On October 15, we posted a list of the nominees for BizBash's 2009 New York Event Style Awards, which were announced Wednesday at a ceremony following our annual expo at the Javits Center. Here's more info on this year's winners.
Best Entertainment Program/Concept
One Club for Art & Copy’s The One Show Awards
Submitted by Overland Entertainment
This advertising award presentation had a quirky and comical theme loosely based on the mysteries of the Masons. The program included moody music, mystical iconography, and a spoof bio video about fictional pioneers in the field called “The Ones.” An angry voice-of-God could be heard during the presentation, which culminated with the appearance of a mystery man, who turned out to be actor François Chau, from the ABC series Lost.
Best Corporate Event Concept (More Than $50,000)
TD Bank’s Wow Awards
Submitted by Tribbles Studio
At its annual employee appreciation event, TD Bank wanted the notion of a corporate family to be reflected in the party’s concept and decor. Tribbles Studio worked that message into the Wow Awards finale with framed photos of the night’s honorees in the reception area and a custom-built free-form table that seated all 125 guests.
Best Corporate Event Concept (Less Than $50,000)
First Republic Bank’s Associates and Client Reception
Submitted by Ron Wendt Design
First Republic Bank wanted to treat top associates and their clients to a night out at a quintessential New York club—without incurring the costs associated with that kind of experience. Using in-house lighting and furniture rentals, Ron Wendt Design recreated a sleek, contemporary club feel for the bank’s guests at the Glass Houses in Chelsea.
Best Nonprofit Event Concept
The Apollo Theater’s 75th Anniversary Gala
Submitted by David Monn LLC
David Monn reworked the format for this tented gala, pulling the catering and the event beneath one tented structure, instead of the traditional satellite tents used in the past. The single site was made to feel like a permanent structure, with raised perimeters for cocktail areas that lent a nightclub feel to the space.
Best Event PR Strategy
Netflix Movie Watching World Championship Promotion
Submitted by Event Central
To draw attention to the eight contestants competing for the Guinness World Record for the most consecutive hours of movie-watching, a plexiglass structure made to look like the average American home was constructed on Military Island in Times Square. Competitors viewed movie after movie as the public was drawn into the spectacle to cheer them on.
Best Fresh Idea
Barkley Kalpak Associates’ Free Creative Installation at the BizBash Expo
Submitted by Barkley Kalpak Associates
To put a spin on a traditional trade show booth, Barkley Kalpak Associates created a working meeting space. The company scheduled appointments with planners prior to the show, and then conducted creative sessions on expo day that helped give attendees a representation of what it’s like to work with the firm.
Best Gift Bag
T-Mobile’s myTouch Phone Launch Events
Submitted by Creative Edge Parties
Tying in to the myTouch phone’s tagline, “It’s all about choice. Your choice,” guests were given the opportunity to craft their own gift bags. Guests could pair their pick of flavored milks, from chocolate to herb-infusions like lavender and rosemary, with classic cookies, including chocolate chip, peanut butter, and oatmeal, which were packaged in myTouch branded CD sleeves.
Best Invitation Design
The Mandell School’s Grand Opening
Submitted by Ceci New York
Emphasizing its commitment to introducing students to a green lifestyle, the Mandell School marked its grand opening with an eco-friendly invitation. Reusable wooden boxes containing the invite arrived wrapped in original artwork created by students. The invitation, printed on recycled paper with environmentally sound ink, lay inside the box with vials of water and soil that could be used to plant the card, which was embedded with wildflower seeds.
Best New Product
Crystal Velon
Submitted by Velon Designs
Crystal Velon is a clear, printable material that can adhere to smooth surfaces, adding color and pattern to glass and plastic surfaces. Designers can use the material to brand and decorate items like plexiglass furniture and accessories. When removed, Crystal Velon leaves no residue or mess and is 100 percent recyclable.
Best Centerpiece/Tabletop Design
Tourism Toronto/Toronto Convention & Visitors Association’s Client Reception
Submitted by Fourth Wall Events
Fourth Wall Events created an elegant setting for a client dinner with two communal glass-topped tables that displayed white hydrangea petals and bands of lavender ribbon underneath. On top of the tables, designers placed arrangements of purple lisianthus and roses, simple white place settings, and chunky votives.
Best Lighting Design
The Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s Downtown Dinner
Submitted by Levy Lighting NYC
Levy Lighting created several artistic lighting designs for the nonprofit’s annual benefit. Emphasizing the event’s pink and blue color scheme, the company bathed an elevator area in blue light from fluorescent tubes mounted to the walls, hung a neon sculpture above the bar area, and used lighting as a subtle way to call guests to dinner.
Best Overall Catering at an Event
The Archaeological Institute of America’s 130th Anniversary Gala
Submitted by Capitale
For the Archaeological Institute’s gala, the organization brought in archeologists to consult with Capitale’s executive chef Jason Munger on a menu inspired by traditional Mayan feasts. Guests ate roasted duck on seared corn cakes with sweet potato puree, followed by a banana split with sweet plantain chips, chocolate sauce, serrano chile powder, and coconut, pumpkin, and avocado sorbets.
Best Overall Event Decor (Budget More Than $50,000)
Ruinart Escapade Private Dinner
Submitted by Susan Magrino Agency
To celebrate the introduction of Escapade, Champagne Ruinart’s holiday gift set, the Susan Magrino Agency created a wintry landscape for an intimate dinner for 10 influential guests. A dramatic eight-foot-long branch chandelier draped with crystals was positioned over the mirror-topped dining table, and around the space bare birch trees and mirrored panels were used to create a sleek forest feel.
Best Overall Event Decor (Budget Less Than $50,000)
Whitney Museum of American Art’s Art Party
Submitted by Van Wyck & Van Wyck
Van Wyck & Van Wyck created a light and fresh look for the Whitney’s benefit, with an illuminated bar, potted palms, lighting in tropical hues, and a large neon sign that blinked “art” and “party.” Other decor highlights included a long acrylic-top communal table and two tufted white leather Chesterfield sectionals.
Best Staging/Set Design
ITS World Congress
Submitted by Barkley Kalpak Associates
To highlight the newest technologies for the World Congress on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Barkley Kalpak Associates built a futuristic command center inside the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Central to the design were several high-definition projectors and a 16- by 28-foot projection screen displaying videos in a simulation of live interactive traffic monitoring.
Best New Venue
The IAC Building
Submitted by IAC
Designed by architect Frank Gehry as the headquarters for InterActiveCorp, the IAC Building began offering its lobby for third-party events in 2008. The centerpiece of the street-level location is a 120-foot-long video wall that accentuates the modern space and provides an outlet for interactive branding.
Best Use of Technology
The YouTube Symphony Orchestra
Submitted by Obscura Digital
Google’s first YouTube Symphony performed original compositions and classical pieces at Carnegie Hall in front of a dynamic backdrop of video projections that evoked the themes of the music. Obscura Digital used eight projectors to display 3-D graphics, moving images, and still photography over the concert hall’s 20,000 square feet of historic architecture.
Best Video for an Event
People en Español’s Mas Bellos Event
Submitted by Larry Abel/De-signs
To celebrate the release of People en Español’s 50 Most Beautiful People issue, Larry Abel/De-signs created a video that showcased the magazine’s photography as well as behind-the-scenes images and People’s logo. Instead of a traditional video format, Abel created a 14-foot circular spandex screen on the main stage and edited the video content into a round format to fit inside the screen.
