At the Canadian design fair the Interior Design Show in 2013, Ikea took over the ticket counter, using a lamp as a simple, homey touch that made the space feel less clinical. The brand also decked the back wall with a leafy, wallpaper-like design and placed its bright red logo front and center.
In 2012, the Washington Ballet's Jeté Society hosted an Alice in Wonderland-theme dance party. A large white tree decorated with red hearts inspired by the story's Red Queen served as the backdrop for the check-in desk.
For a Catch Me if You Can screening in New York in 2011, Stella Artois transformed the restaurant Casa Lever into a 1960s airport lounge. The hostess stand was remade as the departure gate counter, where guests could check their tickets against a seating chart.
At the WWD Beauty C.E.O. Summit in 2012 at the Breakers Palm Beach in Florida, the apothecary-inspired registration desk held different-sized jars filled with colored liquids, cotton balls, and Q-tips. Pink peonies in white vases, bright-colored towels, diffusers, and WWD magazine issues also adorned the desk.
When Progressive Insurance hosted auditions in 2010, the company built a space inside the Metropolitan Pavilion designed to look like the fictional Progressive store in its commercials. As such, the check-in desk at the front was decorated in the brand's signature white with blue and orange accents, and a large sign touting the website served as the backdrop.
The check-in area at Turner's 2010 upfront in New York included cut-outs in the walls and 3-D logos on pedestals. David Stark handled decor.
Fairchild Fashion Media's Kristen Wildman worked with XA to create the modern design of the WWD C.E.O. Summit inside the Plaza in New York in 2013. A color scheme of bright yellow against white was used throughout, including in the registration desk, giving the decor a clean, uniform look.
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.
An dramatic art installation was made from multicolor neon ribbons at PopSugar and ShopStyle's Cabana Club hotel takeover. The piece was a collaboration with the Las Vegas festival Life Is Beautiful.
The hosts' names decorated the hotel's existing privacy hedging, which was visible from the street entrance.
Alessandra Ambrosio launched her BaubleBar jewelry collection at the Avalon hotel. At the event, guests picked up Voco drinks at a bar decorated with open coconuts and vibrant flowers.
M.A.C. and Mia Moretii hosted their festival collection with a pool party at the Ingleside Inn. Stoelt Productions produced the event, which was hosted by the BMF Music Lounge. A trio of colorful umbrellas made for a colorful photo backdrop.
A logo floated in the pool and covered oversize props at the Moschino party. DeLeón Tequila sponsored.
Pandora brought Questlove for its Cathedral City party, which announced brand names on a round central bar. The event also included a hair-braiding station, giant chessboards, ping-pong, and beanbag toss games.
Ocean Pacific set up a surf shop at the Ingleside Inn as part of the Music Lounge.
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.
A vinyl listening lounge with a vintage feel included objects from music's history, serving as a living museum as well as a place to relax and unwind.
Unfussy floral arrangements, taper candlesticks, and other objects lent a bohemian vibe to a long table at the Retreat, which was set with games like dominoes.
At the dFm House, a dramatic, dimensional succulent wall with a Zoe Report logo served as a photo backdrop in the entrance area.
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.
In Dolce Vita's area, a colorful floral wall bore a subtle representation of the brand's name. It also encouraged social media sharing for guests, who were rewarded for their posts with a free pair of sandals.
At PopSugar and ShopStyle's Cabana Club, which took over the Avalon hotel, an open step-and-repeat wall trailed with succulents and greenery. The geometric moif also allowed for organizers to swap out logos for the various events that took place in the space over the course of the weekend.
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.
A floating logo in the pool cast a subtle shadow that echoed the brand message.
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.
At H&M's intimate cocktail party at the Parker Palm Springs, an arrivals backdrop set the stage for the party's understated and elegant style. It had an open back, with hanging strands of greenery.
Small rugs and clusters of pillows in mixed patterns and coordinating colors allowed for poolside seating, as well as subtle decor, at the H&M cocktail party. Logo beach balls also floated in the pool, a popular branding approach during the weekend's pool parties.
Nylon magazine's press wall included bright sprays of silk bouganvilla behind printed logos.
The festival's requisite floral crowns doubled as decor. Garlands from Heartshape Hotel hung on a poolside lattice wall at the NVE-produced event, ready for guests to take away.
Floating faux lotus flowers added subtle color and decor in the estate's pool.
Dannijo and Mercedes-Benz hosted a weekend in Palm Springs in collaboration with LoveShackFancy for media and tastemakers. There, Questlove hosted a brunch at a rustic table set simply with relaxed floral arrangements.
For a dramatic award show, take a cue from live music acts and punch up your stage set with wild visuals. "Reflection mapping” is an innovation from V Squared Labs that uses mirrors, light, and sculptural form to dramatic effect—and it's just debuting on the live event scene this month. The visual arts studio teamed up with electronic dance music group Krewella to create the visual technology as a stage set for the band's tour. Dubbed “the Volcano,” the set comprises mapped crystal structures, with crystals made out of one- and two-way mirrored acrylic plastic outfitted with reflective backing to create an interior mapping effect. Each crystal is also equipped with either LED, video LED tape, or both, inside, creating complex reflection effects that appear visually to change the structure from within. V Squared Labs founder Vello Virkhaus and lead designer Amanda Hamilton collaborated with fabricator and technical engineer Stefano Novelli to bring the vision of ”'reflection mapping” from pencil sketches and creative reference point into the real world. Want to try something similar for an award show? Hamilton said there are future applications for the concept: “The effect of contained infinite reflections is a technique we'd love to explore further, as controlling chaos is an exciting challenge.”
