxury Flagship lounges at the Grand Tasting. The lounge, which was produced by Geometry Global, featured a check-in area that highlighted the airports where the brand has its Flagship lounges.

Photo: Courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines Flagship Lounge

A photo booth resembled the inside of an airplane cabin and included branded pillows.

Photo: Courtesy of American Airlines

Maker’s Mark Makers Wanted Activation

At the Grand Tasting, Maker’s Mark brought a pop-up experience that celebrated makers and their handcrafted traditions. Attendees were invited to sip custom cocktails in a truck designed to recreate the Maker’s Mark distillery in Kentucky. The experience was produced by Geometry Global, and the truck was fabricated by Turtle Transit.

Photo: Courtesy of Maker's Mark

LaCroix Booth

Festival sponsor LaCroix showcased a citrus-theme booth that used lemons, boxes, and cans of the flavored sparkling water as decor. Attendees could grab free cans throughout the weekend at the Grand Tasting.

Photo: Ian Zelaya/BizBash

Capital One Cider Tree

Capital One, the presenting sponsor of the festival, hosted a fall-theme activation at the Grand Tasting. Guests could participate in a complimentary cider tasting, drink custom cocktails, and pose for photos in an apple orchard-theme photo booth. The activation was produced by IMG Live.

Photo: Rob Kim

Food Network’s Rooftop Birthday Party

The festival’s title sponsor celebrated its 25th anniversary with a party on Pier 92. The event entrance featured a rainbow balloon installation. The event was produced and designed by Cream (Culinary Related Entertainment and Marketing) and Trigger House in collaboration with the Food Network.

Photo: Cindy Ord

Food Network’s Rooftop Birthday Party

The party’s step-and-repeat wall displayed the name of the event in a white cutout wall, in front of balloons in a variety of colors.

Photo: Cindy Ord

Food Network’s Rooftop Birthday Party

The party’s centerpiece was a massive ceiling-to-floor rainbow “cake” that displayed the name of the event and festive balloons. The structure resembled a candy-filled “surprise inside” cake.

Photo: Cindy Ord

Food Network’s Rooftop Birthday Party

Guests could get books signed by Food Network chefs including Ina Garten. The book signing spaces were made to resemble wrapped gift boxes.

Photo: Noam Galai

Visually Interesting—Yet Spare—Staging

The main stage backdrop got an appealing but spare look from wooden pallets—visually interesting, but not enough to distract from the high-level conference content.

Photo: Marla Aufmuth