Macy's Spring Flower Show 2015 Chicago
In the Pop Art garden at the Chicago show, moss and plants spell out the words "bloom" and "flower" in comics-like signage. The show runs through April 24.
Photo: Sebastian Biedron
Paula LeDuc Fine Catering served popcorn in paper containers made from comic books.
Photo: Andrew Weeks
Pratt Institute students addressed the weighty subject of a H.I.V.-positive diagnosis as the “elephant in the room,” interpreting the metaphor with this yellow chicken wire sculpture of the animal.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The Ready Player One Challenge draws immediate attention from passersby on Hollywood Boulevard with a 40-foot depiction of the stacks—a series of vertical trailers inspired by the movie.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
After creating a username and receiving an R.F.I.D. bracelet to track their progress, attendees pass by a graffiti mural that depicts scenes from the movie and evokes the challenge's '80s feel.
Photo: Claire Hoffman/BizBash
Guests can pause for photo ops at the trailers, and then enter the challenge through a secret entrance: a hollowed-out van filled with real props and papers from the movie.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
The maze challenges guests to find three “keys.” Staffers and wall graffiti remind attendees of the clues—“Search,” “Play,” and “Take the Leap.” All three keys must be found to unlock the door to the final room, which features original props from the film, plus a leaderboard displaying the users who completed the challenge the fastest.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
In the Ready Player One book and movie, the main character lives in a laundry room and uses the virtual Oasis to escape into a new world. A live actor—one of several who appears throughout the maze—depicts the scene at the entrance to the challenge.
Photo: Claire Hoffman/BizBash
One room asks guests to search for clues in a Rubik’s Cube-inspired space—which also proved to be a popular spot for selfies.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
At the end of the Rubik’s Cube room is a series of hanging mirrors, adding to the psychedelic vibe of the space.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
Another space is inspired by a basement in the 1980s, an era the book often references. The room has old-school gaming systems for guests to play, plus wood-paneled walls and other retro details.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
In the gaming room, tongue-in-cheek posters also evoke pop culture details of the 1980s.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
The detailed space also includes displays of old cassette tapes, records, and VHS tapes, all personalized by hand to evoke the era.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
Also on site is a room with infinity mirrors that guests must navigate through.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
After completing the maze, guests can shop in an on-site gift shop and take photos in a DeLorean inspired by the 1985 film Back to the Future.
Photo: Claire Hoffman/BizBash
The top of the maze spells out the movie name and lights up at night.
Photo: Courtesy of Experiential Supply Co.
The theme was introduced through signage that evoked the Nathan's Famous Hot Dogs stand at Coney Island—but with a finance-focused twist.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
The centerpiece of Volatility Park was a roller coaster dubbed the “Thundervix,” which was constructed out of 3,500 coin rolls.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
“The coins are actually an illusion,” explained designer David Stark. “The rolls have dowels inside of them that become the construction of the roller coaster, while just the ends of the rolls have coins in them to give the impression that they are full of change.”
Photo: Gustavo Campos
Another installation, dubbed the Catalonia Can Toss, referenced the volatility that Catalonia’s push for independence from Spain might cause in the region. The piece was designed to appear frozen in time, mid-topple.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
A fortune-teller machine referenced Zoltar from the movie Big, furthering the carnival-like atmosphere of the space.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
The machine gave out stock-market predictions.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
A “Wheel of Misfortune” referenced possible outcomes of the United States’ new tax law.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
A game of “Policy Skee-Ball” referenced President Trump’s policies that affect the global markets.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
One area featured a trash can full of paper “shares”—a tongue-in-cheek reference to a recent stock that had not performed well.
Photo: Gustavo Campos
The financial-market nods continued to condiments and napkins, which featured clever names such as “Capital Ketchup” and “Market Mustard.”
Photo: Gustavo Campos
A cluster of hanging beach balls created a whimsical, colorful chandelier at a party created by Swank Productions. Adding to the look were tables covered in bright, summery linens.
