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A floral sign on the Tassels and Tastemakers wall, created by Beth Helmstetter, spelled out “Yee Haw” with flowers from Art With Nature.

Taking over the Gatsby in Austin, Pandora created a meeting-friendly connected home during SXSW Interactive. Produced by Stoelt Productions, the activation included five rooms featuring different devices, including iPad Air, Google Chromecast, and TiVo.

BuzzFeed's BFF Cluhouse at SXSW in Austin featured an emoji fortune-teller for the day. By looking at guests’ most recently used emoji on their smartphones, the fortune-teller picked the person’s fortune, including an emoticon to use more.

The annual financial conference hosted by Orange County-based investment banking company Roth Capital Partners was held at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in March. Two parties took place during the conference, and a beer bar and vintage arcade games provided a casual look and feel to the second event.

The annual AIPAC Policy Conference set an attendance record this year, with about 16,000 people coming to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center March 1 to 3. To mimic the look of live olive trees in one lounge, Hargrove created café tables with stainless steel trees sprouting from them. The trees were topped with translucent lampshades printed with an olive tree pattern. Contemporary furnishings and bright accents rounded out the look.

Be Inspired PR hosts and produces the Tassels and Tastemakers event twice each year for event and wedding industry professionals, plus media, bloggers, and other influencers. The most recent iteration on March 25 brought a Western theme to Carondelet House in Los Angeles. Place settings on a rustic tabletop included napkin rings made from vintage leather belts atop slices of tree branch. Mindy Weiss designed the table with milk glass from Borrowed Blu.

Gin brand Tanqueray took over Chicago event space Ovation for the Tanqueray Trunk Show on March 28. The activation offered a custom "Tanqueray and Tonic" bar, where bartenders served specialty drinks using the gin.

At the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, executive chef Laurent Branlard creates Easter-theme chocolate sculptures that weigh between 44 and 100 pounds. One such sculpture resembles the classic toy Mr. Potato Head, made out of dark chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa food coloring, and fondant.

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 28th Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Ball took place on April 28 at Walter E. Stephens Convention Center. Hargrove set up the ballroom in a theater-in-the-round configuration with the main stage in the center of the space surrounded by dinner tables.

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. At the event, guests could fill bags with a custom potpourri mix.

The Breakfast Sessions buffet, offered as a late-night snack, served munchies including Pop Tarts with dipping sauces, mac 'n' cheese, chicken-and-waffle sandwiches, and Twinkies.

Among the ­hotels to capitalize on the recent popularity of stand-up paddle boarding, Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort in Destin, Florida, ­offers YOLO Boards, named after the anagram for “You Only Live Once.” The year-round beach activity takes about 90 minutes, including 15 minutes of instruction. Worried about less-than-athletic group members? Staffers swear the activity is easy to learn.

Flowers and vines covered a kissing booth photo station emblazoned with the message "All my friends are models."

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.

Goldenvoice hosted the first weekend of its Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival at the Empire Polo Fields in Indio, California, April 10 to 12. Among the weekend's big-scale parties was the Bootsy Bellows estate, where the logo and slogan of sponsor McDonald's backed a ball pit.

About Face Theatre hosted its annual Wonka Ball at Chicago's Moonlight Studios on April 10. The event had a "Warhol" theme, and servers passed shots of bloody Mary cocktails in miniature soup cans that recalled the artist's famous work.

In Wisconsin, Camp Wandawega has hosted corporate retreats for clients such as Facebook and Anthroplogie. Typically, retreats last two nights and accommodate as many as 50 guests; the camp can also hold 125 guests for just daytime activities. Those activities include nostalgic camp classics, such as archery, swimming, canoeing, campfires, volleyball, and fishing. There is no food service on site, so most hosts opt to bring in their own catering, and staffers can recommend local vendors for fish fries and pig roasts. The camp requires all guests to read its "Manifesto of Low Expectations" before a visit. "We make sure they're prepared for the no-frills, back-to-basics nature of Camp Wandawega," says a rep. "That's a big part of it's charm, but it's not for everyone."

More than 800 gathered in Manhattan's Lower East Side for Thrillist's third annual Best Day of Your Life, celebrating the longest day of the year on June 21. The many attractions included Samsung's "Museum of Instagrammable Moments," which allowed guests to have their photos taken with live-artist exhibits, including a moving backdrop of an aerial view of New York City that prompted guests to jump on a trampoline.

Vestiaire Collective hosted a dinner party for beauty editors and fashion bloggers on June 2 at the McKittrick Hotel's Gallow Green rooftop garden restaurant and bar in New York City. Rare pieces from the pre-owned fashion company's collection were displayed on custom-built swings that were styled with flowers provided by Tinsel & Twine.

The dinner for 40 took place at a long table decorated with hydrangeas, tulips, peonies, scabiosa, and brass candlesticks. Tinsel & Twine also decorated the space with a sea of bulbs and twinkle lights to convey the idea of two cities with a lot of light: New York City and Paris.

