Here's a look at 10 steal-worthy ideas we spotted this week, including "blood"-spattered cupcakes to promote Dexter, an 80-foot projection screen at a National Geographic Society gala in Washington, custom red-bandana napkins for Target in New York, and state-fair-themed meeting snacks in North Carolina.
The National Geographic Society hosted one of the biggest events in its history on June 13, bringing large-scale projections of iconic National Geographic videos and still images to Washington's National Building Museum. An 80-foot screen hung on a curved truss in front of the columns in the National Building Museum’s Great Hall.
The eighth and final season of Dexter begins Sunday, and Magnolia Bakery has a gory treat to honor the show's namesake sociopath. The Killer Cupcake, available at Magnolia's New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago outposts through June 30, tops red velvet cake with spattered caramel "blood" and "glass" shards made out of sugar. The shivers-inducing snacks, which make for fun viewing-party fare, are also available on Showtime's Web site.
The 11th biannual Engage! luxury-wedding business summit took place June 2 to 5 at the Inn on Biltmore Estate in Asheville, North Carolina. The Biltmore catering team put together a North Carolina state-fair-themed afternoon break spread that included butler-passed corn dogs, whoopie pies, caramel apples, cotton candy, and cheddar popcorn, as well as healthy options such as almonds and fresh North Carolina apples.
More than 80,000 music lovers gathered at the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival on a 700-acre farm in Manchester, Tennessee, from June 13 to 17. The Pageant of the Cosmos offered carnival games with an Adult Swim–inspired twist. For "Balloonicorn in Space," participants donned a unicorn hat and had to pop as many ceiling balloons as they could.
To build buzz for its latest product collaboration with Feed Projects, Target invited Manhattan’s fashion-forward set to cross the river for a rustic-Americana-themed dinner party underneath the Brooklyn Bridge on June 19. On the wooden farm tables, Hatch Creative Studio punctuated wheatgrass flats with wheat stocks and red Mason jars holding candles. Custom red bandannas printed with event details served as napkins, and family-style bowls of pickled beet, wheat berry, and kale salads sat atop platforms made from tree trunks.
The June 12 fund-raiser for the Garfield Park Conservatory couldn't be held at the conservatory because of hail damage to its roof, so organizers worked to bring the spirit of the garden-filled spot to Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art. Guests could pose for photos, or just lounge, on brass beds decked with mossy, flowery bedspreads. Plush pillows in bright hues featured the event logo.
The modern era of air travel is far from glamorous. But one recent event brought guests to Los Angeles International Airport for a decidedly more upscale affair: Westfield’s black-tie preview gala to fete the elegant new Tom Bradley International Terminal on June 20. Guests sat for the program at round transparent tables set with clear chairs and centerpieces that mimicked the airport's illuminated pillars.
Women in Film's annual Crystal & Lucy Awards Gala took place at the Beverly Hilton on June 13, and the intricate stage set really let guests focus on the evening's theme. Designed by Tony Schubert of Event Eleven and built by MEI, a 12-foot-wide wooden lens was painted black on the outside and had a graphic applied to its front. A dimensional "WIF" logo was back-lit with LED lights, and a custom-built channel accepted additional lighting for the lens's circle.
On June 11, Coach and Friends of the High Line hosted the third annual Summer Party in New York. To give the benefit an aptly summery vibe, planner Bronson van Wyck created a vintage-inspired carnival replete with fortune-tellers, jugglers, and nostalgic games at the Chelsea Market passage. Decor included marquee lights spelling out carney-inspired phrases such as "Step Right Up."
The Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington hosted its 31st annual Rammy restaurant awards at the Washington Marriott Wardman Park on June 24. One of the food offerings at the Peru pavilion was avocados stuffed with feta cheese, dill, cucumber, and onions and topped with peppers.
