Launch Parties

Signs led the way to the hidden Ontario Bread Co., in a lane way off of Ossington Avenue.

Guests gathered in the parking lot for hors d'oeuvres and sparkling wine.

Guests could sample sparkling wine in the parking lot, where graffiti adorned the walls.

The bar in the parking lot served raw oysters and sparkling wine.

The Glenfiddich tasting lounge took over the loading dock, giving visitors a chance to see the bakers at work.

Sponsor Glenfiddich helmed a tasting lounge that took over the loading dock. Guests were invited to taste three different kinds of Scotch.

Guests were invited into the 80-year-old bread factory as bakers worked to finish the delivery orders for the following day.

Bread decorated the bakery entrance, from the lighting to the walls. Appetizers were served in the middle of the space.

Colourful appetizers circulated outside.

Michael Tong of Sublime Catering supplied creative appetizers.

DJ Robert Turner spun for the crowd inside the working bread factory.

Comfortable seating was provided inside the factory, where loaves of bread lined the walls.

Pate and freshly sliced charcuterie was served inside Ontario Bread Co.

Guests could experiment with a 3-D printer, which designed small building models based on the colour of guests' clothing and the sound of their voices.

A playful touch on dessert, Sublime Catering arranged for an ice cream truck to roll up the lane way with soft-serve for guests.

Raw Design projected images of its past projects onto a white tarp that covered a portion of the parking lot.

Benarroch Productions created a sleek environment meant to feel like a retro-style club for AMC's party at the Stardust room of the Hilton.

A golden logo decked the party space.

Caravents was again behind the decor for In Style's beauty lounge, which offered hair and makeup touch-ups by omnipresent award-season force L'Oréal Paris, manicures by OPI, eyebrow shaping by Woodley & Bunny, shaves by the Shave of Beverly Hills, and gifts from Donna Karan Hosiery.

UrbanDaddy's "white room" event—an affair created in partnership with Stoli to promote the vodka brand's new campaign and flavors—invited guests to create the night's decor using paint and brushes. The November party in New York also supplied its attendees with lab coats and goggles to protect clothes from their creative tasks.

To encourage attendees to make on-site donations at its December Charity:Ball in New York, nonprofit Charity:Water sold yellow helium-filled balloons for $5 each. Guests could release their brightly colored inflatables into a 28-foot-tall, 20-foot-wide net rigged to the ceiling of the 69th Regiment Armory. As the inflatable orbs filled the structure, it started to resemble a giant yellow Jerry can, Charity:Water's signature symbol.

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.

Zellers threw a farewell party produced by Candice & Alison in November as the Toronto retailer got ready to shutter all its stores after 61 years of business. A massive, four-sided bar was covered in enlarged newspaper clippings from 1951, the company's opening year.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Fox Ventures created custom furniture from recycled materials including pallet ottomans and paper flowers for the Green Inaugural Ball at the Newseum in Washington Sunday. Elegance & Simplicity designed the event for host National Wildlife Federation.

Measuring in at about one and a half inches in height, Ann Demeulemeester's 2009 fashion show invite was a play on proportions. Details of the event, including location, date, and time, were printed on individual pages for a flip book effect.

The main stage backdrop got an appealing but spare look from wooden pallets—visually interesting, but not enough to distract from the high-level conference content.

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.

Talk about a fully immersive experience: The conference took over some of the venue's Spanish tiles for its own brand messaging. The special tiles also served to guide attendees' path along the walkways to the various event venues on the sprawling property.

Photographers Chris and Yvonne Johnson of Austin Imagery Photography have converted a vintage 1967 Airstream trailer into a mobile photo booth that event guests can climb aboard for impromptu photo shoots. The Airstream Photo Booth, which has instant Facebook uploading capabilities, offers packages from $1,150 that include as many as three hours of on-site photos and USB digital image delivery.

For consistent brand messaging, the event's organizers placed strips of Kate Young for Target carpeting over the venue's existing steps, which were side lit with spotlights for an extra bit of fashionable flair.

A vignette just inside the entrance had YouTube logos and other paraphernalia that channeled the planning team's vision of an artist's mountain lodge.

In 2009, Levi's and The Fader teamed up for the Levi's/Fader Fort at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. The entire perimeter of the fort was lined with sheets of old metal, plywood, and subtle (as well as not-so-subtle) messaging for Levi's.

French glitter painter Erik Black specializes in portraits. A typical presentation consists of Black outlining an image in clear glue on dark canvas, then tossing glitter over the piece to reveal it to his audience. Performances include as many as two demos with options like upside-down painting or UV painting in the dark. Black is available for international travel; presentations range from $4,480 to $5,300.

French artist Antonin Fourneau practices water light graffiti, a process that involves using a damp sponge brush to draw on an installation made from thousands of small LED lights that light up when touched by water. Fourneau’s interactive performances are customizable, allowing audience members to try their hand at the art form. Having performed for brands including Grohe and the Syfy channel, Fourneau is available for travel; pricing is available on request.

Guests were given hollow copies of the book that they could fill with red, white, and blue candies. Dylan's Candy Bar provided the sweets.

Everyone on the event team at the Schlitz Bouts—not to mention the attendees—wore vintage-inspired costumes in keeping with the Roaring '20s aesthetic. Freelance stylist Mecca Cox handled the styling, costuming, and wardrobe, making sure everyone from the boxing trainers and referees to the performers and security guards matched the theme.

Four sanctioned bouts—lightweight, welterweight, middleweight, and heavyweight—were the centerpiece of the Schlitz Bouts. American menswear label the Brooklyn Circus designed the boxers' trunks and released a commemorative apparel collection, the Brown Bottle Boxing Club collection, available online and in its stores.

Guests were encouraged to dress in vintage 1920s gear.

Instead of wristbands, carnation corsages and boutonnières allowed for orderly guest check-in and registration, while also matching the event's aesthetic.

The night's winners received custom-created silver trophies.

A barbershop quartet was among the musical acts.

Original period boxing cards—similar to the more familiar baseball cards—inspired cards bearing the images of the night's fighters. On site, a vintage letterpress stamped the back of each card with a postcard format. Guests could write the cards to friends, and organizers later mailed them.

The Spare Room catered and provided the bar services.

Signage recalled an earlier, decidedly low-tech era of advertising.

The Hollywood Athletic Club was an appropriately historic backdrop.

Cigar rollers offered smokes to guests.

The L.A. Follies dance troupe performed for the crowd.

A classic jazz ensemble orchestra entertained guests under the arched ceilings of the Hollywood Athletic Club.

Turning tweeting into a competition drives major social media engagement—not to mention huge buzz at the event. During Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Swim, prompts directed guests to use a tweet-operated Polaroid vending machine at the Ocean Drive Sun Covered Pool Party.