The event included multiple activity stations and seating arrangements at the newly opened 1 Hotel South Beach.
Photo: April Belle Photos
Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Retreat
Looking for a summery group outing? Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Retreat officially opened in Nevada this month and offers a Luxury California Wagon Trail Sleep Out. Guests sleep in luxury wagons, and dinner is cooked in a fireside cauldron while local Native Americans tell stories about their culture.
Photo: Courtesy of Mustang Monument Wild Horse Eco-Retreat
Stella Artois "Host Beautifully"
Guests could float above the crowd in tethered hot-air balloons branded with the Stella Artois logo.
Photo: Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Stella Artois
A phalanx of female model staffers dressed in out-of-this-world space-age uniforms greeted guests as they arrived at the suburban Houston venue in Sugar Land.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
The cocktail portion of the evening featured a series of interconnected all-white rooms, which guests entered into via an octagonal-shaped tunnel. A 32-foot-long walkway led from the spaceship-cum-cocktail area to the dinner space, which was styled to look like the surface of the moon.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
The all-white odyssey-style "capsule" was a veritable homage to Omega and the storied relationship it has had with the space program since 1965. A full array of the Swiss watchmaker's iconic Speedmaster timepieces, spanning several decades, were on display.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
While the event featured no live entertainment or DJ, prerecorded voices did play overhead throughout the cocktail portion—mimicking astronaut flight calls with sayings like, "Welcome aboard. The outside temperature is minus…" Complementing the white-noise background was a smoke effect, which was used not only to recreate the moon landing atmosphere, but also to usher guests to the start of dinner.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
Bureau Betak transformed the Western Airways Hangar into a spectacular 20,000-square-foot party setting—the Omega Lunar Base—that flowed from the "space capsule" into a dramatic moonscape, where dinner was served beneath a starlit orb.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
Five truckloads' worth of gravel combined with large rocks comprised the setting in which some 300 invited guests dined. More than 150 workers were enlisted to create the set, which was designed to transport guests to dinner on the surface of the moon.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
Guests dined above a custom floor covered with crushed rock and gravel that had been mixed with glitter to achieve a sparkle effect so as to add some pops of brightness to the otherwise all-black decor scheme.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
Keeping on theme, the charger plates at each table setting featured the design of a moon.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
To mimic the zero-gravity effect of dining on the moon, traditional floral centerpieces were eschewed in favor of levitating displays. That included Omega watches that appeared to float in air, oscillating on "moon rocks" under glass domes .
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
The M.C. of the night, Lily Koppel, author of The Astronaut Wives Club, welcomed Omega ambassador George Clooney to the stage, calling him the “man on the moon.” The actor, who emerged from a cloud of white smoke and waxed poetic on the Apollo 13 mission, shared the stage with Omega president Stephen Urquhart and astronauts Gene Cernan, Captain Jim Lovell, and General Thomas Stafford.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
Adding to the dinner's outer-space ambience was a massive video screen that showed planets moving across the sky, a space station floating by, meteor showers, and an astronaut drifting in space a la Clooney's film Gravity.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
A Fare Extraordinaire provided the dinner, cocktails, and hors d'oeuvres, all of which featured a space-age theme, including the Tang-and-grapefruit-juice-infused vodka cocktail served in a Space Ration Hydropack.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
The "On the Moon" dinner was prepared by Houston-based A Fare Extraordinaire under the eye of French chef Valentin Neraudeau, flown in from Paris for the occasion. The first meat course consisted of fresh king crab and Granny Smith green apple with thyme crisp, olive oil madeleine, carrot and cumin foam, and an extra virgin olive oil vinaigrette. Also on the menu was filet of veal with eggplant caviar and caramelized basil-infused jus, and dessert of white chocolate demi spheres with mixed berries.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
London-based mixologist Justin Darnes prepared four specialty beverages, and the presentation of each was a twist on the night's space-age theme. For instance, the gin and Williams Pear cocktail was topped with a salted and spiced watermelon foam. Other libations included calvados, kirsh, and raspberry coulis, and, of course, a Clooney-branded Casamigos tequila old fashioned.
