Resource Furniture's table by interior designer Marie Aiello was an immersive, under-the-sea experience. A 7-and-a-half-foot-tall NanoLumens LED screen wrapped around the space, displaying high-resolution videos of people swimming in the ocean. A mix of air plants, pincushion proteas, and cockscomb ran down the center of the table, and a Torde Boontje LED Blossom chandelier hung from above.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
One of the more ambitious installations was the two-story tree house that Evette Rios designed for hayneedle.com. Constructed by John Zukowski of C&C Design Construction Group, large tree trunks functioned as steps leading up to the table. An alcove with a hammock and a grass-covered floor was tucked underneath the structure.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Led by Isabel and Ruben Toledo, New York University students put together a table with a shabby-chic theme.
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The focus of Domus Design Collection’s installation for The New York Times was a giant, living wall of textured greenery. Also cool: a Waterford Crystal chandelier intertwined with an umbrella hung above the table.
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Alexa Stevenson styled an ambitious table for the New York Design Center titled "Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner?" Nine of N.Y.D.C.’s Access to Design designers imagined cheeky place settings for their dream (deceased) dinner party guests, including Coco Chanel, Elizabeth Taylor, and Steve Jobs. Imagined to be set in a glamorous, haunted mansion, the macabre centerpiece included moss, succulents, and a skull inside a glass cloche.
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Eric Warner's table for Aesthete Ltd. had a subtle equestrian theme. LED tea lights and globe lights hung from stirrups and horse bits, and horse motifs appeared on the plates and the art hanging from the walls.
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Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Many of the tables this year opted against traditional floral centerpieces. David Stark's whimsical installation for sponsor Benjamin Moore, based on the brand’s new Color Stories paint collection, played off the slogan “A whole new chapter in paint color technology is being written.” The library-inspired setting featured a table made from actual books, with handcrafted pop-up books serving as a centerpiece.
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Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
DESIGNLUSH's setting was an homage to 1970s fashion designer Paco Rabanne. Housed inside a golden pool cabana, the focal point of the look was a two-tiered, rectangular gold paillette chandelier commissioned from Le Lebow, the Paris firm that made the paillettes for Rabanne's mini dresses. The table displayed wine bottles coated in real gold using a process adapted from industrial use.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Jes Gordon created a fun, fluorescent look using a variety of recycled materials, including milk-crate shelving, vintage toys, neon ribbons, and painted books. Gordon invited attendees to write wishes for those affected by AIDS on strips of neon paper, which she attached to a towering centerpiece crafted from wire hangers with paper clips.
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Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Goil Amornvivat, Thomas Morbitzer, and Tietz-Baccon created intricate C.N.C.-cut walls depicting spaceships, unicorns, trains, pirate ships, dragons, and more. Cloud-shaped benches surrounded a multidimensional clear-top table displaying a tiny town of mirrored houses holding LED candles.
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Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
The ubiquitous QR code took center stage at the Input Creative Studio table. The illuminated tabletop was cut to resemble a QR code, with neon Lucite towers growing out of the center. Recyclable takeaway containers—a commentary on the temporary nature of digital society—took the place of traditional place settings.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Students from the New York School of Interior Design (working with design mentor Clodagh) used rope to create a dramatic setting. In lieu of any type of centerpiece, a chandelier of Lucite and filament bulbs was reflected in a mirror running down the table's center.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Alternative Centerpieces
Stephanie Goto also skipped a centerpiece, instead creating what she called a "chan-dine-lier." Designed to feel like dining inside of a chandelier, the quirky table was encircled by fluorescent PVC strips. Inside, a circular bench surrounding the table was interrupted every few feet with a 2-D cut-out of a seated person.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Patterned Fabrics
Several tables incorporated patterned fabrics. Marimekko's "Color Therapy" exhibition balanced the company's colorful patterned fabrics with plain white chairs and plates.
