Glowing Centerpieces
In a nod to its exhibit on bioluminescent organisms, the American Museum of Natural History's junior benefit in 2012 featured bright lighting and glowing decor. Illuminated spheres and LED neon-colored wires decorated the dinner tabletops.
Photo: Denis Finnin/American Museum of Natural History
Dance Floors
The fifth annual Coachella Neon Carnival took place at an airport near the festival grounds in 2014. Produced by Brent Bolthouse, the event included an enormous neon-lit dance floor.
Photo: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images for Neon Carnival
Floor Decor
At South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, in 2014, event production agency MKG brightened up a dark room using neon masking tape and ultraviolet lighting, creating an edgy, Pop Art-inspired look for the party for online magazine xoJane.com. Upstairs, guests were encouraged to take selfies with mirrors; images were printed by the Bosco to add onto the Shameless Selfie wall and were projected in the main room.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Oversize Games
A 10-foot Lite-Brite-style decor piece spelled out the band Fun's name at an AOL and T-Mobile concert event in 2012 in Los Angeles.
Photo: ES Photo
Paint Splattering
The Art, Speed, and Design event hosted by Italian design house Pininfarina at Art Basel in Miami in 2014 showcased a 2015 Maserati GranTurismo splattered in neon paint by street artist Mr. Brainwash.
Photo: World Red Eye Eli Turner Studios
Kid-Friendly Decor
The 2013 Imagination Ball, from the Adrienne Arsht Center for Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County’s Arsht Families membership circle, was designed for children. To that end, decor popped in colorful neon hues.
Photo: Justin Namon
Tropical Accents
The Museum of Modern Art's annual Party in the Garden in 2013 had a modern, tropical vibe. Inside the lobby and atrium of the New York event, exotic, lush greenery and pops of neon stood out against a stark white background.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Arrivals Backdrops
The arrivals backdrop—featuring the Cartier and MoMA logos rendered in neon and marquee lights—echoed the dense arrangements of tropical greenery found inside the dinner space.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Metallic Tubing
At the Tate Americas Foundation's Artists Dinner in 2013, designer David Stark filled the raw event space Skylight at Moynihan Station with industrial elements. The cocktail area included giant metallic tubes decorated with florescent lights that changed colors.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Illuminated Bars
In honor of the opening of High Line Park, Friends of the High Line hosted a benefit in New York in 2009. At the after-party, held in a covered portion of the High Line, an illuminated bar decorated the main event space.
Photo: Roger Dong for BizBash
Cheeky Costumes and Props
At the inaugural Electric Run, a nighttime 5K run/walk set to electronic dance music, the more than 10,000 participants were encouraged to wear LED-lit clothing and neon colors, and carry glow sticks.
Photo: Courtesy of Electric Run
Bar Signage
To launch its Shops at Target program in 2012, the retail giant constructed a pop-up store at New York's Highline Stages. Bright neon signage incorporating the Target logo marked the diner-style "coffee shop" that served as the bar area.
Photo: Nilaya Sabnis
Experiental Artwork
For the 2010 MOCA gala in Los Angeles, the museum commissioned artist Doug Aitken to transform the benefit into an experiential work of art. The event took place inside of a tent topped by a dramatic installation in the ceiling: a sculpture made from 2,400 feet of running white PVC pipe interspersed with 191 pieces of VersaTube.
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography
Branded Signs
During the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner weekend in 2012, Google and The Hollywood Reporter hosted an event that welcomed guests with an alphabet-board sign.
Photo: Daniel Schwartz
Neon Directions
At AOL's NewFront in 2012, neon signage in the arrivals tent pointed guests toward the event entrance at Highline Stages in New York.
Photo: Phillip Angert
Hashtags
At the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Massachusetts Bay's Big Night on February 7, neon masking tape spelled out the event's hashtag. Corinthian Events handled the decor at Boston's House of Blues.
