POLITE

Polite in Public's photo backdrop was set up to look like a powerslider had crashed through it.

The invitation for the V.I.P. preview party was a brass-colored baton, and hinted at a concept that was woven into the event and the consumer promotion. The latter, dubbed the "Urban Dash," consisted of a virtual scavenger hunt via a mobile app, giveaways of New Balance sneakers, and a grand prize of a 14-karat gold baton.

As a fun, three-dimensional take on a run-of-the-mill step-and-repeat, the V.I.P. preview for the store used real running shoes mounted to a wall as a backdrop for the red carpet.

On hand to welcome guests�"including model Molly Sims, Captain America lead Chris Evans, and singer Katharine McPhee�"was a staffer dressed as a giant New Balance running shoe. Naturally, the actor wore New Balance sneakers on his feet.

The baton imagery was incorporated into Polite in Public's photo booth area. Attendees could pose with the relay race sticks in front of signage advertising the Urban Dash promotion.

Above the photo booth, an installation of batons is part of the store's decor.

In the north windows of the Flatiron district store is a two-lane Mondo running track, and for the event, the producers placed the DJ booth and models sporting New Balance gear in the glass-enclosed area.

Designed to underscore the brand's commitment to domestic manufacturing, New Balance associates assemble shoes in a demonstration area. At the event, the section was manned by two staffers who attached soles to shoes while guests watched.

Looking to emphasize its investment in the local community, New Balance devised a concept for the event's menu that built on New York dishes and neighborhoods. Caterer Creative Edge executed the idea, which included passed hors d'oeuvres like Waldorf salad bites in edible apple cups (pictured), Little Italy simmered Italian meatballs in gigatoni pasta, Chinatown steamed chicken dumplings, and Fulton Street fish tacos of grilled mahi and chunky chipotle mayo.

Conversely, the drinks menu was intended to highlight the idea of heritage with drinks representing the past, present, and future. These included an old-fashioned to symbolize the past and a ginger mojito to epitomize the present.

To represent the future through cocktails, Creative Edge provided a station where staffers made nitrogen-infused blueberry-flavored lemonade in front of guests.

Displaying new technology was just as important as showcasing the brand's heritage, so the store opening included iPads and signs indicating the store's Foursquare location for check-ins, its Twitter handle, and a hashtag.

Summit Entertainment premiered its thriller, Man on a Ledge, at Grauman's Chinese.

The premiere party took place upstairs in Grauman's newly updated function space.

A round central bar was the party's centerpiece.

Animated video effects enlivened two 15-foot circular screens at the Watchmen premiere party.

A yellow stripe ringed the venue.

Black and yellow dominated the party's color palette.

A giant neon sign used in the movie hung in the venue.

A candy bar included treats from the 1980s—the period in which the movie is set.

A team from Warner Brothers' archives prepared costumes for movie characters at the party. The Dr. Manhattan character—computer generated in the film—was represented through projection.

Andy Warhol-inspired portraits were props from the movie.

At the entrance to the Avalon, a yellow center stripe offset a black carpet.

The Black Beauty prop car from The Green Hornet stood sentry for the green carpet arrivals for the movie's premiere.

Logo cutouts added dimension to the arrivals wall.

The premiere party at the Hollywood Roosevelt got an all-green look.

Green Hornet logo gobos decked the walls of the party space.

Green Hornet logos decked bar fronts, and the prop motorcycle from the movie stood inside a square central bar.

Illuminated tables provided seating for guests to dine on buffet-style dinner and dessert after the screening.

Maxim's Hot 100 party this year took to a nightclub, Eden.

DJ Vice spun for the crowd.

Silver Jeans was among the event sponsors.

Colorful lighting and logoed throw pillows enlivened the outdoor space.

A beach lounge had projections of rolling waves, real sand, a lifeguard tower, hammock, and Miller-branded ATV.

The Optimus Prime prop from the Transformers movie stood sentry on the red carpet.

For the New Era activation, an artist worked on wood panels that were part of the press wall.

Actress Rosie Huntington-Whiteley posed on the arrivals carpet.

Logos decked a bar back.

A Maxim logo glowed in red.