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Diffa Trend: Patterned Fabrics
Jonathan Adler's design for Kravet featured his yet-to-be-released new fabric collection. The upholstered chair "walls" formed vase cut-outs when pushed together, referencing the centerpiece of various ceramic and porcelain vases on the fabric-covered table.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Patterned Fabrics
Echodesign's space had a modern tribal feel, with a feather chandelier, printed fabric panels, and a patterned table runner that extended down to the floor.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Patterned Fabrics
The Tilton Fenwick table was an explosion of floral patterns. The Christian LaCroix-inspired look sat atop a platform hand-painted to match the tablecloth. Clear Chiavari chairs were chosen so as not to compete with the pattern.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Neutral Palettes
Several of the tables had organic, neutral palettes. Ralph Lauren Executive Vice President and CRO Alfredo Pares (who received the inaugural David Rockwell Diffa Service Award this year) hosted an natural-looking table designed by Mark Cunningham Inc. A woven Kwangho Lee lighting fixture dripped into a metal bowl filled with oversize leaves.
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Diffa Trend: Neutral Palettes
A burlap-wrapped filament bulb fixture lighted Marc Blackwell's bar-height table for La Crema. Moss centerpieces inside glass cloches completed the rustic yet elegant look.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Neutral Palettes
Ralph Lauren went with a cozy, ski-chalet-inspired look. Centerpieces of snowberries and wrought iron lanterns created a runner down the center of the rustic wood table. Other striking details included a faux fireplace, Pendleton-inspired bench cushions, and an antler chandelier.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Neutral Palettes
For the first time, Diffa expanded beyond dining installations to feature a custom bar and lounge area, sponsored by EFFEN Vodka and designed by the brand’s designer partner, Richard Chai. The modern space showcased a sculptural blonde wood bar inspired by the circular shape of the EFFEN bottle.
Photo: Marion Curtis/Star Pix
Diffa Trend: Residential Design
Another trend was settings that took inspiration from the home. Ethan Allen went for a preppy Florida-vacation-home look with a grassy carpet, feathered flamingos, and a centerpiece of hot pink tulips.
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Diffa Trend: Residential Design
Roger Thomas's setting for Maya Romanoff had the feel of a fancy dining room in a penthouse apartment. The organic centerpiece—a mound of moss dotted with mushrooms, quartz, and orchids—contrasted with the luxe gold place settings.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Residential Design
Interior designer Libby Langdon's table for Liebherr showcased a chandelier made from wine bottles and filament bulbs. A lush centerpiece of greenery, succulents, and moss completed the homey style.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
Diffa Trend: Residential Design
Arpad Baksa Architect recreated a New York City apartment rooftop party that included faux pigeons and hanging glass globes filled with viburnum.
Photo: Ronnie Andren for BizBash
1. Write It on the Wall
A simple way to draw attention to an official hashtag is to place a call to action on a wall. Promotions like Wired magazine's pop-up, which took place in New York last November, used wall decals to encourage consumers to promote the store while on-site.
Photo: Jika González/BizBash
2. Put It on Signage
Signage is a more prominent way to direct guests to the designated hashtag, a strategy employed by last year's Sweetgreen festival in Maryland. The resulting tweets were broadcast on the large screens placed around the stage.
Photo: WanderingHat
3. Make It Larger Than Life
Increasingly common at events is the use of large video screens to display Twitter chatter. For the "Shops at Target" launch in New York on May 1, the producers took advantage of the IAC Building's 120-foot-long video wall to magnify posts marked with #TheShopsatTgt.
Photo: Nilaya Sabnis
4. Provide a Memento
Services like Instaprint are popping up at many affairs, proving popular with guests as a tangible record of their active social media use. At a fashion show held by USA Network in New York, even the wall the machines were mounted on sported the hashtag, motivating curious attendees to snap a photo and post it via Instagram.
Photo: David X Prutting/BFAnyc.com
5. Make Staffers Wear It
Staffers are a common sight at events, and some event producers have put hashtags on the outfits worn by greeters, caterwaiters, or even hosts. In February, the South Beach Wine & Food Festival advertised its official Twitter phrase on the T-shirts worn by participating chefs like Rocco DiSpirito.
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash
7. Place It at Entry Points
Just as common as a red carpet are the rope-and-stanchion barricades that denote an entrance or V.I.P. area. Among the ways the Art Gallery of Ontario displayed the hashtag for its annual Massive Party fund-raiser on April 19, was the use of small signs placed atop stanchions.
Photo: Emma McIntyre for BizBash
9. Include It in Printed Materials
Invitations and programs serve as physical reminders of an event's basic info—the date, time, location, and even dress code. An additional step would be to add the hashtag to such materials, which is what the Shorty Awards did in New York on March 26.
