No Flakes

When a group of kids from the charity A Place Called Home came out at the end of the group's December 5 "Gala for the Children" fund-raiser to tap-dance and sing “Jingle Bell Rock,” event producer Barry Berk of BBDR Pacific wanted to shower them with faux snowflakes. But the Beverly Wilshire Four Seasons had enacted a no-stuff-coming-down-from-the-ceiling policy, after confetti from another event clogged its air-conditioning system.

The group faced another challenge, too: How do you distinguish a generic hotel function room—even a lovely one—so that it reflects the character of that evening’s festivities?Organizers, led by Thyonne Gordon, executive director of the youth-center charity, went with the solution to let there be light, with stage backlighting and wintry gobos. The winter-wonderland look featured a holiday color palette and snowflake patterns. Designers chose a red-and-white theme, which appeared in the centerpieces of white roses and burgundy orchids. The stage backdrop consisted of economical muslin suspended on tresses in the shape of snowflakes, which rimmed the proscenium arch.