This year the Recording Academy’s official Grammys after-party, known as the Grammy Celebration, had a theme dubbed “Passport to the World.” It saw the Los Angeles Convention Center transformed with decor and food inspired by glamorous air, sea, and land travel in the 1920s and '30s. Along Came Mary’s menu included five dinner stations that had themes like “Casablanca Airstrip” and “South Seas Steamship,” serving dishes inspired by various destinations.
Essence hosted its sixth annual Black Women in Music pre-Grammy event on Thursday at Avalon Hollywood, honoring and featuring a performance by Jill Scott. Colgate Optic White was a sponsor of the event, setting up a product station in front of a selfie-ready mirror decorated with a hashtag.
On Saturday, Nielsen hosted a pre-Grammys celebration at Hyde Sunset Kitchen & Cocktails, including performances by Bastille and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band. An arrivals wall spelled out the brand’s name in marquee letters and included unusual upside-down arrangements of flowers. MAC Presents produced.
Chicago production firm Revel Global Events hosted its annual Super Bowl bash at Chicago's Union Station on February 1. To reflect the event's colorful, Katy-Perry-inspired "Candyland" theme, the firm built a custom tray meant to look like a giant popsicle. The tray carried snacks from Limelight Catering.
Playboy, a familiar brand on the Super Bowl party scene, hosted its bash at the W Scottsdale on January 30. There was a performance from Nelly, and a cuddly entertainer of another sort: Internet sensation Jiff the Pomeranian, a canine who's billed as an actor and model. The pup is managed by Zero Gravity Management. But for this event, a guest who knew the dog's owners asked to bring Jiff along, and the dog cuddled with Playboy Playmates free of charge.
The Washington Humane Society’s annual Sugar and Champagne event at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center is known for its sugar-filled tasting format. This year, Maté Restaurant & Lounge created a sweet sushi roll with raspberries, mango, and kiwi wrapped in a Nutella-infused pastry dough, topped with coconut shavings and set atop a bed of drizzled caramel.
During the winter Television Critics Association tour on January 8, Hallmark parent company Crown Media invited 400 guests to the Tournament House in Los Angeles for “the Richness of Romance,” an event promoting the network’s Valentine’s Day programming as well as the its slogan, “the Heart of TV.” Red and pink rose petals lined the way from the cocktail tent to the dinner tent. Also along the path, female violinists in long red satin gowns played classic songs such as "Moon River," "Over the Rainbow," and "Fly Me to the Moon."
Kinetic Lighting bathed the Tournament House in softly swirling patterns reminiscent of roses.
On February 6, Chicago event space Hub Studio Loft hosted a grand opening bash produced by Pure Kitchen Catering and A Perfect Event. Shirtless male models were stamped with temporary glow-in-the-dark tattoos that bore the event's hashtag: #HubStudioOpen.
To celebrate marriage equality in Florida, the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau hosted a massive "Love Is Love" destination wedding at the W Fort Lauderdale on February 5. Several couples were married in a group wedding at the event, and the ceremony setup included beach balls under each chair. At the conclusion of the reception, guests triumphantly tossed the pink-and-green balls into the air.
Ethereal strings of white orchids cascaded above another table at the New York event. The arrangement, created by Anthony Brownie Flowers & Events, also had a ring of white orchids clustered at its base.
Orchids were also used to garnish the fruity cocktails that the bartenders doled out that evening.
Culinary Landscape, the in-house caterer at the Chicago Botanic Garden, served shrimp and papaya salad on trays decorated with bright orchids.
Servings of Oreo cheesecake came with a folded napkin and spoon, making for smoother service in the dine-around format. The dessert, from Tru Tru Cakes and More, was served at the Farm to Table Brunch February 22 at the Palms Hotel & Spa.
Color-blocked beverages offered an appealing visual at the Farm to Table Brunch. The beverages, from American Harvest Organic Spirit, were the red-hued Peppered Mary with purees of tomatoes and red bell peppers; the yellow-hued Saved by the Bell with yellow bell pepper and green chili; and the green-colored Local Harvest, with basil leaves, lime, cucumber, and agave.
A dessert bar at the Tribute Dinner included cheesecake and guava cones. Celebrity Cruises created the treats.
A treelike tower of biscuits made for clever decor at Chicken Coupe host’s Andrew Carmellini’s station. The event was held February 20 in the ballroom at W South Beach.
Cronut creator Dominique Ansel presented a new dish at the Death by Chocolate dessert party: a chocolate “oyster” shell filled with milk chocolate cream, coconut gelée, and a pineapple “mignonette.” Ansel hosted the February 21 event poolside at the National Hotel.
Josh Gripper from the Dutch at W South Beach served a white chocolate and dark rum creation served in an angled glass that made it easier to reach the contents with a spoon.
