The Goodman Gala in Chicago May 18 celebrated the theater's upcoming production of The Jungle Book. Kehoe Designs transformed the Fairmont Hotel's ballroom into a tropical setting replete with lagoon-colored lighting, leafy centerpieces, and giant cutouts of animal silhouettes.
To celebrate the new partnership between SodaStream and Kraft, the Mint Agency produced an event on May 9 at the 2nd Floor event space in Toronto. The event had eco-friendly decor, including a step-and-repeat made out of shelves filled with recycled products.
More than 52,000 beauty industry professionals packed the Orange County Convention Center Saturday through Monday for the Premiere Orlando International Beauty Event. To create buzz about its new color line, Keratin Complex invited guests to decorate two shirtless male models with body paint.
Energy Floors offers human-powered, interactive dance floors for event rentals worldwide. The eight-inch-deep tiles each house small generators; the tiles compress when stepped on, activating the generators to convert the kinetic energy produced by the dancers into electricity. The power can be used to activate the colorful LED light tubes inside the tiles that respond to the movement of dancers or nearby electrical systems.
Sure, there were plenty of creative libations at the Manhattan Cocktail Classic gala at the New York Public Library on May 9. But there were also some sandwiches that stood out for their unique presentation. A roving server from Sonnier & Castle wore a wooden plaque around his neck, and mini shelves affixed to the board held togarashi-chicken-salad tea sandwiches.
Fox used branded balloons to lead guests to its upfront presentation and party in New York. The afternoon presentation was held at the Beacon Theatre on May 13.
Serving up a mix of creative cocktails and live music, this summer’s Absolut X tour stopped at Miami's Soho Studios May 16. At the "Create With Us" station, guests could scrawl on the oversize scratch drawing board with their fingernails.
Some serious business went down at the National Confectioners' Association's Sweets & Snacks Expo in Chicago May 21 to 23—but exhibitors let their whimsy shine. Just beyond the entrance, a bright yellow car—decked with a rather large chick—advertised Peeps.
On May 15, the Toronto General & Western Hospital Foundation hosted a gala that paid tribute to Dr. J. Bernard Gosevitz. The event's laid-back theme was based on one of the doctor's most cherished activities: fishing. Guests fished for prizes at the "Dr. G. Tribute Fish Pond," which organizers rented from Superior Events Group.
For the New York premiere of Now You See Me, a film about four magicians that rob a bank, Summit Entertainment put 600 guests in the basement of the Hudson Hotel. Mimicking the film's setting, vignettes from graffiti collective 5Pointz on the walls gave the warehouse a gritty, underground vibe.
Diesel's Food Truck for Change, produced by Spinradius Events, hit the streets of the greater Toronto area on September 5 to coincide with the film fest's opening. Targeting celebrities and influential festival attendees, the food truck doled out "croughnuts" in exchange for a donation to the charity OneXOne. The truck rolled around the city through September 8.
Macy's Passport Presents Glamorama “Fashion in a New Light” took to the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12. And at the after-party, guests saw a DJ station in a new light. DJ Brandon Olds held court over a 42-inch, LCD touch-screen, transparent DJ console. As he spun, guests could see what he was doing with song wavelengths, effects, and mixing techniques.
To announce the two-year residency of Britney Spears at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, organizers staged a dramatic card trick in the Nevada desert—with 1,300 volunteers. On September 17, the masses of fans and volunteers were taken to the desert on a bus. They lined up in height order (with the taller folks in back), each holding an individual card. When held up together, the cards formed a Britney Spears billboard.
Jewelry brand (and returning company to HBO's luxury lounge) Pandora came up with a new twist on gifting its products this season: Guests pulled open bow-tied drawers to discover a printed card that corresponded to a jewelry gift. Other sponsors around the space included Solstice Sunglasses, Logitech, and the Four Seasons spa.
In the H&M Loves Music tent, concertgoers could stop by "freshen up" stations that had grooming goods such as dry shampoo, deodorant, and sun-protecting face mist. There was also a free water bar, a GIF photo booth, a nail art station, a live DJ, and more perks—including air-conditioning. The brand encouraged guests to share their GIFs, which were splashed with the H&M logo, via social media.
Similar to Spotify—but without ads— Rdio lets users listen to music on the Web or on their mobile devices. The company sponsored the free Pitchfork app, which guests could download at the Rdio tent; they could also visit the activation to listen to festival performers' albums. A photo activation let guests print out pictures of themselves, then post the pictures next to the name of the band they most wanted to see on a giant board that contained the festival's lineup.
Skyo, which sells and rents textbooks online, hosted a "Sounds Like Summer" online sweepstakes that had prizes including three-day general and V.I.P. passes to Pitchfork. The brand also had a colorful tent on festival grounds, where guests stopped by to play carnival-style games for prizes that included speakers and headphones, a Fender guitar, and cash.
For right-on-trend festival looks, a flower crown station allowed guests to pick up garlands to wear on the spot—in exchange for a posting on social media.
Selected Instagram photos with the #Bonnaroo hashtag were displayed on the sides of the two main stages between sets. Instagrammers were also encouraged to submit their photos for the official fan documentary, True Roo: Fan Faces of Bonnaroo, by tagging #TrueRoo.
USA Network used a new "video paint" technology to promote its original drama series Graceland. Attendees were invited to a pop-up location in downtown Austin's busy bar strip, where they could use a digital paint-brush roller to project Graceland images on the walls of buildings.
The Bandaloop troupe of aerial dancers performed against the white marble façade of the new Hermes Beverly Hills flagship store.
At the recent food festival, which takes place at multiple venues in Los Angeles, sponsor Delta provided branded lanyards that doubled as a hands-free way for guests to hold wine glasses while also carrying plates and nibbling.
At another food festival, Los Angeles Times's "the Taste," the logos that served as the step-and-repeat wall on the opening night were removed for other events, creating a chalkboard for guests' personal expressions. Chef Sang Yoon paused for a shot in front of what would become the erasable chalkboard where attendees could write their names or share their favorite Taste memory throughout the fest.
