As fall draws to a close, here's a look back at ideas from big benefits held across North America this past season. From a cotton-candy-filled bash inspired by Anna Nicole Smith to a somber September 11 commemoration, these events offer inspiration for affairs of any stripe. And if you're getting a head start on planning for next year, there's also inspiration for classic fall themes such as breast cancer awareness and Halloween.
Held on October 5, the evening included a dinner-dance at the Hilton Chicago. In the ballroom, lush golden trees from HMR Designs stood as centerpieces.
At this year's Whitney Museum of American Art Gala, guests walked into an artist's studio, complete with nude models posing for sketches, canvas tablecloths anyone could drawn on, and works from the Whitney's collection projected onto screens throughout the space. This year's event took place at New York's Skylight at Moynihan Station, which was fitting: The raw space was a blank canvas in itself.
Held at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom on November 7, the 10th anniversary event raised an impressive $4 million. Keep a Child Alive's creative director Earle Sebastian and creative producer Natalie Galazka collaborated with event producers at Empire Entertainment on the evening's clean, elegant look. To thank long-time donors, producers tapped Wanderlust to create an experience that involved locked silver jewelry boxes on tables. At a point during dinner, waiters placed a key with the donor's name on it onto the table. When the person found the key and unlocked the box they found a personal thank-you note from Alicia Keys and a special gift such as an origami paper elephant.
To raise funds for breast cancer research, Caesars Entertainment hosted its third annual Battle of the Bras Fashion Show and Auction at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino on October 30. The event featured Vegas entertainers—male ones— strutting down the runway in thoroughly bedazzled bras from Frederick's of Hollywood. The lingerie creations were auctioned off on site.
On October 3, Allium at the Four Seasons Chicago hosted a "Go Pink" fund-raiser for the Lynn Sage Foundation. In keeping with the signature shade of breast cancer awareness, all snacks and drinks had a rosy hue. Even the deviled eggs, made with beets, turned pink.
The 12th annual Boobyball, a benefit for Rethink Breast Cancer, played on Toronto’s collegiate side. The theme-driven event on October 18 celebrated all things university and was dubbed “Booby U.” The evening included a pep rally. The Ryerson Rams cheerleaders and the marching band Lady Godiva Band performed as an introduction to the speaking program.
The Boston Children's Museum hosted its 100th anniversary gala on October 5, and it celebrated the big event with an appropriately sized dessert display. The catering team at the Intercontinental Boston topped a giant prop cake with nostalgic desserts such as mini whoopie pies, mini Twinkies, cake pops, and chocolate-dipped strawberries. The "cake" was designed by Rafanelli Events.
On November 2, the InterContinental Miami and Make-A-Wish Southern Florida hosted the annual ball. The event had a vaudevillian-slideshow theme and featured vintage-style circus performers. The upbeat night also included a performance from singer Adam Lambert.
The Los Angeles Philharmonic hosted its 10th Anniversary Concert September 30. The event had a “Starry Night” theme. To create a celestial look, Shiraz Events draped the top of the dinner tent with an LED star-drop curtain, which resembled a twinkling galaxy. A custom chandelier added softly glowing light, and the walls were draped with silvery fabrics.
Held at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami on October 12, the event had a Brazilian Carnival theme. The ballroom was inspired by the celebration in Rio and had dancers in cages and lush, feathered headdresses. Samba batucada drums played in background.
Building on her strength and fame as a long-distance swimmer, Diana Nyad launched AmeriCares's monthlong fund-raiser in New York by doing what she does best: swimming. The athlete brought her marathon promotion to raise funds for Hurricane Sandy disaster relief to Herald Square. To pull off the stunt, which ran October 8 to 10, the producers constructed a 40-yard pool capable of holding 42,000 gallons of water and withstanding movement for 48 hours straight—all in one of Manhattan's busiest intersections. Stuart Weissman Productions tapped Olympic pool design company Myrtha to fashion the two-lane pool.
More than 1,500 people came out to celebrate the 20th annual Dream Halloween event in Los Angeles, which benefits Keep a Child Alive. The whimsical event, which took place in October, had a 3-D Bat Cave setup that included the Michael Keaton-era Batmobile as a prop.
Produced by Shiraz Events, the gala had a Halloween-inspired vibe due to its October 30 date—and its venue. Held at the macabre, gothic-looking Angel Orensanz Foundation, the event featured highboy tables that were spattered in fake blood.
At the National September 11 Memorial & Museum Gala gala, held September 3, memorial visitors, construction workers, and first responders to Ground Zero were among those featured in the house-of-cards centerpieces. They were designed by 360 Design Events.
At the U.S.O. Gala in Washington, organizers used a nostalgic, low-tech way to deliver information. Throughout the reception space at the Washington Hilton, viewfinders were displayed. In the viewfinders, slides contained info on the U.S.O. and its mission. Images included snapshots of the troops with their families and on the front lines, and captions read: “The U.S.O. is always by their side.” Held on October 25, the evening included a performance from Wynonna Judd.
