Photo: Jane Kratochvil Photography for The Dumbo Arts Festival 2011
Surrounded by camellia trees, the promenade area was redone as a garden space, reminiscent of Jean Cocteau's classic La Belle et la BĂŞte. The room highlighted Chanel's fine jewelry collection alongside flowers that shone with diamonds.
Photo: Billy Farrell/BFAnyc.com
Cash Money Records Pre-Grammy Party
Digital screens, including a retractable LED chandelier that draped the stage, displayed images such as the Eiffel Tower emblazoned with YMCMB (Young Money Cash Money Billionaires) logos. And 14-foot white cherry blossom trees stood sentry.
Photo: Adrian Sidney/PictureGroup
Real tree branches and miniature faux tree centerpieces were part of the garden motif.
Photo: Lucien Capehart
Long, communal tables and lounge-like configurations provided more relaxed seating on the upper level. For centerpieces, the designer incorporated square-shaped canopies, illuminated by candles that hung from the leaves in glass cylinders. Gift bags from sponsor Cartier were placed on guest's seats prior to the start of the event.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
For the opening of New Balance’s first experience store in New York in August, the red carpet backdrop at the V.I.P. preview incorporated real running shoes mounted to a wall printed with the shoe brand’s logo.
Photo: Jeeyun Lee/BizBash
For the Museum of Modern Art’s film benefit on November 15 in New York, the celebrity arrivals backdrop wasn’t a step-and-repeat of logos but rather a wall of 20,000 fresh crimson-colored roses.
Photo: Jika González/BizBash
Acer's Journey
Also inside Acer's pavilion is an installation called the Journey's Sphere, where visitors can use tablets to explore the games and videos that appear on a large globe.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
Panasonic 3-D Theater
To flaunt its partnership with the International Olympic Committee and the Olympic Broadcasting Services to make the London Olympics the first games shown live in 3-D, the Japanese electronics company built a theater on the grounds of Olympic Park.
Photo: Courtesy of Panasonic
Panasonic 3-D Theater
Inside its 4,300-square-foot pavilion, Panasonic is broadcasting live, three-dimensional footage of the competitions, including swimming and gymnastics.
Photo: Courtesy of Panasonic
BT London Live
British Telecom is also using the London Live promotion to show off its various services, including its digital TV offering known as BT Vision.
Photo: Bengt Erik Akerblom for BizBash
Cadbury House at BT London Live
The English chocolate maker is the official treat provider of the games and the biggest activation was the experiential Cadbury House set up in Hyde Park as part of BT London Live. The temporary exhibit of its products is housed under three inflatable domes in Cadbury's signature purple hue.
Photo: Rob Low
P&G Family Home
The Gillette Lounge within the P&G Family Home is modeled as a men's club, with foosball tables and other forms of entertainment as well as grooming services from Gillette, Old Spice, and Head & Shoulders. A separate salon for women has eight stations with services using P&G beauty brands like Pantene, CoverGirl, Olay, and Clairol.
Photo: Eamonn MacCormack for Getty/P&G
Adidas London 2012 Lounge
As the official sportswear partner of the games, the apparel giant is hosting a space overlooking Olympic Park and the Olympic and Paralympic Village from the roof of the Westfield Stratford Shopping Mall. The space from Adidas plays hosts to daily events and has touch-screen displays that let visitors check out virtual footwear.
Photo: Getty Images
A sold-out crowd of about 2,000 guests attended.
Photo: Curtis Dahl
The Blue Sky cocktail reception, sponsored by BMO, kicked off the gala. The blue carpet, white furniture, and white draping matched both Bell and BMO's brand colours. Two dome lights lit the space.
Photo: BizBash
The 116-foot-long stage and runway was backed by large screens. A circular lighting truss lit the centre stage. V.I.P. guests got prime views of the performances from raised platforms.
Photo: Courtesy of Bell
Dancers incorporated masks, a reference to people with mental illness, into the performances.
Photo: Courtesy of Bell
Trio Zazi welcomed guests at the entrance, giving a performance from floating platforms.