Photo: Courtesy of Omega Ltd.
For a touch of whimsy, male staffers wore glowing ties, making them easy to spot. The visual also added to the night's otherworldly aesthetic.
Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Omega
Veuve Clicquot Yelloweek
Dressed in the brand's signature yellow-and-white hues, a ballerina entertained guests with impromptu performances on the rooftop.
Photo: 5ive15ifteen Photo Company
HMR Designs used light as a central element of decor. At the entrance, mirrored shards illuminated in blue stood before a dark tunnel that led guests to the cocktail reception.
Photo: Bob and Dawn Davis
JDK Group Escort Cards
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.
Photo: Courtesy of the JDK Group
Canadian National Ballet Fund-Raiser
From our roundup of tea party ideas, specialty cocktails from a 2011 National Ballet of Canada fund-raiser in Toronto were served in William and Ashley teacups and adorned with white rabbit garnishes.
Photo: Gary Beechey
Occasions Caterers served hot tea with pink, yellow, green, and blue iced cookies for dessert at the Washingtonian's Alice in Wonderland-theme AT&T Best of Washington Party in July 2014, held at the National Building Museum.
Photo: Antatony Brown/IMIJPHOTO.com
Take inspiration from the tropical wedding invitation by Coral Pheasant, which incorporates a bag of Costa Rican coffee beans in honor of the destination locale. Pricing is available upon request.
Photo: Courtesy of Coral Pheasant
Illustration: Joey Bouchard/BizBash
Fusion's Synergy invitation suite costs $387 for 50 sets, a price that includes custom envelopes printed with a return address and guests' addresses, as well as access to the company's easyinvite.com services.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Attend.com
Attend.com is a full suite of event planning and management tools that released several updates this summer. The new interface includes Event Plans, which contains registration forms, email invitations, surveys, and reports; Event Plan Wizards, which links information from multiple smaller events within a larger function; and updated contact tools that sync from both online and in-person registrants. Also this summer, Attend.com added a wireless name tag printing feature to its mobile check-in app: hosts check-in guests on iPads, which triggers the printing. The system also offers text-message alerts for V.I.P. arrivals, online surveys, and post-event reports.
Photo: Courtesy of Attend
Los Angeles mixology company Pharmacie offers a chocolatey take on a mint julep. Called the Chocolate Mint Julep, the cocktail contains bourbon and mint syrup poured over ice with six dashes of chocolate bitters, plus a mint leaf garnish.
Photo: Krista Mason
For post-meeting crowds in the summertime, beverage director Matt Tocco of Merchants restaurant in Nashville, which is within walking distance of the city’s convention center, serves a Pimm’s Cup made with Pimm’s No. 1 liqueur, Pennington’s Strawberry Rye Whiskey, lime, cucumber, mint, and soda water.
Photo: James Beck
Merchants’ fruity Blinker is made with George Dickel Rye Whiskey, St. George Raspberry Liqueur, lemon, simple syrup, and soda water.
Photo: James Beck
Frankie Solarik of BarChef in Toronto puts a twist on a classic seasonal cocktail with his Daiquiri Adaptation. Served in a coconut, the tropical-inspired drink combines spiced rum, fresh lime and pineapple juices, maraschino liqueur, and house-made almond orgeat syrup. Solarik dresses the drink’s service piece with coconut-water snow, toasted coconut, lime and orange rinds, maraschino fluid gel, and rum and vanilla brunoise with edible flower petals.
Photo: Leanne Neufeld
The Chilled Strawberry Ontario is another of BarChef’s summer offerings. Solarik describes the cocktail as a “strawberry-infused gin chilled soup,” made with roasted-black-pepper sugar, lemon and chamomile brunoise, lavender-infused maraschino and coconut fluid gel, and balsamic-lavender syrup that’s turned into a gel and presented in a ribbon shape.
Photo: Leanne Neufeld
Ken Martin, in-house mixologist at Privateer Rum in Ipswich, Massachusetts, makes a strawberry-laced cocktail for the summer. Called the Strawberry Cobbler, the drink contains Privateer Rum, fresh lime juice, and simple syrup, and is served with fresh mint leaves.