The New York City Ballet gala took over Lincoln Center on September 19. Designed by Bronson van Wyck, the decor included overhead replicas of hot-air balloons in cheery hues of red and white. Inspired by the notion of an early 20th-century party at the Grand Palais in Paris, the balloons were filled with 6,000 cubic feet of helium and were tied to the balcony rings with gold cording.
The Boston Lyric Opera hosted its annual gala on October 4.The evening included a performance of The Magic Flute at the Shubert Theatre, as well as a preshow gala and an after-party across the street at the Wang Theater. Dancers from the Touch Performance Art Group escorted guests between the two venues, boogieing en route. Some dancers dressed in tribal costumes, others walked on stilts, and yet another wore a flaming hula-hoop.
On September 17 at the Brooklyn Academy of Music, the New York City Opera staged the United States premiere of the opera Anna Nicole. At the after-party, Great Performances decorated the dessert table to look like a boudoir. The menu was written on mirrors in red lipstick, jewelry boxes and glass jars overflowed with candy, and Lucite displays held cones of pink cotton candy.
For the Washington Ballet’s third annual Ballet Soiree October 26, sponsor Akridge donated a dramatic and unique space: the soaring atrium of the Homer Building, a 12-story office building on 13th Street in downtown Washington. The Studio Company of the Washington Ballet performed "Diamant," a piece commissioned for the event, choreographed by Aaron Jackson and set to pop music like Rihanna's "Diamonds."
The Chicago museum hosted its major annual fund-raiser, the Columbian Ball, on October 19. And though the bars were fully stocked with glassware, there was one cup in particular that guests seemed keen to drink from. As a surprise addition to the live auction, auctioneer Bill Kurtis announced that a lucky high bidder could win a chance to sip out of the Stanley Cup. The winner ponied up $10,000 for the opportunity.
With dining-room vignettes from nearly 30 artists, architects, and interior designers, Diffa Chicago's “Dining by Design” in early November was a font of design inspiration. An elegant tailgate party inspired the vignette from Sparc Inc., designed by Richard Cassis and Hunter Kaiser, which had a tablecloth that looked like a football.
The Big-Apple-theme gala took over the Beverly Wilshire Hotel in late October. A soundtrack of New York street sounds played in the ballroom, where dinner tables were set with mini replicas of the Brooklyn Bridge and tiny yellow taxis. The tabletop design was conceived by the school's development team; the overall design was from production designer John Iacovelli, a Tisch grad.
Held October 15 at the Angel Oresanz Foundation in New York, the event was inspired by the 1900s, the era the site of the Lowline opened as a trolley station. Matching the underlying narrative of the evening, the organizers built part of the trolley car dubbed the Lowline Express. During the evening, the structure was used by a cast of characters, including a conductor, which led guests to a room hidden inside for a surprise performance by banjo player Morgan O'Kane.
On September 21, the Chicago benefit featured decor from Event Creative. The dinner tent held wooden farm tables topped with bouquets of lavender-hued flowers and produce including dahlias, roses, eggplants, and plums. Overhead, vine-encrusted canopies held hanging lanterns.
On September 21, the Wolf Trap Ball took place at the Filene Center in Washington. The event was produced in partnership with the Embassy of France, so it had a Paris-inspired theme. Thematic tropes included a stage backdrop that pictured a Parisian street scene.
The September 7 gala in Chicago had a spacey vibe that was reflected in decor with hues of the night sky. Silky, dark-blue linens covered the dinner tables, and the Flower Firm's centerpieces were housed in tall, sparkly silver vessels.
The Mount Sinai Hospital Auxiliary members hosted the 60th Birthday Bash fund-raiser September 22 at the Ritz-Carlton Toronto. In the ballroom, a showcase was dedicated to 1950s gala fashions worn by prior auxiliary members.
At the September 7 event at the Peninsula Chicago, flowers in autumnal hues spruced up the escort-card table. Kehoe Designs created the arrangements, which comprised blooms in hues of burgundy, orange, and pale green.
To benefit the Washington-based S&R Foundation, the Night Nouveau took over Georgetown's Evermay Estate on November 2. The venue was set up to look like a manse plucked out of a murder-mystery film, and guests used clues to help solve a staged murder mystery. Planned by Sage Communications, the night also included whiskey sampling and dancing at a silent disco.
The Boston event took place at the Artists for Humanity EipCenter on September 26. The event's Latin theme came to life in decor from AE Events, which included tables swathed in mock burlap and flower arrangements housed in hot sauce bottles and repurposed tomato, pepper, and bean cans. New Leaf Flores in Jamaica Plain provided the flower arrangements.