Photo: David Fox
Table Numbers
In a nod to the event's '90s theme, table numbers looked like splattered neon paint.
Photo: David Fox
Futuristic Lighting
For Sparkle Lounge on January 8, the annual client and vendor appreciation event from the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center, the building’s signature Atrium space was transformed with futuristic lighting effects and angular graphics. Two sleek, minimalist bars flanked the space, which popped in shades of pink and purple.
Photo: Michael Bennett Kress Photography
Interactive Displays
The event also previewed interactive displays, including a fog screen holographic video projection.
Photo: Michael Bennett Kress Photography
Provide Plenty of Choices
“We launched the New York City Wine & Food Festival as the agency of record with Lee Schrager of Southern Wine and Spirits, which was our partner as well for the South Beach Wine & Food Festival for many years prior. Now the event has an in-house staff, as it should, but the first few seasons were tremendous undertakings for us, with not only the Grand Tasting Pavilions (pictured), but with events all over the city. We booked every single venue,” Herb says. Herb explained that having tons of choice, “a complete menu” to choose from for these multiday festivals, makes the experience richer for attendees. As an attendee of the event for the first few years, I remember some of the events were a little neater and tidier than others, but the scope and scale of the citywide undertaking was one that I realized was a monumental effort (and inarguably an instant success).
Photo: Courtesy of the New York City Wine & Food Festival
Get Guest Excited Before They Step Inside
I can imagine how excited I would have been as I approached the beautiful tent set up for the Breeders' Cup “Taste of the World” event, which is so striking from far away, and knowing that I was about to taste foods from all over the world. There is a certain kind of magic that happens, that I can personally attest to, when you are present in a setting where a number of the top chefs are all preparing dishes at once for your pleasure. And Herb Karlitz, is, in my opinion, the original and still reigning king of this medium. At the event, in addition to Bobby Flay, Herb fielded Raymond England of Craft, Masaharu Morimoto, Susur Lee—whom I love watching on TV—and Matthew Lambert, a hot up-and-comer, who had just opened the Musket Room in New York.
Photo: Matt Sayles/Invision for Breeders' Cup/AP Images
Think of the Event Entrance as an Airport Landing
One of the very best gourmet food events I ever attended was the Relais & Chateaux Grand Chefs dinner, which featured 60 chefs from around the world. I had no idea who Herb and Karlitz & Company were when I attended. But I do remember the event being sublime from almost every point of view, including the entry tent, which was both beautiful and efficient. I asked Herb for his point of view about event entries. “I liken the experience of landing at an airport: check-in and coat check can be a real drag, so why not make it as pleasant as possible,” he explains. “First off, always overstaff both check-in and coat check. You can always shift them later if you don’t need them, but a wait at either can ruin the guest’s entry experience and will color their whole perception of the event. And why not bring a tray of champagne out front or serve them some appetizers?”
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Show Chefs the Big Picture
Herb shared with me a table seating chart for the Relais & Chateaux event, which only hints at the complexity of having 60 chefs preparing food at one dinner. The room as you can see was divided into segments, and the assigning of chefs is both a culinary and political tightrope. “We slaved over the assignment of chefs. Each grouping needed a superstar like a Jean-Georges [Vongerichten] or a Daniel Boulud, but you also need to balance the mix of American and international chefs, who may have been less well-known than their domestic counterparts, but just as, if not more prestigious,” he says. “One secret is to walk the chefs not only through their kitchen area, but through the others as well, to give them a sense of the whole event. Also, know that everyone will suggest a ceviche, because it is the easiest thing to prep on site.”
