Columbia College of Chicago Open Doors Gala by Jeffrey Foster
"The event showcases student work, which is contemporary with an edge, requiring an environment that celebrates that level of creativity." —Jeffrey Foster
Photo: Kyle Flubacker
During the cocktail reception, photos from the digital photo booth were displayed onto the giant sails inside the concert hall.
Photo: Javier Velarde
In February, Corinthian Events topped a table with a Ping-Pong ball-filled glass lamp at Big Night 11, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay fund-raiser.
Photo: Matthew Teuten
Centerpieces were illuminated lamps with text from the play.
Photo: Kyle Flubacker
Twinkle Light Dance Floor
The bash following dinner, dubbed the "happily ever after party" was held in a tent. In one room guests danced on a dance floor from Fox Ventures that was embedded with LED lights. "We used this element because they looked like night stars," said NACE gala co-chair Aisha Malik.
Photo: Evelyn Alas
The centerpiece of the cocktail section was an enormous sign depicting the event's arrowhead symbol and tagline. Oversize illuminated arrows pointed outward from this point, guiding guests to sections themed around the issues the foundation works on.
Photo: Keith Sirchio for BizBash
As part of Rolling Stone's “Rock Weekend” festivities at the Super Bowl in February, artists like Pete Wentz got behind the turntables in a flying DJ booth during a bash at the Crane Bay.
Photo: Sean Smith Photography
A tall DJ booth stood in the display area for the Chevrolet Sonic. Decals lined the base of the booth, and guests could decorate the Sonic models with sticky images of their choosing. Visitors could then have their photos snapped with their decorated cars, and receive the photos via email.
Photo: BizBash
Iceculture created a DJ booth on a platform at the back of the room.
For the Toronto International Film Festival’s opening-night party in September, producer Barbara Hershenhorn of Party Barbara Company surrounded the DJ booth in the main room with 18 TV screens looping a futuristic video.
Photo: Emma McIntyre for BizBash
At the Art Ball at the Dallas Museum of Art in April, Todd Events used honeycomb walls, interior Versa tubes, and lighting elements to build a decorative platform for DJ Lucy Wrubel over the registration desk.
Photo: Steve Wrubel
Candy boutique Sugarfina opened a second location at the Americana at Brand in Los Angeles this summer. The confections make for colorful gifts in cocktail-inspired varieties such as champagne gummy bears, spiced rum and Coke gummies, and peach Bellini gummies—all top sellers. The boutique‘s gifts come in its signature turquoise bento boxes, which can be customized with 140 candy varieties from around the world.
Photo: A.L. Canterbury
Provide self-service, secure phone charging for guests with Orlando-based Totally Mod’s charging locker unit. Twenty-four individual lockers are each equipped with three cords—one for iPhone 5, one for iPhone 4, and one micro-USB. Guests create their own four-digit code to secure the locker. The unit has two monitors on top that can run event content, and the four-sided base can be used for sponsor messages. Pricing starts at $3,750 for one week.
Photo: Art Cid
Tied up with a silky white ribbon, a commemorative program contained a written history of the women's board and a list of past event chairs.
Photo: Bob Carl
Served with olive-oil cake and a white chocolate that acknowledged the board's milestone anniversary, dessert was an edible ballet slipper filled with watermelon mousse.
Photo: Bob Carl
Lacoste Fall/Winter 2014-2015
Similar to Jason Wu’s venue, the Lacoste show also contrasted a black show space with, in this case, a gleaming white runway and front row seating. Held at the largest tent space at Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center and produced by Bureau Betak, the February 8 show featured a backdrop of two large video walls that played a digital journey to Chantaco, France, home to the world famous golf club in Saint-Jean-de-Luz. The imagery was in the large mirrored shards that were “strewn” on the runway. “The modern images were in contrast to the more classical collection,” de Betak said.
Photo: Courtesy of Bureau Betak
Kehoe Designs created white, floating centerpieces.
