idea book

The Westin St. Francis hotel in San Francisco has implemented water-conservation strategies for meetings and events in response to California's drought.

"Not only is all of our decor rented, which is pretty simple for everyone to do, but a lot of the pieces this year were made from reclaimed wood," said Fox Creative Services' Karin Pofsky. "It's about extending the life of decor or elements to be turned into something different in our events."

Where possible, the team used the Bungalow's existing furniture and added branded elements like throw pillows to highlight Fox's presence.

Eco-friendly signage listed the evening's signature sangria cocktail description.

Organizers used rented hedging that would be maintained and available for use at additional events, movies, or anything requiring greenery.

The venue's existing bars, as well as prizing and valet stations, used LED color blast lights, each 50 watts apiece.

Pofsky opted for the Bungalow in Santa Monica because she liked the space's green capabilities. "Their restaurant and their chef are known for their locally grown sustainable menu, so it was an easy choice for us—that and the outdoor location and proximity to studio and the press," she said. "The Fairmont also does a good job as well with their ecosystems and processes with recycling and so forth. They have some eco-friendly wines and things like that, so they seem to be taking the extra step."

Locally grown, eco-friendly flowers in bamboo vases complemented the existing decor at the Bungalow. "No synthetic chemicals were used in the fertilizers, the organic waste is composted and decomposed," said Brian Worley, co-owner of YourBash. "Runoff is used to fertilize the plants and horse, cow, and goat waste are used to create natural fertilizer."

"The Bungalow is a highly stylized venue with the existing decor, so we transformed the parking lot into a casino and the goal was the make it look as if it was an extension of the club," Worley said.

"We used hedges and reclaimed wood walls to create the walls and filled the walls with decorative pieces and art that is similar to that of the decor inside," said Worley of the outdoor parking lot space that was converted into a casino.

The Bungalow's parking lot was converted into a casino using rented Astroturf flooring from Classic Party Rentals, which plans to reuse the material for additional events.