Photo: Courtesy of Relais & Chateaux
Train Greeters to be Helpful, not Decorative
While Karlitz & Company is known best for its multi-chef extravaganzas, the company does top-quality event work for all types of luxury marketers, evidenced by its multiyear relationship with Chanel. A few seasons back for a major anniversary, Chanel landed a spaceship/art exhibit in Central Park for a six-week series of private events and open-to-the-public-by-appointment viewings. Karlitz & Company was hired by (and continues to do projects for) Chanel for all of the front-of-house coordinating, including tour guides and security. “It was an extraordinary success, beyond Chanel’s expectations. The mostly male greeters were instructed to be friendly and informational, and held to an all-black wardrobe," Herb explains. Here, security guards kept watch over what must have been a very expensive handbag.
Photo: Adam Kaufman
Use Height to Make Tables Magnificent
One of the pictures that ran with my story about the Relais & Chateaux Grand Chefs dinner a few years ago shows how beautiful the setting inside was and how really breathtaking a culinary dinner can be. What was so great about the tables was that they used slender floral vessels that did not block diners’ sight lines. But the height of the arrangements allowed them to hang hand-painted votives, creating a magical canopy of twinkling gold lights for each table that was magical.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Share the Stage
At culinary events, chefs and restaurant pros are like everybody else, and they like to let their hair down once in a while, and dance and sing. I was really struck by the photo from the private concert for Kenny Loggins hosted by Kraft Food Services in Chicago during an annual trade show for one reason: the giant stage apron that allowed guests to get up and dance on the same level as the band. “We did this event for four or five years in a row, always with a comfortable and familiar name act, like Kenny Loggins or Crosby, Stills & Nash, where guests knew all the songs. Then we built out the stage at the Shakespeare Theatre and the Navy Pier in Chicago,” Herb tells me. “Allowing guests to get up on the stage gives them a real thrill; the trick is handling the talent so that they feel comfortable with an unusual setup.”
Photo: Courtesy of Karlitz & Company
Impress Chefs Where They Eat
Herb explains, “As Godiva becomes a larger global brand, they have to fight the perception that the brand is being diluted, with Godiva chocolates available in groceries and drug stores. Our job was to help them reassert Godiva’s position as top-quality chocolates, and to remind the foodie world that the company still has masters creating and testing new chocolates. This brunch we organized helped us [send that] message to the chef and fine foods markets.” The brunch was held toward the end of the South Beach Wine & Food Festival and invitees included chefs and restaurant owners who were all in place and happily tanned, a target market that would otherwise be very hard for Godiva to get access to. The menu and wines incorporated or were designed to complement chocolate. Flowers were done by Pistils & Petals in Miami. Doesn’t the dazzling staging and towering height make you wish you were there and allowed to grab a truffle? Guests were encouraged to take as many truffles as they liked from the display when the event ended.
Photo: Courtesy of South Beach Wine and Food Festival
Build Careful Relationships With Elite Chefs
“We are perhaps most proud of the confidence and closeness of our relationships with the very top chefs both here [in the United States] and around the world,” Herb tells me. “We were thrilled when Bobby Flay recommended us to serve as organizers for what became an annual event, ‘Taste of the World’ on Breeders' Cup eve. We assembled a mind-numbing group of global chefs to prepare food for one of horse racing's most elite contests in California.” Those toques included Bobby Flay, who at the event took off his host hat and donned a chef’s jacket to do a demonstration of a pineapple-plated dish.
Photo: Matt Sayles/Invision for Breeders' Cup/AP Images
Get the Local Bigwigs Involved
The choice of Red Rooster for Herb Karlitz’s celebration was for a reason (I think I’ve learned that Herb doesn’t make any choices for dining or wine without a carefully thought-out reason): it was symbolic. In May of 2014, Herb Karlitz and Marcus Samuelsson announced the inaugural Harlem EatUp!, with no less than Harlem Resident-in-Chief Bill Clinton on hand to make the announcement. It also didn’t hurt to have New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio there as well. The festival, which will take place May 14 to 17 this year, will benefit Citymeals-on-Wheels. It looks like it will be a sprawling Harlem-wide affair, with over 20 separate events I can count so far already on the docket; the highlight will be “the Stroll.” “We didn’t want the same old grand tasting tent format,” Herb explains. “The Stroll will spread out in Morningside Park, with one tent each dedicated to food, culture, and art.”
