Grilled corn on the cob with assorted toppings; roasted potato salad on chive sticks; watermelon cubes with feta and spinach; spinach salad with chopped eggs and microgreens in bacon cups; “hot dog” and “hamburger” macarons; and apple pie parfaits, by Windows Catering Company in Washington
Photo: Erika Rydberg for BizBash
Ahi tuna salad with pineapple-sesame dressing, greens, tobiko, and sambal aioli; cucumber rolls; hoisin duck salad with quinoa, wakame, and roasted vegetables; macadamia nut biscotti; coconut alfajores; and Absolut Ruby Red vodka, Soho lychee liqueur, and Patron Citronge cocktails, by Brûlée Catering in Philadelphia
Photo: Andrew Kahl for BizBash
Mac ’n’ cheese; chicken wings served with assorted sauces; kielbasas; Bavarian pretzels; and grilled chicken Caesar salad wraps, by the Garden at Studio Square NYC in New York
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Grill-ready clay pot kalbi, with marinated beef, soybean paste, fresh garlic, red leaf lettuce, vegetables, and kimchi, by Miss Korea Barbecue in New York
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Chopped salad with salumi, provolone, fresh oregano, and red wine vinaigrette; tarragon egg salad sandwiches with watercress and radishes; and ricotta pound cake with Meyer lemon curd and whipped cream, produced by Dandelion Ranch Events with catering by Cooks County in Los Angeles
Photo: Bridget Kenny for BizBash
Bento boxes including chilled Italian antipasti, served with sangria with blood orange ice cubes, iced tea with lemon zest and mint, and Peroni beer, by Parkland Chef in Boca Raton, Florida
Photo: Andrew King/LuvRox Photography
Urban Picnic bento box including a chicken ’n’ waffles sandwich; a prosciutto, parmesan, and sherried fig jam sandwich; gazpacho in a cucumber bowl served with a pipette of vinaigrette and a dusting of avocado snow; a Caprese potato salad skewer; and a trio of sweet-and-savory suckers, by Truffleberry Market in Chicago
Photo: Tyllie Barbosa for BizBash
With Andy Warhol art on the walls of the atrium, Eric Michael and Jack Lucky used a 1970s-inspired color palette of bright orange, yellow, pink, and neon green. Perfect Settings provided linens in each of these colors to create alternating color blocks from table to table.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Yours Truly Lighting and Decor added an ambience to each room with uplighting, plus texture gobos, in a few spaces in the same color palette.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
The Rotunda had a Mexican-themed look with white and gold linens accented by tall green, red, and yellow tulip centerpieces on each table.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Playing off the purple walls of Gallery 2, the tables brought together purple, green, white, and lime-green elements accented by purple uplighting.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Each place setting had purple napkins atop blue chargers and white linens with a purple, orange, and lime-green geometric pattern. The short centerpieces incorporated the same colors with the addition of pink to further brighten up the table in the darker room. Moss-green chair covers and lime-green votive candles completed the look.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Gallery 4 is home to many classic paintings that feature the color blue. In turn, the three dinner tables had blue velvet damask linens with matching chair cushions. A similar damask gobo on the ceiling drew the eye upward along with the tall candelabra centerpieces of pink, purple, coral, and red roses.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Gallery 5 has numerous landscapes lining the walls that lent the space to a springtime theme. Though pink is commonly used in such cases, the team chose to go a different direction with peach and coral linens and chairs.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Small Lincoln Log-style wood boxes filled with pink, coral, and orange tulips, roses, and calla lilies topped each of the tables.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
The green walls of the Large Mantel Room brought to mind the image of a garden. Living ivy walls, tree centerpieces, and birchwood chairs set against natural-colored linens created an indoor garden atmosphere.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Low-lying jasmine floral arrangements, purple votives, and plum linens added spots of color to the indoor garden ambience.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
The team softened the natural masculinity and darkness of the wood walls in the Small Mantel Room by using a light color palette of white, light grey, and metallic linens and chairs.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
The candelabras on each table held an unusual floral combination of white orchids and succulents—a combination of the masculinity of the room and femininity of the white flowers and linens.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
The Salon Doré is the most inherently opulent of all the galleries with its gilded walls. Working with that inspiration, Perfect Settings provided red linens with sheer overlays and ornately decorated gold chargers and flatware.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Gold rosette chair covers matched the napkins on each place setting.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Organizers moved the main bar upstairs on the bridge of the atrium this year, which better served the wandering dinner guests as well as the attendees of the after-hours dance party Club Corcoran hosted by the young professionals group 1869 Society. Matching current design trends, blue and white chevron linens covered the front of the four-sided bar.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Blue and white hiboys matching the chevron print on the bar provided seating across the bridge during the cocktail hour and after-party.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Liquor Tastings in New York
Add an educational element to an event’s liquor offerings with a tasting bar and a spirits sommelier. “Alcohol professor” Adam Levy from All Spirits Events can gear tastings towards topics like Whiskies from Around the World or Craft Spirits From New York State.” Because the company is not tied to specific brands, it can provide a variety of liquors.