Photo: Bob Carl
Entertainment One (eOne) Blue Carpet
On September 7, Entertainment One hosted its "eOne Blue Carpet" bash for 1,500 guests. Held at Moss Park Armoury, the event was awash in the brand's signature blue hue. Jeffry Roick of McNabb Roick Events handled decor.
Photo: George Pimentel
Entertainment One (eOne) Blue Carpet
Taking cues from the round shape of the letter "o" in the eOne logo, Roick incorporated white balloons into the decor.
Photo: George Pimentel
MobileCause
MobileCause began in 2006 as a text-to-give system, with billing handled by cell phone carriers. In June 2012, the company added mobile pledging, which allows users to send a text message to make a donation and then click through on their phones to pay with a credit card. Donors can also add a message, which is displayed on the “donation thermometer” in real time at the event. Donors instantly receive a text message response that thanks them for the donation and provides a link to click through to input credit card information. The mobile site also provides a “remember me” option, which allows the organization to save the donor's information and use it for future communication. For those who opt not to pay at the event, MobileCause provides call center staff who contact each donor a few days later to fulfill the payment over the phone. Pricing ranges from $1,000 to $2,000 for consulting services, plus a transaction fee of 50 cents and between 5 percent and 7.25 percent per donation.
Photo: Courtesy of MobileCause
BidPal
BidPal offers two options for mobile bidding at an event. The original system, which the company has offered since 2009, is run on a closed Wi-Fi network and attendees log in using their smartphone or an iPod Touch provided by BidPal. Last year the company also began offering a cellular–based system due to the increase in smartphone usage and improvement in cellular signals within venues. Later this year BidPal will offer a hybrid solution that provides both cellular and Wi-Fi access at one event. BidPal can be used for general donations as well as bidding on auction items, with instant “outbid” alerts, and pledges can be displayed on a leaderboard. Users can check out directly on their mobile device. Planners can also use BidPal’s event management functions, including single-ticket and table sales, donor thank-yous, and post-event reports that provide data such as which items had the most interest and when most bidding took place. Pricing is based on a combination of a booking fee and an event fee.
Photo: Courtesy of BidPal
As guests arrived, servers handed out cocktails called the "Magritte-Ahh." The drinks combined cotton-candy clouds with tequila, agave, and lime-kaffir salt.
Photo: Cheri Eisenberg
The cocktail reception was held in the museum's Pritzker Garden. HMR Designs, which handled decor for the whole evening, brought in a round central bar with a huge centerpiece of bowler hats.
Photo: Cheri Eisenberg
Chef Tony Mantuano and his team at Bon Appetit Catering, the museum's in-house firm, created a playful menu that nodded to Magritte's Belgian roots. At one station, guests could top their own baked pretzels with honey, cheese, and whole-grain mustard.
Photo: Cheri Eisenberg
In another nod to the artist's heritage, mixologist Adam Seger created Blanche de Brussels Belgian Ale sorbet. The beer-based treat was meant to pair with the pretzels.
Photo: Robert Carl
Images of blue skies decked the tabletops, and green apples sat atop Lucite boxes that glowed after the sun set.
Photo: Cheri Eisenberg
Tables were preset with a dish called "Landscape." It contained potato, beet, and kale chips and had spinach, saffron, and piquillo sauces in paint tubes.
Photo: Jenny Berg/BizBash
Red: Passion, Love, Power, Excitement, Strength, Anger, Intensity
Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions executed the “romantic rhapsody in red” theme at the 2012 Emmys Governors Ball in Los Angeles with a giant rose concept and copious amounts of the color.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
“In an event that felt like a real piece of Chicago history, the Art Institute of Chicago celebrated Mayor Richard Daley and his wife, Maggie, right before the end of his 22-year mayorship in 2011. There were some touching, intimate moments I’ll always remember, like when Daley tearfully told the crowd, ‘Thank you for letting me be your mayor.’ He and Maggie also danced to their favorite song, 'What Are you Doing the Rest of Your Life.’ The song is inherently beautiful, of course, but this was especially poignant because Maggie was very ill then and she passed away several months later. She was truly beloved in the city—even now I get teary just thinking about that moment, and what the two of them must have been thinking.” —Jenny Berg, Chicago bureau chief
Photo: Robert F. Carl Photo
“For me, it's the Super Saturday Night party from DirecTV at this year's Super Bowl. Just hours earlier, we had watched celebrities play flag football on an expanse of beach inside the 88,000-square-foot tent. But that evening, Jack Murphy Productions and CL22 Productions transformed the space from a sports arena to an Eyes Wide Shut-themed nightclub with two of the largest chandeliers I've ever seen framing the stage where Justin Timberlake performed.” —Beth Kormanik, senior editor
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
Following the premiere of The Amazing Spider-Man in Los Angeles in June, guests headed to an outdoor party designed by 15/40 Productions. The premiere party's central bar in the round got a reptilian look inspired by the film's villain.
