Event Ideas

At the 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, presenting sponsor Belvedere offered refreshing beverages made with their Lemon Tea vodka, including the Lemon Tea Classic Punch, a drink that featured sherbet, black tea, and a mint sprig garnish.

At Barbra Streisand's recent fund-raiser for the Cedars-Sinai Women's Heart Center in Malibu, guests helped themselves to a raw fruit and veggie bar. In place of a tablecloth, organizers used a quilt to match the vintage-inspired aesthetic of the event.

Nothing says summer like fresh seafood. At the Power Ball in Toronto, V.I.P. guests helped themselves to shrimp and freshly shucked oysters at a chilled seafood bar provided by Petite Thuet.

Petite Thuet also served a colorful dish of seafood paella at the Power Ball.

A garden-inspired dish featuring seasonal vegetables by Great Performances in New York can stand in for a traditional floral centerpiece.

En Ville Event Design & Catering in Toronto created a picnic-themed display of fruit, bread, and cheese for a summer event.

For Heineken's Inspire Tour in 2010, the food was adapted to the New York market with items like Reuben sandwiches, Chinese dumplings, hot dogs, and falafels served from street carts.

Guests at Stella McCartney's 2011 spring preview were treated to shaved ice by People's Pops in New York.

At Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 collection preview, waitstaff passed citrus-infused cocktails in Mason jars.

Also at Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 collection preview, dessert stands offered sweets from Coolhaus and Pie Corps (pictured). At the latter, guests could also pick up prepackaged jars of fruit cobbler.

McCartney's carnival-themed presentation also had a mac 'n' cheese station. Guests could grab a mini serving wrapped in a spinach cone from a Ferris-wheel stand, or opt for a full cup that could be topped with veggie bacon bits, truffle oil, jalapeños, scallions, or sriracha sauce.

For the grand opening of the Miami Airport Convention Center in Miami earlier this year, the venue's catering team created an edible garden using toasted pumpernickel crumbs as "dirt" with spears of baby carrots, asparagus spears, and zucchini, as well as baby tomatoes and buffalo mozzarella "flowers."

At this year's Luminescence gala in Chicago, passed canapes included cured salmon lollipops, displayed on beds of wheatgrass.

As part of Colgate's White Beauty Bar event in Los Angeles, Skintimate treated attendees to a self-serve sorbet station.

Boston-based event design firm LoLo Event Design recommends setting up self-service bars at summer events. The display includes premixed drinks in large Mason jars, along with fresh herbs and seasonal flowers.

For a fun spin on a summer favorite, LoLo Event Design has caterers serve passed bite-size ice cream cones and ice cream sandwiches.

At this year's Tony Awards gala in New York, guests could serve themselves cups of YoArt's frozen yogurt. There were 80 different toppings, including fresh fruit and gummi candies.

Tabú nightclub at the MGM Grand Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas is offering several Fourth of July-inspired cocktails this summer. The White Night (pictured) is a sweet and savory blend of Malibu rum, Frangelico, Rumplemintz, and cream strained and served over ice, then garnished with raspberries and blueberries.

At Barbra Streisand's fund-raiser for the Cedars-Sinai Women's Heart Center in Malibu, colorful floral arrangements in wooden vases played off the outdoor setting.

For the dinner, held inside Streisand's home, the summery atmosphere featured neutral tones and fresh-picked centerpieces.

California-based rental company Archive Rentals offers a large collection of authentic vintage Western and camping-themed items, including reclaimed barn-wood tables, camping trailers, Airstream trailers and canoes.

The centerpieces at Diffa's Garden gala in Chicago this year included candelabras wrapped in greenery and white flowers surrounded by Mason jars holding tealights.

For the Central Park Conservancy's annual "Taste of Summer" event in New York, designer Marc Wilson punched up the all-white furnishings with drapes and throw pillows in bright pink, green, and yellow hues.

