
About 1,000 guests got a preview of LAX's new Tom Bradley International Terminal at a preopening gala that took place as one of the world's busiest airports functioned around it.
Photo: Courtesy of Westfield

The Hollywood Symphony performed a commissioned "symphonic poem."
Photo: Courtesy of Westfield

Guests sat for the program at round transparent tables set with clear chairs and centerpieces that mimicked the airport's illuminated pillars.
Photo: Courtesy of Westfield

Cultural vignettes encouraged guests to explore the new building. Each station offered a stamp for guests' mock passports, and stamped passports could be entered for a chance to win a trip.
Photo: Stephen Chiang Photography

LED video walls—a signature feature of the new terminal—added to the visuals at the event.
Photo: Courtesy of Westfield

The terminal's many shops and restaurants have yet to open, and as such, the organizers brought in power and other infrastructure specially for the event.
Photo: Courtesy of Westfield

The terminal's yet-to-open 17 new restaurants set up shop in a 140-foot-long tent on the tarmac in order to present their food offerings to event guests.
Photo: Courtesy of Westfield

Seating was clean and modern in white and clear groupings.
Photo: Courtesy of Westfield

An ice station offered Petrossian caviar.
Photo: Courtesy of Westfield

Custom sweets rounded out the dessert offerings.
Photo: Moovieboy Pictures

Terminal C now houses 13 new shops from Westfield Concession Management. The shops include Swatch, Life Is Good, Travel + Leisure, and Starbucks.
Photo: Dina Konovalov

The new shops are part of a $62 million renovation of Terminal C, the airport's oldest terminal.
Photo: Zoe Arniotis

Planners from Corinthian Events designed a game to let travelers get acquainted with the new shops. Guests were challenged to visit five stores and have their custom passports stamped at each, or make a $50 purchase at one of the shops. Once they completed the task, they filled out a page at the back of the passport to be entered into a drawing for prizes.
Photo: Dina Konovalov

"We had great participation and the stores loved the added engagement with travelers," planner Mary Douglas said.
Photo: Dina Konovalov

Roving solo musicians entertained guests.
Photo: Zoe Arniotis

Appetizers were served buffet-style.
Photo: Zoe Arniotis

Ed Freni, director of aviation at Massport, cut the ribbon to the new shops with Dominic Lowe, Westfield's executive vice president of concession management.
Photo: Dina Konovalov

Freni also delivered a short speech.
Photo: Dina Konovalov
Interactive Picnic

A picnic lunch Wednesday offered picnic baskets for groups of seven—so each person had to meet six new folks with whom to chat and chow.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Eco-Friendly Water Stations

TEDActive guests scooped up logo water bottles upon their arrival (or any time throughout the conference) that served as giveaways, as well as a way to stay hydrated without the use of disposable plastic bottles. Hydration stations let guests fill up easily and as often as they liked.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Flag-Making Station

The Sovereign Nation of You station encouraged attendees to make representational flags for creative expression during meeting breaks.
Photo: Kris Krüg
TED's Dogs

Adding to the easygoing vibe were dogs, which were allowed on the property and at the event; attendees with furry friends could bring them along.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Visually Interesting—Yet Spare—Staging

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.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Paper Punk Art Wall

Meant to offer attendees a low barrier to entry for creative expression, Paper Punk offered a station where attendees could use prefab templates to create small art pieces—think origami meets Lego—and affix them to an evolving wall.
Photo: Kris Krüg
Inspiring Environments

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.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Casual Dress Code (Really Casual)

To encourage folks to really engage with the content while being themselves, the TEDActive dress code was casual. Anything goes. So there were jeans, yes, but also plenty of flip-flops, shorts, and hoodies.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
TEDActive Projects

The TEDActive projects engaged attendees in brainstorming various ideas—and moving them forward through the course of the event.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Large-Scale Name Badges

TEDActive means to connect attendees whenever possible—and oversize name badges made it easy to identify new folks.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Branded Floor Tiles

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.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Hit & Run Screen Printing

Guests were encouraged to bring their own T-shirts, totes—whatever—and Hit & Run customized them live according to guests' own personal TEDActive experience with a range of designs.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Bike and Scooter Rental

Meant to keep attendees fit and moving, one station offered scooter and bike rental available any time.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Coffee and Snacks

Coffee and snacks are pretty typical at conferences, but TEDActive's offerings included coffee brewed in small batches by skilled baristas and snacks like roasted seaweed and organic dark chocolate peanut butter cups, available any time of day.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Lincoln House of Design

Sponsor Lincoln decked out one of the property's casitas with a space that was subtly branded and also offered guests a chance to walk through a series of functional art pieces on exhibit.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
TEDx Wall

TEDx planners from around the world expressed themselves on an interactive chalkboard wall.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
Game Stations

For a little collaboration in the get-to-know-you spirit, game stations dotted the event space.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Unusual Activities

Ever heard of flying a kite as a meeting-break option? TEDActive made one available for the taking, offering it adjacent to a casual seating cluster in the event's main outdoor space, known as the quad.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash