Art was a focus of the evening, with a number of installations for guests to experience and explore. Artist Laura Kikauka filled one room with 24 refrigerators, creating what Cox called a "haunted mess hall." Guests could open each fridge to find anything from mannequin heads to stuffed animals to sponsor food products. Sponsors also designed installations like the Kobo reading room, inspired by The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.
This year’s Power Ball also placed a greater focus on food, with local chef Marc Thuet heading the menu. “We really let [Thuet] be an artist,” Cox said. With such a large number of guests attending, Cox and her team decided against hors d’oeuvres and passed plates within the main party. Instead, food was made available in two designated areas: in the backyard, where the bull was roasting, and in Kikauka’s haunted mess hall. (In the V.I.P. room, there were four food stations and circulated appetizers.)
The V.I.P. experience underwent some changes. Rather than taking place within the larger party, the 350 V.I.P. guests had a room to themselves. “This year, we really wanted to make it exclusive and intimate,” Cox said. The V.I.P. party was also pushed back an hour, allowing the main party to begin before the V.I.P. guests joined in.
