Outside brought inside

In 2005, Avon created an indoor park to preview its Mark line of cosmetics. A wrought-iron gate opened to four vignettes, which included a small faux maple tree with orange and red foliage and teardrop-shaped glass candleholders suspended from the branches, red umbrellas hovering over a wooden park bench and moss-covered pedestals, and warm yellow lighting.

The details of the event were leaked on the Internet before it took place, prompting a surge of R.S.V.P.s and a line down the block that night. Security and event staffers kept the party from becoming overwhelming by limiting the number of guests in the venue at any one time.