Photo: Paul Martinka
Aerialists in Toronto
Launched in the fall, No Parachute Theatre is an aerialist and dance company headed by Katelyn McCullouch. The ensemble consists of three female performers, and the troupe is available as event entertainment.
Photo: Courtesy of No Parachute Theatre
Live Karaoke in Washington
HariKaraoke Band, a live four-piece band that backs amateur singers, can play for corporate groups in the Washington area and offers a catalog of more than 300 songs that guests can sing along to on stage via an iPad displaying lyrics. And if a performance is truly painful, guests can bang on a gong à la The Gong Show—all in good fun, of course. Pricing starts at $1,050 for two-hour events.
Graffiti Teambuilding Classes in San Francisco
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.
Photo: Courtesy of 1:AM
Painting Classes in San Diego
Painting & Vino offers groups the chance to learn painting skills while sipping wine. The company provides the paint, brushes, aprons, canvases, and an art instructor who guides guests as they paint a selected work of art during the two- to three-hour class. The cost starts at $45 per person, not including food and beverages, with a 15-person minimum.
Courtesy of Painting & Vino
Graffiti Teambuilding Classes in Philadelphia
Street art tourism company Graff Tours offers tours and learning experiences that explore graffiti culture in Center City and South Philadelphia. Teambuilding activities include 90-minute lessons led by professional graffiti artists and construction of a collaborative mural. Ninety-minute tours start at $15 per person, and workshops start at $45 per person.
Photo: Courtesy of Graff Tours
Dancers in Orlando
Drip combines live music and dancers who utilize elements such as sand, paint, and water in an up-close, sexy performance before an audience that stands for the duration of the show. The production opened in November 2012 in a new 5,100-square-foot venue on International Drive. Groups can book a private performance for 300 people. The venue is also available for concerts, art shows, and other purposes.
Photo: Marc harmon
Theatrical Entertainment in New York
Available for bookings in New York through Elan Artists, Earth Harp Entertainment is a collective of musicians led by artist William Close, who was featured on America’s Got Talent. The Earth Harp is a string instrument that is rigged to the surrounding architecture and environment with strings that can extend to as many as 1,000 feet. The performer plays the musical instrument-installation combination by running his or her hands along the strings to create cello-like tones. Accompanied by percussion and other instruments, performances can range from ambient and trance-like to theatrical and energetic.
Photo: Courtesy of Elan Artists
Trivia Events in New York
NY1 morning news anchor Pat Kiernan has joined forces with trivia event production company TrivWorks to host live trivia entertainment and teambuilding activities for corporate groups. Kiernan-hosted events typically start around $10,000 and include pre-event planning assistance, 40 custom trivia questions (with Kiernan’s personal counsel), plus an iPod round and picture round, one-on-one mini games between each round, a high-stakes showdown finale between the top two teams, a staff of runners to collect score sheets, audiovisual equipment, and prizes. The company has produced events for as many as 300 people.
Photo: Patrick Donahue/Super Duper Photographic
Soccer Teambuilding Events in Miami
With three F.I.F.A.-regulated outdoor fields, Soccer Town opened in March 2012. They can be combined into one large field for teambuilding events, parties, and coaching sessions. The fields are lit for night play.
