This week's roundup includes upside-down flowers decking an arrivals wall in Los Angeles, Casablanca-inspired catering at a major Grammy celebration, sweet sushi in Washington, and a tray shaped like a giant orange popsicle in Chicago.
Chicago production firm Revel Global Events hosted its annual Super Bowl bash at Chicago's Union Station on February 1. To reflect the event's colorful, Katy-Perry-inspired "Candyland" theme, the firm built a custom tray meant to look like a giant popsicle. The tray carried snacks from Limelight Catering.
This year the Recording Academy’s official Grammys after-party, known as the Grammy Celebration, had a theme dubbed “Passport to the World.” It saw the Los Angeles Convention Center transformed with decor and food inspired by glamorous air, sea, and land travel in the 1920s and '30s. Along Came Mary’s menu included five dinner stations that had themes like “Casablanca Airstrip” and “South Seas Steamship,” serving dishes inspired by various destinations.
Essence hosted its sixth annual Black Women in Music pre-Grammy event on Thursday at Avalon Hollywood, honoring and featuring a performance by Jill Scott. Colgate Optic White was a sponsor of the event, setting up a product station in front of a selfie-ready mirror decorated with a hashtag.
On Saturday, Nielsen hosted a pre-Grammys celebration at Hyde Sunset Kitchen & Cocktails, including performances by Bastille and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. An arrivals wall spelled out the brand’s name in marquee letters and included unusual upside-down arrangements of flowers. MAC Presents produced.
Playboy, a familiar brand on the Super Bowl party scene, hosted its bash at the W Scottsdale on January 30. There was a performance from Nelly, and a cuddly entertainer of another sort: Internet sensation Jiff the Pomeranian, a canine who's billed as an actor and model. The pup is managed by Zero Gravity Management. But for this event, a guest who knew the dog's owners asked to bring Jiff along, and the dog cuddled with Playboy Playmates free of charge.
The Washington Humane Society’s annual Sugar and Champagne event at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center is known for its sugar-filled tasting format. This year, Maté Restaurant & Lounge created a sweet sushi roll with raspberries, mango, and kiwi wrapped in a Nutella-infused pastry dough, topped with coconut shavings and set atop a bed of drizzled caramel.
During the winter Television Critics Association tour on January 8, Hallmark parent company Crown Media invited 400 guests to the Tournament House in Los Angeles for “the Richness of Romance,” an event promoting the network’s Valentine’s Day programming as well as the its slogan, “the Heart of TV.” Red and pink rose petals lined the way from the cocktail tent to the dinner tent. Also along the path, female violinists in long red satin gowns played classic songs such as "Moon River," "Over the Rainbow," and "Fly Me to the Moon."
Kinetic Lighting bathed the Tournament House in softly swirling patterns reminiscent of roses.
On February 6, Chicago event space Hub Studio Loft hosted a grand opening bash produced by Pure Kitchen Catering and A Perfect Event. Shirtless male models were stamped with temporary glow-in-the-dark tattoos that bore the event's hashtag: #HubStudioOpen.
To celebrate marriage equality in Florida, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau hosted a massive "Love Is Love" destination wedding at the W Fort Lauderdale on February 5. Several couples were married in a group wedding at the event, and the ceremony setup included beach balls under each chair. At the conclusion of the reception, guests triumphantly tossed the pink-and-green balls into the air.
