10 Best Ideas of the Week: Seating Chart Avatars, Eater's Canned Tomato Awards, Absolut's Synchronized Swimmers

Absolut Vodka launched its latest vodka on November 13 at an ExtraExtra-produced event at the Standard Miami Beach. Self-sealing mylar balloons spelling out the brand's line were clustered as a backdrop for a synchronized swimming performance by the Dolphinettes to music by DJ Mia Moretti.

The National Association for Catering and Events hosted its annual gala on November 11 at the Liaison in Capitol Hill, where event planners used a seating chart from Social Tables. The new software allowed guests to register online beforehand, and once they checked in, their avatars lit up on the screen to display their tablemates.

The event was designed after the theme Once Upon a Time, featuring details from storybook tales. As a nod to the poisoned apple in Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, escort cards by Meant to be Calligraphy were attached to red apples from Edge Floral.

Ahead of the Los Angeles screening of Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn—Part Two on Monday, 2,000 fans camped for days on a completely closed Chick Hearn Court, as well as a second overflow fan camp at the Event Deck at L.A. Live—but they weren't bored. For the duration of the five days leading up to the premiere, fans had access to activities, like screenings of past Twilight films, plus a number of planned surprises on the Nokia Plaza.

The International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions created a 40,000-square-foot event space in a corner of the trade show that in past years was used to store shipping crates. Organizers used the space, dubbed the I.A.A.P.A. Theatre, in a theater configuration for the kickoff event; with high-top tables for an evening cocktail reception; and with round tables for a breakfast session and then an awards program.

Chicago’s Auditorium Theatre hosted its annual gala last week, and in honor of its then-current production, the ballet Moulin Rouge, the gala at the Palmer House Hilton took on a Paris-inspired look. Caricature artists and costumed can-can dancers roved the cocktail reception, and dinner was a French meal that ended with an array of prettily plated miniature desserts.

Food blog Eater hosted the third annual Eater Awards on Monday night at New York's Bowery Hotel to celebrate its picks for the best food and drink from around the country. By the DJ booth, cans of peeled tomatoes covered in custom wrappers emblazoned with the names of the award winners were stacked in tiers.

Eater selected 10 Eater Award-winning chefs to serve up some of their signature dishes to the crowd from buffet tables placed around the Bowery Hotel’s second-floor space. Jeff McInnis of Yardbird Southern Table & Bar in Miami created a display of housemade charcuterie that included venison and beef jerky, Slim Jim sticks, pork head cheese, and pickles.

One of our Top 100 Boston events, the Kenneth B. Schwartz Compassionate Healthcare Dinner took place November 8 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. This year’s event employed more technology than in years past: Flat-screen monitors teased prizes for the evening’s drawing, and video footage showcased each item.

To decorate the dance floor at the Absolut party, silver garlands by Confetti System were draped above the dance floor, and a gold mylar Absolut Tune sign (also by Confetti Systems) decorated the stage area.