Innovation

"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

At TEDActive in Palm Springs, buttons with blank fields labeled "Talk to Me About ... " invited guests to write a short list of topics they love or are knowledgeable about, to encourage meaningful mingling.

For a donut-themed bridal shower put together by blogger Elsie Larson, a giant chalkboard filled with descriptive doodles served as the backdrop of the food spread.

The idea of "giving 100 percent" worked its way into every element of the event.

Thousands of actual pencils taped to a giant pencil sculpture gave it authentic coloring.

XO laptops replaced flowers as centerpieces in the dining room, flashing images of bouquets and alerting diners to their next course.

The associate ambassador board of the American Cancer Society hosted its Skyline Soiree at Chicago's River East Art Center in July. Playing off the society's tagline—"the official sponsor of birthdays"—the whimsical event had a birthday-party theme replete with giant balloons floating above bars and in place of floral centerpieces on tables.

For the 2011 ABC Kids Expo in Louisville, Global Experience Specialists used client Boon’s idea to create walls from its popular Grass Countertop Drying Racks.

Inspired by the 2012 Public Sector Forum’s theme, “The Road to Transformation,” 2020 Exhibits (800.856.6659, 2020exhibits .com) created a neighborhood environment for BMC Software that included fabricated stoplights and highway signs.

Junk Food's booth resembled a vintage candy shop.