Photo: Courtesy of Bell
The Rogers Cup tennis tournament debuted its virtual combined format last year. On-site in Montreal and Toronto, fans could watch matches in either city in the Rogers Connected Zone. Visitors to the area could also interact with fans in the other city.
Photo: Courtesy of Tennis Canada
Tommy Hilfiger
At the Park Avenue Armory, Tommy Hilfiger fashioned an elaborate set that resembled a gated garden. The showing of his men’s collection on Friday (pictured) had café tables and chairs, and on Sunday evening, the seating switched out for benches to accommodate more attendees at the presentation of the designer’s women’s collection.
Photo: Jamie McCarthy/WireImage
With less than three hours for set up, David Beahm and his team converted Saks Fifth Avenue's third floor into a veritable garden of Eden.
Photo: Jeff Thomas/ImageCapture
The backdrop for the green-colored red-carpet arrivals area was a vertical living garden, which the organizers have created at previous iterations of the auction. This year, for the first time, the press wall incorporated found branches alongside palm fronds, moss elephant ears, phalaenopsis, air ferns, clovers, cabbage, Boston ferns, pitcher plants, staghorn ferns, asparagus ferns, busy ivy, English ivy, and lemon leaf. Many of the plants were replanted after the event.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash
For additional seating, plush velvet couches lined both sides of the cocktail area. Candles and small plants decorated the tops of the mirrored tables.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
For Heineken's Inspire Tour in 2010, the food was adapted to the New York market with items like Reuben sandwiches, Chinese dumplings, hot dogs, and falafels served from street carts.
Photo: Sara Jaye Weiss
Philips at Bonnaroo
Philips sponsored a silent disco at Bonnaroo. The company provided 400 of its new CitiScape Collection headphones for guests to wear to listen to tunes being spun by two DJs.
Photo: Courtesy of Philips
Ford at Bonnaroo
Ford handed out more than 3,000 free T-shirts, screen-printed on-site with designs inspired by mural artists working outside the tent.
Photo: Courtesy of Ford Motor Company
State Farm at Bonnaroo
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 lockouts, flat tires, and dead batteries.
Photo: Erika Goldring
Corporate Magic's vision for the Republican National Convention's welcome event calls for the main stage to be located behind home plate at Tropicana Field, with large white stars hanging above it. Two smaller stages will have 90-foot tension structures in red and blue suspended above them. Around the artificial turf field will be a mix of seating options for the 20,000 invited delegates and media, including lounge seating, high-top tables, and rounds.
Rendering: Courtesy of Corporate Magic
Clear umbrellas and glittering beads hung from the ceiling in the spring area. The sound of falling rain played in the background.
Photo: BizBash
L.A.-based artist Jorge Pardo created a special edition of brightly colored lanterns that hung over the Hammer Museum's Gala in the Garden.
Photo: Stefanie Keenan
Hundreds of balloons from Balloon Trix hung from the ceiling during the V.I.P. dinner. The space changed colour with each course, starting with blue, morphing to pink for the main course, changing to orange for dessert, and ending in red.
Photo: George Pimentel
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
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
'In Style' and Warner Brothers Golden Globes Party
Designer Thomas Ford was inspired by water and fluidity, constructing a tent over the Beverly Hilton Hotel pool and creating an underwater feel using a palette of teal, navy, silver, and coral. Walls were modeled on the reflective surface of ocean waves at night.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
MSNBC White House Correspondents’ Dinner Party
Dramatic chandeliers set the tone at the MSNBC party.
Photo: Michael Loccisano/MSNBC/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images for MSNBC
The fashion show's design included a new method for video playback with a semicircular LED wall. At times, the video wall showcased the models onstage so that guests could get a closer peek at what they were wearing. At other times—such as during the Tommy Hilfiger segment, which had a hunting theme—scenes that underscored the collection's aesthetic appeared as a backdrop.