Photo: Line 8 Photography. All rights reserved.
The theme of the Emmys Governors Ball in September was "A Romantic Rhapsody in Red" and saw the Los Angeles Convention Center's West Hall designed to look like the inside of a red rose. Red rose petals were suspended in the sculpted ice bars, sponsored by Grey Goose.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
5. Orange County Museum of Art’s Art of Dining Benefit
#5 Art & Design Event
One of the county’s most prominent social events, Orange County Museum of Art’s Art of Dining Benefit celebrated the museum’s Cartier-sponsored 50th anniversary on June 2 at the Montage Laguna Beach. Next: Spring 2013
One of the county’s most prominent social events, Orange County Museum of Art’s Art of Dining Benefit celebrated the museum’s Cartier-sponsored 50th anniversary on June 2 at the Montage Laguna Beach. Next: Spring 2013
Photo: Colin Young-Wolff
The Los Angeles Children's Chorus' "Gala Bel Canto" fund-raiser in Los Angeles brought the young singers right to guests' tables to deliver personal messages in the form of videos available for viewing on iPads. (In the past, chorus members hand wrote thank-you notes for the guests.)
Photo: Lee Salem Photography
In 2012, New York's massive Robin Hood Foundation Gala got a subway theme, where nontraditional centerpieces atop tables were printed with information on the areas the charity serves. The table toppers also served as placeholders for the IML interactive devices through which guests could donate on the spot.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
The event's theme—the Art of the Possible—was projected on the venue's façade.
Photo: World Red Eye
Paper Acorn created the luminaries, which lined the carpet leading to the arrivals area and bore the symphony's logo, as well as the table numbers.
Photo: World Red Eye
Word art displayed in various forms throughout the gala conveyed an abstract event theme. The lighting on a curved wall changed colors every few seconds to offer even more visual interest.
Photo: World Red Eye
The waitstaff wore custom bow ties with the word art graphics that were used throughout the gala.
Photo: Fabian Giannattassio
Each room featured a different flower in the arrangements. The Patrons room had mokara orchids floating in water above crystal rocks.
Photo: World Red Eye
Inspirational phrases that reinforced the symphony's message were suspended from the ceiling of one of the dining rooms.
Photo: World Red Eye
LED tape lined the dining tables, providing a high-tech alternative to linens.
Photo: Fabian Giannattassio
Both high-impact and budget-friendly, a 48-inch disco ball was the decor centerpiece at the after-party.
Photo: World Red Eye
Dessert was raspberry mascarpone mousse cake with a raspberry sauce and fresh berries adorned with a branded white-chocolate disk.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
A decor piece of saxophones and crystal orbs hung from a light in the center of the check-in area.
Photo: Tony Brown/imijphoto.com for BizBash
Candlelight Dinner
A candlelight dinner at the National Building Museum the night before the swearing-in was among the official events from the Presidential Inaugural Committee. Hargrove provided design, sound, technical production, and linens.
Photo: Courtesy of Hargrove/FotoBriceno
Syzygy worked with Atmosphere Lighting to bring a pop of emerald green to the black and white staging with green uplights along the museum's signature columns as well as additional gobos on the green draping above the main stage with the event's signature "F4P" logo.