Photo: Courtesy of Swank Productions
Macy's Star Beach Party brought some warm-weather inspiration to Chicago in March 2011, with pop-up promotions that encouraged guests to pose for photo ops with props like oversize sunglasses and leis against sunny backdrops.
Photo: Courtesy of Macy's
Candy Land: The Werther’s Caramel Edition Game
Werther’s Original celebrated National Caramel Day April 5 by partnering with Hasbro’s classic Candy Land game to create a life-size game board at Santa Monica Pier. Guests could fish for bags of caramels at the activation, which was produced by G&C Event Productions.
Photo: Getty Images / Jennifer Graylock
Staff wearing yellow shirts check guests in at the entrance of the space at a decorative egg cart.
Photo: Dear Abigail Photo
At the press preview on April 6, Bake Culture provided macarons designed to resemble eggs.
Photo: Dear Abigail Photo
One of the first photo ops in the space features a neon sign with the name of the pop-up against a yellow and green backdrop. Guests can pose in front of the sign with yellow balloons that are placed in front of hanging pieces of cotton. The balloons against the cotton are meant to resemble sunny-side up eggs.
Photo: Dear Abigail Photo
A painted wall displays the black silhouette of an egg along with a cheeky phrase: "You are an egg. Your friends are eggs. Keep your carton full."
Photo: Dear Abigail Photo
One of the most popular photo ops at the pop-up is a life-size egg carton. Guests can pose with giant "eggs" in the carton, both of which were made with foam covered in layers of hard coating.
Photo: Dear Abigail Photo
Hanging above the egg carton is a ceiling installation created with pink spatulas and whisks, familiar tools to anyone who cooks with eggs.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
A black and white living room space features a gum ball machine where guests can retrieve egg-theme prizes by using a customized coin they receive at the entrance.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The Egg House partnered with local vendors including Egg Shop, a popular Lower East Side brunch spot. One of its confections is an white chocolate egg-shape lollipop.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
A Instagrammable pop-up isn't complete without a ball pit. The Egg House ball pit, naturally, is filled with white and yellow plastic balls.
Photo: Dear Abigail Photo
Illustrations of eggs against a painted pink wall provide for another eye-popping photo backdrop.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The story of Ellis the Egg is most notably brought to life in a yellow room that depicts the character's bed room. A giant egg prop opens and closes its eyes with projection technology created by Objectseen. The room also has "windows" which display a video of people walking in Washington Square Park.
Photo: Dear Abigail Photo
A downstairs green room was designed to take viewers inside of one of Ellis the Egg's more surreal dreams. The room has a swing that resembles a cracked egg shell.
Photo: Dear Abigail Photo
Old Navy invited an all-ages crowd to celebrate spring at Fig & Olive in Los Angeles with the brand's style ambassadors Emily Current and Meritt Elliott. The so-called “On the Road” event had an Americana road trip theme with a colorful map motif. A bluegrass band performed at the Old Navy event on an unfinished wooden stage in front of a colorful backdrop that resembled wide-open road trip scenery.
Photo: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com
Diesel's inaugural Canada edition of its Red Room Party took over the space at 330 Bay Street in Toronto April 12. The entrance to the venue featured a hanging art installation created with condoms, which served as an Insta-worthy photo op.
Photo: Ernesto Distefano
T-Mobile Indio Invasion, Powered by Pandora
In a nod to Gerald—the piñata that event headliner Dillon Francis often features in his social-media streams—event producers created an eight-foot-tall replica of the creature. During Francis's performance, smoke bombs erupted from the structure, releasing mini magenta Geralds.
Photo: Alison Buck/Getty Images for Pandora
For the first season of the Genius series, National Geographic hosted an activation at South by Southwest called Nat Geo Further Base Camp, an interactive hub where visitors could participate in brain-boosting and mind-boggling activities. It was inspired by Albert Einstein, the subject of season one. Camlek said the network wanted to do something comparable for the Picasso anthology.
Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for National Geographic
A “collective community mural” was featured at the entrance to the space; it included frames within a digital collage that pulled in art from the digital easels, so the giant mural was constantly evolving over the course of the activation.
Photo: Kena Betancur/National Geographic/PictureGroup
As decor, the space included elements that would be found in an artist’s studio such as canvases and paint brushes. Genius: Picasso, which stars Antonio Banderas as Pablo Picasso, explores the life of the visionary artist.
Photo: Kena Betancur/National Geographic/PictureGroup
Flat-screen monitors were retrofitted into distressed easel frames.
Photo: Kena Betancur/National Geographic/PictureGroup
Visitors could design their own artwork on interactive digital easels using a digital toolkit featuring shapes, textures, line art elements, and colors rather than paint. The artwork, which was shareable via social media, was also printed and “hung to dry” for the visitors to take home. The proprietary art program was developed by RadicalMedia’s team of coders.
Photo: Michele Laufik/BizBash
Visitors could walk between the layers of an anamorphic cubist-inspired painting.
Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for National Geographic
From a specific photographic vantage point, the 3-D installation appears almost flat.
Photo: Michele Laufik/BizBash
To represent Picasso’s blue and rose periods, RadicalMedia created an installation with “live-action filters” that were created through the use of lighting, color, and textures, which made photos look like a painting. Visitors could dress up in painted clothing items and pose behind screens.
Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for National Geographic
The cubist-inspired lounge area featured colorful blocks where visitors could hang out and snap selfies.
Photo: Michele Laufik/BizBash
CNN’s Political Hangover Brunch
A "House of Cards" tunnel featured oversize playing cards decorated with donkeys, elephants, the White House, and an orange-hued King.
Photo: Erin Schaff
Arcade games from Arcade Amusements added a fun and interactive element to the room.
Photo: Jerritt Clark
CNN’s Political Hangover Brunch
The network’s annual post-Correspondents’ Dinner brunch took place April 29 at Long View Gallery. A "House of Cards" tunnel featured oversize playing cards decorated with donkeys, elephants, the White House, and an orange-hued King. The event’s Alice in Wonderland theme was executed by event designer Adovc8.
Photo: Erin Schaff
A timeline of Williams’s accomplishments dubbed "Her Story" was flanked by two walls featuring some of her most notable photos and magazine covers.
Photo: Eugene Gologursky/Getty Images for HBO
Kentucky Derby Watch Party
Koncept Events designed a Kentucky Derby watch party for a private client on May 5 at the Breakers Palm Beach in Florida. Guests could pose for photos with Kentucky Derby-theme props in front of a wall of greenery that featured a cheeky tagline and an image of a gold horseshoe.
Photo: Shelby Soblick
For the New York premiere of Columbia Picture's Bad Teacher in 2011, a 130-foot step-and-repeat area got 3-D touches in the form of classroom-style elements, including school chairs, desks, and red apples.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.
The same year, HBO’s annual post-Emmys party had a water theme. Designer Billy Butchkavitz used a color palette with seven shades of blue, and a 105-foot-long water lounge flowed from the dining pavilion to the formal entrance of the event space. Rippling water-patterned custom carpet covered the party space, and centerpieces were hand-blown glass pedestal bowls with floating dinnerplate dahlias, creating the look of a tabletop water garden.
Photo: Gabor Ekecs
A replica of the trophy stage from the series—inspired by ballroom stages from the 1980s—stood in the front of the venue. The stage was available for guest photo ops and was also where judges gave their scores for the ball.
Photo: Sean Smith
The Court by DirecTV Now
Festivalgoers could play DJ inside the larger-than-life boombox and snap pics for social media.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
A large circular bar served as the centerpiece of the cocktail space. Hanging above it was a Calder-inspired mobile completely crystallized by Swarovski, a long-running sponsor of the C.F.D.A. Fashion Awards.