Photo: Adam Bettcher Photography
Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular
#2 Parade, Walk, Festival & Holiday Event
Hosting several hundred thousand people along the Charles River for a performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is Boston's annual Independence Day celebration. Next: July 4, 2013
Hosting several hundred thousand people along the Charles River for a performance by the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular is Boston's annual Independence Day celebration. Next: July 4, 2013
Photo: Stu Rosner
2. Best Buddies Gala
#3 Benefit
This fall the Best Buddies Gala's 16th outing will have a Russian theme. Rob Lowe, Cindy Crawford, and Tom Brady have been among the 800-odd guests at past galas. Next: November 16, 2012
This fall the Best Buddies Gala's 16th outing will have a Russian theme. Rob Lowe, Cindy Crawford, and Tom Brady have been among the 800-odd guests at past galas. Next: November 16, 2012
Photo: Elizabeth Renfrow for BizBash
Many of the events during the Republican National Convention will be receptions, where networking is the focus and the food needs to be portable. One of the items Good Food Catering Company will serve is a Caprese skewer on a pipette of extra-virgin olive oil.
Photo: Courtesy of Good Food Catering Company
The arrivals area for the London premiere of Total Recall used 150 LED tiles to create a futuristic atmosphere consistent with the movie.
Photo: Courtesy of XL Events
Inside the Tampa Bay Times Forum, 15 LED screens will provide images during the Republican National Convention. Thirteen screens in various sizes are on the stage, including three above that give the appearance of a skylight. Organizers say the podium was designed to give a sense of "America's living room," with traditional American Prairie architecture and modern technology.
Courtesy of Republican National Convention
On September 5, the day before designers begin showing their spring collections, the Style Awards will take over the Fashion Week tents at Lincoln Center with a show that includes a runway presentation and musical performance.
Photo: Jason Kempin/Getty Images for Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Lamps with rings of real white roses crowned tables.
Photo: Nancy Behall
All-white lounge areas held lampshades printed with snowflakes; the bases of the lamps appeared to be filled with glistening snow.
Photo: Nancy Behall
The 2011 In Style and Warner Brothers party got a luxe, library-inspired look. This year, designer Thomas Ford is expected to give the party an underwater look and feel.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
Ten-foot fringe lampshades added thematic flair to the lounge areas, where lava lamps glowed on end tables.
Photo: John Kreis Photography
Coca-Cola’s table at Diffa’s 2011 Dining by Design benefit in New York
Photo: Emily Gilbert for BizBash
Coca-Cola logos on clothing at the Dolce & Gabbana show during Milan Fashion Week in January 2011
Photo: Courtesy of Dolce & Gabbana
The 15,000-person anniversary celebration concert at Atlanta’s Centennial Olympic Park in May
Photo: pwpstudio.com
Photo: Michael Pugh
The 25-foot-tall puppet at the Missoni for Target New York pop-up
Photo: Neil Rasmus/BFAnyc.com
Facebook Developer Conference
Photo: Obsura Digital
Content streamed from the studios for Sapphire Now's dedicated site.
Photo: Claire Pacelli for BizBash
The layout of the expo had arrows pointing to the central Patient Café.
Photo: Noah Wolf Photography
Guests signed a commitment wall.
Photo: Noah Wolf Photography
Photo: Obscura Digital
4. Dan Wheldon's Racing Death at IndyCar
Young race car driver Dan Wheldon died in October after a fiery crash involving 15 cars in the Las Vegas Indy 300 at Las Vegas Motor Speedway. The remainder of the race was canceled, and emotional drivers did tribute laps in Wheldon's honor. A public memorial followed in Indianapolis (pictured), as did much speculation about the relative danger of the Vegas racetrack where the crash occurred.