Photo: Matt Horton/Artist Group Photography for BizBash
Live Portrait Sketching in Miami
Erin Una Chainani offers live portrait sketching throughout South Florida. Drawings typically feature fluorescent colors, but she can sketch in any requested color combination. The cost averages around $150 per hour, with reduced rates for charity events.
Photo: Courtesy of Erin Una Chainani
Walking Tours in Miami
The Discovery Miami Beach Audio Tour is a 90-minute audio presentation that delves into the South Beach area’s architecture, celebrity culture, and hotel landmarks; the tours are available in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. For groups of at least 10, the program can be combined with bus passes, bike rentals, or a luxury tour bus.
Photo: Courtesy of Discovery Miami Beach
Perfume-Making Parties in Los Angeles
Fragrance company Ka-Mil-Yin can arrange perfume-making parties for a girlie group. Event packages include a display of glass cork-topped perfume bottles with 20 different oils to choose from and a fragrance mixologist to assist guests in creating their signature scents. Custom labels, which can include logos, are available for a $65 fee.
Photo: Elizabeth Messina
Illuminated Dancers in Los Angeles
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.
Photo: Courtesy of iLuminate
Buggy Racing in Las Vegas
For an outdoor adventure, Sun Buggy Fun Rentals now offers daylong group tours of the Amargosa Big Dunes. After staffers show the group how to operate the buggies and navigate over the sand dunes, participants are free to explore on their own, though special teambuilding events like time trials can also be arranged. The package includes a round-trip two-hour shuttle ride to and from the Strip, lunch, and bottled water. A single-seat buggy is about $514, and a two-seat buggy is about $720, with a four-vehicle minimum to book. Discounted corporate rates kick in at around 25 vehicles or more. Sun Buggy can accommodate groups of as many as 500.
Photo: Courtesy of Sun Buggy Fun Rentals
Rat Pack Impersonators in Las Vegas
The Rat Pack Tribute is an homage to ’60s-era Vegas. Spot-on Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin impersonators sing their respective hits and banter with one another in character. The Las Vegas-based act can be performed as a 90-minute theater-style show with a visit from a faux Marilyn Monroe or as a shorter opening-act style bit.
Photo: Courtesy of The Rat Pack Tribute
Scavenger Hunts in Dallas
The Go Game provides technology-driven teambuilding events, including a smartphone scavenger hunt through downtown Dallas’s historic west end area. Groups from five to 10,000 follow custom routes that can include location-based puzzles or company-specific trivia. Costs vary; contact for price quotes.
Photo: Amanda Boggs
Mobile Pub Crawl in Chicago
The Pedal Pub puts a bar crawl on wheels. The driver takes groups of 16 through neighborhoods such as Ukrainian Village and the West Loop. Guests cannot drink while the vehicle is in motion, but hosts can supply food and beverages to be consumed while it’s parked on private property. Available April through October, fees range from $160 to $190 per hour.
Photo: Courtesy of Pedal Pub
Soul-and-Blues Band in Chicago
The Great Divide is a Chicago-based soul-and-blues rock band that is available for corporate events. The group has played at festivals like South by Southwest and has also entertained crowds at events for brands like Timberland.
Photo: Cory Dewald
Body Painting and Airbrush Tattoos in Boston
Gin C Productions provides airbrush face painting and tattoos, living art statues, and body painting for corporate and nonprofit events. As roving entertainment, the company can body paint models or waitstaff with custom stencils, and jewelry embellishments and custom headpieces are also available.
Photo: Avrian
Mixology Classes in Boston
Chef Ken Oringer’s adjoining restaurants Clio and Uni, inside the Back Bay’s Eliot Hotel, underwent renovations in February 2012. They now host two-hour cocktail classes for 20, headed by respected mixologist Todd Maul. Maul’s unusual techniques include smoking glassware, ice garnishes, and citrus painting.
