Following the announcement, celebrities and more than 700 guests stayed for performances by Major Lazer, as well as Jesse Marco, Just Blaze, and Iggy Azalea.
Among the many fashion-minded brands on the scene was Lacoste, which managed to retain its cachet from previous years. The French clothing company brought back its weekend-long Desert Pool Party at a private estate in Thermal, which this year was produced by Made With Elastic and included celebrity guest DJs and sporty activations related to its Life Is a Beautiful Sport campaign. Misters gave guests a chance to take a break from the heat.
The Lacoste crocodile showed up on a mini putting green as well as tons of other unexpected places at the party.
Guests could shop for festival fashions at a custom-built pop-up shop.
Activities included air tennis and mini golf. Drinks from Evian and boozy sweets from Patrón provided much-needed relief against the desert heat; L.A. food trucks supplied the party's nibbles.
Lacoste also put its stamp on coconuts, which were freshly opened on the spot and served with straws.
At Forever 21's "Party in the Sky" on Saturday evening in Palm Springs, two enormous cranes hoisted the brightly colored DJ booth, in a shipping container, into the air for a dramatic effect—especially in the swaying winds of the day. A truss above was marked with the event host's name in pink.
As night fell, Azealia Banks performed unreleased tracks from her album for the crowd from the pink-lit elevated performance booth. The retailer made the most of its unusual suspended elements by using the hashtag #Cranechella for the party.
Teepee tents have become a key motif at Coachella events, and Forever 21's bash used them to anchor seating groups. Furniture and decor, spray painted with bright accents and marked with hashtags and logos, were made from raw wooden pallets.
The DFM and Hello Stranger presented the Saguaro Desert Weekender with a roster of partners and performances throughout the weekend. DJ and live sets came from acts like FKA Twigs, Bonobo, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, and DJ Harvey. Marking the entrance to the event was the Reyka Vodka Ice House, a space with with a frozen bar, faux snow, and Cold Snap Cosmo cocktails served in cups made of ice with a pair of Icelandic wool mittens. The programming will return for Coachella's second weekend.
At the "Opening Ceremony x Teva" event during the first day, the floor was branded with signage and logos.
Wooden crates served as the basis for decor and product displays.
With production by YourBash, the Guess Hotel took over the Viceroy Palm Springs, rebranding its entry. The weekend-long activation was in addition to the brand's sponsorship of Saturday night's Neon Carnival.
Guess merchandise filled a space outfitted with retro speakers and calfskin rugs.
Working with the Viceroy's Hollywood decor, YourBash added branded accents like throw pillows and framed photographs.
Details hosted its “Details at Midnight” party at a private residence on Friday with Lexus as first-time sponsor. Food included gluten-free options from the Melt Truck, as well as Cool Haus Patrón-infused ice cream sandwiches and Patrón cake pop shots.
Filter, one of the few brands with plans to return for the festival's second weekend, hosted its 12th annual Filter Yacht Club party for attendees that arrived early on Thursday. The kickoff was packed with performances.
At the Filter party, high-energy performances came from ASTR and MDNR, and there were DJ sets by Stones Throw artists Mayer Hawthorne, Peanut Butter Wolf, and Dam Funk.
In a nod to one of the festival's common sights, Kari Feinstein's team—with the help of artist Shannon Crawford—built its own teepee using reclaimed wood and a freestanding base. "Most of the talent that comes though is drawn to the tent because it makes for a cool pic and selfies, almost more than than the typical photo booth," Feinstein said. "We had several celebs sit in there with their friends for 10 to 15 minutes looking to capture the perfect selfie."
The new Symmetry Series phone case from OtterBox was available at the lounge and guests could share their snaps (with their phones clearly pictured in the mirror) using the appropriate hashtags at a dedicated "selfie station."
Just in time for 2014, Britney Spears debuted her show Britney: Piece of Me at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Marking the beginning of her two-year residency at the fully reconstructed Axis Theater, the pop star’s production is a compilation of more than 20 hits. It features a four-piece band, 14 dancers, elaborate sets, over-the-top costumes, and high-end technology.
As an alternative to serving unhealthy snacks such as muffins and doughnuts, Chicago company SnackItToMe customizes healthy snack boxes for meetings and events. “Our mission is to rework the corporate snack culture,” says founder Todd Barancik. Packs include whole-food goods such as pumpkin seeds and organic snack bars from small manufacturers. Items are all-natural, calorie-conscious, and preservative-free.
Farm & Fable is a new Boston shop that sells antique cookbooks and vintage kitchen goods. In a basement demo kitchen, owner Abigail Ruettgers hosts cooking classes for private groups of 10. Sample class topics include oyster shucking and beverage pairing, plus pies and tarts. The venue is also available for receptions of 40 guests.
Eleni’s Cookies in New York offers a new collection of emoji cookies that shows a variety of the expressive faces often used to illustrate texts and social media posts. Eleni’s can customize the treats with corporate logos and messaging.
