Inspiring Pictures

8. At HBO's Emmy party in Los Angeles in September, spheres of gerbera daisies hung over Wolfgang Puck's buffet tables.Click to Like, Comment, or Follow Us on Instagram

After abandoning its seated dinner format last year, the ball, produced and designed once again by Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions, stuck with a sampling of more than 50 passed bites and plates from Wolfgang Puck and chef Matt Bencivenga, including a greater emphasis on meatless dishes. Academy governor Jeffrey Kurland returned to chair the ball.

Mark Held of Mark's Garden matched the overall aubergine color scheme using orchids, artichokes, calla lilies, kale, and fern shoots as part of the floral decor. And flowers appeared to grow out of the pedestals of glass-topped cocktail tables.

At one entrance, attendees walked down a 51-foot glowing green tunnel, intended to symbolize the distance golfers gain when they use TaylorMade's new RocketBallz line of equipment.

TED Session 2, "The Parlor," opened with a performance by dance company Quixotic Fusion that was a combination of movement and technology. The performers interacted with each other and with objects projected around them.

Oversize letters spelled out TED as part of the event's clean, on-brand stage design, from which speakers like Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes addressed the crowd.

Simulcast of the event was available in all the conference's partner spaces around the Long Beach Performing Arts Center. In an area known as a "social space" (pictured), attendees collaborated in the main lobby under the wall with this year’s speaker headshots.

The 10 winning ads from this year’s "Ads Worth Spreading" challenge played in a display, part of the "Google Garage" at TED. Boxman Studios, which specializes in branding via modified shipping containers, and interactive agency Sub Rosa were behind the setup, made from such containers. The 3,000-square-foot structure included elements like viewing areas, a cafe, and games.

Marco Tempest, who bills himself as a "virtual magician and techno-illusionist," took to the TED stage on Wednesday to tell the story of inventor and mechanical/electrical engineer Nikola Tesla with projections, pop-up books, and gestures. He wore a hat, and Tesla’s face was projected on his own during the presentation.

Colorful balloons soared overhead for clean-looking branding and decor.

The light installation "Magical Underwater Thinking With Scott Watson" beckoned guests to take a whirl through its colorful pieces.

Artist Megan Geckler created an art installation out of colored flagging tape at the Riviera. Attendees participated and made their own pieces of art, then uploaded photos of their work to Twitter using the hashtag #flagtag. Those photos automatically showed up on a dedicated area of Geckler's Web site.

These cards show results from the TEDActive Progressive Ideas Project, hosted by Johnnie Walker, which explored the question, "How do you bring a great idea to scale?"

Artist and TED fellow Candy Chang hosted the "Before I die..." wall, collecting the hopes and dreams of TEDActive-goers throughout the week.

TEDActive Projects are a central element of the TEDActive experience, and participants could choose to focus on a single project or dabble in several. Attendees conceived, planned, and executed six projects in all, coming together around different concepts and channeling the group to address tough issues and spark initiatives around ideas shared at TED. For example, the TEDActive Giving Project, hosted by Toms, sought to work out, "How do we get individuals, businesses, and communities more engaged in the act of giving?" On-site topic experts and facilitators advised teams and moved them toward the goals they established during online discussions in the weeks leading up to the conference and on whiteboards at the event (pictured).

Inside the show lounge at TEDActive, cozy beanbag seating allowed attendees to watch the TED2012 simulcast from Long Beach.

Organizers of TEDx programs, TED-style events hosted by independent groups, gathered for dinner at the Sunnylands Center & Gardens. More than 250 TEDx organizers from around the world were in Palm Springs this week for the event.

The teepee-style tents can hold as many as 400 people.

In addition to nighttime fireworks displays, PyroTecnico can also present daytime “fireworks” shows using colored smoke. With offices throughout the U.S., the company can stage performances anywhere. Prices available on request.

While all the rooms were meticulously planned, none was as popular as the space that housed old-school carnival claw games. Rather than plush toys and candy, the machines held small items, like lipsticks and jewelry, in Chanel gift bags.