Non-Profit

Proceeds from September's Adler Planetarium Celestial Ball gala in Chicago went to benefit educational programs. Proud teen participants of those programs circulated to tables as so-called "science sommeliers." Guests could pick from a list of experiments and activities printed on the backs of their menus, and the budding scientists would perform their choice tableside. For example, "Touch Another World" allowed guests to hold pieces of meteorite in their hands, and “The Starry Messenger” allowed guests to look through refracted lenses.

At the the Animal Rescue League of Boston's "Moonlight Ball" fund-raiser in 2010, organizers brought guests close enough to cuddle the cause they were there to support. Staff from the Animal Rescue League mingled amid the crowd with pets.

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.)

Washington's U.S.O. Gala offered viewfinders throughout the reception space. Inside, slides held information about the U.S.O. and its mission. To help guests feel connected to the troops, images included snapshots of soldiers with their families and serving on the front lines, alongside captions that read: “The U.S.O. is always by their side.”

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.

The National September 11 Memorial & Museum Gala put the event's purpose right on the tabletops, too: The 2013 gala included centerpieces that fit together as notched cards, bearing images of memorial visitors, construction workers, and first responders to Ground Zero.

In February, the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay hosted its “Big Night” benefit, which included the big and little siblings alike. Big and little brothers were on hand to pass out photo booth props like glasses and mustaches to guests.

In November last year, the 10th anniversary of Keep a Child Alive's Black Ball included locked jewelry boxes on tables. At a designated point, waiters placed a key with each donor's name on it onto the table. The keys unlocked the silver boxes, which contained personal thank-you notes from Alicia Keys and unique gifts like origami paper elephants.

The New World Symphony Gala in Miami provided guests with a memorable takeaway that underscored the event's purpose. Valet staffers placed individual thank-you notes written by the symphony's musician fellows in guests' cars.

One gala opted to spell out its mission clearly for guests present to support it: The Trust for the National Mall's benefit luncheon used decor in the form of cut-out letters that specified the names of the mall's monuments and major events there.

At this year’s Rolling Stone Live Super Bowl party, producer Toast created a "trashed hotel room" where guests could take photos and pretend to live the rock star life. The event took place at the Bud Light Hotel, a Wyndham property in New Orleans rebranded for the weekend.

At last year’s Sundance Film Festival, Abel McCallister Designs created a movie-themed space for Chase Sapphire. Interactive photo booth installations allowed visitors to enter the worlds of well-known films that originally premiered at the festival, including Dogtown and Z-Boys. The photo station had guests stand on a skateboard set next to a sideways backdrop of Santa Monica beach; the printed photographs were then turned horizontally to make it look like guests were captured mid-trick on a skateboard ramp.

For this year's iteration of the Chase Sapphire activation at Sundance, Abel McCallister Designs created several new photo booth installations based on movies, including Hairspray, Hoosiers, and Little Shop of Horrors (pictured).

At the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center’s gala in Miami, guests could pose for photos behind an oversize golden picture frame. Shiraz Events provided decor for the event, which drew 600 guests to the JW Marriott Marquis Miami and Hotel Beaux Arts in December.

At the Lipton Uplift Lounge at the Sundance Film Festival in January, guests including Lil Jon could pose for photos while sitting in a real ski-lift chair set against a snowy, branded backdrop.

Groupon hosted its Camp Groupon event last July at the Swissôtel Chicago. Kehoe Designs spruced up the hotel with thematic decor for the weekend, including a photo station area with a woodsy backdrop that included life preservers, boat paddles, and bundled logs.

To celebrate the release of Girls season one on Blu-ray—and to hype the second season—HBO hosted a cocktail party at Toronto's House of Moments in December. Guests were encouraged to snap Instagram photos in front of a backdrop based on Central Park in New York City, where Girls is set. The Big Apple-inspired area had lampposts, trees, shrubs, and backdrops decked with New York City architecture.

David Copperfield helped produce the L.A.'s Promise "A Night of Magic" gala in October. The producers at Chad Hudson Events worked with Copperfield's team to set up a photo booth that made it look as though guests were floating in midair in front of the famous magician. In reality, the station had a potted plant placed sideways against a wall, while attendees stood on a metal stand that was hidden from the camera by clothing and feet.

To introduce its new line of men's grooming products and promote its partnership with Space Expedition Corporation to send 22 fans on a flight beyond Earth's atmosphere, Axe built its own space academy in January. The brand turned the Cullman Hall of the Universe at the American Museum of Natural History into its secret space headquarters for the launch event, placing a moon-landing-inspired photo op area up front.

Last fall’s New Yorkers for Children gala had a "light the way" theme, inspired by the nonprofit's mission to improve the lives of young people. David Stark handled the decor, embellishing a photo backdrop of a forest scene with white birch trees, lush greenery, and a path lit by lanterns.

In November, NBC once again hosted Democracy Plaza at Rockefeller Center in New York, a free interactive, election-focused exhibit and promotion for the public that also served as its election-night coverage hub. Inside the Rockefeller Plaza concourse, people lined up to have their photos taken in side-by-side replicas of the White House press room and the Oval Office.

For Dos Equis's "Most Interesting Masquerade," held in Chelsea's historic Masonic Hall in New York and produced by Mirrorball, body painter Craig Tracy drew half a lion's face on the sides of two models. When the models sat back-to-back inside a gold picture frame, the full face of the lion was visible and formed the backdrop of a photo op.

For last year’s American Heart Association gala in Seattle, event designer Matthew Parker created a photo backdrop for the Kentucky Derby-themed event that included a life-size papier-mâché horse made from more than 5,000 individually placed construction-paper strips.

To promote its new line of Outdoor Life apparel, Sears built a campsite-themed area in New York’s Times Square last October. Guests could pose in a photo op area that was set up to look like a real campsite, with a tent, faux grass, a fire pit, and outdoorsy props.

Transitions Optical, working with chef Robert Irvine, had a two-story activation at the recent South Beach Wine & Food Festival’s Grand Tasting Village. Inside the structure, guests posed at a Mad Hatter's tea-party-themed dining set with props, including cutouts of Irvine’s face.

For a recent wedding in New York, Oh Snap Smile constructed a unique photo booth environment: Guests were shot from above while lounging in a bed strewn with custom pillows to use as props.

For e-commerce company Vente-Privee USA's one-year anniversary party held last November in New York, StudioBooth set up a custom photo set with fall leaves and vintage props, designed to mimic the company’s fall campaign. The images were turned into animated GIFs that were emailed to guests.

Paper silhouettes were a whimsical decor touch at the Chef's Tables as well as the Supper Club, and became popular takeaways at both dinner parties.