Looks range from sleek to whimsical.
Photo: Hak Lonh for Champion and King
A massive archway of balloons loomed over guests as they entered the party. I'm not typically a fan of balloons unless the planners go all out. These helium-filled beauties get an A.
Photo: Kevin Yatarola
Also at the Courage Forum, guests received long pins to pop balloons that held the desserts.
Photo: Courtesy of Jennifer Rubell
More than 200 weather balloons held up paper strips painted with images of city buildings at the Bailey House fund-raiser, providing an affordable and interesting way to decorate the 69th Regiment Armory.
Photo: Rahav
The “Land, Sea, and Sky” theme of the National Geographic flag inspired an array custom tables and toppers, including glacier ice sculptures. Syzygy Events International created the custom pieces for the event.
Photo: Robert Isacson
The iPad centerpieces from Keep Interacting can be customized for events.
Photo: Courtesy of Keep Interacting
Flower-free centerpieces showed more superhero images and served as holders for IML's devices.
Photo: Keith Sirchio for BizBash
To celebrate the public opening of the Broad in Los Angeles in September 2015, event producer Ben Bourgeois was inspired by the art museum’s unique design. Laser-cut paper foldouts as tabletop centerpieces represented the architecture of Grand Avenue and surrounding buildings downtown, including Disney Hall and the new Broad. LED lights illuminated the representations of the buildings so they appeared to glow from within.
Photo: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging
The Robin Hood Foundation celebrated its 30th anniversary May 2018 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York. The benefit, which had a “Lights of New York” theme, had three-sided mini marquee centerpieces that offered messages of gratitude and celebrated the organization's anniversary. David Stark Design and Production designed the event.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Ahead of March Madness, Marriott International—the official hotel partner of the N.C.A.A.—hosted a basketball-theme breakfast at the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel's R Lounge in March. The event featured basketball-theme floral centerpieces by Olga Sahraoui, as well as brackets for attendees to fill out. The hotel handled event production in-house.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott International
During the 118th U.S. Open Championship, which took place at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, in June, U.S.G.A. partner American Express built its first-ever American Express Card Member Club on site. Located at the 10th hole green, the club offered card members and fans lounge seating, along with food and beverage items for purchase. The space was an extension of the brand’s marketing campaign called “Powerful Backing: Don’t Do Business / Don’t Live Life Without It;” some of the clubhouse's wall decor featured the messaging with the words “live life” spelled out in golf tees.
Photo: Michele Laufik/BizBash
Inside the club, guests were able to grab essentials like binoculars and radios, play Golden Tee arcade games, and sign golf balls, which were included in an ever-evolving wall display.
Photo: Michele Laufik/BizBash
In November 2014, RJ Whyte Event Production produced the grand re-opening celebration, titled “Tennis Shoes, Ties, and After 5,” for the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center. The event was held in the 48,000-square-foot tennis center in Washington. Decor by Design Foundry included flying arches of tennis balls from hanging tennis racquets that bounced off of centerpieces of artfully stacked books. Large tennis balls were also stacked on glass vases to complement the high ceilings in the facility.
Photo: Chris Burch
Biblio Bash
The Toronto Public Library Foundation hosted its annual black tie fund-raiser in April at the Toronto Reference Library. Each table at the dinner portion of the event, which raised more than $692,000 for the library’s youth empowerment programs and services, featured a Canadian author host. The list of the 43 authors and their notable books were featured on circular placemats in text printed in concentric circles. Candice & Alison designed the event.
Photo: Ernesto DiStefano
The angular theme also extended to a display that featured bios of the evening's honorees.
Photo: Francis Son
Each table centerpiece consisted of a transparent tray that contained water bottles, canned rosé wine, mini champagne bottles, and a flower arrangement.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Bartenders affixed hotel and destination photos to cocktails with mini clothespins.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Floor decals encouraged guests to network in the elevators.
Photo: Haute Photography for BizBash
The "Untitled" 90-foot wall in the main courtyard was a more-than-obvious response to President Trump's promise to build a Mexico border wall. Emblazoned with the wods "She Outwits Him; She Outlives Him," it was the night's most politically toned piece, not to mention the most Instagrammed. The text was meant to confront issues that are the forefront of contemporary U.S. politics and culture.
Photo: Sunny Norton for BizBash
On the other side of wall, guests were invited to spray paint messages of political resistance. The graffiti wall by Jokubas Nosovas / Nikitas Broukakis & Sam Khoshbin entitled "Too M@ch Talk," was a colorful counterpoint to the black and white of the opposite side.
Photo: Sunny Norton for BizBash
One lounge was designed with a heavily residential style, from comfortable couches with a variety of accent pillows to shelves decorated with vases and other accent pieces. The living-room-like space still had a strong messaging component to drive home the conference's objectives.
