Karl Lagerfeld's Chanel show returned to the Grand Palais in Paris this year. For the September 30 event, Villa Eugenie built a 427-foot-long runway, flanked by façades that mimicked the city's famed Haussmannian buildings. Scaffolding across one façade supported the runway lights while "standing room" guests were kept behind faux metal police barricades.
Canon hosted a sponsor activation at London Fashion Weekend, a consumer showcase September 18 to 21. Using Oculus Rift headsets, Canon gave more than 3,000 visitors the chance to experience the hectic life of a high-fashion model. The Oculus Rift video experience lasted two minutes and 20 seconds, and guests experienced a virtual version of activities such as exiting a car to awaiting paparazzi, having their hair and makeup done, and walking the catwalk.
Held at the Carlu, the 11th annual White Cashmere Collection on September 30 sent toilet-paper-clad models down a runway to raise money for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. Designer Alan Ta's dress had flowery pink accents made from limited-edition Pink Embossed Cashmere. The pink toilet paper is sold throughout Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and part of its proceeds are donated to the foundation.
The iHeartRadio Music Festival brought an impressive number of musical acts—and sponsors—to the MGM Grand in Las Vegas September 19 and 20. In a move meant to get attendees to associate its soft drink with a refreshing quality—and give them an opportunity to cool off from the hot Las Vegas weather—Pepsi constructed a waterslide.
MasterCard enticed cardholders to tweet about the iHeartRadio Music Festival via an interactive vending machine that provided them with a unique hashtag and prize once they posted a message about the event. Prizes included $10 prepaid MasterCards and free music downloads.
On September 21, the touring “Toyota Sessions Powered by Pandora” concert series took over a barge in San Diego. A custom Instagram printer encouraged social media engagement.
Sabra Dipping Company is operating a unique pop-up dining experience in Washington, D.C., called Hummus House until October 26. Located in historic Georgetown, the sit-down restaurant has a decorative niche with floating shelves holding tomatoes, garlic, artichokes, and other ingredients used in hummus.
Entertain clients with breakfast and a view. Starting in November, San Diego Zoo guests can enjoy a buffet breakfast while watching koalas munch on theirs in the Queenslander House. A traditional hot breakfast will be served in the shaded venue from 8 to 9 a.m. before the park opens.
We recently chatted fall floral trends with designers across the country. "This fall, I'm incorporating a variety of metals to accent the warmth of the fall colors,” said Krissy Price of Pollen Floral Design. "A copper urn filled with cream dahlias, pink garden roses, and burgundy foliage looks lovely on a reclaimed wood table."
Corner Table is the first restaurant in Houston to offer a menu specifically designed to accommodate paleo diners. The immensely popular diet plan is inspired by Stone Age humans, who ate only food they could hunt and gather. Thus, the paleo menu at Corner Table forgoes processed ingredients like grains and refined sugar in favor of wild game, fruits, vegetables, seeds, and nuts. Think rainbow trout with cauliflower and pistachios, followed by avocado chocolate mousse.
After an abundance of rustic-barnyard and vintage, Anthropologie-esque weddings, event planners are anticipating a wedding-style movement in the complete opposite direction. “We’re predicting less D.I.Y. and more clean, modern lines and color palettes,” says Tara Maxey, co-owner of the Los Angeles-based catering company Heirloom LA. “With all the D.I.Y. wedding details out there, expertly styled minimalism feels like the sophisticated alternative.”
Wedding planners Maria Cooke and Kelly Seizert of Ritzy Bee Events in Washington, D.C., agree: “We’re seeing more couples focusing less on dramatic color and more on classic combinations such as black and white, gray and white, and navy and cream.” The modern-minimalist theme will be reflected in the wedding menu, too: Instead of lavish buffet stations or decadent entrées, couples are moving towards healthier choices and smaller portions. Maxey says, “Gluttony has been overdone.”
Pictured, clockwise from left: Ritzy Bee Events created a reception lounge setup with a clean, neutral color palette; a wedding catered by Heirloom LA incorporated crisp, all-white decor; shooters of vegan carrot panna cotta were served during cocktail hour at a wedding catered by Heirloom LA.
At UrbanDaddy and Stoli’s launch event in New York in 2012, a pure white room was later transformed into a playful and colorful space as guests painted on the walls and lighting projections filled the room.Â
Similar to the South Beach Wine & Food Festival, Esurance's SavorBand kiosks let guests tap N.F.C.-enabled bracelets to receive recipes and other information from vendors.
To celebrate the grand opening of Downtown Summerlin, a new 1.6 million-square-foot shopping center near Las Vegas, splashy public events took place October 9 to 12. A parade of LED drummers kicked off the festival's first night.
Walt Disney Animation Studios premiered its latest film, Big Hero 6, at Hollywood's El Capitan Theatre on November 4. The film is set in the futuristic town of “San Fransokyo,” which combines elements of Tokyo and San Francisco. Inspired by that fictional setting, the red carpet area was decked with a structure that resembled both the Golden Gate bridge and Japanese-inspired torii gates.
To illustrate Talkspace’s goal to bring transparency and accessibility to mental healthcare, designer Alon Seifert of Not Grey created an installation dubbed “Pop-Up Therapy” November 5 and 6 at a plaza in New York's Flatiron district. Organizers chose to place the transparent domes—which contained staged therapist offices—near a busy intersection to remove the stigma associated with mental health.
Fight for Children's signature Benefit, Fight Night, took place on November 13 at the Washington Hilton. The ringside V.I.P. tables ranged in price from $50,000 to $100,000 each and came set with a raw seafood tower and bottle service.
The Austin, Texas, music festival took place November 7 to 9. Sponsor activations included the Shiner Bock Beer Garden, where Jenga and checkers made with the beer bottle caps were set up on picnic tables.
This Bar Saves Lives hosted its first “This Party Saves Lives” as a tie-in to World Food Day in Los Angeles in October. As guests arrived, they were given a box that would later be filled with food and delivered to a child. Guests were asked to place a box near a wall at the end of the night, and the boxes ultimately formed a thematic mural by California artist Jules Muck.
The TigerDirect Tech Bash, held at Marlins Park on November 7, is the most popular free technology summit in Miami. For its activation, computer sponsor Lenovo brought in a blimp that floated throughout the stadium releasing coupons and prize vouchers.
On November 13, Old Navy hosted a press preview for its spring 2015 collection at Cedar Lake in New York. The event had a "road trip" theme, and adjacent to one clothing vignette was a farm stand designed to recall what travelers might find along country roads, including miniature chicken potpies. MKG came up with the concept for the catering experience.
At the Los Angeles premiere of The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1, Samsung created a designated area on the red carpet to accommodate fans who won a trip to the premiere and had photos taken with the film's stars. The event took place on November 17.
At its seventh annual film benefit on November 10, New York's Museum of Modern Art honored writer and director Alfonso CuarĂłn. On the dinner tables, blush-colored anemone flowers added a soft, delicate contrast to the sharp edges of geometric centerpieces that also decked tabletops.
