IDEAS

Guests sipped on the Defy Gravity martini—rosemary lemonade with vodka and fresh rosemary garnish.

Scoozi Events NYC served a menu of small bites, including chicken Parmesan pops and petite crab cakes.

Yellow calla lilies in dangling vases, along with display pedestals showcasing the beauty cream, dotted the venue, which was designed by Patrick J. Clayton Productions.

Don Julio turned Studio 450 into "Casa de Don Julio" on Thursday night, bringing 500 guests to a space redecorated with Mexican furnishings. Authentic barrels from the tequila brand played up its heritage and were used as side tables and the three-dimensional backdrop for arrivals.

Similar to last year's event, organizers created a large topiary depicting the MoMA and Cartier logos to serve as the backdrop in the arrivals area.

The entryway for the New York event was a tunnel filled with smoke, projections, and audio. The sounds and images playing were of frustrated smartphone users, designed to contrast the setting inside.

At the Zing vodka launch, the press wall took the form of a hedge with 2,000 roses spelling out the brand's name.

At the reception desk facing the elevator, three "judges" scored guests as they arrived.

On September 5, Target hosted a private party for V.I.P.s to preview the Shops at Target pop-up inside Highline Stages. Just past the entrance, a three-dimensional frame resembling the outline of a building served as the step-and-repeat.

Following the screening, guests headed upstairs to the open-air flight deck, where illuminated spheres and potted trees lined the pathway to the party space.

Vincent Drolet of Circo de Bakuza wanted to create a buffer zone between the real world and the event's surreal setting. At the entrance, guests walked through a curtain and were greeted with a projection of an eye that opened and closed. "We wanted to give them the feeling of walking into a cloud," said Drolet.

At Warner Brothers Television Group's party to celebrate the opening of the studio’s new exhibit, "Television: Out of the Box," the arrivals carpet was striped to look like TV color bars.

On the other side of the lounge, chandeliers served as highboy tables and furniture hung from the ceiling.

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.

Heffernan Morgan Ronsley handled decor. Centerpieces were four-to-eight-feet-tall steel structures with Piet Mondrian-inspired panels in neon pink, amber, and peacock and royal blues.

The production crew hung foliage-covered chandeliers from the ceiling of the tent and set up white lounges and padded bleachers with blue and white throw pillows for seating.

Matthew Parker Events crafted lighting fixtures for a speakeasy-themed wedding using hats from a party supply store, decorative ribbon, corded wire, and filament bulbs.

As cars pulled in to the hotel's valet, costumed attendants would ring a bell to mimic the sound of an old-fashioned filling station.

Hive puts the craft cocktail experience on wheels, serving a full bar out of a retrofitted 1983 Airstream trailer. Partners Graham H. McKissock and Lance Davis work with hosts ahead of time to develop specialty drinks that play to an event’s theme and incorporate local spirits and seasonal ingredients. Come autumn, those might include cocktails like the Sage Brown Derby (rye whiskey, fresh grapefruit juice, fresh lime juice, agave syrup, bitters, and fresh sage leaf) or the Cranberry Caipirinha (Aquavit, cranberry simple syrup, and fresh lime juice). During colder months, the Airstream can even be set up indoors, space permitting.

Gifts for the Good Life creates customized soy candle gifts. The sets, from $28, contain four hand-poured candles, matches, and lip balm.

Attendees could peer through a periscope that rotated 360-degrees for different views of the conference.

Massivart organized a collection of interactive art installations including a giant Lite Brite created by local design studio La Camaraderie.

Artist Miss Yad sketched live scenes from the conference that represented "moments of inspiration, moments of connection, moments of experimentation, and moments of celebration." Each day saw new sketches posted to a board near the entrance to the main stage that was marked with the hashtag #Momentum.

Fast Company, the conference's media partner, sponsored a Reading Lounge in the middle of an outdoor plaza.

The Fast Company tent, with dramatic lighting and colorful seating, was a focal point to the plaza, which was designed with a more festive, casual feel than the indoor conference.

Several outdoor sponsor lounges were located in shipping containers. Although they held different companies, the lounges had a consistent design. About half of attendees are women, and the event design is purposefully "slightly feminine," said Will Travis of Sid Lee, which produced the conference.

Picnic tables in a covered dining area on the plaza encouraged attendees to interact. "Every area in the space is designed with a purpose," said Travis.

Attendees took part in intimate “tent talks,” where speakers like Colin Cowie hosted small groups for informal discussions over a picnic lunch inside tents provided by Shelter Company.

Guests started the morning with an assortment of fresh fruit smoothie shooters, made by the resort and presented on a rustic tree stand.

Antler chandeliers decorated the welcome party, which was hosted by the Beaver Creek Resort Company and planned by Emily Campbell of Bella Design. The opening-night band from Elan Artists featured dueling female fiddlers performing on top of bourbon barrels.

Guests received laser-cut wood itineraries by Vanessa Kreckel of Two Paper Dolls.

Playful signage included a floral archery target with pencils as arrows.

Attendees received wood-grain-inspired notebooks, complete with pencils decorated as arrows.

Guests entered the welcome party, held on the ice rink at Beaver Creek Village, through a lush floral arch, accented with antlers, by Bloom Flower Shop.

At registration, attendees were encouraged to pick their favorite pins, designed by Gifts for the Good Life, to add to their gift bags or wear during the event.

The build out included a prop storefront. "The storefront was a custom build from scratch, covered with authentic graphics from the archives and artifacts from Weston Foods and their associated brands," said Jared Goldberg of 5th Element Events. Catering staff stood behind the windows and served appetizers.

Bright yellow construction hats served as on-theme—and easy-to-read—custom table numbers at the Make It Right gala, which was held in May at the Sugar Mill in New Orleans.

For the small stage backdrop, 1,200 paint cans were arranged to spell out the word "give."

The Flex Tent from the Flex Tent Company, a subsidiary of Event Labor Works, can be stretched around trees, structures, and rocks and has expandable tent poles that adjust to uneven surfaces. Sizes start at 20 by 10 feet and can increase to any size. As the tents are modular, they can be guttered together or with other structures to form larger spaces. Flex tents are available for rent or purchase in a variety of colors and designs. Prices are available upon request.

Raj Tents in Los Angeles and San Leandro, California, launched its Beach Chic line for outdoor events last year. The tents, built around the frames of the company’s popular Pergola and Pavilion tents, come with a sea-spray or turquoise exterior and blue wave valance. Additional decor options include crystal chandeliers, mirrors, and hand-carved furniture for lounge settings.

Shiraz Events helped produce Oxygen’s upfront event in New York last year. At the colorful bash, held inside the Penthouse at Dream, the centerpiece was a presentation platform topped with a 25-foot-wide, 14-foot-tall yellow arch embedded with marquee lights. The piece was modular, allowing the team to construct it and break it down in under an hour.

In April, a Fragrance Foundation award breakfast took place at New York’s Mandarin Oriental Hotel. For the 20- by 12-foot stage, designers from Empire Entertainment created a floral backdrop that mimicked the blooms sprouting in Central Park, which the venue overlooks.

Marie Aiello Design Studio’s elegant Great Gatsby picnic spread included fresh flower arrangements, a tiered display of cookies, 1920s-style accessories, and a façade of the yellow 1929 Duesenberg Leonardo DiCaprio drives in Baz Luhrmann’s movie.