Logoed throw pillows and magazines dotted seating groups.

For New Era, the Visionary Group created hat customization stations on cubes alongside the bottle service tables, borrowing from the look of the brand's ad campaign.

To dress the store's facade, Extra! Extra! attached hundreds of balloons from New York City Balloons to the six-story exterior and highlighted the whimsical decoration with floodlights.

The balloons on the outside of the boutique surrounded a enlarged sketch from Lanvin artistic director Alber Elbaz, a 23-foot-tall, 15-foot-wide piece attached to a latticework frame to avoid damaging the landmark facade.

Inside the store, Lanvin provided hundreds of masks for guests, basing the shapes on Elbaz's sketches of himself and other notable Lanvin figures.

On the second floor, the producers built a stage for the DJs and the drag performers, shaping the structure after Lanvin's signature boxes.

With wigs, hair, and makeup styled by the Graceland Salon, the drag performers became real-life versions of Lanvin's famous porcelain dolls.

To match the surroundings, Callahan Catering served a number of one-bite hors d'oeuvres on trays decorated with Elbaz's sketches. The menu of sweet, French-inspired bites included miniature sugared donuts (pictured), pink and green cotton candy, and chocolate truffle milk shakes. Croquembouche towers added festive touches to the bars.

Vinyl laminates of more Elbaz sketched adorned the mirrored walls of the boutique, adding to the playful backdrop of glitter, balloons, and drag queens.

The doll-imitating drag queens were also a part of the night's entertainment, taking to the stage to dance for guests.

To cap off the night, three drag performers took to the stage, impersonating Dolly Parton, Cher, and Tina Turner.

As a fun alternative to the step-and-repeat outside, Extra! Extra! created a photo booth area with Polite in Public. Guests posed in front of a backdrop with Elbaz's illustrations and received printed copies of the snaps on site.

Before 17,500 enthusiastic fans made their way to Madison Square Garden for Z100's annual Jingle Ball concert, thousands swarmed the Hammerstein Ballroom for the All Access Lounge. Originally located inside the Hotel Pennsylvania, the pre-event festival has evolved into a six-hour fan fest with a bevy of participating brands and live performances.

Coca-Cola, which is an existing partner with Z100, was the presenting sponsor of the All Access lounge and had a large, eye-catching booth on the main floor. In addition to white- and red-branded backdrop, the beverage brand also decorated its space with a Christmas tree, a white sleigh filled with free goodies, and coolers of bottled soda.

Rather than just give away branded teddy bears, bags, and T-shirts, Coca-Cola used location-based app Scvngr to create a game for attendees. Visitors could check in, tweet, post photos to Facebook, and vote in a survey to collect points to trade for prizes.

To highlight a special-edition Coke can for the holidays, Coca-Cola also took its polar bear mascot to its booth for guests to pose with.

As a subtle way to add more branding to the Hammerstein Ballroom, presenting sponsor Coca-Cola fashioned a chandelier from its aluminum bottles.

Another big sponsor at the All Access Lounge was Xbox, which had its Kinect video game system and new title Dance Central 2 in a branded lounge area for guests. The Microsoft brand also had a lounge backstage at Madison Square Garden for the performers to play the game.

AT&T transported its wares to the lounge and created a photo op area with props and a free station for visitors to charge their electronics.

Inside its booth, AT&T also showcased the new Samsung Galaxy Tab, allowing attendees to try out the tablet computer by playing games.

Reebok, which was the headlining partner for the artist gift lounge at Madison Square Garden, was also present at the daytime event and had over-size versions of its Classics line of footwear as props for a photo booth from Polite in Public.

Stride, which refers to itself as the "ridiculously long-lasting gum," challenged visitors with a snowboarding video game, offering tickets to the concert for the person who could stay on the board the longest.

Vitamin Water, a brand owned by a subsidiary of the Coca-Cola Company, handed out free bottles of its flavored water throughout the six-hour event.

State Farm, which offered prizes through a spinning wheel at its All Access Lounge booth, also sponsored Z100's "Hometown Hero" initiative, a national search for the next big musical act.

H&R Block engaged consumers with a music trivia game.

