At the Color Invasion event, presented by the International Interior Design Association’s New York chapter, held at Center548 last November, guests tried their hand at old-fashioned carnival games at the big-top-theme party.
Event technology company Certain Inc. has added a digital signature option to its Check In Easy mobile app. The new Sign and Go feature is suited for events that need to collect signatures for attendance verification, compliance requirements, or gift pickup. The digital signatures can be exported as an alphabetized Excel file that includes a time stamp. Check In Easy is available for iOS and Android and is integrated with other Certain Inc. products.
Since 1983, Future Affairs Productions has been one of New England’s largest premier event planning, design, and decor houses. With a 25,000-square-foot facility, Future Affairs continually raises the bar by adding new stage sets, furniture pieces, and custom props to its inventory. Its endless passion and willingness to work with clients through each creative challenge or celebration is seen in all of the events the company produces. Staff members’ attention to detail is how it continues to garner international awards and nominations, most recently the coveted Special Event Gala Award.
Providing creative support, resourceful designs, and collaborative opportunities, Fresh Wata is a national event planning, design, and production firm with a global presence. Its team researches, plans, fabricates, and manages multidimensional settings and engagements for deeper experiences.
CORT Event Furnishings is the leading provider of furnishings for the event and meeting industry. Its national distribution and unparalleled customer service ensure a successful event anywhere. CORT offers premier brands developed specifically for the event rental industry, including the sophisticated LoungeE22, flexible Endless Collection, brilliant Luna Lighting, and unique Blofield Air Design.
With AFR Event Furnishings, you don’t get just quality furniture—you get a team of experienced event specialists and industry professionals committed to the successful outcome of your events, meetings, and trade shows. From stylish lounge groupings and elegant dining settings to unconventional seating options and space transformations, the company's top-quality, modern inventory provides you with exceptional choices for artistic design and styling flexibility.
Blueprint Studios is a full-service event design, fabrication, graphics, and rental firm dedicated to creating exceptional special event environments with thoughtful detail and dedicated customer service. For more than a decade, its team of designers, production craftsmen, and installation managers has established a reputation for providing cutting-edge event decor, graphic prints, floral artistry, and stylish furnishings for both timeless and modern settings.
In the new networking area at Sapphire Now in June in Orlando, guests could choose from seating options such as wooden pallets, leather cubes, and cadrboard cubes, which were strong enough to sit on but light and easy to move.
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At Social Media Week London in September, shipping crates became “Skypepods.” Each unit was equipped with Microsoft products and enabled with Skype so attendees could get work done or chat with colleagues online.
Pallet chairs from Dublin company This Is What We Do were one of the seating options in the Media Village at Web Summit in November 2014.
On Web Summit’s Pitch stages—site of the event’s start-up competitions—organizers used upcycled chairs made from chipboard.
At C2 Montréal in May, organizers used custom furniture pieces that were designed to facilitate conversations. Overall there were fewer chairs than people to encourage mingling.
TEDxKalamata hosted its event in Greece’s ancient Theatre of Messini, taking advantage of the amphitheater’s unique atmosphere and seating.
At Cisco Live in San Francisco in May, attendees reclined on beanbag gaming chairs in the halls of the Moscone Center to watch keynotes, do work, and take breaks. Organizers said they chose this style chair as an "edgier but still functional" alternative to traditional beanbags.
Guests had two options for lunch at Cisco Live: they could sit outside in the Yerba Buena Gardens on Cisco-branded blankets or at round tables, or they could eat inside the Moscone Center where organizers used picnic tables and Astroturf to create a park-like feel.
Once the Fenway Motor Hotel, the Verb Hotel is now a hyper-stylish, music-theme hotel that opened in August. Located next to Fenway Park, the 94-room boutique property displays Boston-centric music and pop-culture memorabilia and irreverent design such as stairway walls with painted messages such as "If the music is too loud, you're too old." The property has a pool and a deck suited for events, and its restaurant, Hojoko, an izakaya from Tim and Nancy Cushman, is slated to open in early 2015.