En Ville Catering in Toronto now offers a spaetzle station. A traditional German dish, spaetzle is a comfort food easily set up at meeting or event spaces with just a tabletop burner and a frying pan. Plus, it’s not frequently seen on event menus. The stations are staffed by chefs and let guests top their dishes with condiments such as savory whipped cream, spinach, and smoked bacon lardons.
The Elements collection from Cort Event Furnishings includes eclectic rental decor pieces such as cages, candelabras, vintage trunks, and greenery. The line, available in Cort’s home base in the Washington area as well as nationwide, mixes materials such as rustic wood and metal furnishings appropriate for trade shows, meetings, or private events.
Enticing Tables designs one-of-a-kind metal event decor pieces in the company’s Southern California workshop. The collection includes uniquely shaped centerpiece and ceremony stands, cupcake and cake stands, and arches and chandeliers, and each item is fabricated by hand.
Jubilee, the longest-running show on the Las Vegas Strip, closed at the end of January and reopened in March after undergoing a major transformation under the direction of creative director and choreographer Frank Gatson Jr. Group tickets for the show at Bally's Las Vegas are available for 10 or more—but keep in mind, the showgirl revue is not right for every audience, so know your crowd.
Serve milk and cupcakes at your next meeting with an order from B Cupcakes, which opened a second location in Orlando suburb Winter Park in December. Among the bakery’s 20 daily flavors are sweet potato, salted caramel, and key lime, all based on owner Sheila Norton’s grandmother’s recipe. Milk comes in 10 flavors like toasted marshmallow and chocolate mint. Delivery is available.
PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, offers a mobile gourmet food truck, which it’s calling iTruck. Designed to cater golf events, weddings, and other private gatherings, it serves fare such as lobster sliders, truffle fries, crab fritters, and burgers. The vehicle also caters off-site events.
For a new take on event signage, Ultra Vista Systems offers 3-D lighted signs. The Los Angeles company can customize signs with illuminated brand names, logos, or art in a lightweight and low-voltage design.
At the opening party for the Canadian Special Event Show last March, Bucket & Whisk created a carving station with five-pound gummy bears instead of beef. In flavors such as “Rare Cherry” and “Well Done Cola,” the giant candies had cheeky signage that advertised features such as “organic-raised” and “hormone-free.” The event was produced by the Idea Hunter.
Over the summer, Newport Beach Marriott Hotel & Spa in California launched the Lemon Break. The catering package includes a lemonade display replete with lemon tarts, lemon sorbet, lemon candies, lemon confit, lemon drops, lemon shooters, lemon chiffon cakes, lemon crème brûlées, and more thematic treats.
At the Chicago AIDS Foundation's World of Chocolate event in 2009, the Signature Room at the 95th served vanilla-and-cinnamon-spiced hot chocolate in pipettes.
At the James Beard Awards in New York in 2007, Allison Vines-Rushing served banana pudding brûlée with cat's tongue cookies in mini glass jelly jars.
To promote the final season of Dexter last year, Magnolia Bakery concocted a gory treat to honor the show's namesake sociopath. The Killer Cupcake topped red velvet cake with spattered caramel "blood" and "glass" shards made out of sugar.
At a Lollapalooza party in 2009, Limelight's passed desserts included mojito-flavored lollipops and an array of glittery confections dubbed "Bedazzled Bonbons."
Boston’s Roxy’s Grilled Cheese can park its truck outside meeting venues. Or, the staff can set up an in-office build-your-own grilled cheese bar with toppings that go beyond childhood basics like sliced tomatoes—think roasted chorizo, applewood bacon, and guacamole.
For a camp-theme event last year, KG Fare Catering & Events offered a mess-free take on s'mores by displaying the gooey treats on clothespins.
At Stella McCartney's Electricity-Free Carnival in New York in 2012, a mac 'n' cheese station was set up as a two-part offering: guests could either select a mini serving on a spinach cone from a Ferris-wheel-shaped stand, or opt for a full cup that could be customized with toppings such as veggie bacon bits, truffle oil, jalapeños, scallions, or sriracha sauce.
At Washingtonian magazine's AT&T's Best of Washington party in 2012, Amaryllis designed the space to evoke the ambiance of a vintage ice cream parlor. Ted's Bulletin offered samples of its homemade Pop-Tarts—cinnamon and brown sugar, strawberry, and chocolate—that the company displayed in tall glasses filled with each flavor's ingredients.
At the Washingtonian event, Patrón served boozy desserts like whoopie pies and cake pops at its customized bar.
Spin-Spun (which was formerly called "Spun") is a Chicago catering firm that specializes in cotton candy. Using organic sugar and either organic or natural flavors, founder Seth Bankier spins the treat in nearly 20 flavors including bacon salt, salted caramel, lemon-coconut, and truffle oil.