The V.I.P. area of Toronto's Power Ball was styled with rustic elements for an English-picnic look. Designers used loading palettes as banquet seating and cocktail tables.

Markus Daly Ryan produced Univision's Deportes launch in New York, where picnic tables formed the bulk of the seating and found lumber was turned into cocktail tables for a neighborhood-block-party feel.

At Stella McCartney's Resort 2013 presentation, a large cart overflowing with roses and peonies stood near the entrance to the venue. As guests left, they were given small bouquets or single stems as festive gifts.

At Glossed & Found's Meredith Wendell luncheon in Chicago, A Perfect Event placed giant, colorful pool inflatables throughout the venue to set the tone for the pool party theme.

For the picnic-inspired Absolut Orient Apple launch party in New York last summer, organizers covered the floor of the indoor venue with sod, and brought in live trees and wooden barrels filled with thousands of apples.

At a Belvedere-sponsored event during the 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, guests sat on haystacks covered with bright orange blankets and chevron-patterned pillows.

Chevron-patterned linens were also used on cocktails tables, and sunflower bouquets served as centerpieces.

At this year's Casa de Don Julio event in New York, the outdoor terrace was decorated with Mexican-inspired decor, with barrels and wooden benches used for guest seating and cocktail tables.

This year's Adam Smith Awards gala, which took place in Washington, D.C., had a red-white-and-blue theme.

LoLo Event Design offers hand-painted handkerchiefs that can serve as table numbers at a garden event. Geraniums in a terra cotta pot have a more casual feel than an elaborate formal centerpiece.

LoLo Event Design also creates message-in-a-bottle place cards for beach-inspired events.

At Sears' and Kmart's 2012 collection press preview, the design team brought in foliage, benches, and six live canaries. The birds chirped from freestanding cages placed around the product vignettes.

For a recent pool party, the team at Swank Productions kept the decor streamlined, with a mostly white color palette, mirrored furnishings, and plenty of sheer draping.

For an indoor summer-themed gathering, Swank producers used beach balls to create playful "chandeliers." Tables were covered in summery yellow and orange linens.

At Glossed & Found's book launch party designed by A Perfect Event, guests took home summer cocktail recipes provided by Grand Marnier.

Megavision Arts created 2-D and 3-D wall projections as a nod to the pool theme at a party to celebrate newly renovated Los Angeles venue Nic's Beverly Hills.

The recent Beverly Hills Hotel & Bungalows 100th anniversary bash kicked off with a performance by the Aqualillies, a troupe of water-ballerinas.

At the Power Ball in Toronto, piñatas made for a kid-friendly activity.

At the Seersucker Ride and Social in Washington, D.C., guests enjoyed music from a 1920s jazz band. As a nod to the theme, participants dressed in seersucker and Jazz Age fashions.

Guests also played lawn games like croquet at the Seersucker Ride and Social.

At last year's Stella McCartney spring preview, guests played ping-pong at a table set up outside.

Zen Arts in Southern California offers an array of entertainment that can take place in or around a pool, including their transparent spheres that hold performers and float on water.

At the Power Ball in Toronto, guests took a ride on wooden swings in the main party area.

At Sunglass Hut's summer block party in Miami, family-friendly games included corn hole, bocce ball, ping-pong, and hopscotch.

Pop-a-shot basketball was a popular activity at Sunglass Hut's summer party.

For Yahoo's Genome relaunch party in New York, organizers brought in a trio of synchronized swimmers from Gotham Synchro to swim in the venue's indoor pool. The water dancers sported alien-inspired body suits as a nod to the event's futuristic theme.

Dubbed "Hannah Mermaid," model Hannah Fraser is available for corporate events, and specializes in underwater "aquabatics" and open-water diving.