Photo: Bret Kelley
7. Marina Abramović's Human Heads at MOCA's Gala
The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles's annual gala in November drew 750 patrons who covered their clever and expensive outfits with white lab coats, and then ate their dinner as apparently disembodied heads, positioned as table centerpieces, stared at them unrelentingly. Performance artist Marina Abramović served as the artistic director for the event, produced by Bounce. The human tabletop centerpieces wore black turtlenecks and rotated on cushioned lazy Susans beneath the rectangular tables. They were allowed to communicate with the guests—but only nonverbally—and were required to keep eye contact. Other centerpieces were nudes, draped in skeletons.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
Target's large-scale light, fashion, and dance show on the facade of the Standard New York hotel
Photo: Marion Curtis/Startracksphoto.com
IBM's general session at the Pulse 2011 conference
Photo: Bill Virun/Visually Attractive Inc.
In the U.S. and Canada, TLC Creative provides Xylobands for events.
Photo: Courtesy of Xylobands
Xylobands in action at a Coldplay concert.
Photo: Courtesy of Xylobands
Lumina the Laser Violinist puts a futuristic spin on a classic instrument. The musicians, booked solo or as a duo or trio, play with a laser bow while standing among pulsing light beams. Based in the U.K., Lumina travels worldwide; fees range from $5,000 to $12,000 not including travel costs.
Photo: Courtesy of Lumina the Laser Violinist
At this year's Prudential Real Estate's conference in Orlando, Dallas-based Corporate Magic paired live dancers with digitized butterfly wings projected inside floating orbs to create a single, fluid movement of person and pixels onstage. In-house animators achieved the effect by using green-screen technology. Prices start at $10,000.
Photo: Jeffrey A. Davis
The laser harp from Lightwave International has light beams instead of strings for its performers to pluck. When the performer’s finger interrupts the beam, it sends a signal to its audio technology to play the corresponding note. A performance costs between $7,000 and $12,000.
Photo: Courtesy of Lightwave International
Companies including Google and Disney have booked iLuminate. Dancers wear bodysuits outfitted with wirelessly controlled lights that coordinate with the dancers’ movements, resulting in sci-fi visuals. Based in New York and Los Angeles, iLuminate performances start at $6,000.
Photo: Courtesy of iLuminate
2012 E3 Photos: Xbox Media Briefing
Microsoft executives presented new content and announcements, while developers from Ubisoft, Capcom, Treyarch, and other studios showcased live demos, exclusive videos, and new developments in gaming, entertainment, and fitness. Presenters included top executives from Electronic Arts and Nike, plus Joe Montana, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, and a surprise performance by Usher in celebration of Dance Central 3. Zed Ink was the experiential marketing agency executing the creative and production for the event, collaborating with the Xbox Global Marcom team, led by Mark Harper, Craig McNary, Michael Cole, and Beth Honebrink.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
2012 E3 Photos: 'Halo 4' Reception
One of the most exclusive parties of E3, the “E312 Halo 4” reception transformed the historic Exchange L.A. building with the look of an otherworldly, 26th-century starship interior, straight from the latest release in the Halo series. The reception included exclusive gaming that gave fans and members of the media a glimpse into the blockbuster title that will launch this fall. Themed food and drinks included “Dewey Decimators,” “Guilty Sparks,” and “Smorbs.” A Spartan-themed mission-control station was anchored by futuristic pops and galactic ephemera. Zed Ink was the experiential marketing agency executing creative and production for the event, with April McKee and Beth Honebrink from the Xbox Global Marcom team.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
2012 E3 Photos: 'Hawken' (Game) Haven
The event provides guests an exclusive chance to experience the anticipated Hawken game. The patio hosts a daily happy hour with appetizers and signature cocktails by El Cartel tequila, Svedka vodka, and Singha beer. The nighttime parties included live musical performances from Mix Master Mike of the Beastie Boys presented by Machinima on Tuesday. BlackBook magazine presented Wednesday's festivities to celebrate the launch of its June/July issue.
Photo: Courtesy of Splash News
2012 E3 Photos: Show Floor
A burned-out-bus prop served as a grisly gaming station for demos of Spec Ops: The Line.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Go Graffiti's digital spray paint allowed attendees at the "Re:Mix Lab" to customize images of the new Hyundai cars.
Photo: Sunny Norton/GuestOfAGuest.com
Projected imagery included a pine forest and snowflakes.