Photo: Courtey of Privateer Rum
Martin also prepares another warm-weather libation called the Raspberry Bramble, which includes Privateer Rum, fresh lime juice, simple syrup, St. Germain liqueur, sparkling wine, and raspberries.
Photo: Courtey of Privateer Rum
Lintelus' browser-based audience engagement tool includes built-in note-taking, Q&A, polling, and social interaction.
Photo courtesy of Lintelus
ShowClix's Agent automates everyday tasks in your ticketing account.
Photo: Courtesy of ShowClix
Keeping with the brand’s enigmatic appeal, H&M created invitations embedded with a scrolling LED panel inside a slim white box to celebrate its collection with Maison Martin Margiela.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Secret uses a device's GPS to associate a location with each post.
Photo: Courtesy of Secret
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
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
Photo: Courtesy of Made With Bind
Stackable Sensations' Saviour Universal USB Charger ($8.60 each for 50) can charge two devices at once and includes a logo display.
Photo: Courtesy of Stackable Sensations
Booze is a surefire hit as a take-home gift. Pinhole Press can create custom-branded bottle labels ($10 for nine; bulk pricing available) for wine or any other type of beverage.
Photo: Courtesy of Pinhole Press
Toast's engraved wood iPhone covers ($30; bulk pricing available) can be customized with logos and brand names.
Photo: Courtesy of Toast
The retro-style phone receivers ($30; bulk pricing available) from Native Union plug into most cell phones. A logo can be placed anywhere on the handset.
Photo: Courtesy of Native Union
The flap of the classic canvas-and-brown faux leather bags ($28.40 each for 24; additional bulk prices available) from Pinnacle Promotions can be debossed with a logo.
Photo: Courtesy of Pinnacle Promotions
GelaSkins offers cases (from $15; bulk pricing available) for a whole slew of tech gadgets. Simple logo designs can be ordered through the Web site; for orders or more than 100, GelaSkins' designers work with clients to create customized layouts.
Photo: Courtesy of GelaSkins
Fluf makes durable, reusable lunch and snack bags (from $18; bulk pricing available) that can be customized.
Photo: Courtesy of Fluf
Bikn ($130 for the set; bulk pricing available) from Treehouse Labs is a new tech-savvy lost-and-found system. Just place a tag on anything you don’t want to lose, and your phone finds it.
Photo: Courtesy of Bikn
A branded leather luggage tag and passport case ($83 for the set; bulk pricing available) from Graphic Image comes in several colors and embossed finishes.
Photo: Courtesy of Graphic Image
Earbud headphones ($6.82 each for 100) from Empire Promotional Products come in a customizable container.
Photo: Courtesy of Empire Promos
Baggu offers a range of carryall bags, including the recycled cotton canvas Duck tote ($24; bulk pricing available) that can be screen-printed.
Photo: Courtesy of Baggu
In early April, attendees were sent a pre-arrival package that included a welcome note and a metal luggage tag.
Photo: Courtesy of Gifts for the Good Life
At the hotel, the registration area was set up to resemble a boutique, displaying the items included in the welcome totes on shelves. “At the previous Engage! conference, we found out that some people didn’t open their welcome bag until they got home, but it included a lot of items meant to be used at the conference,” says Arak-Kanofsky. “So we wanted to make sure people knew what was inside. The merchandise walls created by Bob Gail Special Events allowed guests to see what they were getting.”
Photo: Readyluck
After picking up their totes, attendees headed to an area to be assigned their groups for the lunch roundtable and dinner dine-around. They selected a poker chip at random; each chip was printed with the name of one of the dinner locations.
Photo: Readyluck
Continuing with the gambling theme, guests also selected a playing card (designed by Tricia Hay) that revealed the number of the table at which they’d be seated for the luncheon and which speaker would be hosting the table. “Like at any meeting, people tend to want to stick with who they know,” says Rebecca Grinalls. “So doing a blind pull like this helps create organic opportunities for networking with new people without making it feel forced.”
