The block party took place inside and around the Cooper Classic Cars gallery, with food carts, two bars, and picnic tables for guest seating. For a refreshing treat, guests sipped on "adult icies," or shaved ice spiked with vodka, by People's Pops.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
The venue was outfitted in the brand's signature colors of black, white, and orange, with silver accents. Several promotional posters decorated the walls, and abstract, chandelier-like fixtures in bright colors hung from the ceiling.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
Perhaps the most raved-about component of the block party was a pool that producers built on the sidewalk. Model and brand ambassador Chanel Iman was on hand to interact with guests.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
As a way to spark interaction, guests received permanent markers to sign the wooden deck surrounding the pool.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
Guests could participate in several games, including bean-bag toss, ping-pong, and chess.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
Attendees sipped on refreshing cocktails, including spiked lemonade and a drink made with watermelon and vodka.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
The barbecue station offered grilled corn, mini beef or mushroom burgers, and hot dogs.
Photo: Rose Chevalier/BizBash
Several food carts were spread out throughout the event's footprint, offering small baskets of French fries and several taco options, including steak and fish.
Photo: Rose Chevalier/BizBash
A baked-goods station had sweet bites, including mini brownie squares, sugary doughnut holes, and bite-size chocolate chip cookies.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
For entertainment, producers brought in a hula-hoop-dancing duo from Groovehoops. The pair took turns dancing to tunes on a platform with LED hoops.
Photo: Courtesy of Sunglass Hut
As a fun way to promote sunglasses, Relevent brought out performance artist Joey Arias who sported a skirt-like shelving structure to display the products.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
The Style Tour truck and pop-up shop was on-site to give attendees a chance to try on and purchase their favorite styles. A large prize wheel allowed consumers to spin and win percentages off their next purchases.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
At the Zing vodka launch, the press wall took the form of a hedge with 2,000 roses spelling out the brand's name.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
Gloved hands poked through a rose-covered wall to offer shots and desserts at the Zing vodka launch.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
Guests sipped on specialty cocktails dreamed up by mixologist Nicole Trzaska of NO8.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
Statues, tree branches, and topiaries were among the garden elements that appeared to come to life.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
The evening's desserts included a vast array of red velvet confections.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
Fashion Week 2007: Alice & Olivia
With its store conveniently located across the street from Bryant Park, the brand opted to host a presentation at the small shop in September and festooned an array of props to evoke an Alice in Wonderland motif. Designer Stacey Bendet tapped Gilberto Santana, the visual director for Henri Bendel, and his ex-wife, Claudia, plus cartoonist Elanna Allen to help execute the idea, which included sets with oversize and miniature furniture and cupcakes from Crumb’s bakery.
Photo: BizBash
Barbie's "Dream Closet"
Augmented-reality mirrors allowed guests to play with fashion and try out Barbie's many outfits, from career to couture, at a whim.
Photo: BFA
Eco-Friendly Water Stations
TEDActive guests scooped up logo water bottles upon their arrival (or any time throughout the conference) that served as giveaways, as well as a way to stay hydrated without the use of disposable plastic bottles. Hydration stations let guests fill up easily and as often as they liked.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Inspiring Environments
In a thoughtful use of the environment surrounding the sprawling host hotel, individual seating groups invited attendees to gather and collaborate in cleverly arranged settings that themselves served to inspire.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
For the 2008 launch of its revamped Tea Tree line of shampoos and conditioners, Paul Mitchell built cabanas on a rooftop garden in New York. Drinks and displays highlighted the ingredients of each product, with fresh sage lemonade served in the area for the Lemon Sage line.
Photo: Jessica Torossian/BizBash
To prevent a 2011 launch from looking too clinical, Canadian skin-care brand Dermaglow used a 10-foot-tall floral arrangement, bright uniforms for the waitstaff, and macarons to add color to the space. Each hue corresponded to a different product line.
Photo: Ryan Emberly
In 2007, Bourjois Paris spread the word about its new Docteur Glamour line by creating a beauty ambulance of sorts. A vehicle with glass sides served as the setting for prearranged appointments with beauty editors outside the offices of several large magazine publishing companies.