Photo: Courtesy of Firefly LA
Foliage gave the tent a park-like feel.
Photo: Courtesy of Firefly LA
Balloons on the Ceiling
Giant balloons suspended from the ceiling served as the focal point at the DX Gala. What's more is that the color-washed room was updated with a new hue with each course.
Photo: George Pimentel
Interior designer Leah Pickler interpreted Showtime's Dexter series when the network partnered with Metropolitan Home in 2008 for an experiential show house. Pickler's dining room included plates, chairs, and walls splattered with blood and a centerpiece comprised of vials of red liquid.
Photo: Alice & Chris for BizBash
The Museum of Science and Industry’s Columbian Ball
Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry hosted its black-tie gala, the Columbian Ball, on Saturday. The museum was originally built for the famous 1893 World’s Fair, and its history played into the decor. In the dinner tent, Heffernan Morgan Ronsley projected vintage photos of the museum onto cyclone-shaped fabric sculptures.
Photo: JB Spector/Museum of Science and Industry, Chicago
Maison Martin Margiela for H&M Preview
In stark contrast to last year’s blowout for its Versace collection, H&M’s preview event for the collaborative collection with Maison Martin Margiela was dominated by artistic performances and installations. Held inside a derelict building in downtown New York, the Tuesday-night party saw dancers—in items from the line—create patterns in squares of sand.
Photo: Dom Smith for Villa Eugenie
Ekocycle Brand Launch
On Wednesday night at New York’s S.I.R. Stage37, Coca-Cola and Will.i.am celebrated the launch of Ekocycle, an initiative promoting recycling and sustainability. Naturally, the decor was designed to showcase products and ideas in line with the mission and included walls decorated with old plastic Coke bottles.
Photo: Kevin Mazur for Getty Images
Bergdorf Goodman’s 111th Anniversary Gala
October 18 saw Bergdorf Goodman host its 111th anniversary gala, an affair that brought some 450 names in fashion and retail to New York’s Plaza hotel. The lively bash recreated the whimsical windows the department store is known for with mannequins and taxidermied animals arranged in vignettes on stage at the Grand Ballroom.
Photo: Billy Farrell/BFAnyc.com
Boys & Girls Clubs of Miami-Dade “Wild About Kids” Gala
The sixth annual Boys & Girls Clubs gala was hosted at the Four Seasons Miami on Saturday. The event was produced by Alorè Event Firm. To welcome guests to the fund-raiser there was a live red carpet by Champagne Creative Group.
Photo: Rubber Boots Photography & Behind the Rope Photography
Madame Tussauds Welcome for E.T. Figure
To celebrate the Blu-ray release and the 30th anniversary of Steven Spielberg's classic film E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, Madame Tussauds Hollywood debuted the new wax E.T. figure on Monday. A trail of Reese's Pieces lining Hollywood Boulevard led red-hooded cyclists accompanied by the wax figure E.T. to the museum.
Photo: Michael Kovac
Stark mimicked the Huffington Post's signature green hue in much of the event's lighting.
Photo: Paul Morigi
Winter Illuminations Festival in Japan
Japan's annual Winter Illuminations festival displayed more than seven million sparkling LED lights, spread across the grounds of the Nabana no Sato botanical garden. The popular 200-meter-long Tunnel of Light enveloped guests in more than a million of the energy-efficient lights.
Photo: Juliana Shimodaira
'ESPN the Magazine' Next Event
The decor included 65 custom sofas and more than 100 coffee tables in ESPN's signature colors of red and black. Paying homage to the host city were 25 five-foot lanterns and 50 gas lamps.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.
'ESPN the Magazine' Next Event
At the Next event's Coke Zero activation, guests could sample products and snap pics at the Coke Zero "Social Foto" booth. The images appeared on a flat screen at the bar.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.