Photo: Rose Chevalier/BizBash
10. Put It Onstage
When the stage—or runway—is a central element of an event, a backdrop can call attention to something in a big way. The producers of USA Network's fashion presentation in New York on June 12 utilized the 60-foot-long LED video wall that served as the main decorative element of the catwalk to display its hashtag as well as the premiere date of show Suits.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
11. Make It the Focal Point
Not every event has a stage, but any eye-catching area can be a smart spot to place a hashtag. That was the case with the June 5 release party for the Project X Xtended Cut DVD in Los Angeles. Produced by the Visionary Group, the backyard-bash-style affair for Warner Brothers and Break Media included an 18- by 10-foot pool, which had a banner marked with the event name and hashtag sitting at the bottom.
Photo: Mark Davis
12. Print It on Functional Items
A more subtle approach is to use the hashtag on the cocktail napkins. The organizers of Travel & Leisure's first Social Media in Travel & Tourism Awards (the Smittys) in New York on June 7 made sure attendees saw the hashtag when grabbing a bite from a passing waiter or when taking a cocktail from the bar.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
13. Use It as Decor
Similarly simple was the approach taken for the August 2011 press preview of Betsey Johnson's fragrance Too Too. The planners incorporated the event hashtag and the designer's official Twitter handle into the overall event design by placing the call to action in frames.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
14. Turn It Into an Activity
A playful, original idea created by the planners behind Travel & Leisure's Social Media in Travel & Tourism Awards replaced entrance bracelets with sweatbands and invited guests to embellish them with quirky pins, one of which displayed the hashtag.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
15. Put It Where Guests Gather
Bars are almost always the most crowded areas of an event, and in addition to displaying the affair's signature cocktails, drink menus can be marked with a hashtag.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
6. Add It to the Red Carpet
The arrival areas of events involving celebrity guests tend to draw large crowds. To turn that to their advantage, the planners behind USA Network's upfront in New York placed a large canvas emblazoned with the official hashtag high above the carpet where passersby could see it.
Photo: Brian Brooks/MB Productions
8. Mark It on Tickets
The colorful plastic and paper wristbands used at concerts, festivals, and other big events can be customized to show a designated hashtag. To encourage guests at its Party in the Garden fund-raiser to upload photos via Instagram, the Museum of Modern Art in New York handed out entry bracelets printed with the hashtag #PitG2012.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
At a wedding designed by Triton Productions, the focal point of the pre- and post-ceremony cocktail area at the Fontainebleau Miami Beach was a custom-designed 360-degree bar made of corrugated mirror.
Photo: Donnanewman.com
At a 40th birthday party, Susan Holland Events filled the Stephan Weiss Studio in New York with disco ball lights and projected French surrealist films, while a swing hung near the dance floor.
Photo: Jamie Watts
Todd Events made a wedding held inside a large barn in Aspen seem more intimate with two tall signature bars and scattered seating and food station vignettes. Hanging glass globes appeared to lower the ceilings.
Photo: Karlisch Wrubel Photography
Inspired by the family’s love of candy, David Monn used ring pops, gummy frogs, lollipops, and sour apple gummy rings to create the centerpieces at a recent bat mitzvah.
Photo: Brian Dorsey Studios
Ritzy Bee Events used craft paper and chalk to label the passed appetizers for a rehearsal dinner at the Decatur House in Washington so guests wouldn’t be left guessing.
Photo: Kate Headley Photography
For a donut-themed bridal shower put together by blogger Elsie Larson, a giant chalkboard filled with descriptive doodles served as the backdrop of the food spread.
Photo: Elsie Larson/elsiecake.com
For an upscale dinner party, Fête presented a clambake menu in a formal, modern setting by having waiters serve custom Plexiglas trays filled with seafood.
Photo: Huy Nguyen/Love Unscripted
At a casual outdoor wedding in California planned by Kate Miller Events, gingham flags displaying table numbers were tucked into vintage soda bottles filled with flowers.
Photo: True Love Photo
Guests created custom perfumes at a scent bar set up by Ka-Mil-Yin, a Los Angeles-based fragrance company that specializes in perfume parties, to take home as a favor from a bridal shower.