Photo: Courtesy of C.F.D.A.
Epic Games
After developing one of the most popular games of 2017 in Fortnite, Epic Games expanded their E3 footprint this year with an eye-catching booth designed by Orange County-based event firm FGPG. The 10,000-square-foot immersive space drew guests in with the Fortnite logo displayed in 12-foot letters. Below the sign was a custom-fabricated "battle bus," a nod to the game.
Photo: Courtesy of FGPG
Get your game on with Blueprint Studios.
Photo: Show Ready Photo
Since the award statue for Fox's Teen Choice Awards is a life-size surfboard, variations of the emblem always feature prominently throughout the event’s decor. Inside the V.I.P. tent at the 2015 show, colorful boards branded with sponsor names popped up throughout the space.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2Me Studios
On-theme decor included air dancers, while a live entertainer dressed as the inflatable engaged the guests.
Photo: Sara Kerens
Sponsor Mustard Lane provided staff for the event, some of whom were costumed as car-wash attendants.
Photo: Sara Kerens
Brightly colored Jerry cans were used as decorations throughout the event space.
Photo: Sara Kerens
The “Billy Ocean’s Car-A-Oke” room, decorated with a video screen and a photo of the '80s pop star, poked fun at the fact that its karaoke machine had only one song choice: Ocean’s 1988 hit “Get Outta My Dreams, Get Into My Car.”
Photo: Sara Kerens
A seemingly normal vending machine provided some interactive surprises. It lit up when people pressed its buttons, and a person hiding behind the machine told jokes and dispensed snacks through the vending-machine slot.
Photo: Sara Kerens
In the Bubble Lounge, guests drank Babe Rosé With Bubbles while using Chambong glasses, which are shaped as “champagne bongs.” Said MKG's Lauren Austin: "We thought it was a perfect match. It kind of combined what MKG's personality is. We're kind of buttoned-up but a little bit unbuttoned at the same time, so the chambong and the pink rosé were a perfect expression of that."
Photo: Sara Kerens
Life-size hanging car fresheners decorated one of the party’s bar areas.
Photo: Sara Kerens
Guests could pose in an interactive photo booth that was decorated to resemble car-wash cloth strips.
Photo: Sara Kerens
Tiki Disco provided a DJ to spin dance tunes at the party.
Photo: Sara Kerens
Car fresheners were also the inspiration for costumes worn by some event staffers.
Photo: Sara Kerens
Guests could play craps and pretend to gamble in the “Get Dicey” area, which had customized fuzzy dice and a grand prize of airplane tickets to anywhere in the United States.
Photo: Sara Kerens
The party’s dance floor consisted of elevated platforms designed to resemble a car-wash conveyor belt.
Photo: Sara Kerens
City Winery and NoMa's bars served drinks on a bar made of wine corks. Neon graphic patterned backdrops were created by D.C. artists No Kings Collective.
Photo: Kalorama Photo
Oh Baby!
Appropriate for a baby shower, the table was designed by Hilary Hamer Weddings & Events with florals by Avant Garden. Luxe Linen’s Wiggle linen in Mist was used.
Photo: Dina Douglass / Andrena Photography
The event's most striking design element was an archway at the entrance created with colorful ribbons. "Glasses hung from the colorful ribbons that represented the Chandon American Summer bottle design and the ties that bind this American brand to its French roots," says Chandon's Christine Guzman. "A symbolic timeline was displayed through the passageway, representing key moments in Chandon’s French-American history."
Photo: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com
The archway led to another notable design element—the party's step-and-repeat in the form of a lush green installation that showcased the limited-edition bottles.
Photo: Courtesy of Chandon
Wooden signs pointing to Napa Valley and France paid homage to Chandon's current home and origins.
Photo: Courtesy of Chandon
The party featured a variety of life-size games for guests, including a red-and-blue version of Connect Four.
Photo: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com
Other games included giant Jenga, which was displayed on a branded block.