Photo: Travis Vaughn Photography
Edge Floral Event Designers kept the centerpieces minimalistic with simple arrangements of white hydrangea or floating flower petals and votives in clear vases. Georgetown Cupcake's individually wrapped cupcakes in signature pink pastry boxes added a pop of color to the tables. During the weeks leading up to the event, the bakery donated a portion of sales from its "pupcake" cupcake to the organization.
Photo: Travis Vaughn Photography
A digital lectern on stage displayed the gala's logo.
Photo: Kayla Hernandez for BizBash
Sponsor Ketel One served drinks at the V.I.P. preparty through ice sculptures of vodka bottles.
Photo: Kayla Hernandez for BizBash
Upon arrival, guests posed for photos and interviews in front of the gala’s step-and-repeat, staffed by Chatter Buzz Media. The company instantly uploaded the images and video clips to Hope & Help Center’s Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram accounts, and the hashtag #HeaddressBallOrlando generated 370,321 impressions during the evening.
Photo: Courtesy of Chatter Buzz Media
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.
Photo: Cheri Root Photography
Hundreds of balloons from Balloon Trix hung from the ceiling during the V.I.P. dinner. The space changed colour with each course, starting with blue, morphing to pink for the main course, changing to orange for dessert, and ending in red.
Photo: George Pimentel
Todd Events made a wedding held inside a large barn in Aspen seem more intimate with two tall signature bars and scattered seating and food station vignettes. Hanging glass globes appeared to lower the ceilings.
Photo: Karlisch Wrubel Photography
The Butterfly Ball in Chicago, and other quintessentially springy events, will help usher in the new season of philanthropy.
Photo: Eddie Quinones for BizBash
Mixologist Milton Hernandez from Ambar used apple-flavored corn whiskey, black tea, milk, and heavy cream to create his Le Corcoran artini, which he topped with an absinthe gelatin.
Photo: Chris Avery
Foxtales invites event guests to step into a so-called “storybooth” that creates branded photos and HD videos. In addition to a customizable touch-screen interface, the booths have built-in D.S.L.R. cameras and proprietary photo-processing techniques. The pictures and videos populate a mobile-ready storyboard and can be instantly uploaded using Wi-Fi, 4G Internet, or a hard-line connection. Pricing is from $1,500 and includes five hours of run time, the customized storyboard gallery, on-site reps, and post-event analytics.
Photo: Courtesy of Foxtales
With a color palette of aubergine, champagne, and chartreuse, this year's Governors Ball will be held in the Ray Dolby ballroom of the Hollywood & Highland Center directly following the Academy Awards telecast February 24. The centerpiece of the space will be an 18-foot gold Oscar.
Rendering: Courtesy of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences
Earlier this year, BML-Blackbird theatrical services partnered with Magnetic3D, a company that creates glasses-free 3D displays and digital signage, as its official A/V rental partner. At BML-Blackbird’s booth, attendees got a chance to see the 3D television in action.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash
Event Tech
Event Tech offers full production services and equipment rentals to the special events, entertainment, and trade show industries. No matter the location or project size, such as the Naval Aviation Centennial Gala (pictured), Event Tech meets the needs of its clients using the latest in audio, lighting, power distribution, staging and rigging, and video switching and projection technologies.
Photo: Courtesy of Event Tech
Zellers threw a farewell party produced by Candice & Alison in November as the Toronto retailer got ready to shutter all its stores after 61 years of business. A massive, four-sided bar was covered in enlarged newspaper clippings from 1951, the company's opening year.
Photo: Mauricio Calero
Also at the Whitney Art Party in June, the hallway bars had illuminated displays composed of hundreds of individual lightbulbs that served as backdrops.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash
An interactive garden can be set up in one 24-foot-long display or in two 12-foot-long sections. The tallest "flowers" are 60 inches high.
Photo: Courtesy of Moey Inc.
NBC Universal Golden Globes Party
A 20-foot-high truss structure at one end of the tent opposite the entrance showcased an LED video wall where guests could watch the broadcast of the show. Around the perimeter were 50-inch plasma screens for additional viewing opportunities.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
