For BMF Media
"As a part of the creative class program—a program we wrote where Cointreau functions as a ‘patron of the arts’—we selected six influential creatives who wanted to create something new. Athena Calderone, an interior designer and the founder of lifestyle blog Eye–swoon.com, curated the dinners, the menus, cocktails (made with Cointreau, of course), and beautiful photography of which will culminate in a entertaining guide for the holidays."
For ExtraExtra
"This was an immersive theater experience that took guests from a library to a kitchen to a hidden cabaret, allowing them to experience the history, experience the use, and be entertained by the historic brand. Decor was designed as a traveling theatrical set (inclusive of 70 linear feet of faux bookcases!), allowing us to transform any old mansion we found into La Maison Cointreau."
For BMF Media
"Food, fashion, beverages, and design style of the 'new California cool' aesthetic were mined from San Francisco to inspire every detail of the Dockers’ Alpha Collection launch."
For BMF Media
"The 'Built to Work' slogan was literally interpreted as we built the five-day music/food/fashion fest for Dickies and Amazon at South by Southwest, bringing charming 'workers' as participants of our event—the motorcycle shop, the barber and tattoo shop, and the musicians themselves in a set build entirely of pegboard! Videos were created too so non-attendees could be immersed in the festival as well."
Street artist Kobra designed large, colorful murals for the space.
Japanese artist Sasu's installation comprised 30 hanging kaleidoscopes.
Guests took home a new Perrier "slim can," which is part of the limited-edition collection.
Artist materials such as paints, brushes, and drawing pads were displayed throughout the venue.
At the bar, limited-edition bottles designed by artist JonOne were on display. Green lighting enhanced the bottle's signature hue.
Guests sipped on custom Perrier cocktails, each named after the street artists being celebrated at the event—Sasu, Kobra, and JonOne, whose drink consisted of Don Julio Blanco, Perrier pink grapefruit, lime, and agave, with a hibiscus salt rim. Perrier’s mixologist, Lynnette Marrero, developed the cocktails.
In honor of the street artists, the waitstaff and bartenders, who were provided by Neuman's Kitchen, wore white paint-splattered tuxedo jackets.
Google recently announced the launch of Chromebox for Meetings, a videoconferencing service that provides “speed, simplicity, and security.” Hardware includes the Intel-based Chromebox unit, a high-definition camera, a combined microphone and speaker unit, and a remote control. As many as 15 participants can join the video meeting from other conference rooms or their laptops, tablets, or smartphones. One click of the remote starts the meeting without the need for access codes. The system operates similar to Google Hangouts and is integrated with Google Apps, so invitations can be sent directly through Google Calendar. Chromebox is currently available from Asus, but both HP and Dell will offer it in the near future.
On Location Engagements is a location-based content delivery system for events. The company provides small beacons that use low-energy Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to communicate with attendees’ smartphones, both iOS and Android. Planners upload their floor plans into an online system and designate where they will place the beacons. Then they assign content such as maps, product information, videos, surveys, and sponsor materials to each beacon. Attendees either download the system's app, or it can be embedded into the event’s existing app. When attendees are within a designated range of the beacon—which can be anywhere from 5 to 30 feet—the content automatically appears on their devices. After the event, planners receive analytics such interactions per beacon, length of stay at each beacon, and traffic patterns at the venue.
Catchbox is a wireless microphone to pass—or even throw—among speakers or audience members. The device consists of a microphone capsule secured with a magnet inside a soft, seven-inch cube that comes in blue, orange, green, or magenta. Catchbox communicates with an included receiver that can be connected to any sound system. To avoid unwanted noises, internal sensors turn the audio off when the cube is in motion. The company says the product is intended for smaller groups of as many as 100, and it provides the best-quality audio when no obstacles block the line of sight between the Catchbox and the receiver, which should be within 100 feet. As many as four of the units can be used at one time in a room. Catchbox is accepting preorders, with shipping scheduled for June.
