“Best: How photos of the park were incorporated into the decor at the High Line Benefit gala in New York. Photos were scattered on Lucite platforms as centerpieces: inexpensive, easy, and gave guests something to pick up and talk about during dinner! Worst: Labor-intensive signature cocktails. I love delicious, mixology-driven cocktails—when they're pre-batched. Otherwise, the bar line backs up like crazy as the bartenders have to painstakingly craft each drink.” —Lauren Matthews, style editor
“The New York Auto Show demonstrated such a creative and engaging way to use Vine. By inviting the public to request Vine videos of specific cars during the exclusive media days, the show provided content that was relevant to those consumers and also generated excitement prior to the public opening. The statistics tell the story: 73 Vine videos that reached nearly two million people on Twitter alone.” —Mitra Sorrells, associate editor/Orlando bureau chief
"I love fun photo booths—and no, not the kind that simply have mustache props. Interactive backdrops, GIF creation, design-your-own chat bubbles, and even booths with charitable components now give guests countless reasons to step up and say 'Cheese!' As for the not-so-great? Crowd control. With all the new apps and technologies designed to streamline check-in, planners should aim to keep line chaos to a minimum." —Jill Menze, copy chief/Web producer
“I've talked everyone's ear off about my obsession with the impeccably rendered Hermes Beverly Hills flagship store opening party. One of the best ideas I saw all year was there, where guests got custom wooden tokens embedded with R.F.I.D. chips registered to them individually, and they could use the tokens at different multimedia experiences throughout the (insanely gorgeous) event. Afterward, they could retrieve their digital gift bags with their personalized photos, videos, and audio recordings at a private microsite. I also love Delta's logoed lanyards to hold full-size wine glasses hands-free at tasting events. It's the genius answer to the not-enough-hands problem at such events, where it can be so uncomfortable to juggle plates, glasses, forks, hand shaking, and more, all while meandering through a venue.” —Alesandra Dubin, West Coast editor
"Best: Instead of handing guests a gift bag as they left, Visit Savannah created a display of various items and let guests choose things they actually wanted. The prettily styled area also became part of the event decor. Worst: One event tried to enliven a presentation with an interactive element that required attendees to use their smartphones. But the venue did not offer free Wi-Fi, so many guests couldn't participate. It was a missed opportunity." —Beth Kormanik, senior editor
"One of my favorite decor trends from the past year: events that had rows and rows of flower buckets, which were either used as a step-and-repeat, alongside a red carpet, or as a cute way to let guests pick up gifts on the way out. It gives events a warm, market-like, summery feel. It's very sweet. Some examples were the Chicago Botanic Garden's Antiques & Garden Fair preview, Prabal Gurung's love-theme carnival for Target in New York, and Veuve Clicquot's fall picnic in Los Angeles." —Jenny Berg, associate editor/Chicago bureau chief