Entertain a crowd post-sunset with an alfresco movie experience. Utah-based Open Air Cinema is an outdoor cinema equipment supplier and event producer, with rental affiliates throughout the U.S. The company can provide screens up to 40 feet wide, as well as snacks such as popcorn and hot dogs. (The theater systems can also be set up for video games or karaoke.) Event production costs start from $2,000, and Open Air Cinema can help obtain a public performance license for movies, which can cost between $300 and $500.

Companies including Turner Classic Movies and American Express have booked water ballet company the Aqualillies. The female synchronized swimmers wear vintage swimsuits, flowered swim caps, and red lipstick, while performing a tightly choreographed routine to music. Based in Miami, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, and New York, prices are available on request.

New York-based GrooveHoops performs a mix of dance and acrobatics while manipulating Hula-Hoops. The six performers stage choreographed sets that typically last four to seven minutes, while using standard variety, glowing LED, or fire-lit Hula-Hoops. GrooveHoops travels worldwide; fees start from $500 for one performer.

Entertainment company Zen Arts offers an array of entertainment options for dramatic outdoor entertaining, including fire dancers, costumed mermaids, and transparent “bubble spheres” that float on water while holding dancers. Most recently, six female Olympians joined the company’s synchronized swimming troupe. Based in Los Angeles, Zen Arts performers can travel worldwide; performances cost between $10,000 and $100,000.

Bicycle action performer Trevor Bodogh performs gravity-defying tricks on two wheels while traversing a portable set of obstacles like ramps and platforms. The 25-minute set features Bodogh executing moves like climbing up a six-and-a-half-foot-tall “Devil’s Staircase” on his seatless bike. Bodogh can perform outdoors on a variety of surfaces, and he brings his own equipment, music, and sound system. Based in Toronto, Bodogh travels across the U.S. and Canada; fees start from $1,500.

In addition to nighttime fireworks displays, PyroTecnico can also present daytime “fireworks” shows using colored smoke. With offices throughout the U.S., the company can stage performances anywhere. Prices available on request.

UNC Paris's inflatable furniture items are now available in the U.S. under the moniker Modern Inflatables. The line includes a sofa, chair, table, pouf, deck chair, and rocking chair. Made in France from clear, recyclable polyurethane thermoplastic, the items can be rented with the company's standard range of interchangeable, colored fabric covers, which can also be custom-printed or embroidered with logos and pictures. Custom work takes at least six weeks to manufacture. Items start from $195 without covers.

Inflate USA's line of inflatable structures for events includes more than 30 different sizes and shapes, such as the Luna, designed to act as a portable bar area, and the Trident, a massive tent structure designed for concerts and expos that can be set up in less than five hours. The structures, which cost from $800 to more than $5,000 to rent, are all fully brandable.

CasaBubble rents inflatable, modular spheres for events. Envisioned by French designers Frédéric Richard and Pierre-Stéphane Dumas, the transparent, pressurized bubbles can be used as V.I.P. areas, pop-up shops, dining spaces, and more in outdoor environments. There are five different models and the structures come with a wooden floor. Solar cells and battery equipment are also available.

Blueprint Studios introduced a 20-foot-tall inflatable structure dubbed the Hypercube. Available for national and international delivery, the black-and-white cube can be used as shelter from the sun at an outdoor event and rents for $1,800.

The Blofield collection is available to rent nationwide through CORT Event Furnishings. The line includes an inflatable loveseat and chair made from a durable vinyl material designed to withstand snow, sand, and heat. In addition to cream and black, CORT now offers Blofield seating in vibrant red, too.

Bubble Miami offers its inflatable igloos and walls for events throughout Florida. Rental prices range from $200 to $800.

The teepee-style tents can hold as many as 400 people.

In 2010, Armani Exchange hosted its "Cool Down for a Cause" event in Los Angeles, outfitting a retro ice cream truck to serve up fall denim looks. The "A|X Chill Truck" hawked sweet treats and denim deals outside the brand's Robertson Boulevard store, with proceeds from the day benefiting the Surfrider Foundation.

