For the debut of the 2015 Mini Cooper, the brand took a decidedly film-noir-style feel with its paneled display. The booth at the show featured dozens of black director's chairs in lieu of traditional bench seating, and a DJ spun from atop a customized Mini Cooper that had its roof removed.
First unveiled at the 2012 L.A. Auto Show, the Scion Paper Shapers, created with Japanese graffiti artist Shin Tanaka, are elaborate paper craft cars and at the 2013 show were offered to visitors as a fun takeaway. Those unable to attend the auto show could download the iPad exclusive Scion Paper Shapers app in the App Store.
Those who captured and shared their moments at the Toyota Scion display using a dedicated hashtag received brand-specific gifts.
At its booth, Acura set up several small informational tables that projected images of its cars onto smoky condensation that rose up from the tabletops. Using an iPad-like interface, guests could explore different aspects of the vehicles and even make images larger or smaller by putting a hand close to the smoky screen.
Cloth Connection stocks several football prints in its inventory of linens. Most are a cotton blend that are used as a decorative overlay. Another option is a vinyl fabric that mimics the look of a giant football. They measure 90 inches square.
American Express celebrated its first N.F.L. team sponsorship, with the Seattle Seahawks, with a pregame activation before the team’s game against the Carolina Panthers on October 18. Dubbed American Express Hawks Island, the activation took place on a 200-foot barge on Puget Sound and had Astroturf flooring and decor in the team’s colors.
Activities at American Express's October event included cornhole games as well as a surprise performance by the band Everclear.
Decor items such as branded life preservers tied in both the nautical and football themes. After the event, guests were offered complimentary shuttle service to CenturyLink Field.
The Mexican barbecue mini chain Tres Carnes, which has multiple locations in New York, is offering a literal interpretation of the classic dish pigs in a blanket. The eatery will provide a whole pig, along with an N.F.L. blanket for Super Bowl party catering.
Sports Illustrated and Go RVing produced a 10-city tour of college football towns across the country. The activities included a virtual quarterback simulator, appearances by former college football stars, local chefs cooking tailgate fare, and games. Fans could also pose in a photo booth that inserted them onto a Sports Illustrated cover.
For game-day catering, Shake Shack is offering the Big Game Shack Pack with 10 ShackBurgers, two pints of custard, and a piece of portable entertainment: a limited-edition Shake Shack mini football. The package is available for $50 at nearly all Shake Shack locations.
For use as a centerpiece—and dessert—is a N.F.L. replica chocolate football from Phillips Chocolates. The two-pound footballs are made of milk chocolate with white chocolate laces and come with a tee to prop them up. They are delivered with cellophane wrapping and tied with a ribbon in team colors.
Bored of traditional theater- or classroom-style room setups? Designing a arrangement with an assortment of furniture "is an ideal way to provide flexibility and choices for attendees’ different personalities," says Michele Wilde, the resort's director of conference services and event sales.
Comfort is a priority, especially during lengthy meetings, Wilde says. Offering multiple seating options can keep attendees engaged and also suit different personalities.
A threesided set up gives attendees a sense of proximity to the speakers.
Quartz also experimented with seating. In the front of the room there were couches reserved for V.I.P. guests, and in the back of the room there was a row of high-top tables where laptop users could work.
Bags that attendees received at registration had various charts taken from Quartz stories that could serve as conversation starters.
Q&A sessions with speakers continued in a designated space outside of the ballroom. The move allowed more intimate access to speakers.
Quartz encourages its sponsors to bring unusual and engaging activations to its events. One example was a fully functional mini planetarium from Qualcomm.
Not every event wants to meet at a hotel. Variety and WWD chose Smashbox Studios for a different feel.
An unexpected addition to the stage was a DJ booth.
Before lunch and the presentation, guests gathered in a sponsor activation area. Its design had a look consistent with the main room, with the same color palette and furniture rentals.
For what would turn out to be his final show as creative director of Dior, Raf Simons, on October 2, turned the Louvre's palace courtyard into a fragrant blooming peak. Landscape artist Eric Chauvin spent 18 days culling enough delphinium blossoms and soil to create the biodynamic set for the Paris Fashion Week outing.
Tryon Entertainment reworks traditional notions of event lighting into an opportunity for living decor. The company’s “So Shady” concept transforms models into human lamps by covering the women head to toe in metallic, bejeweled bodysuits and concealing their heads with artfully lit shades. These “lamps”—which appeared at the F5 Networks Technology Conference Closing Party at Rockefeller Center in 2012—can be positioned standing near furniture or sitting on a table to complete the illusion of an inanimate decor element. Pricing is available upon request.
Seating surrounded the stage—which was set within the mall—with the entire event done in a striking all-white palette.
The Television Academy's Governors Ball Committee and Sequoia Productions chose a “Nature's Elegance” theme for the two Creative Arts Balls as well as the Governors Ball at the Los Angeles Convention Center. It was the 19th year Cheryl Cecchetto and the Sequoia team have worked the events, and the first year two events expanded to three nights.