Photo: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com
People's Pops served custom sparkling wine popsicle cocktails in custom wine glasses.
Photo: Owen Kolasinski/BFA.com
The limited-edition bottles were also incorporated into a colorful game of ring toss that displayed the event's hashtag.
Photo: Courtesy of Chandon
Keeping with an all-American theme, Chandon was served in red, clear, and blue wine glasses.
Photo: Courtesy of Chandon
5K Charity Run
Clever food- and drink-theme signs such as "Running for that Six Pack" motivated runners at the festival's 5K charity run.
Photo: C2 Photography
5. Ignite at SeaWorld Orlando
New this summer—but available for private events throughout the year—SeaWorld Orlando builds parties around Ignite, a lively fireworks finale to its Electric Ocean nighttime shows. Called the Club Sea Glow Dance Party, the event for groups involves high-energy music, dancers in daring costumes, and loads of glowing colors in a dedicated viewing area. Most events begin the 12,000-square-foot Ports of Call ballroom that seats 650 or holds 1,000 reception-style, where dancers bearing inflatable jellyfish and floating neon eels mingle with the crowd before heading out to see the fireworks.
Photo: Courtesy of SeaWorld Orlando
The Great White North Gala, which was held in the Van Horne Ballroom on the final night, featured a white-and-metallic winter wonderland theme with illuminated laser-cut paper centerpieces and menus designed and produced by Vanessa Kreckel of TPD Design House. Calgary-based Modern Luxe Rentals provided the tabletop rentals and chairs and Flower Artistry handled the florals, which were sourced from the region.
Photo: Genevieve de Manio
The laser-cut paper menus by TPD Design House featured mountain motifs.
Photo: Love Life Images
Tables at the conference also adopted the theme, with comics-style lettering and masks for attendees to wear. Each table was named after a different superhero.
Photo: Courtesy of Vibe Agency
At a premiere party for Amazon’s series The Tick, held in New York in August 2017, custom props and decor incorporated superhero and comic-book nuances in a playful way. A photo booth activation by OM Digital served as a DMV: Guests could input their own hero name and superpowers and receive an identification card as well as a GIF.
Photo: Aaron Morris
The Hospitality Sales and Marketing Association International’s 61st annual Adrian Awards took place in February in New York. The event had a superhero theme, which was integrated in the programs and stage backdrop. Sequence Events produced the award show.
Photo: Dani Maczynski/HSMAI
At the Macy’s Spring Flower Show, held in Chicago in April 2015, a Pop Art garden featured moss and plants that spelled out the words "bloom" and "flower" in comics-like signage.
Photo: Sebastian Biedron
4. Punch Bowl Social
Downtown San Diego’s Punch Bowl Social opened in June. The two-level venue is 23,000 square feet and holds 1,100 standing guests—800 on the first floor, 200 on the mezzanine, and 100 in a reception area called the Holiday Lounge. Entertainment includes bowling, arcade games, ping-pong, bocce, darts, foosball, and karaoke. Catering options include punch bowls and passed appetizers like fried chicken sliders and taco truck-style buffets.
Photo: Courtesy of Punch Bowl Social
YouTube Creator Lounge
For the second year in a row, MAS produced a lounge space dedicated exclusively to YouTube creators. It was designed to resemble a retro diner, with a soda counter, a dessert case, diner booths with mini jukeboxes, and a temporary tattoo parlor. The dessert case was filled with branded skateboards and sweatshirts, which were custom-made as giveaways for creators.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS Event & Design
The Inside Out premiere featured cupcake displays inspired by the films five "emotional" characters—Joy, Fear, Anger, Disgust, and Sadness.
Photo: Jesse Grant/Getty Images for Disney
Instead of traditional floral centerpieces, designer Bill Fulghum decked tables with giant spools of cotton candy at the Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario's annual fund-raising gala in April 2015 at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex.
Photo: Photagonist.ca