Photo: Elizabeth Lippman
When Victoria's Secret launched the Pink fragrance collection in 2009, the brand relied on models, rather than brand representatives, to articulate and embody the concept behind the three scents. Thoroughly briefed and scripted on their distinct characters, the models became living, talking props and guided editors through the apartment-like vignettes that represented the lifestyle of their specific consumer profile.
Photo: Justin Jay/Courtesy of Victoria's Secret Beauty
Brides, Bubbles, and Bliss
Carasco Photography hosted "Brides, Bubbles, and Bliss" at Chicago's Bridgeport Art Center on May 1. The event showcased tabletops from different vendors. Ashland Addison Florist created a hanging table strewn with hundreds of pink and white orchids.
Photo: Carasco Photography
American Harvest Organic Spirit Launch Party
Event Creative designer Meredith Treinen brought an East Coast look to the Ivy Room for the spirit's launch party in Chicago last summer. Decorative elements included fresh wheat in birch containers, blue hydrangeas in wood boxes, and votive-filled Mason jars. Lighting cast leafy projections on the walls.
Photo: AveryHouse
Relief From High-Heel Suffering
After a long Oscar night, host Seth MacFarlane's official after-party included a station from Tkees, which encouraged guests to check their heels (similar to the way they would at a coat check) and pick up a pair of flip-flops—in gold, appropriate to the occasion.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Shelter From Rain
Guests arriving at USA Network's event atop the High Line in New York last summer found a receiving line of umbrella-wielding staffers, who provided shelter all the way to the entrance of the covered bash.
Photo: David X Prutting/BFAnyc.com
Sun Protection at the Ready
At Lacoste's Coachella pool party in the blazing desert sun, cigarette-style girls, clad in Lacoste gear, passed Kiel's sun-protection products.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Lacoste
Wet Weather Accessories
When the weather unexpectedly turned sour at South by Southwest this year, ponchos from Warner Brothers served as protection from the rain as well as an opportunity to promote CW television series Arrow.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved
Relaxing Hammocks
Bonnaroo attendees could relax in hammocks and enter to win V.I.P. passes in the "Great State Lounge" hosted by State Farm. The insurance company also provided what it called "Bonnaroo Roadside Assistance"—free services such as help with flat tires and dead batteries.
Photo: Erika Goldring
Yoga Sessions
At the WWD Beauty C.E.O. Summit in Palm Beach, yoga on branded mats on the lawn allowed guests to relax and unwind.
Photo: Sonja Garnitschnig
Hair Services for Grubby Festival-Goers
More than 80,000 people traveled to a remote 700-acre farm in Tennessee June 7 to 10 for the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Knowing the attendees would be outside day and night listening music on multiple stages, brands such as Garnier Fructis provided practical services such as free hair-washing and styling in a 40- by 40-foot air-conditioned tent.
Photo: Erika Goldring
Hand Wipes and Toothpicks
Things tend to get messy at food festivals, tastings, and other events with lots of grub, so Delta provided toothpicks, hand wipes, and mints at the 2010 New York City Wine & Food Festival, a smart way to get the brand in front of attendees.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
Convenient Transportation
During Upfront Week in New York last year, Turner Broadcasting held back-to-back late-night events and, to help transport guests from the Adult Swim party to the shindig for TruTV, provided a fleet of pedicabs offering free rides.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
Custom Fragrance Gifts
For a recent press event in Los Angeles, Paul Frank brought Starring Fragrances for a station that gave guests the chance to take home custom fragrances, made on the spot according to their individual tastes.
Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision for Saban Brands/AP Images
Easy, Stylish Phone-Charging Access
At the FN C.E.O. Summit in Miami, guests could charge their smartphones in a luxe lounge—a stylish, discreet solution to manage the task that everyone wants as a convenience at events. The centerpieces during the education sessions were framed instructions on how to reference the summit on social media and log on to the hotel's Wi-Fi network.
Photo: Javier Sanchez
Flip-Flop Takeaways
MSNBC also had a flip-flop station at its White House Correspondents' Association Dinner after-party, providing relief for folks who had been on their feet all evening.
