The Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago is showing the “David Bowie Is...” exhibition through January 4. It's the only United States stop for the buzzed-about exhibition, and the museum held a lavish gala on September 20 that reflected the hype surrounding the exhibit's opening. The V.I.P. area was a sunken-living-room-style space replete with plush furniture, candles, and champagne chilling on ice. The area took two weeks to build out and upholster and was constructed by Kim Merlin, Event Creative, and Partytime Productions.
The September 20 event, held at the W Austin hotel, had a Beauty and the Beast theme. Referencing tropes from the fairytale, the decor included roses and ornate mirrors. The Mandarin Design Lab handled flowers.
On September 3, the San Francisco Symphony celebrated the opening of its 103rd season with a gala that had several moving parts. For a dinner held in the Patron's tent (for top-level ticket holders), Got Light created a lighting scheme inspired by champagne bubbles. The design, created by Blueprint Studios, had an Art Deco vibe with hues of blush, gold, and silver.
On September 20, the Chicago venue hosted its annual fall benefit. Event Creative's decor included leafy chandeliers that nodded to the venue's lush grounds; strings of sparkling lights added a starry, garden-party feel.
On November 14, Pets Are Worth Saving hosted its annual pet-friendly gala, the Fur Ball, at the Drake in Chicago. The event had snacks for humans as well as for the four-legged guests, and a "Dog Buffet" offered crystal goblets of boiled chicken and rice and pureed carrots and green beans.
Canadian fashion designers showcased intricate garments at a fashion show with a (somewhat major) twist. Held at the Carlu in Toronto, 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. This year's show featured the work of 15 Canadian fashion designers who used White Cashmere bathroom tissue to craft all-white ensembles. Designer Sarah Nicol added jewel-like touches to her gown's billowing skirt.
Held on September 30 at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Los Angeles Philharmonic's annual benefit was dubbed “A Celebration of John Williams: Opening Night Gala Concert.” As a tribute to the film composer, who scored Star Wars, stormtrooper and Darth Vader characters greeted guests at the post-concert dinner.
Chicago's Museum of Science and Industry hosted its Columbian Ball on October 11. Event Creative's decor included bars inspired by blown-up projections of microscopic slides.
The Boston Lyric Opera opened its 2014-15 season with the Opera Gala on October 10. During dinner, entertainers performed on a small, round stage set atop the larger stage. The performance included operatic songs and an act from aerialist Rachel Lancaster.
The Canadian Opera Company’s 11th annual Operanation took over the Four Seasons Centre for Performing Arts in Toronto on October 16. The theme for the fund-raiser to support the company’s Ensemble Studio was “Light Up the Night,” which saw organizers mix light installations with cubism, Spanish influences, and nods to the ‘90s. Neon art installations highlighted the venue and embodied the spirit of the theme.
About 3,500 people attended the 18th annual dinner October 25 at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. All guests walked through the "sponsor experience," where a chandelier spelled out "thank you" when viewed from the right angle. Hargrove was the event's designer and general contractor.
After creating Booby U last year and Camp Booby in 2012, the planners at Rethink Breast Cancer opted for a circus theme for 2014, dubbing this year's Boobyball fund-raiser “Big Top Booby.” Upon entry, guests were given a Boobyball punch card directing them to the 15 sponsor activations, including a Mott's Clamato Caesar booth and a Flare magazine photo booth. The event took over Toronto's Kool Haus on October 17.
About Face Theatre, which champions L.G.B.T. performers, hosted a benefit on October 10 at the Intercontinental Chicago. The event was inspired by the so-called "pansy clubs" of the 1930s, which were a large part of the era's gay culture. To underscore the theme, costumed cigarette girls offered cocktails and pansies to guests as they entered.
The 20th annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball was held November 1 at the downtown hotel and had a Wizard of Oz theme. Guests entered the main ballroom for dinner through an arched tunnel with 180-degree projection mapping and sound to evoke a tornado. Deco Productions designed and produced the event.
The nonprofit arts organization Performa celebrated its 10th anniversary with a Renaissance-theme gala in Brooklyn on November 4. "Death of the Rubber Chicken," conceived by artist Jennifer Rubell, served as the opening act for the interactive dinner. Guests were encouraged to swat the suspended rubber chickens, which were filled with smoked paprika, in order to dust the table lined with deviled eggs below.
The 11th annual Denim and Diamonds Gala took place on October 25 at Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and Spa. The event had a "Night in the Big Apple" theme, and tabletops were dressed with floral arrangements that had dangling red apples.
In Miami, the Bass Museum of Art hosted its 50th anniversary gala on November 1. Alejandro Muguerza of Le Basque Catering and Productions designed the event in accordance with its "gold" theme, adding glowing tabletop decor in the warm hue. And at each place setting, guests found a golden gift: a limited-edition brooch by artist Cristina Lei Rodriguez.
The New York Public Library hosted its annual gala on November 3. David Monn handled decor, bringing in tall centerpieces that evoked autumn trees. The tables were set with patterned linens and seasonal tropes such as pumpkins, pears, and fall leaves.
At its seventh annual film benefit on November 10, the Museum of Modern Art honored writer and director Alfonso Cuarón. The Academy Award-winning director's 2013 acclaimed movie Gravity served as the catalyst for the event's design. Guests posed in front of the benefit's photo backdrop, which spotlighted the event's abstract space theme with angled framework. It was designed by the museum's assistant director of special programming and events, Tania Abitbol, and Concept Event Group.