Photo: Readyluck
Guests received a minibar kit that included recipes for three cocktails and the ingredients needed to make them, like Red Bull, Goldschlager, and candy drink stirrers.
Photo: Readyluck
The welcome totes also included a trifold vanity kit. Each day of the conference had its own corresponding pouch of items. The “Get Ready” section included bath salts, an aromatherapy candle, and a box of matches. The “Engage” pouch had a tube of mints, lip balm, and massage cream. The “Glow” pouch featured items intended for use at the gala event, like nail polish, a mirror, and a portable kit with Band-Aids, blotting papers, and fashion tape.
Photo: Readyluck
At the end of the first night’s poolside welcome party, everyone was given a “Hydrate and Chill” kit designed to help them beat the Vegas heat. The package included a fan, a water mister, a bottle of sleep-inducing Dream Water, and an insulated cup.
Photo: Courtesy of Gifts for the Good Life
In the presentation room, each seat held a “Bento Box” of items intended to optimize their experience.
Photo: Readyluck
The boxes included pencils, sticky notes, a journal, mints and candy, and “Thinking Putty," a Silly Putty-like product to keep guests’ hands engaged. “We wanted to make all of the gifts as lightweight as possible so that people would be able to take them home in their luggage,” says Susan Arak-Turnock. To that end, the boxes were made from thick paper board.
Photo: Readyluck
Flexible branded paper cubes served as easy decor throughout the conference. Custom USB cards included event information as well as all 250 attendees’ contact information, which avoided the need to pass out business cards.
Photo: Readyluck
Name badges doubled as an icebreaker: the number of crystal charms on the tag identified how many times the badge-wearer had attended an Engage! conference. Veteran attendees had nine balls, while first-timers had only one.
Photo: Readyluck
Kristy Rice of Momental Designs created programs featuring watercolor illustrations detailing the conference's various events.
Photo: Readyluck
On the last evening, an “After Glow” kit was placed on guests’ pillows during turndown service. The pouch included a gel eye mask, a foot soak, and a box of hangover remedies like Tylenol, Alka Seltzer, eye drops, and ear plugs.
Photo: Readyluck
After the conference, Engaging Concepts sent every attendee a thank-you gift of fortune cookies; the fortunes inside were printed with quotes from conference speakers.
Photo: Courtesy of Gifts for the Good Life
There was also a post-conference Twitter contest that asked guests to write a haiku that summed up their experience at Engage!12. Winners received a “Withdrawal Kit” that included detox drinks, candies, and a countdown calendar to the next conference. (The lid of the container was printed with the winning tweets.)
Photo: Courtesy of Gifts for the Good Life
Drones can be useful to capture images of events that involve action, such as a teambuilding outing at a racetrack.
Photo: Courtesy of E.P.N.A.C.
Models walked a yellow checkerboard runway at Louis Vuitton’s spring show, so yellow was the natural choice for the fuzzy-pipe-cleaner lettering set on the brand’s perfectly square card.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
A nod to the jungle-inspired collection revealed at the spring 2013 show, Kenzo sent out a tin box containing a branded mini survival kit for the fashionable great outdoors. The invitation itself could be tied to the carabineer as a flotation device.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Playing up a preppy, collegiate vibe, the invitation to the J. Press York Street collection’s spring presentation, fittingly held at the Yale Club, came in the form of a scaled-down wool felt pennant flag.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Invitations to Miu Miu’s three-night-only private members’ club at the Café Royal in London came in the form of an accordion file box with a magnetic closure that contained a full protocol rundown of the venue’s offerings, complete with a membership card.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
To celebrate its festive “Electric Holiday” windows and Disney partnership, Barneys fashioned a weighty invite with LED lights in four different colors that illuminated the double-mirrored glass to create an infinity effect.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
For his spring 2013 Burberry Prorsum show, designer Christopher Bailey celebrated the skyline of London—both the brand’s home base and where it stages its shows—by recreating it in laser-cut pop-up form.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Designed in-house, the multidimensional accordion-style invitation for Liberty’s “Christmas in July” preview was inspired by a trip to the London Transport Museum; each vignette was a train platform that would start your journey aboard “The Liberty Express.”
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