Photo: D Dipasupil/Getty Images for Harlem EatUp! Festival
Offer More Adventurous White Wine Choices
At Marcus Samuelsson’s Red Rooster nightclub Ginny’s for Herb’s 25th anniversary, there was so much food and wine to enjoy, and while I admired the 1990 Mommessin Clos de Tart Grand Cru Burgundy, I was just as impressed by a little white wine station. I mostly drink white wine at events, it is safer (I’m clumsy), but the lack of choice and indifference of selection mostly makes it a yeoman's job to hoist back the vino (though somehow I seem to manage). And really this is a mistake I see all too often at events of every kind where they offer you a commercial brand of pinot grigio or chardonnay that you see all the time. But the impressive little selection of whites at Herb’s affair—I tried them all—could only be surpassed by Herb’s dizzyingly precise explanation of how they were chosen, presented unedited and unproofread: “Two of the wines were ‘projects’ of somms, who are friends of mine: Raj Parr from San Francisco (worldwide wine director for Michael Mina) has Sandhi Chardonnay, which is wonderful. Josh Nadel, worldwide wine director for Andrew Carmellini has Ophelia Chardonnay. Quite different. One sees more oak (Sandhi), the other steel. Since the Bordeaux Wine Council is a sponsor of our upcoming Harlem EatUp! Festival, I thought it would be a nice touch to include a white Bordeaux, which was the Michel Lynch selection.”
Photo: Ted Kruckel
Sometimes a Simple Gift Is the Most Powerful One
At the end of Herb Karlitz’s soiree at Red Rooster, a mountain of François Payard boxes was the lovely send off. I don’t really eat dessert, but the beautiful presentation and simplicity at the exit was thought provoking. I couldn’t wait and opened mine in the taxi, three or four times, and finally decided, alone in the taxi with 10 minutes to go, why wait. I salute Master Herb on a masterful 25 years.
Photo: Ted Kruckel
Photo: Eric Reed/AP Images for TaylorMade
Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2013 Show
One million flowers blanketed the walls of Christian Dior's July show during Paris Fashion Week. The Bureau Betak-event included a room covered with red roses.
Photo: Courtesy of Dior
At the Zing vodka launch, the press wall took the form of a hedge with 2,000 roses spelling out the brand's name.
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios
In a smart move that avoided the complications that come with laying carpet over stairs—especially on a snowy night in New York—the event's producers projected a strip of red light over the library's front steps, effectively creating a virtual red carpet that led to the entrance. Hundreds of LED candles sat on either side of the illuminated pathway.
Photo: Carolyn Curtis/BizBash
Furniture designed through the Custom Acquisition Program.
Photo Courtesy of FormDecor Furniture Rental
Blueprint Studios dramatically revitalized San Francisco's Pier 48 for a nonprofit gala
Photo courtesy of Blueprint Studios
Dell World
Photo Courtesy of AV Concepts
The Shuttr selfie remote (from $39.99), available from Axis Promotions, is compatible with most phones and tablets and can trigger a photo from as far away as 30 feet. A logo can go above or below the Shuttr logo.
Photo: Courtesy of Axis Promotions
Give guests peace of mind with Tile (from $20 each with logo for bulk orders). Attach the water-resistant device to things like keys, chargers, memory sticks, or wallets, and if the item is misplaced, it can be tracked instantly using the Tile app. The company offers customization for corporate clients, and the Tiles can be left in bulk or individually wrapped.
Photo: Courtesy of Tile
Chipp’d produces key chains and bracelets (from $44.99; bulk pricing is available) that include QR codes that link to a custom microsite. Organizers can load the sites with agendas, audio, videos, photos, and other event information. They can also continue to add new content to keep guests engaged throughout the year. The key chains and bracelets come in a variety of colors, shapes, and materials and can be engraved.