For a Yelp community event in 2009 in New York, the user review and social networking Web site kept guests cool with branded fans and misting stations near the event's entrance.

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.

For a luxe shaded environment at a recent pool party, the team at Swank Productions kept the decor streamlined with a mostly white color palette, mirrored furnishings, and plenty of sheer draping.

As part of Colgate's White Beauty Bar event in Los Angeles, Skintimate treated attendees to a self-serve sorbet station.

Guests at Stella McCartney's 2011 spring preview scooped up shaved ice by People's Pops in New York.

The Do Lab's central art piece at Coachella took on an ombré look this year, in colors that seemed to evoke desert flowers. The structures provided shade in the sweltering daylight hours, and they served as a meeting point and a stage for performances that included the work of Lucent Dossier.

Guests at the Lacoste Live pool party during Coachella in 2012 could cool off with snow cones at a station provided by sponsor Fiji Water.

To build buzz around its summer tour series, Sunglass Hut hosted a block party in June 2012. Produced by Relevent's Tony Berger, the early evening event spanned an entire West Village block in New York and included a pool built on the sidewalk. As a way to spark interaction, guests received permanent markers to sign the wooden deck surrounding the water.

At the 2012 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen, Colorado, presenting sponsor Belvedere offered refreshing beverages made with the brand's Lemon Tea vodka, including the Lemon Tea Classic Punch, a drink that featured sherbet, black tea, and a mint sprig garnish.

TEDActive guests scooped up logo water bottles upon their arrival that served as giveaways, as well as a way to stay hydrated without the use of disposable plastic bottles. Hydration stations allowed guests to fill up easily and as often as they liked.

Monochrome weddings are getting an updated twist lately, as seen in the table and setup by Edge Floral Event Designers. Think understated—even rustic—furnishings that allow details like flowers and wallpaper to pop without looking overdone.

The rustic look has moved into the realm of total refinement, as seen in the setup from Simply Chic Events, which came complete with reclaimed wood and an Edison-style bulb chandelier.

The ever-chic black-and-white motif gets new energy with the help of dramatic metallic accents. At the setup by Events in the City, a gold sparkle wall and gold glitter flatware add festivity to an otherwise preppy look.

If the ombré trend extends to wedding confections, why not to corporate events too? The good-luck cake from TipsyCake at Poladora launch party blended from white to green.

Mexican themes lend themselves to such whimsy and colorfulness. The table from A Perfect Event shows off a well-executed, conversation-starting example.

Flowers are no longer strictly contained by vessels. Sofitel Los Angeles let blooms trail from an oversize arrangement—a similar look to the Recording Academy's Bollywood-inspired after-party for the Grammys.

Planners may already have seen this theme evolve: chandeliers, chandeliers, chandeliers. At the Wedding Salon showcase Premiere Party Rents hung one from a wedding canopy. For corporate events, the ceiling treatments can be hung from tent ceilings, above food stations, or over an arrivals carpet.

Illuminated chandeliers are eye-catching additions to weddings and corporate events alike. The floral and crystal chandelier installed by Karla Conceptual Event Experiences and lit by Frost Florida, packed a punch in purple.

Live musical acts are borrowing inspiration from the evocative 1920s period. Costumed entertainers took the stage at a collaboration between the New York Botanical Garden and Stephen Starr Events.

At this year’s Rolling Stone Live Super Bowl party, producer Toast created a "trashed hotel room" where guests could take photos and pretend to live the rock star life. The event took place at the Bud Light Hotel, a Wyndham property in New Orleans rebranded for the weekend.

At last year’s Sundance Film Festival, Abel McCallister Designs created a movie-themed space for Chase Sapphire. Interactive photo booth installations allowed visitors to enter the worlds of well-known films that originally premiered at the festival, including Dogtown and Z-Boys. The photo station had guests stand on a skateboard set next to a sideways backdrop of Santa Monica beach; the printed photographs were then turned horizontally to make it look like guests were captured mid-trick on a skateboard ramp.