DirecTV Super Saturday Night
Producers had just four hours to convert the Celebrity Beach Bowl into a concert and lounge venue for DirecTV's Super Saturday Night. The tent rigging was built to allow the ceiling to hold as much as 100,000 pounds of equipment and decor. Two massive chandeliers balanced out the JumboTron, which concealed 15 smaller chandeliers during the touch football game.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
Audi Forum New Orleans
The four rings of Audi's logo stood at the entrance to Audi's after-hours event at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art. The event, which took place Friday and Saturday nights, was produced by PMK-BNC and Relevent Partners.
Photo: Jason Merritt/Getty Images for Audi
DirecTV Super Saturday Night
The decor from CL22 Productions included black sequined tablecloths, mirrored surfaces, and furniture with scrolled legs. The room was designed to feel like a nightclub despite taking place in an 88,000-square-foot tent.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
Axxis Sports and Entertainment Leathers & Laces
The 10th edition of the party saw performers from Cirque USA—including a drummer—suspended over the crowd. The event took place Saturday at Second Line Stages.
Photo: Erika Goldring/Getty Images for Leather & Laces
This year's Super Bowl halftime show kicked off with pyrotechnics, putting headliner Beyoncé on stage with a giant flaming silhouette of herself. One producer-reviewer called the opening sequence "epic TV."
Photo: Christian Petersen/Getty Images
When the power temporarily went out at its screening of The Blues Brothers movie last summer, Groupon planners quickly had an announcer inform guests that they were working to solve the issue.
Photo: Sheri Whitko Photography
Thom Browne
For his first-ever women's runway show, Thom Browne created his own vision of a winter wonderland at Center548. Guests entering the studio space found an ominous winter forest complete with fake snow on the ground and an elaborate tableau of tree branches delicately placed throughout. As the female models casually sauntered down the runway, they flirted with lifeless-looking male models, who were clad in Browne's menswear, sported crowns of thorns, and were blindfolded and bound to metal bed frames with blood-red strips of fabric.
Photo: AP Photo/Louis Lanzano
Rodarte
Inspired by memories of their California childhood, Rodarte designers Kate and Laura Mulleavy sought to bring to life their upbringing with the runway backdrop for their fall show. Produced by Bureau Betak and staged at Center548, models walked through a forest of multicolored fluorescent lights set in cinder blocks, reminiscent of a Dan Flavin installation, that channeled the Santa Cruz boardwalk's brightly lit amusement rides in a modern way.
Photo: Courtesy of Bureau Betak
To draw attention to its latest tortilla chip flavor, Doritos built a structure that was designed to look like a giant vending machine, dubbed the “Jacked Stage,” at South by Southwest in March. Artists including Snoop Dogg performed beneath it.
Photo: Erich Schliege/AP Images for Doritos
During Arcade Fire's set at Coachella in 2011, the Creators Project released 1,250 high-tech beach balls over on the audience.
Photo: Peter Sutherland
Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
A new art piece on the festival grounds called "Mirage," envisioned by festival art curator Paul Clemente and created and executed by experiential design and media company Pearl Media Productions, took the form and architecture of a mid-century Palms Springs mansion, standing at 40 feet tall, 80 feet wide, and 100 feet long. A total of 12 zones of high-tech HD projections made it appear that changing activities were taking place inside the home's rooms and its pool. The project requires 18 gigs of custom content and more than 70 facets of individual video over the course of the six-day festival.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Heineken's Dome at the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival
Heineken's sponsorship activation includes cold storage for cases of festivalgoers' beer, which is tracked using a fingerprint scan and kept cold until guests are ready to imbibe. V Squared Labs also created the visuals for the brand's dome on the festival grounds.
Photo: Slade Smith/Courtesy of Corso Communications
4. Grey Goose
Earlier this month, Grey Goose hosted a launch party for its new Cherry Noir flavor at Thompson Hotel in Toronto. At the event, guests could use Instaprint, a location-based photo booth for Instagram designed with a specific hashtag, to print out keepsake photos. Some 365 images were printed out on site, but using the hashtag #cherrynoir, guests created more than 131,000 social media impressions that night.
Photo: George Pimentel