Photo: Courtesy of Chipp'd
Talk about the ultimate all-in-one charger: Weego’s jump starter battery pack (from $109.99) can be used to start cars and charge phones, tablets, speakers, and other portable USB devices. The item is also small enough to fit in your pocket. It’s available from TCMPi, the Corporate Marketplace, and can be customized with a logo.
Photo: Courtesy of Weego
Make it easy for guests to share photos from events with a Bluetooth selfie stick (from $11.88) from Geek Tech Branding that comes in blue and black. The stick extends to nearly 40 inches and photos are snapped with the remote control. The clamp can be customized with a logo.
Photo: Courtesy of Geek Tech Branding
Persnickety Promotions offers a mini boom speaker and FM radio ($48.95 each for 400) that connects to mobile devices through Bluetooth or an included USB cord. It can also be used for hands-free phone calls.
Photo: Courtesy of Persnickety Promotions
Evernote Notebooks by Moleskine ($29.95) are the first paper notebooks designed to create digitized versions of handwritten notes. Jot down notes on the specially designed pages, snap a picture with the Evernote app, and the page is instantly digitized for storage on all of your devices. The items are available from Scarborough & Tweed.
Photo: Courtesy of Scarborough & Tweed
Capsule-shaped speakers ($50) from Positive Impressions connect to a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. They include a carabiner clip and can be customized with a logo.
Photo: Courtesy of Positive Impressions
The Bluetooth keyboard ($39.95 each for 300) from Persnickety Promotions connects wirelessly to iPads and comes with a pebble-grain, faux leather case that can be folded into a stand.
Photo: Courtesy of Persnickety Promotions
The Cypress Wireless Speaker ($22) from Scarborough & Tweed has a rubberized, water-resistant casing with a suction cup on the bottom so it can be used in the shower or near a pool or hot tub. It can be customized with a logo.
Photo: Courtesy of Scarborough & Tweed
The Wedge (from $14.99), available from Axis Promotions, can prop up any mobile device on nearly any surface without sliding. The micro-suede fabric cover can also be used to clean screens. Full imprint design is available.
Photo: Courtesy of Axis Promotions
Turn guests’ mobile phones into wallets with the Econo Silicon Mobile Device Pocket ($1.45 each for 1,200) from Persnickety Promotions. The colorful silicone pocket attaches with removable adhesive stickers and can hold credit cards, hotel room cards, drivers' licenses, coins, and other small items.
Photo: Courtesy of Persnickety Promotions
Geek Tech Branding's high-capacity charger (from $35) for iPads and iPhones has dual ports for multiple devices and can be customized.
Photo: Courtesy of Geek Tech Branding
Positive Impressions’ gunmetal stylus pen (from $1.50) writes smoothly on smartphones and tablets and helps to keep touch screens clean and free of fingerprints.
Photo: Courtesy of Positive Impressions
Miniature bottles of Round Pond Estate’s olive oil and vinegars, $9 each, allow guests to take home a taste of Napa Valley. The 50-milliliter vessels contain artisanal flavors like Meyer lemon olive oil and Cabernet-Merlot vinegar. Items can be shipped throughout the United States and Canada.
Photo: Courtesy of Round Pond Estate
Say cheers with dressed-up gummies courtesy of Sugarfina. The delicate, sweet champagne bears, $7 per box, taste like sparkling wine, and are available in personalized packaging. Items can be shipped globally; same-day delivery is available in Los Angeles.
Photo: Courtesy of Sugarfina
Customize the two-bite macarons, $30 for a box of 12, from Dana’s Bakery with your event colors, favorite flavors, or stenciled imagery. The bakery ships nationwide.
Photo: Courtesy of Dana's Bakery
Veronica’s Treats will transfer any photo, logo, or business card to the top of fresh-baked cookies, $22.20 per dozen, which are glazed with white chocolate. The baked goods have a shelf life of two weeks and can be shipped anywhere within the United States and Canada.
