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Atlantic Media chairman David Bradley and his wife, Katherine, once again opened their home for the company's annual dinner on Friday night. Loane Brothers set up a clear tent in the backyard complete with a working chandelier and artwork from a current National Gallery of Art exhibit that paid tribute to the widely regarded Ballet Russes, which also inspired the French and Russian menu designed by Susan Gage Caterers.

Thomson Reuters hosted pre- and post-dinner receptions at the Washington Hilton. Using the news service's signature orange color, the bar had a centerpiece of branches and glass bubbles.

At a pre-dinner reception, Newsweek and the Daily Beast let guests pose with cardboard cutouts of President Obama and Conan O'Brien. Flipping Fun then instantly turned the photo session into a flip-book.

Bold wording on floor decals, tables, and other rentals urged guests to "Go Viral," "Network," and be "Social" at the Making News party from The Atlantic, National Journal, and OurTime.org. Amaryllis provided decor and florals, Design Cuisine catered, and Atmosphere Lighting provided lighting. Guest could also pose in a photo booth from Onomonomedia.

The Internet news site hosted a barbecue watch party at Jack Rose Dining Saloon with picnic-style decor.

Geico sponsored pedicabs that brought guests—including Miss D.C. (pictured)—to the barbecue.

On June 26, the Paris Opera Ballet performed Giselle at the Harris Theater in Chicago. Drawing on the ethereal, ghostly set of the famous ballet, designer Bill Heffernan of HMR Design Group brought a moonlit-forest look to the tent that housed the ensuing gala in Millennium Park. Large, transparent cubes decorated with projected branch patterns hung overhead in the dining space, while ferns and white freesia topped the tables.

In the Hamptons, the Parrish Art Museum's Midsummer Party included dinner in an ornate tent. Overhead, a leafy projection and twinkling rope lights contrasted with a more high-tech lighting rack, which produced a dancing effect.

The National Ballet of Canada celebrated its 60th anniversary in June. During the reception, which had a specialty vodka cocktail called "Diamonds in the Skyy," ballerinas danced and stretched casually amid the guests.

For the City of Hope "Spirit of Life" gala in Los Angeles, Namevents turned a parking lot adjacent to Geffen Contemporary at MOCA into a dinner space meant to evoke a high-end nightclub. Guests sat in lounge areas with plush couches and blankets, and dinner was served on glass tables with programmable LED bases. On some tables, tall glass vases designed by Chris Matsumoto were filled with water and stones in colors that echoed the hues on the invitation.

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.

Hundreds of balloons from Balloon Trix hung from the ceiling during the V.I.P. dinner. The space changed colour with each course, starting with blue, morphing to pink for the main course, changing to orange for dessert, and ending in red.

Snarkitecture analyzed the massive venue and tackled the question of how to accentuate the volume of the space while playing with the height. The solution was to create something that generated a low plane—at certain moments the spheres hung low, creating a "ceiling-within-a-ceiling" effect. The undersides of the balloons came down to 10 feet above guests' heads.

Purple ribbons anchored balloons to each of the 40 dinner tables.

Travis Bass of Ultravision projected images of disco balls on giant weather balloons for the New York City Ballet's disco-themed Dance With the Dancers benefit at the New York State Theater.

In 2011, Gilt City, the event-focused arm of parent company Gilt Groupe, celebrated launching in its ninth city with a garden party in Washington, where natural cosmetics company Lush provided spritz bottles to keep guests cool.

Dessert table offerings sat upon rustic wood slabs at the Little Maven event.

At the 2011 Campfire Ball benefit for Children’s Oncology Services in Chicago, Cork Catering set up a make-your-own-s’mores station.