Candy Station

The colorful decor and unexpected elements extended to the food. Organizers sought to provide less-than-traditional conference fare, such as Nutella and banana sandwiches, and stocked the sponsor lounge with a variety of candy.

"I cannot ever get enough of mini patisserie bars for a jaw-dropping dessert display. Move over, plated dessert, there's a new sweets game in town."

Colorful sweets topped a table at the preview night. "The day before and the day of Sneak Preview Night hosts nearly 10,000 media and auto industry executives, so it’s a challenge to set up for one event during another," the auto show's Callari said. "In addition to the limited setup time and juggling of events, the venue itself is vast, with high ceilings and thousands of windows. Making that space feel intimate and festive requires creativity. And we have to be conscious of costs since this is a charity event, but we do not want to lose the world-class look of the L.A. Auto Show."

A lavender candy bar offered cakepops, cupcakes, and rock candy.

Occasions Caterers set up an elaborate dessert buffet in a separate room at the Anderson house with Cuban sweets like drunk pineapple, exotic fruit crème brûlée, coffee parfait, and cocktail arroz con leche.

A baked-goods station had sweet bites, including mini brownie squares, sugary doughnut holes, and bite-size chocolate chip cookies.

BMW returned as the automotive sponsor this year with an all-white lounge area for guests—with a touch of color from this edible logo.