Tangible Interaction will unveil its new LCD graffiti product at South by Southwest in March. In contrast to the company’s existing rear-projection digital graffiti wall, the new system takes up much less space and can be used outside in daylight. Planners provide the LCD screen, which can reach 70 inches, and Tangible Interaction provides the sensing system and two digital graffiti spray cans. The look of the graffiti wall is customizable with logos and backgrounds, and clients select colors, nozzle widths, stencils, and other features. After guests create their artwork, they can share the images on Facebook and Twitter or via email.
At the Chicago AIDS Foundation's World of Chocolate event in 2009, the Signature Room at the 95th served vanilla-and-cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate in pipettes.
At the James Beard Awards in New York in 2007, Allison Vines-Rushing served banana pudding brûlée with cat's tongue cookies in mini glass jelly jars.
To promote the final season of Dexter last year, Magnolia Bakery concocted a gory treat to honor the show's namesake sociopath. The Killer Cupcake topped red velvet cake with spattered caramel "blood" and "glass" shards made out of sugar.
For a camp-theme event last year, KG Fare Catering & Events offered a mess-free take on s'mores by displaying the gooey treats on clothespins.
At Washingtonian magazine's AT&T's Best of Washington party in 2012, Amaryllis designed the space to evoke the ambiance of a vintage ice cream parlor. Ted's Bulletin offered samples of its homemade Pop-Tarts—cinnamon and brown sugar, strawberry, and chocolate—that the company displayed in tall glasses filled with each flavor's ingredients.
At Stella McCartney's Electricity-Free Carnival in New York in 2012, a mac 'n' cheese station was set up as a two-part offering: guests could either select a mini serving on a spinach cone from a Ferris-wheel-shaped stand, or opt for a full cup that could be customized with toppings such as veggie bacon bits, truffle oil, jalapeños, scallions, or sriracha sauce.
At the Washingtonian event, Patrón served boozy desserts like whoopie pies and cake pops at its customized bar.
Attendees formed long lines to pose in an oversize photo frame that was placed on top of a slight hill, offering a scenic background of one of the main stages as well as the Austin skyline.
In an effort to be more sustainable, the organizers of the music festival branded cans of water, which were available throughout the grounds.
Art was the theme of the AT&T U-Verse Art Lounge. Outside the tent, there was a daily live mural painting demonstration by a different local artist. There was also a canvas of blank Samsung cell phone covers that were set up so that artist could create unique cases for attendees to win. Inside the lounge, visitors could charge their phones and watch live streams of the shows, as well as take a personality quiz to determine what printable swag they would receive: a license plate or specially designed socks.
In addition to streaming performances from the nearby Honda-sponsored stage and showcasing the 2015 Honda Fit EX-L car, the Honda Lounge had a dedicated selfie area set up in a yellow container, with angled mirrors for participants to easily take photos of themselves.
The Owner’s Lounge offered a summer-camp vibe, where guests could sit on hammocks, at picnic tables, and even in a canoe. Throughout the weekends, celebrities and musical guests circulated through the space, including Matthew McConaughey, Jenny Lewis, and Big Boi. There were also DJ sets by acts like Foster the People.
Guests were able to switch out their dead phone batteries for new ones, which were stored in a wooden soda crate alongside succulents.
In keeping with the themes of the Milk Music program, the Vine Studio allowed participants to create their own personalized Vine videos with the direction of a stop-motion artist. Props were color-coded to the genre theme that each person picked. The idea was to “become the genre,” according to one of the artists working in the space.
Attendees could order Galaxy Floats, cocktails made with fruit popsicles and either champagne or beer and poured into a keepsake mug. Drink tickets were given to everyone with access to the Owner’s Lounge, and guests could win more by playing the Spin to Win game, where they could also win Samsung Galaxy devices and gift cards for local Austin vendors.
Free camp-inspired food was served throughout the day, including pulled pork sandwiches, mac ‘n’ cheese, and s’mores. The space also offered a create-your-own trail mix snack station.