Sweethearts jewelry, trinkets based on the popular heart-shaped candies, promoted its wares with a karaoke station and hourly giveaways at its booth.

As part of the pre-show, acts like Mindless Behavior performed on the stage set up at the Hammerstein Ballroom, playing to a throng of screaming fans.

As the presenting sponsor of the backstage lounge for the artists, Reebok got prime placement with a branded lounge area that Z100 used to broadcast from during the Jingle Ball.

Reebok also showcased its Classics line of sneakers, allowing visitors to the gift area to try on and take a pair home.

According to Shari Sterenbuch, Z100's director of promotions, the format of the Artists Gift Lounge was tweaked this year, giving brands a branded light box rather than a simple cocktail table.

Perhaps the largest gift given at the backstage lounge was a custom snowboard from Stride. The gum brand also gave out bags of its Whitemint flavor.

Adorama, which offered a photo booth at the All Access lounge earlier in the day, gave performers like Demi Lovato, Gym Class Heroes, L.M.F.A.O., and Hot Chelle Rae Canon powershot cameras.

Signage underscored the theme.

The ceremony was broadcast in the ballroom and on TVs in each of the screening rooms.

Four dessert stations provided sweet treats.

Cakes by Erin designed a towering, Oscar-themed confection.

Guests were encouraged to dress in Oscar-style attire.

Actors from The Fighter cheered in support of their winning costars.

Entertainment included a photo area provided by Polite in Public, where guests could pose with actor Chris Cooper's Oscar statuette.

Sheer drapes and lanterns—mimicking a pivotal scene from the movie—decorated the entryway at the museum's Powerhouse venue.

In imitation of Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes, Creed filled the room at the Powerhouse with shelves of fictional products from the film, including "Anti-Gravity Hats."

Although the joke shop had no real products for sale, guests could take home the custom boxes and bags filled with toys and other items lining the shelves.

Actual props, including the displays for the "10-Second Pimple Vanisher" and love potions that decorated the indoor bar, added to the authenticity of the design.

Creed added white lounge furniture to the indoor store area.

Kids and adults flocked to the interactive dessert station, where they could make ice cream floats with a variety of toppings.

Charm City Cakes, the company at the center of reality TV show Ace of Cakes, constructed a detailed replica of the Hogwarts Express.

The setting on the Arthur Ross terrace was a little more adult, designed after the Three Broomsticks inn and pub from the film.

The production crew projected clips of the film behind the quidditch pitch setup on the terrace.

The event's production crew planned for Thursday night's rainstorm with an arrivals tent erected outside the Broadway entrance to the Opening Ceremony store at the Ace Hotel. Images in the style of vintage luggage labels decorated the structure.

The private dinner portion of the launch was held at the Breslin Bar & Dining Room and marked by a bull's-eye neon sign. About 100 designers, fashion editors, and celebrities attended.

More than 250 people turned out for the party, which followed dinner and took over the Opening Ceremony boutique (pictured) and the hotel's main lobby.

Much like at previous launches for Go International collections, Target invited guests to preview and buy the clothes before the line hit stores. The Go International Designer Collective became available to the public on Sunday.

In the temporary registration area, Target encouraged the event's attendees to tweet and visit its Facebook page dedicated to in-store fashion.

Two signposts stood at the entrance to the main lobby and matched the playful identity of Target's Go International program.

Around the lobby's interior columns, Extra! Extra! topped mounds of trunks, suitcases, and duffel bags with solid wood to create cocktail tables.

To display the clothing outside the shop, the creative crew placed dresses on nine-foot-tall mannequins, which could easily be seen once the space became crowded.

To play up the varied nationality of the designers for Go International, the event's photo booth was staffed with iconic characters such as Elvis, Queen Elizabeth II, and Napoleon Bonaparte.

A three-dimensional, eye-catching road-sign-inspired piece served as the stage backdrop and created a light show of sorts for the night's performances.

To advertise its partnership with Target, Opening Ceremony produced a video for the Go International Designer Collective featuring the Bad News step team from Wings Academy in the Bronx. The troupe showed off their dance moves at the launch, wearing Luella Bartley-designed dresses from the collection.

Santigold also performed, and wore a Rodarte-designed dress from the collection.