For guests at the nature-inspired dinners, official spirits sponsor World Class poured Ketel One Vodka, and the Hilhaven Lodge Blended Straight American Whiskey cocktails, Sterling Vineyards provided the wines, and sponsor Fiji Water the water.
Patina's meal included a first course of heirloom beets, a meaty entree of “Turf & Turf,” and a flourless chocolate cake for dessert. Patina partnered with local Babé Farms for the ingredients. The catering company worked with 750 cooks in the kitchen and 1,800 servers to present its menu.
Resource One provided specialty linens at tabletops where Patina served the three-course meal. Additional decor elements included starry drape and 2,700 yards of fabric covering the ceiling beams, plus 1,000 yards of black fabric covering the truss structure. Fabrics were done in neutral, earth-inspired tones, and sequin mesh, metallic silks, and floral sequin organzas added an element of glamour.
LA Premier's Kevin Lee created the floral look for this year's more rustic vibe. Centerpieces alternated between low birch-wrapped looks and towering, colorful designs rising more than three feet tall off tabletops in trumpet-style vases. Designer8 supplied the event's lounge furniture, and Bill Ferrell Company and Sosa Sisters the scenic fabrication.
This year's more rustic, organic look included more than 50,000 hydrangeas, 80,000 roses, and 20,000 succulents. Classic Party Rentals provided the guest and catering rentals, and ShowPro brought in the lighting equipment for design by Matt Levesque of First Circle Design. Goodman Audio handled the sound, Irma Hardjakusumah the technical design, and Matt Ringer the technical direction.
Following the Emmys, HBO hosted its annual bash at the Pacific Design Center’s fountain plaza. Working with HBO’s Cindy Tenner, longtime collaborator Billy Butchkavitz again designed the event. (It was Butchkavitz’s 18th consecutive HBO Emmy party.) The theme for this year’s production-heavy party was water, with a color palette done in seven shades of blue.
A 105-foot-long water lounge flowed from the dining pavilion to the formal entrance of the event space. Photographer Gabor Ekecs created a dramatic photo collage to serve as a backdrop for the 150-foot-long HBO press line. A 24-foot-high by 16-foot-diameter cascading fountain sculpture was the centerpiece of the party, centrally displayed within the 120- by 100-foot dining pavilion. Rippling water-patterned custom carpet covered the 50,000 square feet of party space. Twenty-five-foot-high perimeter walls enclosed and defined the event space, and were decorated with flowing draperies of two-tone metallic jacquard and blue metallic columns.
A stylized band entertained guests, and a DJ and percussion ensemble kept guests dancing atop a two-tiered, circular blue dance floor.
Centerpieces were hand-blown glass pedestal bowls with floating dinnerplate dahlias, creating the look of a tabletop water garden. Wolfgang Puck catered.
Entertainment Weekly hosted its annual pre-Emmy party on September 16 at Nightingale Plaza; the venue is the new lounge from SBE formerly known as Greystone Manor, and the event was the first one held in the space.
Producer and designer Event Eleven did the arrivals build out in the adjacent parking lot. The company also brought in florals and additional decor, and built custom areas for sponsor L’Oreal Paris.
Event Eleven used stacked vintage television sets as the backdrop for a slow-motion video booth.
L'Oreal products filled illuminated tables for a graphic look.
BuzzFeed hosted its pre-Emmy party to dole out "Buzzies" entertainment awards on September 14 at Hyde, with production by Pen & Public. A three-dimensional step-and-repeat wall popped in black, yellow, and red.
A chandelier carried BuzzFeed's logo and branding into the party space.
Guests walked under a branded balloon arch instillation to enter the venue.
A display inside the party space showed off the seven awards of the evening: OMG, Win, Cute, WTF, LOL, Geeky, and Yaasss. Video screens played a loop of the winning shows.
Audi’s annual pre-Emmy celebration took over West Hollywood venue Catch on September 15; it was the venue’s first major event in Los Angeles. Event Eleven produced the chic bash.
The recognizable Audi logo shone on the nearby Pacific Design Center building for a dramatic effect. Felix handled the event's lighting.
LED tubes created the look of bold horizontal stripes on an arrivals carpet with a three-dimensional logo wall.
Vanity Fair, YouTube, and Shiseido hosted a cocktail party to celebrate the kickoff of Emmy weekend and the Vanity Fair Social Club at Platform in Culver City. Guests sipped cocktails created by Santa Margherita Wines, experienced YouTube’s 360-degree photo booth, and took away gift bags from Shiseido.
In January, the Walrus Foundation hosted its annual gala at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto. The event paid homage to the Canadian city, and the skyline appeared in imagery at the bar.
The "Welcome to Washington" food station holds intricate replicas of iconic Washington monuments, including the U.S. Capitol building. Occasions created a spread that contained traditional regional snacks, including Maryland crab cakes, Senate bean soup, and half smokes (or sausages).