The bars were made with butcher blocks as countertops and butcher knives as beer taps. The specialty cocktail of the evening was the Bakon Pepper Margarita, made with bacon-flavored vodka.
The Amurica photo booth was housed in a small camper that could fit as many as 10 guests at a time. Inside, the walls were covered with knickknacks and lights.
Esquire Network's first music festival sponsorship was this year at San Francisco's Outside Lands Music & Arts Festival. The activation was dubbed "Sip & Shave," an area on the grounds of Golden Gate Park that offered grooming services as well as complimentary specialty drinks.
The Outside Lands activation also included lounge seating and a charging station for mobile devices courtesy of Xfinity.
The Sharp the Man event also included food, drinks, grooming stations, art, and giveaways.
The pop-up markets at the Soho House locations invited the club's members to shop men's fashion brands, such as John Varvatos, Raen Optics, and Richer Poorer, at discounted prices.
The Under 27 Supper was also held in Los Angeles on September 23, with Knife Fight star Kris Morningstar as host. Both events invited the guests to meet the chefs and take home a copy of the Eat Like a Man cookbook.
Esquire Network was also present at the 2013 Taste Talks in Brooklyn, hosting a screening for the premiere episode of Brew Dogs as well as a discussion with local brewers.
At the cocktail reception, Andre Wells's team used tones of red, butter, fuschia, purple, teal, green, navy, and midnight blue to create a vivid look. Club sofas, ottomans, and circle chairs from Revelry were all done in the vibrant tones. A live Twitter wall showed guests interacting on social media.
For a highly visual—and Instagram-friendly—photo opp, social media prompts served as props against a grassy wall decorated with Veuve bottles at the fourth annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic at Will Rogers State Historic Park in Los Angeles on October 5. Working with Veuve director of communications Christine Kaculis, BrownHot Events produced the event once again with the chic, subtly branded details that characterize the annual sporting event.
How about an airplane in flight as a venue for an event? When Entourage returned from a yearlong hiatus, HBO needed a dramatic way to launch the fifth season of its flagship comedy. A typical screening and after-party didn’t seem to fit with the show’s expensive campaign and jet-set vibe, so the marketing team came up with the idea of an on-brand airplane. HBO approached Virgin America, which fit with the show's aesthetic. The airline was about to debut a new flight service between New York and Las Vegas, so the pair agreed to a joint promotion. The result included a private Virgin-hosted party inside a JFK airport hangar, photo ops with the show’s cast and Virgin Group chairman Richard Branson, an in-flight premiere of the season opener, and an after-party at the Playboy Club in Las Vegas.
The Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel in Florida began offering fetes in its walk-in freezer five years ago, and saw an increase in the offering's popularity during the heat of summer this year. “The freezer space allows us to execute some unique party themes like a fire-and-ice party featuring propane-fueled lanterns,” said food and beverage director Tony Porcellini. The space has also been used for Russian-theme events with vodka and caviar bars. To keep guests from getting too chilly in the freezer, which holds 60, staffers dole out parkas; they also adjust the temperature from 30 to 40 degrees and have parties spill over into adjacent spaces.
Toronto architecture studio Raw Design had its annual industry party in 2011 at one of the oldest working bread factories in the city, which was soon to be demolished. Tapping into the pop-up party trend, Raw Rising took place in the parking lot, entrance, and loading dock of the Ontario Bread Company as the bakers worked to prepare the next day’s delivery orders. The historic location was an interesting choice for the design firm, as it was in then in the approval stages of planning the future site of a Raw Design 16-unit town house development. “It’s important to instill this memory in the designers, architects, and planners who are here. These are the people who are changing the face of Toronto,” said Kim Graham of Kim Graham & Associates, who produced the event. “We need to have them see and experience history before it’s gone.”
During New York Fashion Week in 2008, Interview magazine hosted a relaunch at the Standard New York. Hundreds of guests filled the ground floor and the penthouse of the construction site—the hotel wasn't scheduled to open until the following year—for a surreal, red-dominated party.
