To mark the launch of a collaboration between Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas on a new collection, the well-known social event planner and the social stationer hosted an intimate, feminine luncheon at Los Angeles's new Lombardi House on February 25. Guests created their own terrariums using succulents, moss, and twigs for a D.I.Y. take on the trend of incorporating living elements into wedding decor.
In another activity area, guests painted cookies with watercolor paints. Cookies came from Joanie and Leigh's Cakes.
Guests could also create their own bags of custom potpourri.
Shutterfly—which creates personalized gifts, cards, and decor—hosted a D.I.Y.- theme holiday event in November at Sopra in New York. The event offered crafty projects including a design-your-own pillow station.
Guests could also create personalized holiday canvas prints at the festive event.
At TEDActive in Palm Springs in 2013, the so-called Sovereign Nation of You station encouraged attendees to make representational flags for creative expression using felt and other materials.
At the 2014 event in Toronto, guests were invited to participate in a doughnut-decorating challenge that let them customize their own treats with toppings such as chocolate and sprinkles.
Dos Equis’s “Most Interesting Masquerade” in New York’s historic Masonic Hall in 2012 featured what at first glance appeared to be a painting of a lion. But a closer look revealed that the image was brushed across the bodies of two seated women, their feet just barely breaching the frame of the shadow box. Mirrorball commissioned New Orleans-based artist Craig Tracy to create the living canvas, a process that took approximately 10 hours. Guests were encouraged to pose for a photo with the models to share on social media via nearby iPads.
It really is a jungle out there thanks to Living World Entertainment’s the Original Living Vines, which come to life through a set of choreographed moves to create a fascinating leafy tableau for events. The human foliage can also interact with guests and comes in seasonal shades—including lush spring greenery or wintry branches. To book, contact Orlando-based Key Artist Group. Pricing is available upon request.
Consumer engagement agency Mirrorball designed four Dos Equis events held in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Miami in 2013, where a group of six over-the-top characters—the Mastermind, Jester, Temptress, Provocateur, Explorer, and Voyeur—personified the party atmosphere. Guests who stepped into the Jester’s Tea Room were subjected to the troublemaker’s tricks, while those who wandered into the Voyeur’s Parlor caught a glimpse of the elaborately costumed performer peering through a mirror. Pricing is available upon request.
Tryon Entertainment reworks traditional notions of event lighting into an opportunity for living decor. The company’s “So Shady” concept transforms models into human lamps by covering the women head to toe in metallic, bejeweled bodysuits and concealing their heads with artfully lit shades. These “lamps”—which appeared at the F5 Networks Technology Conference Closing Party at Rockefeller Center in 2012—can be positioned standing near furniture or sitting on a table to complete the illusion of an inanimate decor element. Pricing is available upon request.
“Electric Disco Starz” from Tryon Entertainment involves a four-member crew wearing sleek suits and disco-ball-shaped heads with LED scrolls that can be customized to display a brand message or event name. The squad of performers can act as greeters or interact with the crowd during an event, as it has done annually since 2011 at the Allstate Life Insurance New York 13.1 Marathon. Pricing is available upon request.
Chicago’s Redmoon Theater—renown for its dreamlike events—showcases “Table Ladies” as part of its Redmoon for Hire program, from which planners can source the theater’s collection of performers, atmospheric elements, and “food service performance devices” for private and corporate events. The Table Ladies are two corseted and wigged performers who circulate among guests wearing Victorian-inspired, oversize hoop skirts that act as tables to display appetizers or desserts. Similar food displays are also available through Redmoon, such as “Floating Trays” (hardwood surfaces attached to backpacks) and “Briefcase Servers” (open briefcases featuring miniature puppet shows within the lids). Pricing ranges from $1,200 to $3,600 for the Table Ladies, from $1,200 for the Floating Trays, and from $700 to $1,800 for the Briefcase Servers; services are available in the Chicago area.
While projected signage has long been an event staple, utilizing a dance troupe to create branding blurs the line between marketing and art in order to tease a product launch or showcase a company’s breadth of creativity. Silhouetted behind a translucent screen, dancers can use their bodies to shape words or objects related to the event—as Pilobolus, a modern dance company famous for its shadow theater, has done for brands such as IBM and Google. Pricing available upon request.
For an otherworldly performance, two illuminated creatures, with laser beams shooting from each finger, appear from a starry background. Combining laser technology and choreography, “Light Beings,” created by Living World Entertainment, is available as a full-stage production or as individual extraterrestrials that can interact with the audience. To book, contact Orlando-based Key Artist Group. Pricing is available upon request.
All-inclusive resort company Club Med promoted its resort offerings and "Amazing You" campaign with a consumer pop-up in Toronto on February 14 and 15, followed by another pop-up in Montreal on February 16 and 17. The Montreal pop-up (pictured), which was produced by 360 L'Agence, offered activities and decor inspired by the brand's beach and ski resorts.
The activation had virtual-reality goggles that allowed guests to explore Club Med's resort activities.
Intelligent Medical Objects used a 25-foot chalkboard to display the history of clinical coding. Throughout the conference, an artist added to the design, and attendees also were invited to post sticky notes with their thoughts on future trends in that industry.
The event featured rows of Casper beds adorned with bottles of champagne and other viewing party goodies including snacks and hand-clappers to get guests in the mood.
Guests received Casper-branded slippers to get comfortable during the viewing party.
For a colorful, floral photo setup idea, PopSugar's Coachella hub at the Colony Palms hotel in Palm Springs featured a flower-covered swing in front of sponsor Ulta's logo. Agenc produced the event.
