30th Anniv Ideas

Hewlett-Packard marked the launch of its new portfolio of Windows 8 touch technology products with an event in October that had attendees controlling patterned projections. Stations set up around the perimeter of New York's Terminal 5 let guests play with touch-screen computers while simultaneously changing the look and color of the lighting that illuminated panels overhead.

At the Design Industry Foundation Fighting AIDS' Dining by Design event in Chicago in November, the table for CS Interiors designed by Casa Spazio with Atelier Turner was reminiscent of an artist's studio. The vignette inside the Merchandise Mart had paper walls, ample brushes, and open jars of paint, and guests were encouraged to add to the background mural.

To highlight the event's focus on children and fund-raising for a charter school, the 2006 Robin Hood Foundation gala had giant chalkboards in the reception area set up in New York's Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. David Stark sketched local landmarks and iconic scenes on the walls, and, during the event, guests could add their own designs with chalk provided in bowls on the cocktail tables.

ShutterBooth rents booths across the U.S., with offices in more than 40 cities. The photo booths can be branded with specially designed ShutterSkinz, and video booths are also available. The company’s "Shutter and Share" technology allows guests' photos to be shared instantly via email and Facebook. Packages vary by market, but usually start around $795 for four hours of unlimited photos.

The Xbox E3 media briefing in Los Angeles in June featured a 35-foot-wide projection screen flanked by five LED screens, 11 high-definition plasma TVs, and a curved floor LED screen that pushed the content into the audience.

Ninjaneer Studios demonstrated smaller-scale 3-D projection mapping during Otronicon, an interactive technology event at the Orlando Science Center in January. The company used a single projector to display video on six cubes with surfaces ranging in size from just six inches to 24 inches.

Gunmetal crinkled organza covered the dining tables, set with 1,200 silver Chameleon chairs and white flowers and foliage done in metallic silver containers. Guests supped on antipasto plates conceived by chef Suzanne Goin and prepared by Lucques Catering. The meal included roasted beets and blood oranges with feta and black olives; slow-roasted salmon with green rice, labneh, capers, and nasturtiums; and beef tenderloin with fingerlings, arugula, and horseradish cream.

The entryway for the New York event was a tunnel filled with smoke, projections, and audio. The sounds and images playing were of frustrated smartphone users, designed to contrast the setting inside.

The Web app Eventstagram creates a real-time slideshow of photos taken at an event and shared on Instagram. The product launched last fall, and both the Los Angeles Auto Show and the Houston Auto Show have used it to share photos from their events on large screens. Planners create a free account on the Eventstagram Web site, indicating the event dates, its hashtags and location, and the desired speed and animation of the photos. At the event the Evenstagram feed can be displayed on monitors or large screens. It’s free to display as many as 100 photos for a total of one hour (the time can be allocated in increments). For $50, planners can display 1,000 photos for six hours and also have moderation capability. Eventstagram will soon offer an option that accommodates more photos and time, a higher degree of moderation, and an online editor so users can fully customize the display with logos and sponsor slides.

For the Grammys Special Merit Awards at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, 15/40 Productions took its cue for the lighting from the Recording Academy's invitation. The invite had a relief of an intricate pattern, evocative of, say, the style of an Indian henna tattoo in a deep wine color. The production company translated that look into the design and decor, including an ornate lighting pattern.

In November, the first Electric Run was held in Costa Mesa, California. The trippy nighttime 5K saw more than 10,000 participants dressed in glow-in-dark costumes. The entrance fee included a custom-designed T-shirt, an LED bracelet, a glow necklace, and glowing sunglasses. Racers were also encouraged to adorn themselves with glow sticks, LED-lit clothes, and neon colors.

TEDx planners from around the world expressed themselves on an interactive chalkboard wall.

Companies such as Google and Disney have booked North Hollywood-based iLuminate. The performance troupe combines art and technology to create illusions and choreography in the dark for a buzzworthy effect. Dancers wear bodysuits outfitted with wirelessly controlled lights that coordinate with the dancers’ movements. Performances by iLuminate start at $6,000.

The December 6 event at the Beverly Hills Hotel honored five Los Angeles high school students who overcame personal obstacles and achieved academic excellence. To incorporate the teenagers into the night's visuals, the organizers used a gallery of black-and-white portraits as the backdrop for the stage. Art Arellanes produced the event, Revelry handled the scenic production, and Richard Taylor provided the lighting design.