In what was considered a giant coup for the city of Chicago, the James Beard Foundation decided to uproot its award gala from New York City for the first time and held the prestigious event at the Lyric Opera of Chicago on May 4. HMS Host, which owns Wicker Park Seafood & Sushi Bar at O'Hare International Airport, set up an eye-catching sushi bar that featured fish and marine life frozen into blocks of ice.
The Robin Hood Foundation Benefit—New York’s largest single fund-raiser—raised a record $101.7 million Tuesday night at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center. Guests entered the event through a giant camera lens, alluding to the portraits used throughout the decor and program.
The long-running festival made its United States debut in Las Vegas on May 15 and 16. Three so-called Rock Streets, lanes with storefront façades and three-dimensional decor, have themes inspired by Brazil, the United States, and the United Kingdom. The Rock Streets offer street food, cultural offerings, and performances from the likes of Spock Frevo Orquestra, the Street Dance Crew, and Pepeu Gomes.
At the recent Knot Gala at the New York Public Library, ribbons and bistro lights offered the illusion of a lower ceiling. At one food station, globes filled with tuna ceviche hung from trees, and guests were encouraged to “forage” for the items with help from staffers.
The Revel Group in Chicago hosted "Revel Provocateur," a dinner for the area's top event planners, on March 30 at Revel Downtown. Decked in black hues and Gothic-style decor, the event eschewed seating cards and instead printed guests' names on the back of chairs.
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. Underscoring the theme, dream catchers hung throughout the space. The ethereal decorations had woven-in hashtags that encouraged guests to post pictures to social media.
The April 9 event at the Target Gallery in New York celebrated Todd Oldham's collaboration with the Minneapolis-based retailer and was attended by D.I.Y. bloggers and editors. The D.I.Y. theme of the night carried over to the bars, where guests could build their own mocktail or cocktail.
On April 15, Target took over Bryant Park in New York to fete the launch of its collaboration with resort wear brand Lilly Pulitzer. A Lilly Pulitzer watercolor artist painted the scene at the space, capturing the party in the park—all done in Lilly’s classic color palette.
Escort cards on custom drink stirrers were placed in glasses of white peach sangria at a summer wedding produced by Camp Hill, Pennsylvania-based catering and events company the JDK Group.
At a sweet sixteen party produced by Magnolia Bluebird Design & Events, a hot chocolate to-go wall featuring custom mugs, gourmet marshmallows, and milk chocolate hot cocoa allowed partygoers to leave the sweet sixteen with a sweet treat.
The Fox upfront took over New York's Beacon Theatre Monday afternoon. The media group also gave people plenty to buzz about before the show with a stunt for Scream Queens, a new comedy-horror series from Glee creator Ryan Murphy. Crowding the sidewalk outside the theater, a troop of college-age women in pink sweatshirts handed out packs of bubblegum, while a branded ice cream truck offered treats to passersby.
The Bata Shoe Museum celebrated its 20th anniversary with a gala celebration on May 7 for 300 guests. To direct guests to different areas, a maze motif wove through the event, and appeared in its decor and on the floor of the museum.
On May 5, Freightliner pulled off a dramatic product launch for its Inspiration Truck. Using the historic Hoover Dam as a massive projection screen, the truck producer displayed a presentation of video and imagery that told the story of the brand and its milestones. Hoover Dam became a screen the size of nine football fields for the stunt.
For the first time in 51 years, the City of Chicago played host to the N.F.L. Draft during a weekend of activities that ran from April 30 to May 2. A new, free fan festival known as “Draft Town” was held in Grant Park. At "Combine Corner," guests could participate in some of the same activities that prospects take part in at the N.F.L. Scouting Combine, including running the 40-yard dash.
To create a feeling of intimacy in the expansive Engelhard Court during the May 4 gala, benefit producer Raul Avila and his team lowered the ceiling to 14 feet by hanging nearly 200,000 stems of wisteria overhead.
The Pediatric Oncology Group of Ontario hosted its 14th annual fund-raising gala on April 25 at the Liberty Grand Entertainment Complex. Instead of traditional floral centerpieces, designer Bill Fulghum decked tables at the circus-theme event with giant pieces of cotton candy.
The world premiere of the George Clooney picture Tomorrowland took place at Disneyland on May 9. A stilt walker outfitted in a balloon spaceship greeted fans.
The gala was held at Rosen Shingle Creek on May 16. Pastry chefs at the venue created a fitting dessert for a fashion show—milk chocolate shoes filled with fresh fruit and macarons.
Ladyfingers Letterpress created a book-like baby shower invitation with quotes and sentiments from the mommy-to-be’s favorite children’s stories. The cover was hand-sewn with gray-and-white baker’s twine, and a library card served as the R.S.V.P. card. Guests were encouraged to bring their favorite children’s book to help build the little one’s reading library.
Caplan Miller Events recently designed a Formula One-theme bar mitzvah for an Austin, Texas, teenager. The event took place at a local racetrack, where each garage was decorated as a different F1 location—Monaco, India, Shanghai, and Italy—with custom cabanas and international menu items, like vegetable samosas with tomato chutney, steak frites, and steamed dumplings, from Kurant Events.