For this year's iteration of the Chase Sapphire activation at Sundance, Abel McCallister Designs created several new photo booth installations based on movies, including Hairspray, Hoosiers, and Little Shop of Horrors (pictured).

At the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s gala in Miami, guests could pose for photos behind an oversize golden picture frame. Shiraz Events provided decor for the event, which drew 600 guests to the JW Marriott Marquis Miami and Hotel Beaux Arts in December.

At the Lipton Uplift Lounge at the Sundance Film Festival in January, guests including Lil Jon could pose for photos while sitting in a real ski-lift chair set against a snowy, branded backdrop.

Groupon hosted its Camp Groupon event last July at the Swissôtel Chicago. Kehoe Designs spruced up the hotel with thematic decor for the weekend, including a photo station area with a woodsy backdrop that included life preservers, boat paddles, and bundled logs.

To celebrate the release of Girls season one on Blu-ray—and to hype the second season—HBO hosted a cocktail party at Toronto's House of Moments in December. Guests were encouraged to snap Instagram photos in front of a backdrop based on Central Park in New York City, where Girls is set. The Big Apple-inspired area had lampposts, trees, shrubs, and backdrops decked with New York City architecture.

David Copperfield helped produce the L.A.'s Promise "A Night of Magic" gala in October. The producers at Chad Hudson Events worked with Copperfield's team to set up a photo booth that made it look as though guests were floating in midair in front of the famous magician. In reality, the station had a potted plant placed sideways against a wall, while attendees stood on a metal stand that was hidden from the camera by clothing and feet.

To introduce its new line of men's grooming products and promote its partnership with Space Expedition Corporation to send 22 fans on a flight beyond Earth's atmosphere, Axe built its own space academy in January. The brand turned the Cullman Hall of the Universe at the American Museum of Natural History into its secret space headquarters for the launch event, placing a moon-landing-inspired photo op area up front.

Last fall’s New Yorkers for Children gala had a "light the way" theme, inspired by the nonprofit's mission to improve the lives of young people. David Stark handled the decor, embellishing a photo backdrop of a forest scene with white birch trees, lush greenery, and a path lit by lanterns.

In November, NBC once again hosted Democracy Plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York, a free interactive, election-focused exhibit and promotion for the public that also served as its election-night coverage hub. Inside the Rockefeller Plaza concourse, people lined up to have their photos taken in side-by-side replicas of the White House press room and the Oval Office.

For Dos Equis's "Most Interesting Masquerade," held in Chelsea's historic Masonic Hall in New York and produced by Mirrorball, body painter Craig Tracy drew half a lion's face on the sides of two models. When the models sat back-to-back inside a gold picture frame, the full face of the lion was visible and formed the backdrop of a photo op.

For last year’s American Heart Association gala in Seattle, event designer Matthew Parker created a photo backdrop for the Kentucky Derby-themed event that included a life-size papier-mâché horse made from more than 5,000 individually placed construction-paper strips.

To promote its new line of Outdoor Life apparel, Sears built a campsite-themed area in New York’s Times Square last October. Guests could pose in a photo op area that was set up to look like a real campsite, with a tent, faux grass, a fire pit, and outdoorsy props.

Transitions Optical, working with chef Robert Irvine, had a two-story activation at the recent South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Grand Tasting Village. Inside the structure, guests posed at a Mad Hatter's tea-party-themed dining set with props, including cutouts of Irvine’s face.

For a recent wedding in New York, Oh Snap Smile constructed a unique photo booth environment: Guests were shot from above while lounging in a bed strewn with custom pillows to use as props.

For e-commerce company Vente-Privee USA's one-year anniversary party held last November in New York, StudioBooth set up a custom photo set with fall leaves and vintage props, designed to mimic the company’s fall campaign. The images were turned into animated GIFs that were emailed to guests.