Unique Ideas - interactive elements

The mezzanine of the restaurant was converted into a games room for the soirée and included a table where models clad in the pre-fall collection played Scrabble.

Upstairs, guests could play an array of Simpsons-logo games.

New features at this year's event included a Wii station with games like bowling.

Carnival games along one side of the huge outdoor space awarded prizes.

Guests could participate in several games, including bean-bag toss, ping-pong, and chess.

BMW also provided branded putt-putt courses for guests to practice their golf skills.

In addition to a branded bar and keg area by the pool, sponsor Amstel Light also provided gaming equipment. In contrast, pomegranate juice brand Pom Wonderful co-hosted morning yoga sessions with Exhale Spa. Apparel brand Trovata provided dresses for the waitstaff and Bonobos hosted trunk shows.

Rather than creating exhibitions of printed graphics and photographs, Charity:Water and the production team at Empire Entertainment incorporated artwork into the decor. This included having an oversize image printed onto the draping that covered the entrance to the 69th Regiment Armory's drill hall.

A circular stage was a strategic component to the gala's revised format, putting the night's hosts and live auction in the center of the space. The round platform, which was 20 feet in diameter and raised six feet off the ground, also gave Charity:Ball's signature activity—the "waterwalk"—a central spot at the event. For every guest that walked the catwalk carrying two Jerry cans, sponsors W Hotels and Toms each donated $250 to water projects in India.

With the stage in the center of the space, the production crew had its technicians in the balcony and placed lighting and cameras to the ceiling's truss system. Three enormous screens—a 25- by 60-foot display and two 20- by 40-foot ones—enclosed the hall, allowing guests to watch videos from any point in the hall.

The planning team put more focus on the live auction this year, where guests could make pledges. Saturday Night Live's Seth Meyer served as the host, alongside Charity:Water's founder Scott Harrison.

Wristbands embedded with R.F.I.D. chips stored the guests's contact information and were used by organizers at check-in as well as during the auction.

The auction invited guests to move into a space near the stage to pledge funds. Each area was marked by a different color, which indicated a different amount. Pledges started at $200 and went up to $50,000.

For on-the-spot donations, staffers roaming the venue sold helium-filled balloons to guests.

Guests could release their balloons into a giant Jerry can-shaped netting structure. The concept was designed to allow people to visualize their donations in a whimsical way.

Charity:Water introduced its new drilling rig earlier this year, and rather than bring the giant truck into the space, the producers replicated it, with a cab in the front and an installation in the rear.

The nonprofit's birthday initiative invited people to ask for donations rather than gifts. The producers printed the amounts raised by different individuals and attached the pieces to a frame, forming a chandelier-like canopy.

LeapStarr Productions built one exhibit, which was designed to show a network of water pipes in Rwanda.

Less than a week before the gala, Charity:Water announced it won a Global Impact award from Google, receiving $5 million to install remote sensors into its water projects to track whether water is flowing. The gala featured a working pump that showcased how the new technology will work.