Photo: Melissa Ostrow
Corporate Event DJ in Boston
With experience spinning at weddings, clubs, universities, and nonprofit and corporate events, DJ Addam Bombb uses Denon CD turntables—no iPods, preplanned sets, or sync-button mixing allowed. The remix producer customizes sets based on clients’ musical preferences. His typical rates for nonprofit and corporate events range from $1,400 to $2,200. Preferred dates are best secured nine to 15 months prior to an event.
Photo: Greg Cooper
Mobile Photo Booth in Austin
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.
Photo: Courtesy of Airstream Photo Booth
Imax Theater Rental in Atlantic City
The Tropicana Casino and Resort’s new Imax 3D Theatre, on the third floor of the Quarter, is the only movie theater in Atlantic City. The 55-foot-tall screen is available for private screenings for groups of 50 to as many as 280; rental prices vary.
Photo: Courtesy of Tropicana Atlantic City Casino and Resort
Relief From High-Heel Suffering
After a long Oscar night, host Seth MacFarlane's official after-party included a station from Tkees, which encouraged guests to check their heels (similar to the way they would at a coat check) and pick up a pair of flip-flops—in gold, appropriate to the occasion.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Shelter From Rain
Guests arriving at USA Network's event atop the High Line in New York last summer found a receiving line of umbrella-wielding staffers, who provided shelter all the way to the entrance of the covered bash.
Photo: David X Prutting/BFAnyc.com
Sun Protection at the Ready
At Lacoste's Coachella pool party in the blazing desert sun, cigarette-style girls, clad in Lacoste gear, passed Kiel's sun-protection products.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Lacoste
Wet Weather Accessories
When the weather unexpectedly turned sour at South by Southwest this year, ponchos from Warner Brothers served as protection from the rain as well as an opportunity to promote CW television series Arrow.
Photo: Courtesy of Warner Brothers Entertainment Inc. All Rights Reserved
Relaxing Hammocks
Bonnaroo attendees could relax in hammocks and enter to win V.I.P. passes in the "Great State Lounge" hosted by State Farm. The insurance company also provided what it called "Bonnaroo Roadside Assistance"—free services such as help with flat tires and dead batteries.
Photo: Erika Goldring
Yoga Sessions
At the WWD Beauty C.E.O. Summit in Palm Beach, yoga on branded mats on the lawn allowed guests to relax and unwind.
Photo: Sonja Garnitschnig
Hair Services for Grubby Festival-Goers
More than 80,000 people traveled to a remote 700-acre farm in Tennessee June 7 to 10 for the Bonnaroo Music & Arts Festival. Knowing the attendees would be outside day and night listening music on multiple stages, brands such as Garnier Fructis provided practical services such as free hair-washing and styling in a 40- by 40-foot air-conditioned tent.
Photo: Erika Goldring
Hand Wipes and Toothpicks
Things tend to get messy at food festivals, tastings, and other events with lots of grub, so Delta provided toothpicks, hand wipes, and mints at the 2010 New York City Wine & Food Festival, a smart way to get the brand in front of attendees.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
Convenient Transportation
During Upfront Week in New York last year, Turner Broadcasting held back-to-back late-night events and, to help transport guests from the Adult Swim party to the shindig for TruTV, provided a fleet of pedicabs offering free rides.
Photo: Anna Sekula/BizBash
Custom Fragrance Gifts
For a recent press event in Los Angeles, Paul Frank brought Starring Fragrances for a station that gave guests the chance to take home custom fragrances, made on the spot according to their individual tastes.
Photo: Jordan Strauss/Invision for Saban Brands/AP Images
Easy, Stylish Phone-Charging Access
At the FN C.E.O. Summit in Miami, guests could charge their smartphones in a luxe lounge—a stylish, discreet solution to manage the task that everyone wants as a convenience at events. The centerpieces during the education sessions were framed instructions on how to reference the summit on social media and log on to the hotel's Wi-Fi network.
Photo: Javier Sanchez
Flip-Flop Takeaways
MSNBC also had a flip-flop station at its White House Correspondents' Association Dinner after-party, providing relief for folks who had been on their feet all evening.
Photo: Beth Kormanik/BizBash