On October 14, the Fulfillment Fund hosted its Stars benefit gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The evening's decor included custom linen runners from BAM Specialty Fabrics—the same fabric was used in the bars' back walls—and clean, white flower arrangements from Floral Crush.
The Joffrey Ballet Women's Board hosted a luncheon to celebrate the company's production of "Swan Lake" at RPM Steak in Chicago on October 1. A Perfect Event designed the flowers, incorporating roses in ballet-pink hues and white feathers that evoked the ballet's theme.
In Washington, Fight for Children hosted its signature benefit at the Washington Hilton on November 13. This year, organizers added higher-level boxers and entertainment such as the Flambeaux Fire, which performed alongside six dancers to Pitbull's song "Fireball" before dinner. The "spend more, raise more" model apparently worked: the benefit brought in $4.7 million for the organization, setting a new record.
The Chicago institution held its annual gala on October 25. With a "Caribbean Rhythms" theme inspired by a current exhibition, the gala featured tropical-inspired decor from HMR Designs. Rags of bright, mismatched fabrics, spinning in wheels, hung from the ceiling of the massive building. The event also offered music from a steel-drum band and rum-based cocktails from Blue Plate.
The Miami arts foundation Centro Mater hosted its nontraditional gala at Maps Backlot on November 14. Modeled on a city art fair, the gala served fare from food trucks, and there was also a cheerfully decorated "macaron car" from French bakery Atelier Monnier.
The Chicago History Museum hosted its Costume Ball on November 14 to celebrate a new fashion-focused exhibit. For the tented dinner reception, Mike Hines of Epoch Floral created a sleek, gold-and-black design replete with golden roses.
For the 2005 event in New York, Guests passed through Raul Avila's 16- by 12-foot curtain of hand-strung orchids before entering the cocktail reception area.
For the 2008 event at the New York Public Library, trees provided a natural curtain to separate the cocktail area from the center of the forum, where the dinner and awards took place later in the evening. Bakula Design handled decor.
In 2006, the gala had an English garden look that tied to the Met's "AngloMania" exhibit of Britain's posh and punk fashion. Event designer David Monn set up 70 tables in separate mini gardens that were hedged by 400 feet of apple trees. The floors were swathed in carpets of spring grass.
Held May 20 at New Yorks's Skylight at Moynihan Station, the event featured foliage in its entry gate. The plants included passion flower vine, plumosa fern, ming fern, steel grass, and sheet moss. Van Wyck & Van Wyck handled design.
For the massive gala's 2014 iteration, planners chose a "Bridge to Possibility" theme. Held at the cavernous Jacob K. Javits Convention Center, the event featured screens printed with the New York City skyline and bridges. The screens enclosed the entry hallway that led to the reception space. David Stark Design designed the event.
Studio 54 inspired the look and feel of the Recording Academy's Grammy after-party at the Los Angeles Convention Center in 2011. Curtains made from reflective beads added a vintage touch, and lots of sparkle.
The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation celebrated with its annual Breath of Life gala at the National Building Museum in Washington in 2011. Streamers divided the National Building Museum atrium into three spaces.
To separate the perimeter—where cocktails were held—from the dinner area for the event's 2010 iteration, the team hung large lampshades from the ceiling. The pieces measured about two feet high and 22 inches in diameter, and their black and white embellishments were replicated in a pattern projected on the floors. The event again took place at the New York Public Library, with Bakula Design overseeing decor.
The Daffodil Ball turned the historic Windsor Station in Montreal into an Alice in Wonderland-inspired gala in 2012. A topiary divided the cocktail reception and dining areas. Guests entered the dining room through keyhole-shaped entrances.
Chicago hosted the U.S. Travel Association's IPW conference (formerly known as the International Pow Wow) in 2014. For the opening-night event, held in Chicago's 90,000-square-foot Cinespace film studio, 20 Event Creative staffers worked to together to create a custom "El" train that circulated one room on a set of handcrafted tracks. Video mapping projected images of local Chicago attractions onto two 20-foot-long railcars.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Starlight Express inspired the theme of the 2008 gala benefit for the Children's Place Association. To separate the reception from the dinner area, Joseph Leigh Designs hung fabric panels from the ceiling of Union Station.
About 3,500 people attended the 18th annual dinner October 25 in Washington at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in 2014. The silent auction areas were defined by white cubes created from slats of Coroplast. The word "evolve" came into focus above the entry. Hargrove produced the event.
At the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's annual ball in 2013, the theme of "Saturday Night Blues" influenced the decor at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center. The check-in area reflected the theme with statement decor pieces including hanging saxophones and crystal orbs.
At a private event by David Beahm, the check-in area was "influenced by our surroundings. We let the decor of Blue Hill at Stone Barns rule our aesthetic, letting nature dictate the design," Beahm said. "The hand-hammered copper urn visually grounded the design."
Shiraz Events designed the registration desk at the FN C.E.O. Summit in Miami Beach in 2013. The bold blue and yellow table featured a grid behind it featuring the summit logo, and it held flowers and candy jars with white treats.
The check-in desk at a law firm's "Big Gay Party" in July 2014 included draping that matched the rainbow hues in the pride flag.