At the annual Food & Wine Classic, held June 19 to 21 in Aspen, Colorado, organizers hosted a celebration for chef Jacques Pépin in honor of his upcoming 80th birthday, in which they presented him with a croquembouche—a French dessert consisting of a tower of choux pastry balls held together with caramelized sugar.

Coupa, a spend-management software company, hosted its annual user conference on June 3 in San Francisco. Produced by Caryl Lyons of Roar Events, the meeting's after-party at Village at 969 Market carried on the finance inspiration with gold-colored fixtures and furniture rentals on the first floor.

Gatsby Entertainment provided human statues who were spray-painted in gold to underscore the money-inspired theme.

As part of its "Bike With a Manager or Chef" package, Kimpton's the Grand Hotel Minneapolis allows guests to tour the city with a true local. The five-mile guided bike ride, which takes place every Sunday morning at 8 a.m., ends with a picnic brunch at Stone Arch Bridge prepared by chef Kris Koch of the hotel's SIX15 Room.

The opening night party of PromaxBDA's the Conference 2015 took place on June 9 at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Hosted by Fox, the event was themed after Scream Queens, the network's sorority-centric horror-comedy series that premieres this fall. Putting a spin on a popular party food, the event offered a nacho bar with inventive toppings like Coca-Cola-braised carnitas and mushroom pupusas.

A college party staple, Jell-O shots were presented on a sculpted ice tray donning the series' title design. Dubbed "Jiggle Juice," flavors included black cherry, raspberry, and strawberry banana.

The launch of We Made It, a new line of creative children's kits and projects from a partnership with Jo-Ann Fabric and Craft Stores and actress Jennifer Garner, took place on May 18 at Shutters in Santa Monica. Various stations were set up for children and their parents to make individualized crafts, including colorful and decorative headbands.

The Bata Shoe Museum celebrated its 20th anniversary with a gala celebration on May 7 for 300 guests in Toronto. Fittingly, the event featured a shoe-theme sweets table.

French mustard brand Maille hosted a Paris-inspired pop-up bistro at David Pecaut Square to celebrate Toronto Bastille Day July 12. Planned by the PR Department, the pop-up served sandwiches, macarons, and cocktails made with different flavors of Maille mustard. The "1747" cocktails, served in jars with the brand's logo, included Cognac Remy Martin and Maille Provençal.

Toronto architectural studio Raw Design hosted its eighth annual "Raw" party on June 25 at a 30,000-square-foot industrial space. The theme, "Raw Canvas," invited guests to decorate floors, walls, and their own bodies. Paint cans rested beside a paint-by-numbers pattern on the wall, and partygoers were invited to color in squares.

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.

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.

Facebook launched IQ Live—its event series that shares insights on consumer behavior with ad agencies and advertisers—on May 20 at New York's Spring Studios and at Venue Six10 in Chicago in June. One vignette at the events was called the Instagram Cafe. "Coffee is such a big hashtag, and people post photos of latte art—it's a huge trending topic for us," said Erica Bryndza, who works in Insights for Facebook's North America marketing. The area showcased a piece of art that used coffee mugs to depict the Instagram logo.

Luxe teepees decked in greenery provided seating, as well as added visual interest.

The medieval theme was also woven into the decor and included a barrel topped with taper candles, figs, grapes, and nuts.

For a wedding in Big Sur, California, producer and designer Sterling Engagements suspended a 12-foot dream catcher decor piece above the dance floor.

For the rehearsal dinner, Sterling worked with the culinary team at the Ventana Inn to develop an unusual breakfast for dinner concept. The Sunday brunch-inspired meal included Bloody Marys, omelets, and eggs Benedicts. A relevant quote from one of the couple’s favorite shows, Parks and Recreation, hung over the dining area. 

Whole Foods' photo op let guests pose in bright frames that appeared to grow out of a garden box.

Off site but near festival grounds, Soho House Chicago teamed up with food website and mobile app the Infatuation to host an Ice Cream Social for festivalgoers on Friday. The event included a complimentary D.I.Y. sundae bar, where toppings inspired by the hotel's eateries included melon, basil, and bits of apple pie.

The T-shirts all said "Speak the Truth," and guests could customize the statements that were printed below. One guest elected to have printed: "I still have stuffed animals," while another chose, "I am in the fast lane following my dreams."

On the festival's main grounds, the wine brand also had a tent where guests could apply silvery, temporary tattoos featuring Dark Horse's logo.

A 20-foot hashtag wall and projections brightened the after-party space exterior. Inside, live hedgerow walls surrounded raised lounges on either side of the stage and dance floor. Tying it all together was a 48-foot stage wall projected with video imagery of elements of nature. Falling rose petals, kaleidoscope effects, bubbles, and other looks provided eye candy throughout the evening until the walls opened to reveal the evening’s headline entertainment. ESPN's Bianca Gomez, Timi Jordan, Eden Ghebresellassie, and Anne Powers worked on the event along with producer 15/40 Productions.