Forecast: 16 Local Ideas for Events

Chicago-based balloon artist Willy Chyr, who has a B.A. in physics and economics from the University of Chicago, creates custom installations and was recently com­missioned to design a limited edition label for Beck’s beer. Chyr, who first learned to twist bal­loons when he joined the Le Vorris & Vox Circus during college, has designed large­ decor pieces using as many as 800 balloons for events like conferences and launch parties.

Mobile skate­-rental company the Skate Truck NYC has been setting up shop in New York City parks. The truck is available to rent for private skating events, during which instructors teach techniques like how to turn in a circle. They can also lead groups in teambuilding-­style skating games. Corporate events start at $800 for as many as 40 people; addi­tional skaters are $10 each, and the maximum for events is 75 skaters.

Twelfth­-generation Southerner Debra Shriver chronicles the Crescent City’s history and musi­cal legacy in The Spirit of New Orleans ($45, available at assouline.com), which includes an insider’s list of recommended cocktail bars, jazz venues, and restaurants.

Paulina’s Pops in Miami can provide an on­-site ice pop station with one attendant for a minimum rental of two hours for $175. With as many as 30 organic water­ and milk-­based frozen-­dessert options, the treats cost $2.50 apiece.

The latest green initiative from Main Event Caterers in Washington is an aquaponic farming system. The “vertical farm” includes fish tanks and planting beds that Main Event uses to supply sustainable tilapia, micro greens, cucumbers, strawberries, and squash for tastings and demonstrations.

Luxe Event Rentals in Los Angeles is offering its new LED color­-changing chairs as part of its “Le Lumiere” collection. The customizable chair structure is available in white, silver, or black with LED insert panels. The exclusive pieces come with a rental fee of $45 to $85 for the armless ver­sion, or $195 to $265 for the armchairs.

Find catering inspiration at the New York Public Library’s Lunch Hour NYC exhibit, open now through February 2013 at the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (Fifth Avenue at 42nd Street, 917.275.6975, nypl.org). The free exhibi­tion explores the city’s relationship with the midday meal, highlighting the history of the power lunch, street food, take­out, and more through historic cookbooks, menus, memorabilia, and even a reconstructed wall of Automat machines.

Serving as an addition to the Pirate Cove Resort & Marina, GoZip Pirate Cove is a recently opened zip­line park in Needles, California. A two-­hour drive from Las Vegas, the park offers four adventures for small groups, including the guided “Pirate’s Quest” zip­line tour, the motor­ized “Rum Runner” zip­line, and the “Plank Walk,” an 80-­foot free­-fall. Tickets for each activity are $25 to $75, and groups of 10 receive a 10 percent discount.

Looking to add some Glee­-style entertainment to an event? Edge Effect—America’s Got Talent finalists and winners of MTV’s Top Pop Group and Boyz II Men’s A Cappella Quest—is now available through Orlando-­based Metropolis Productions for events worldwide. The six­-man vocal group combines pop, R&B, jazz, rock, and funk sounds while reinterpreting popular and original songs.

Tales of the Cocktail, the annual cocktail festival held in New Orleans, is celebrating its 10th anniversary with the release of Tales of the Cocktail from A to Z ($20, available on amazon.com), written by cocktail historians Jared Brown and Anistatia Miller. The book takes a look inside the drinking culture of New Orleans, with festival history, recipes, trivia, and a walking tour through the French Quarter.

For event catering or gifts, Chicago Butter Cookies offers their signature heart­-shaped, chocolate-­dipped treats made from a recipe originally created by owner Mary Astor Smithe’s Croatian grandmoth­er. Smithe can also staff events with cookie servers dressed in retro pin­-up costumes of her own design.

Cavalia (1081 Imperial Ave., 866.999.8111, cavalia.net) is coming to San Diego November 13 to 25. A mix of equestrian and performing arts, multi­media, and special effects, the show combines acrobatics, dance, aerial stunts, live music, and horses. V.I.P. packages include center-­row seats, complimentary food and beverages, an exclusive tour of the stables, and a souvenir. Group seating and special group rates are available.

San Francisco­-based of­fice catering service Cater2.me has launched in New York, offering a new way for offices to connect with the local food scene. Cater2.me works with food trucks, street carts, small restaurants, and farm­ers’ market vendors, and teaches them how to cater. In addition to in-office lunch and dinner cater­ing, Cater2.me can also handle one­-off events, like launch parties and dinner receptions.

Blow­dry salon Blo has opened a Boston outpost that can host corporate outings for small groups. Staffers can serve canapés and champagne, or outside catering can be arranged. For off-­site events in the area, “Blo on the Go” can bring services to employees and clients in boardrooms.

Arthur’s Catering in Orlando is offering a new twist on a BLT that can be butler­ passed or served at a station. Blackened mahi­-mahi comes on grilled brioche with roasted garlic lemon aioli and is topped with micro arugula and torched candied applewood bacon.

The Art Gallery of Ontario’s Frida & Diego: Passion, Politics and Painting exhibition, which features 75 works by Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera, runs from October 20 to January 20 and offers group tickets at a 20 percent discount. Pair the show with the “After-Art Wine and Cheese” package at the AGO’s Frank restaurant. The cost is $60 per person, including mu­seum tickets, and is available for groups of 20 to 50.