Chef Asha Gomez had a pretty plating for her first course of coconut and vegetable stew. A baby vegetable medley was artfully piled on the side of the bowl.
Edible flowers made for an unusual garnish on a taco from Miami Beach’s Huahua’s Taqueria at the Tacos After Dark event on February 19 at the Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
Bar Lab created handcrafted cocktails for the dinner to pair with each course. The snow-like garnish on champagne flutes set the beverage apart.
A particularly bountiful and colorful dessert buffet was decorated with whole and cut fruit at the Chef After-Party February 20 at Thompson Miami Beach hotel.
Chefs Masaharu Morimoto and Anita Lo contributed to the decadent dishes at the February 21 dinner at the Shelborne Wyndham Grand South Beach. Among them was a lobster and sushi combination that was prepared in front of guests at the alfresco event.
Pickled onion was a colorful garnish choice that broke apart the beige tones of fried chicken and waffles from Root & Bone. The dish was served at the Southern Kitchen Brunch on February 22 at Loews Miami Beach Hotel.
Rebar, the bar at the ritzy Chicago hotel, serves a cold-weather punch dubbed "Winter Magic." The drink combines mulled red wine with cloves, oranges, cinnamon, and cherries marinated in cognac.
Planners interact with dozens of people—vendors, speakers, sponsors, and others—in the months leading up to an event. Refresh is a Web and mobile app that provides background information on people before a meeting to facilitate better engagement. Users link their calendars to the app and then the system searches public information from more than 100 sources around the Web, including Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Yelp, and Instagram, about people they will be meeting. Users receive insights such as shared interests, work history, and recent blog posts. The system can also be used to store notes about people after a meeting.
Sponseasy allows planners to create professional sponsorship proposals in minutes. Organizers input information about the event, demographic information about the audience, and the various options for sponsorships. The look of the proposal can also be customized with pictures, colors, and effects. Planners distribute the proposal to potential sponsors by sharing a link. During the campaign, planners can track activity through the system’s online dashboard. In July the company announced a partnership with Eventbrite to allow them to import their event information. The system is currently free to use in beta.
Zkipster is an app to manage check-in at non-ticketed events. In 2014 the company added several optional tools. Zface creates a photo-based guest list by searching the Internet for each guest name and pulling as many as 10 photo suggestions. Planners also can manually upload photos. The pictures are stored in a secure Zkipster account so they can be accessed for future events. Zsocial allows hosts to identify and connect with social media influencers at their event by integrating Twitter and Instagram handles into the guest list. As guests check in, the system can send them an automated welcome message that provides the event hashtag. After the event, Zsocial allows hosts to monitor and pull reports on social media interactions regarding their event. Zprint provides instant printing of name tags by connecting the app to a wireless printer.
Google Chromebox for Meetings is a videoconferencing system based on Google Hangout technology. Hardware includes a Chromebox unit from either Asus, HP, or Dell, a high-definition camera, a combined microphone and speaker unit, and a remote control. As many as 15 participants can join the video meeting from other conference rooms or their laptops, tablets, or smartphones. One click of the remote starts the meeting without the need for access codes. The system is integrated with Google Apps, so invitations can be sent directly through Google Calendar. The system starts at $999.
Loopd is a system that uses Bluetooth low-energy beacons to provide a variety of location-tracking tools for planners and attendees. Beacons placed around the event communicate with chips the attendees wear on a lanyard. As guests visit exhibitor booths, attend education sessions, and meet other attendees, the system tracks those movements and saves the information. At any time, guests can log into the Loopd app to see a history of those interactions, as well as receive marketing materials from exhibitors they visited. Booth staff also receive traffic information and can follow up with attendees. For networking, users can tap their badges together to share their contact information; otherwise, the system will automatically collect data when two people are standing near each other for a predetermined amount of time. Planners receive real-time information about traffic flow and also data regarding retention, engagement, dwell time, and amount of connections made for attendees and exhibitors. The company plans to release an update in February.
Crowd Mics turns guests’ smartphones and tablets into wireless microphones, so they can be heard over the sound system in a meeting room or auditorium. Guests download the Crowd Mics app and enter a code to join the event. When they want to ask a question or make a comment, they tap their phones, and the presenter will see a list of people requesting to speak in the order they came online. The presenter can enable an individual microphone, mute a microphone, or put the system in “open mic” mode so anyone can comment. Audience members can also submit text comments to the presenter through the Crowd Mics app, and the system offers polling functions.