Photo: Beth Kormanik/BizBash
At the Pitchfork Music Festival, Heineken had a dome-shaped tent meant to represent a reinvented beer cooler. After having their IDs checked, guests entered the air-conditioned space to find open bars doling out the Dutch beer on tap. California-based Corso Communications produced the activation.
Photo: Jenny Berg/BizBash
In 2010, Armani Exchange hosted its "Cool Down for a Cause" event in Los Angeles, outfitting a retro ice cream truck to serve up fall denim looks. The "A|X Chill Truck" hawked sweet treats and denim deals outside the brand's Robertson Boulevard store, with proceeds from the day benefiting the Surfrider Foundation.
Photo: Albert Michael/startraksphoto.com
For a Yelp community event in 2009 in New York, the user review and social networking Web site kept guests cool with branded fans and misting stations near the event's entrance.
Photo: Entwined Studios
In 2011, Gilt City, the event-focused arm of parent company Gilt Groupe, celebrated launching in its ninth city with a garden party in Washington, where natural cosmetics company Lush provided spritz bottles to keep guests cool.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
For a luxe shaded environment at a recent pool party, the team at Swank Productions kept the decor streamlined with a mostly white color palette, mirrored furnishings, and plenty of sheer draping.
Photo: Courtesy of Swank Productions
As part of Colgate's White Beauty Bar event in Los Angeles, Skintimate treated attendees to a self-serve sorbet station.
Photo: Glenn Lipton
Guests at Stella McCartney's 2011 spring preview scooped up shaved ice by People's Pops in New York.
Photo: Andrew H. Walker/WireImage for Stella McCartney
The Do Lab's central art piece at Coachella took on an ombré look this year, in colors that seemed to evoke desert flowers. The structures provided shade in the sweltering daylight hours, and they served as a meeting point and a stage for performances that included the work of Lucent Dossier.
Photo: Melissa Iris Garcia for BizBash
Guests at the Lacoste Live pool party during Coachella in 2012 could cool off with snow cones at a station provided by sponsor Fiji Water.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
Inflate USA's line of inflatable structures for events includes more than 30 different sizes and shapes, such as the Luna, designed to act as a portable bar area, and the Trident, a massive tent structure designed for concerts and expos that can be set up in less than five hours.
Photo: Courtesy of Inflate USA
To build buzz around its summer tour series, Sunglass Hut hosted a block party in June 2012. Produced by Relevent's Tony Berger, the early evening event spanned an entire West Village block in New York and included a pool built on the sidewalk. As a way to spark interaction, guests received permanent markers to sign the wooden deck surrounding the water.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
At the 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado, presenting sponsor Belvedere offered refreshing beverages made with the brand's Lemon Tea vodka, including the Lemon Tea Classic Punch, a drink that featured sherbet, black tea, and a mint sprig garnish.
Photo: Aubree Dallas for Belvedere Vodka
TEDActive guests scooped up logo water bottles upon their arrival that served as giveaways, as well as a way to stay hydrated without the use of disposable plastic bottles. Hydration stations allowed guests to fill up easily and as often as they liked.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
The 2011 premiere party for WE TV's Braxton Family Values—a show about singer Toni Braxton—took place atop the London West Hollywood and featured a decidedly feminine look. To gussy up the central pool, florist C.J. Matsumoto covered foam spheres in bright pink flowers, then attached the arrangements to weights anchored to the bottom of the pool.
Photo: Dale Wilcox Photography/DWP
To kick off its summer-long partnership, eyewear brand Warby Parker hosted a summer pool party in June 2012 at the Standard in downtown Los Angeles. In addition to staffers pushing library-style book carts around the space as a way to get guests to try on the limited-edition shades, poolside tables also displayed the glasses alongside buckets of branded towels.
Photo: Lauren Farmer
In March, Vogue Eyewear hosted an al fresco party at a private mansion in Los Angeles. In the backyard, beach balls and a gobo of the brand's logo decorated the pool, around which furniture groupings and lanterns hanging from trees created a summery feel.