Photo: Elizabeth Messina
For a dandy-themed graduation party in Hollywood, Canvas & Canopy designed a dessert buffet that eschewed the twee look in favor of a sophisticated display of treats on cake stands made from vintage candlesticks and shelves built using industrial pipes.
Photo: Jonathan Moore
For a New York couple marrying at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, Heather Snively of Weddings Unique recreated the newlyweds’ hometown with a hand-painted backdrop of Central Park from Greenery Productions. Lighting and real trees helped the scene come to life.
Photo: Shiprapanosian.com
Marcy Blum Associates built a bakery-style display case to offer guests breakfast-to-go treats from New York bakeries at the end of a wedding reception.
Photo: Eliot Holzman Photograph
Jes Gordon/Proper Fun created a supper club atmosphere at Gotham Hall in New York for a recent bar mitzvah. Four-hundred luminaries filled with LED candles were hung from a large oval truss on the ceiling.
Photo: Andre Maier Photography
Matthew Parker Events crafted lighting fixtures for a speakeasy-themed wedding using hats from a party supply store, decorative ribbon, corded wire, and filament bulbs.
Photo: Yvonne Wong
For a wedding at the King Plow Event Gallery in Atlanta, Bold American Events & Catering designed an upside-down centerpiece of yellow tulips and glass globes that hung above the head table.
Photo: Our Labor of Love
David Beahm Design put together a farm cart filled with Israeli market-inspired treats, like jars of honey, nuts, and dried apricots, which was displayed at the wedding of a couple looking to tie in their Israeli roots. Guests filled small burlap bags to take home.
Photo: Courtesy of David Beahm Design
Bryn Chernoff of Paperfinger created custom calligraphy stamps of each guest’s name, which doubled as place cards and favors at a private dinner party held at the Foundry in New York.
Photo: Jen Huang Photography
The tables at a graffiti-themed bar mitzvah designed by David Stark Design and Production, held at Center 548 in New York, displayed arrangements of daffodils and ranunculuses sprouting from cinder block planters.
Photo: Susan Montagna
Bathroom amenity baskets are a staple at social events, sometimes tying to the event’s motif, like this one created by State of the Art Enterprises for a bar mitzvah with a graphic pattern theme.
Photo: Carlos Andres Varela
Jeffrey Foster of Event Creative designed custom-built tables and props, including glowing baseball diamond-shaped tables and a scoreboard that hung above the dance floor, for a bar mitzvah at the Ravenswood Event Center in Chicago.
Photo: Lee Ross Photography
For a vodka shot bar at a birthday party designed by Kristi Amoroso Special Events, the bottles were displayed in a sculptural arrangement of textured ice spheres.
Photo: Nick Brown Photography
Mélangerie Inc.’s customized wedding genealogy charts detail the relationship of the wedded couple to their guests with the help of a relationship key. Guests browse the chart during the cocktail hour to learn about their tablemates.
Photo: Courtesy of Mélangerie Inc.
For a wedding at the Museum of Fine Arts Boston, Marc Hall Design built seven-foot-tall mirrored glass vessels to hold apple tree branches adorned with phalaenopsis orchids that were kept hydrated through a system of hand-blown glass pipes.
Photo: Gruber Photographers
For a bat mitzvah at Guastavino’s in New York, Susan Holland Events used Tyvek pillows hand-stitched with neon thread as chargers. After the meal, waiters threw the pillows in the center of the tables, where they glowed under black light.
Photo: Johannes Kroemer
Levy Lighting and Preston Bailey collaborated on a wedding after-party lounge held in a tent, with the ceiling lit from behind to create the glowing effect.
Photo: Courtesy of Levy Lighting
Luxe Event Rentals 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 brand-new pieces, exclusive to Luxe, come with a rental fee of $45-$85 for the armless version, or $195-$265 for the chairs with arms.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
AFR set up a central lounge space for attendees using its new grass furniture, which is just launching in Los Angeles. Turf-covered seating groups sat atop a turf floor, and colorful pillows made the look pop.
Photo: Brightroom, Inc.
As an updated alternative to the traditional Chiavari chair, Empire Event Rentals is offering its new “Louie” chair, with 500 available for rental in Los Angeles. Available as of the last three months, the white cushioned chair can be used in combination with its colorful sequin equivalents as accent pieces for a look that pops.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