Lightwave has created sensor-equipped wristbands that measure the wearer’s biometric data, such as movement and body temperature. The technology debuted at a Pepsi-sponsored music event at South by Southwest in March. The data is transmitted wirelessly to the Lightwave system, which allows organizers to make adjustments in real-time. “For example, we thought the lighting and projections would be very engaging, but actually the environment was too bright. So when we noticed the accelerometer readings were not where we wanted them to be, we dimmed the lights and suddenly people started dancing more,” said Rana June, Lightwave founder and C.E.O. After an event, Lightwave provides data such as which moments got the most reaction from attendees or those that caused a lull in the room. Hosts also can choose to send guests their personal data to share on social networks.
Highfive is new video conferencing system from two former Google engineers. For $799, users get a sleek device that can sit on top of a television or mount to a wall and includes a video camera, microphone array, and HDMI and Ethernet connections to connect to the Highfive online system. Users initiate a video call through the system’s app or browser and send the URL to as many as 10 other participants. Using Bluetooth low energy, the system recognizes if participants are in a room with a Highfive device and then, by swiping across their smartphone screen, the video transfers to the television in the room—without cables. The system also automatically displays video of the person talking.
On Location Engagements is a location-based content delivery system for events. Beacons placed throughout a venue “wake up” smartphone screens when attendees are within a designated range, which can be anywhere from 5 to 30 feet. Planners determine what content is transmitted by each beacon, such as maps, videos, surveys, product information, or sponsor materials. Planners also can turn certain beacons on or off to guide an attendee through an event based on that person's job title, marketing objectives, or other goals. Attendees can create their own tour based on what interests them most by entering key words. When a tour is selected, only the beaconed zones associated with that tour would appear on the map. After the event, planners receive data such interactions per beacon, length of stay at each beacon, and traffic patterns at the venue.
Catchbox is a wireless microphone to pass—or even throw—among speakers or audience members. The device consists of a microphone capsule secured with a magnet inside a soft, colorful cube. Catchbox communicates with an included receiver that can be connected to any sound system. To avoid unwanted noises, internal sensors mute the microphone when the cube is in motion. The company has two products: Catchbox 2.4 for groups of as many as 100 people no more than 100 feet apart and Cathbox Pro for an unlimited number of people within a range of 1,000 feet.
Speecheo is a new online tool for presentations designed to make it easy for audience members to take notes and also reveal to speakers and planners the most popular parts of their presentations. Attendees can view presentation slides and materials on their mobile devices and take notes alongside them. They can also capture audio and create bookmarks, so after the presentation they can review specific parts and share them on social media. Speakers and planners receive detailed analytics regarding which parts of the presentation were the most captured and shared. The system is currently in beta testing. The company expects to launch the public version in January.
A whimsical dessert from Truffleberry Market in Chicago is a flight of miniature pancakes, served with sweet toppings such as chocolate hazelnut, Meyer lemon curd with berries, and maple bacon.
The annual event returned to the W Washington, D.C.’s recently renovated POV rooftop lounge for an April 24 event preceeding the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner. As the event came to an end, guests were given to-go boxes from District Doughnut adorned with stickers featuring the magazine’s noted character Eustice Tilley.
On April 21, the New York-based Mediterranean restaurant Pergola hosted its annual spring party, which had an "Enchanted Forest" theme. Florist Ed Libby decked the space with spring-like elements including cherry blossoms and vines; he also created a living floral installation featuring the letter "P."
Global nutrition company Herbalife hosted its annual President’s Summit March 4 to 7. At a Wizard of Oz-theme reception, an all-red assortment of desserts recalled the ruby slippers from the classic story.
Flowers from Shawna Yamamoto decorated tabletop centerpieces that marked the conference's 35th anniversary.
Marquee letters spelled out "cheers" at the welcome reception.
Steph Sciré and Isaac Ferry were behind the takeover of the Sparrows Lodge in Palm Springs for the low-key and wellness-minded Retreat. Jeff Consoletti of JJ-LA produced, along with tour and event producer Tanya Slater. Taylor & Taylor managed the production design for the event, which included a silk patchwork canopy for laid-back seating on the hotel's grounds. The look also included Persian rugs, Native American artifacts, succulents, kilim pillows, and leather details.
Flowers and vines covered a kissing booth photo station emblazoned with the message "All my friends are models."
An open-backed bar from Moët & Chandon Ice Imperial allowed the landscape to show through at the party, which took over a sprawling Palm Springs estate on a hill.
The Council of Fashion Designers of America hosted a brunch at the Cabana Club, where designers including Mara Hoffman and Cynthia Vincent decked out various poolside rooms, including one with a bohemian feel and hanging greenery.
Floral arrangements in vibrant colors like orange, yellow, and pink underscored the festival's lively vibe—and popped against the buffets' and bars' primarily white palette.
Lush canopies of natural greenery popped against neon green Lucite tabletops at the Museum of Modern Art’s 2013 Party in the Garden benefit in New York.