Located in Cambridge’s tech capital, Kendall Square, Le Laboratoire Cambridge is an art and design center modeled on the original Le Laboratoire in Paris. The 5,000 square feet of event space is spread across four rooms, some of which can be combined. The rooms include the Gallery, which seats 200 guests; the Lecture Hall, which seats 60 for dinner or holds 80 classroom-style; the Howard Brenner Studio, a cozy lounge area for smaller groups; and Café ArtScience, a 1,536-square-foot bar and restaurant. For receptions, the entire space holds 500 guests. It opened in late October.
The Legends Club at the TD Garden is the result of a two-year, $70 million renovation of Boston’s famed sports arena. Opened in October, the 4,600-square-foot space is restricted to Bruins and Celtics season-ticket owners during games but is available for private event rental for receptions of 300 guests. The club also upgraded its technology capabilities.
Located in the Mandarin Oriental Hotel Boston, Bar Boulud is chef Daniel Boulud’s first restaurant in the city. Chef Aaron Chambers, formerly of Bar Boulud New York City, helms the kitchen, which opened in September. A 68-seat main dining room and 17-seat zinc-topped bar are available for guests, as is a 22-seat private dining room. Classic French dishes like coq au vin are served alongside American dishes with a French twist, like “the Frenchie,” a grilled beef burger topped with pork belly confit, arugula, Dijon, tomato compote, and Morbier cheese on a brioche bun.
Located below the new luxury residence the Arlington, Liquid Art House is a 10,000-square-foot restaurant, art gallery, and lounge that fuses art and gastronomy in one of the city's most historic buildings. Built in 1899 to house the Boston Consolidated Gas Company, the Back Bay/South End site is centrally located and prepared for events. Several spaces are available for rental, including a main room that seats 200 and a private dining room for 66 people. There is also a curator's lounge and a chef's table available for groups. The venue opened in May.
Lawn on D is a 2.7-acre outdoor event space managed by the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority. The lawn, which launched in August, has freshly planted trees and greenery, lawn furniture, and a 5,000-square-foot tent with a permanent bar. Guests can sit at picnic tables or stroll along paved walkways; a number of food trucks often line up nearby. The facility offers electrical connections, lighting, security, and Wi-Fi access for private events.
Housed in the former Boston Police Headquarters, Precinct Kitchen & Bar opened in May at the Loews Boston Hotel and is available for private events. The 5,245-square-foot restaurant and patio serves modern New England-style cuisine and seats 69 guests in the dining room or holds 140 for receptions.
A sister location to the South Boston spot Temazcal Tequila Cantina opened in Lynnfield in early October. The 7,000-square-foot restaurant offers upscale Mexican food like swordfish Salguero and asada skirt steak tacos made with local ingredients. A group dining manager coordinates private events at the bar and restaurant, which seats 262 guests. Fittingly, it also has an extensive tequila list that boasts more than 250 varieties.
The Rosebud Diner, a historic landmark in Somerville, reopened in September as the Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, a casual spot that maintains classic diner style with an upgrade in food offerings. The original dining car is available for private events. The classic red booths measure 420 square feet and seat 50 guests. The menu includes craft cocktails and comfort food like St. Louis-style ribs and pie.
Available for teambuilding events, cycling haven Bspoke Studios opened in the financial district in July. The studio offers a 2,000-square-foot space with 35 Schwinn AC Performance Plus bikes. Amenities include a custom sound system, six showers, changing rooms, and a purified water refiling station.
Alden & Harlow came to Cambridge in January 2014. The subterranean venue serves American fare such as pickled corn pancakes and kale salad with fennel and creamy pistachio. For semiprivate events, the bar area seats 29 and the Greenhouse area seats 26. The main dining room has 136 seats, and the venue is available for buyouts.
