Creative ideas

A great solution for B.Y.O.B. locations, Taps From Scratch offers the Pub-Hub, a portable, refrigerated unit that can hold two to four types of draft beer and also has space for glasses and other beverages. A three-day rental for a two-tap Pub-Hub costs $250, which includes delivery and set up anywhere in the Orlando-Tampa area.

Baked by Melissa offers a giant gumball machine that dispenses pods containing the company’s signature mini cupcakes at events. The machine can fit 2,000 pods, with a minimum order of 1,000.

Ice Cubed specializes in small-batch ice cream, handmade ice pops, and other frozen desserts in flavors inspired by savory dishes. The Prix Fixe ice pop features layers of flavors inspired by a five-course Italian meal including prosecco, lemon-beet salad, bresaola, veal ragout, tomato confit, and tiramisu. The Cubed menu offers frosted cubes in flavors such as hot chocolate biscotti and burnt milk with peach jam and cloves. A truck is available, and staffers can create custom flavors.

Revae Schneider, a former mixologist at Chicago’s Gilt Bar and Union Sushi & Barbeque Bar, launched her bar-catering and styling company Femme du Coupe with the aim of making mixology accessible. She offers a variety of liquor-related services, including guiding guests as they create their own drinks. Schneider also teaches private corporate groups of as many as 50.

San Francisco street-art gallery 1:AM hosts graffiti-themed teambuilding activities for groups of 15 to 25. Most teams opt for the three-hour “whole works” workshop, which includes an introduction to the history of graffiti, a mural walk tour, and hands-on T-shirt stenciling and mural production sessions. Activities can be customized, and prices range from $80 to $200 per person. If the workshop takes place during regular gallery hours, a $300 closure fee applies.

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.

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.

"One of my favorite things is to take an ordinary space and turn it in to something completely unexpected. The Atlanta Hyatt, which was hosting an elite group of local and national corporate event planners, wanted to serve them dinner in one of the hotel kitchens. To make the space pop, we built floor-to-ceiling chalkboard walls on which we personalized each guest’s apron, laid wall-to-wall carpeting, and, my personal favorite, created one-of-a-kind hanging chandeliers out of plastic flatware. It was a complete transformation from boring to bold." —Steve Bales

"We designed and built the Kino Bar as an homage to Montreal native Kino Guerin, a master furniture builder and sculptor who bends rigid woods to get beautiful, graceful flow and movement." —Michelle Gubitosa

"We designed sheer white fabric cubes floating low over each table. This produced both an impressive vision and gave an intimacy to the enormous tent. We accented them with summery yet minimal branch projections in a blue-green shade, providing detail and a coolness to the warm evening." —Bill Heffernan

"We wanted to create a space where guests could dream about being whoever they wanted to be. By playing with scale, technology, and theater we created a space that inspired young and old souls alike." —Nicky Balestrieri

"It was an honor to feel trusted and believed in by Carole Segal, who set the standard of retail design, not to mention the thrill of working with original pieces from the very beginning of Crate & Barrel." —Tom Kehoe

"We always want to create unexpected moments for guests. We accentuated the industrial elevator entrance with a massive installation. Guests rode the elevator to the party, and later it transformed into a bar, which surprised guests after dinner." —Jung Lee

"Geller Events turned to us to create a barn-style setting in a tent. We designed a dance floor area with a peaked ceiling using fabric and reclaimed wood beams. A drop-ceiling arbor over the dining area was covered with foliage and accented with wooden lanterns. Hand-painted hardwood floors helped set the stage of permanence for this temporary structure." —Edgardo Zamora

"I wanted the entrance to this indie wedding show in Seattle to have the maximum amount of wow factor but be totally familiar in its materials." —Matthew Parker

A draped entryway created a welcoming environment from the main door of the convention center directly to the registration area.

The blue, black, and orange color scheme extended to the lounge areas of the reception space.

Dessert was raspberry mascarpone mousse cake with a raspberry sauce and fresh berries adorned with a branded white-chocolate disk.

Orlando's Impact Entertainment Services is now offering 3-D chalk art. Artist Jennifer Chaparro can create designs based on a theme or draw corporate logos on surfaces such as canvas and cement.

DNA Events in Los Angeles has introduced its Boozy Ice Cream Bar for events. The service involves female staffers dressed as retro cigarette girls serving trays of alcoholic milkshakes, like the Drunken Girl Scout Cookie, a mix of rum, vanilla ice cream, fresh mint, crème de menthe, and chocolate chips.

Chicago's Chuck’s Manufacturing takes a clever old-school approach to marketing: At the end of a meal, diners get a branded postcard. Guests can leave filled-out postcards at the table or drop them off at the hostess’s stand to be mailed out.

LM Cocktail Catering in Austin can create high-end Jell-O shots. Flavors like blackberry bramble and Pimm’s cup are served in elegant hors d’oeuvre spoons and paired with fresh fruit.

A hallway that led to the presentation and reception spaces featured a single line of text that riffed on the event tagline of "It's On."

A stage in the reception space featured AOL's logo in marquee lights.