Photo: Courtesy of Vogue Eyewear
To launch its latest special edition art series label—and raise funds for Haiti—Ferllen Winery teamed up with the Amigos Near Foundation for an arty event in Miami in February. On the deck upstairs, mounted pieces from photographer Tomas Loewy floated on the turquoise water, giving the appearance of unusually decorative rafts.
Photo: Tomas Loewy
Ideal for poolside events where you want to send a message, Melbourne, Florida-based Aqua Art Enterprises makes custom mats in the shape of corporate logos (or other images) that sink to the bottom of a swimming pool for a painted-on look.
Photo: Courtesy of Aqua Art Enterprises
To mark the 25th anniversary of Shark Week, Discovery hosted an event in August 2012 that put sharks in the pool of the Beverly Hilton. The scary fish weren't real, of course, but rather slowly moving projections devised by the planning and production team from Event Eleven.
Photo: Courtesy of Discovery Communications
In addition to the roaming Playboy bunnies, playmates, and scantily clad dancers at Playboy's 2010 Super Bowl party in Miami, performers dressed as mermaids from Zhantra Entertainment swam in the pool and posed for pictures.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Internet Week title sponsor Yahoo gathered some 100 business executives for a private event at a five-story loft townhouse in New York in May of 2012 to mark the relaunch of advertising tool Genome. The Internet company partnered with Swank Productions to give the space a more modern aesthetic, which included decorating the indoor pool area with large clear and silver balloons, and hiring a trio of synchronized swimmers from Gotham Synchro dressed in head-to-toe body suits.
Photo: Sean T. Smith
To build buzz around its summer tour series, Sunglass Hut hosted a block party in June 2012. Produced by Relevent's Tony Berger, the early evening shindig spanned an entire West Village block in New York and included a pool built on the sidewalk. As a way to spark interaction, guests received permanent markers to sign the wooden deck surrounding the pool.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
During the first weekend of Coachella in 2012, Lacoste threw a pool party presented by HTC at a private estate in nearby Thermal, California. Surrounded by branded cabanas, the pool was filled with inflatable versions of the clothing company's signature green crocodile.
Photo: John Sciulli/WireImage
Guests at the Lacoste Live pool party during Coachella in 2012 could cool off with snow cones at a station provided by sponsor Fiji Water.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images
During Simon G. Jewelry's launch of its eco-friendly line in 2010, held at the Venetian Resort in Las Vegas, pool performances by women dressed in white costumes doing ballet moves inside huge plastic bubbles floating on the water added drama to the evening. The performers were booked through Best Agency.
Photo: IS Photography/ImagesofVegas.com
In 2010, email newsletter Thrillist brought Hotel Thrillist, a party-packed traveling promotion, to Los Angeles. The weekend-long programming included a pool party at a private mansion on Saturday afternoon, where the Aqualillies performed a synchronized swim routine.
Photo: Colin Young-Wolff
One of the biggest annual events on the South Beach spring-break circuit, the Victoria’s Secret Pink pool party took place at the Shelborne Beach Resort in Miami in March 2012. The upscale poolside lounge was turned into a Victoria's Secret Pink haven, decked out in branded furniture, pool toys, balloons, and beach gear.
Photo: Courtesy of Victoria's Secret
Absolut Vodka launched its latest vodka in November 2012 at an ExtraExtra-produced event at the Standard Miami Beach. Self-sealing mylar balloons spelling out the brand name were clustered as a backdrop for a synchronized swimming performance by the Dolphinettes to music by DJ Mia Moretti.
Photo: Seth Browarnik/WorldRedEye.com
Making the most of the rooftop pool at the Empire Hotel in New York, La Perla floated its name in the water for a poolside swimwear presentation during Fashion Week in 2008.
Photo:Â Jennifer Graylock
To launch its "It's So Miami" campaign in 2012, the Greater Miami Convention & Visitor's Bureau erected a pop-up pool party in New York's Union Square. The setup included a plunge pool and a wading pool, as well as 17-foot-tall palm trees, a cabana for the media, lounge chairs, and a DJ area. The pools looked out of place in the gritty big-city locale—which was exactly the point of the promotion.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