Photo: FotoBriceno/Hargrove
3. New York City Wine & Food Festival
New York
#3 Food & Restaurant Industry Event
While it shares some events with its sister event in South Beach—the popular Burger Bash and Meatopia, among others—the New York version has developed its own identity. About 55,000 people attended the seventh annual edition in 2014, whose proceeds support Food Bank for New York City and Share Our Strength’s No Kid Hungry campaign. Next: October 15-18, 2015
Photo: Gustavo Caballero/Getty Images for NYCWFF
9. Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival
Manchester, Tennessee
#9 Music Festival
The 80,000 people that gather on a 700-acre farm in Tennessee create a population that would be the seventh-largest city in the state, according to festival planners. Red Bull TV broadcast a live stream of several performers at the four-day festival, and this year the festival’s social media planners introduced a new channel, Yik Yak, to connect fans and announce special events. Next: June 2016
Photo: FilmMagic for Bonnaroo Arts And Music Festival
CNN Grill at the Democratic National Convention
Guests scooped up buttons in shades of red, white, and blue that bore graphics, logos, and slogans like "I CNN Politics."
Photo: Donald Bowers
The savory food stations on the first and second floor served popcorn chicken and tater tots in paper cones made from mock editions of The New York Times.
Photo: Channing Muller for BizBash
Feverish Ice Cream served Mexican chocolate chip popsicles and mango paletas (Latin-American ice pops made from fresh fruit) from the back of its signature ice cream truck.
Photo: BizBash
TED Conference
Through the course of the multiday event, attendees brainstormed (and advanced) big ideas through TEDActive projects.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
4. Provide a Memento
Services like Instaprint are popping up at many affairs, proving popular with guests as a tangible record of their active social media use. At a fashion show held by USA Network in New York, even the wall the machines were mounted on sported the hashtag, motivating curious attendees to snap a photo and post it via Instagram.
Photo: David X Prutting/BFAnyc.com
10. Put It Onstage
When the stage—or runway—is a central element of an event, a backdrop can call attention to something in a big way. The producers of USA Network's fashion presentation in New York on June 12 utilized the 60-foot-long LED video wall that served as the main decorative element of the catwalk to display its hashtag as well as the premiere date of show Suits.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
At the "Candy Cane Creativity Station," kids could decorate ballet slippers provided by Allegro Dance Boutique. The young guests used stick-on stars, pom-poms, ribbons, feathers, and more in their creations.
Photo: Robert Carl
At Tasting Table’s Open Market Chicago event at Revel Fulton Market last December, guests posed in front of a Santa-approved photo booth featuring a wall full of colorful ornaments.
Photo: Jared Powell Photography
A dance floor surrounded by booth seating marked the center of the outdoor carnival space.
Photo: Casey Rodgers/AP Images for Armani Exchange
Snap Entertainment set up a giant Lite-Brite board with “Book of Lists” on the exterior-facing side and “Imagine” on the interior side. Throughout the night, guests could rearrange the interior design as they chose.
Photo: Courtesy of ©The Washington Business Journal
Photo: Filip Wolak
Colorful nail polish bottles filled champagne glasses at L'Oréal’s brunch planned by Joe Moller at the Viceroy EOS Restaurant in Miami.
Photo: Joe Moller
At its Coachella party, Lacoste set up a nail art station, where guests could stop by for colorful, branded looks applied in a breezy white cabana.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Lacoste
The Breast Cancer Research Foundation’s Hot Pink Party in Boston honored Evelyn Lauder with displays of her favorite flower, peonies, which decorated tables along with orange roses.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
Chicago’s Truffleberry Market reports recently receiving requests to create finger-friendly versions of classic desserts. The catering company's banana split cones feature strawberry mousse in a mini waffle cone dipped in dark chocolate and topped with fresh strawberries, banana chips, and shaved hazelnuts.
Photo: Courtesy of Truffleberry Market
On Saturday, Kennedy Center chairman David Rubenstein hosted a luncheon for the honorees, board of directors, and major supporters of the performance venue. The afternoon began with a reception in the atrium, followed by lunch in the Nations Gallery, then back to the atrium for a dessert reception.
Photo: Yassine El Mansouri
Willy Wonka-Theme Corporate Event
Your Event Solution produced an adult Willy Wonka-theme corporate event for an association’s annual meeting on April 1 at Chateau Elan Winery & Resort outside of Atlanta. Showcasing a unique take on a doughnut wall, the event offered doughnuts placed on giant letters that spelled out “sweet."
Photo: PWP Studio
Asian Art Museum Gala
San Francisco's Asian Art Museum Gala took place March 2. The event, which celebrated the connection between art and technology, featured a 96-foot-long LED tube chandelier designed by Got Light. The multicolor installation was created with more than 200 tubes.
Photo: Irja Elisa for Show Ready
Veuve Clicquot Carnaval
The event's hashtag was showcased in signage created with orange feathers.
Photo: World Red Eye
Patrón's Margarita Day Event
Pinch Food Design created unique catering options including churros served from an umbrella.
Photo: Sean Paul Franget
At the Victoria's Secret Angel Escape, held at a massive private estate in Indio, an enormous balloon installation from Geronimo Balloons proved to be an eye-catching centerpiece and popular photo backdrop in front of the property's lake.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
