Inspiring Events

Guests, including Rachael Ray, Bobby Flay, and Emeril Lagasse, entered the event by walking down a long hallway dubbed the “Hall of Masters,” which was lined with 36 blown-up portraits of the network’s biggest stars.

Once inside the party space, guests were met by a towering birthday “cake” composed of more than 40 whitewashed vintage TVs playing old Food Network clips. Two days later, the design was repurposed for the New York City Wine & Food Festival’s Tacos & Tequila bash, with the televisions playing clips from event sponsor NY1.

To create the atmosphere of an art museum, producers designed the lounge areas that ran down the center of the room in an all-white palette, helping the surrounding vignettes pop. Glass display cases held memorabilia and props from Food Network and Cooking Channel shows.

Stone Dog Studios constructed a 10- by 10-foot wall displaying the Food Network logo in its Brooklyn studio. Once it was delivered to Pier 92, the wall was planted with fresh basil and rosemary and installed behind one of the bars, allowing bartenders to add fresh herbs to the evening’s signature cocktails.

One food station played off the idea that when viewers watch the Food Network, they wish the food could be served directly through their TV sets. Embedded with working televisions playing cooking show clips from the network’s early years, an automat-style wall had chefs handing small plates to guests through a row of televisions with the screens removed.

Local artist Clare Herron recreated the Cooking Channel’s logo using kitchen items such as salt shakers, spatulas, and plastic straws.

Staffers offered guests caviar and oysters from an ice bar that had brightly colored plastic sea creatures frozen inside.

To represent the Food Network magazine, artist Clare Herron spent the event inside an 8- by 8-foot Plexiglas cube with stacks of back issues and a pair of scissors. Throughout the evening, she created a collage by taping magazine cutouts to the walls. “By the end of the night, it was one big art piece,” Blatter said.

Dynamic Productions designed a diner-style food station as a nod to the popularity of shows like Guy Fieri’s Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives that highlight America’s regional cuisine. The station served Maine lobster rolls, Bronx meatball parms, Texas barbecue pork sliders, and Carolina corn spoon bread.

Stone Dog Studios crafted dozens of fake macarons from Styrofoam and rigged them to create a 10-foot-tall chandelier that hung over a dessert station serving real macarons in flavors including birthday cake, pumpkin, and pistachio.

Rory Mulholland Scenery created custom marquee signs for each of the Food Network’s current shows.

Dubbed "MKG-Wee's Playhouse," the event had bright signage at its entrance to welcome guests to the event. A performer dressed as Pee-wee Herman, named "VIP-Wee," served as the greeter.

Custom Blow Dry Bar by DCi at Hotel Del Coronado

Fox's V.I.P. tent offered guests the opportunity to watch arrivals from a branded location within walking distance of the blue carpet.

Signage around LeakyCon acknowledged guests' desire "to be in a place they can geek out to the greatest extent possible," show operator Melissa Anelli said. "And the more we gear the event towards making that happen, towards having silly fun with them, towards making sure they are having a great time, the better the event becomes."

One of the pop-up events that generated the most interest from attendees and on social media was a reenactment of the final scene from the second season of Sherlock, with actor Maxwell Glick playing the part of Dr. Watson.

At the end of the opening ceremonies, a makeshift gospel choir sang a parody rendition of “Love Is an Open Door” from Frozen. The 40 choir members were LeakyCon attendees who had responded to a request on Twitter for “choir geeks” to bring their robes and attend a rehearsal.

Organizers invited attendees with band experience to bring their instruments to LeakyCon so they could be part of the event’s pep band, which gave about 15 “pop-up” performances during the five-day convention.

Some of the pop-up moments consisted of static decor, such as cutouts of the Weeping Angels from the sci-fi series Doctor Who that were placed around the event as other types of “angels”—in this case a “sweeping angel.”

The Esther Earl Charity Ball took place the final night of the convention. The dance party is named for a young woman with cancer who attended the first LeakyCon in 2009 but died the following year.