Photo: Courtesy of Veronica's Treats
Made from scratch and dipped by hand, the customized cake pops from Haute So Sweet are available in a range of flavors such as cookie dough and vanilla rose champagne. Display towers, from $250, can be shipped nationwide.
Photo: Courtesy of Haute So Sweet
The small tin sampler, $5.50, from Tea Forté contains two silken tea infusers and comes in five different blend collections, including coconut and white tea. Orders can be shipped throughout the United States and Canada.
Photo: Courtesy of Tea Forte
The sweet four-piece sampler box, $7.50, from Laughing Moon Chocolates includes a mix of dark- and milk-chocolate-dipped truffles and buttercreams. Orders can be shipped throughout the United States and Canada.
Photo: Paul Rogers
Guests will gobble up the gooey goodness of Madyson’s Marshmallows. The individually wrapped, chocolate-dipped marshmallows, from $2, arrive topped with corporate logos and can be shipped nationwide.
Photo: Courtesy of Madyson's Marshmallows
Edible Gifts Plus offers take-out containers, $14.95 each, filled with six hand-dipped fortune cookies, which can be customized with an edible logo and matching sprinkles. Shipping is available nationwide. Correction: The price for the fortune cookies has been updated.
Photo: Courtesy of Edible Gifts Plus
Each custom logo s’more kit, $4.50, from Candy With a Twist contains all the ingredients—including a branded marshmallow—needed to put together the campsite snack. Kits can be shipped throughout the United States and Canada.
Photo: Courtesy of Candy With a Twist
Vosges Haut-Chocolat‘s truffle favor comes with two confections presented in a white customizable or plain purple box. Plus, the company offers expert chocolate concierges to help with your order. Orders can be shipped throughout the United States and Canada.
Photo: Courtesy of Vosges
Photo: Courtesy of Made With Bind
Target's "Dish You Were Here" booth offered up recipe cards featuring dishes from around the world and food products from the company's Archer Farms collection. Staffers at the sponsored booth also served guests globally inspired snacks such as Mexican spiced brownies.
Photo: Rebecca Smeyne/Paper Magazine
Among the indie food vendors were a few big names, including fashion designer Cynthia Rowley, whose whimsical booth highlighted offerings from her newly opened Upper East Side Curious Candy boutique, such as custom piñatas and party favors.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
Staffers at the Cynthia Rowley booth handed out green-apple-flavored cotton candy dotted with edible silver stars to guests at the opening night V.I.P. party.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
Brooklyn upstart Salty Road sold its naturally flavored, handmade salt-water taffy in flavors like bergamot, salty caramel apple, and peppermint saltwater.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
Brooklyn-based company Monsieur Singh hawked its lassi push pops, an Indian treat made with probiotic yogurt, mango, mint, and ginger.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
La Newyorkina, a purveyor of Mexican-inspired frozen sweets, offered guests miniature cones of ice cream in quirky flavors such as avocado, corn, and rice horchata. The company is available for private events and catering in New York.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
Brooklyn outfit Fred's Marshmallows gives the artisanal treatment to the campfire favorite, with flavors such as key lime pie, orange fennel, and apple pie. The company is available to cater events and can even create edible marshmallow centerpieces.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
Brooklyn-based Jack's Chedbread handed out samples of its handcrafted, fresh-from-the-oven corn bread in flavors such as maple bacon, roasted jalapeño, garlic chive, and honey sea salt.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
The Jam Stand's jellies are made with fruit from local New York farms and come in inventive flavors such as blueberry bourbon and peachy Sriracha. The company can make custom jars of jam as favors for corporate events.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
New York's Imperial Woodpecker Sno-Balls specializes in New Orleans-style shaved ice, offering more than 46 flavors, including seasonal specials such as grapefruit basil, strawberry rhubarb, and watermelon jalapeño. The company's catering packages include 10 flavor options, ice, and servers.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
Is hip, gourmet Jewish fare the next food-world trend? The Gefilteria reimagines Old World favorites such as gefilte, horseradish, and beet kvass using sustainably sourced ingredients and stylish packaging.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
Right Tasty's Brooklyn-based line of gourmet vinaigrette salad dressings come in flavors such as Meyer lemon, ramp, and smoked heirloom tomato.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
Chef Andy Ricker, of Pok Pok fame, peddled his line of drinking vinegars, Pok Pok Som. The tart liquid, made with vinegar and concentrated fruits and vegetables, is meant to be mixed with soda water or liquor.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
The Swarovski crystal-covered Heartschallenger ice cream truck was parked outside the entrance to the venue, offering passersby frozen treats.
Photo: Fred Blauth/BizBash
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Photo: Shiran Nicholson
In the all-black cocktail reception space, Piers Baker from Third from the Sun spun on the DJ Kreemy Booth, designed by Karim Rashid.
Photo: George Pimentel
In the cocktail reception space, ovoid ice sculpture centrepieces sat on every cocktail table. The fluid, organic shapes were inspired by the work of all three designers.
Photo: BizBash
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.
Photo: George Pimentel
Clear ghost chairs and white tablecloths created clean lines in the V.I.P. dining room. Seventy-five cymbidium orchids made up the centrepiece at each table, mimicking the circular balloons overhead.
Photo: George Pimentel
Glass votives with electric candles hung from the ceiling in the V.I.P. dining room.
Photo: BizBash
Eatertainment designed the V.I.P. menu and played with the colours and shapes from the event invitation. Each plate had the name of the dish and the spirograph design from the invitation across the top. For the first course, they served cider braised beet with poached pear, Benedictine blue and spicy candied pecan, and an herb salad with raspberry vinaigrette.
Photo: George Pimentel
For the after-party, Iceculture created an eight-foot ice wall at the entrance of the trading floor. Iconic shapes from Karim Rashid were cut into the ice blocks and packed with snow. The negative space spelled out "DX."
Photo: George Pimentel
Silver and copper spheres hung from a square truss structure over the trading floor. An eight-foot lampshade from Eurolites illuminated the bar.
Photo: George Pimentel
Large cubes of ice with a hollow sphere sat on the corners of the square bar on the trading floor.
Photo: BizBash
Large ice replicas of Karim Rashid's Garbino garbage can were placed on the bar on the trading floor. Large spherical ice cubes filled the bins. A single spherical ice cube was served in each drink.
Photo: BizBash
Iceculture created a candleholder and flower piece, which is a larger version of designer Hani Rashid's Alessi pencil holder.
Photo: BizBash
Box Top Productions designed the three-dimensional mappings projected on the walls of the trading floor.
Photo: George Pimentel
Crystal Head Vodka sponsored the event and served specialty cocktails from a bar on the trading floor. Ice skulls decorated the bar.
Photo: George Pimentel
Dancers from DLM Studio wearing bodysuits circulated the trading floor, interacting with guests, posing for photos, and dancing.
Photo: George Pimentel
Contortionists and acrobats from Zero Gravity Circus performed on stage on the trading floor. Aerialists also performed over the Crystal Head martini bar.
Photo: BizBash
Sponsor Cambria had models showing off the brand's tile designs with a fashion show during the after-party.
Photo: George Pimentel
Karim Rashid's Garbino garbage can, supplied by Umbra, acted as gift bags for guests.
Photo: George Pimentel
The silent auction was located on the first floor of the Design Exchange.
Photo: George Pimentel
WM Events suggests holding a carnival with games as a way to raise donations.
Photo: Julie Anne
Blueprint Studios recommends timing events strategically, such as holding a party planned around a major sporting event.
Photo: Courtesy of WM Events
