The Paddy Wagon is a new Boston-area company that provides inflatable Irish pubs. The 30- by 30-foot blow-up bar has a façade resembling a traditional Irish pub with brick walls and a thatched roof; inside there are windows, tables, doors, and a full bar. The company can also provide Irish food, step dancers, and bartenders.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art will present the United States premiere of the Frank Gehry retrospective from September 13, 2015, to March 20, 2016. Organized by the Musée National d’Art Moderne in Paris, the show includes more than 60 of his projects, shown through more than 200 drawings, many of which will be on view for the first time, as well as 66 models that show the evolution of the Los Angeles-based architect’s process. The museum offers discounted general admission for groups of 10 or more, along with docent-led tours for large groups.
Now available in Toronto through the Idea Hunter, Original Beverage Toppers are edible disks that can be branded with corporate logos, colors, and taglines. The discs float on top of hot, cold, iced, or frozen drinks and are easy to apply.
DCanter Capitol Hill, a Washington wine boutique, launched a new e-commerce site that offers same-day delivery in the city for corporate office parties, impromptu happy hours, and other events. It also can host private classes in its tasting room or off site.
Bellagio Gallery of Fine Art debuted its new “Picasso—Creatures and Creativity” exhibit on July 3. The new Las Vegas show includes approximately 45 works from the artist. Organized in partnership with the Claude Picasso Archives, the show focuses on the human figure through lithographs, linocuts, paintings, and a selection of rare plates. The exhibition will run through January, and docent-led tours are available.
Orlando Culinary Tour is a new option for teambuilding and corporate outings. Led by Jamie McFadden, chef and owner of Cuisiniers Catered Cuisine & Events, the tour is intended to educate participants on the emerging food scene of Central Florida and teach wine pairing, gardening, cooking, and entertaining. Guests travel via motor coach to Quantum Leap Winery, East End Market, Txokos Basque Kitchen, and McFadden’s teaching lab. Each stop includes tasting opportunities and hands-on experiences. Tours can be customized based on group interests, and a guide travels with guests from start to finish.
New to Chicago, Bowery and Bash provides luxury rentals for events. Owner Katie Ernst, who also runs home interiors company Revision Home, rents out stylish, vintage-inspired pieces such as silver mirrored bars, cowhide rugs, Asian coffee tables, and club chairs from the original Playboy Club.
EatWith, a San Francisco-based global platform that provides alternative dining experiences with local residents and chefs, has a private-dining venue in the city. Called Test Kitchen, the space seats as many as 24 guests or holds 40 for receptions; the site can also host cooking classes.
For people who find their meeting spaces too cold, Kimpton’s South Florida hotels will lend out pashminas. The pashminas, offered in two colors, come with a style guide that shows how both men and women can wear them. The thoughtful amenity is available at Epic Miami; Surfcomber Miami, South Beach; Vero Beach Hotel & Spa; and Tideline Ocean Resort & Spa, Palm Beach.
Located in New York, artisanal dessert catering boutique Bake-tique 212 has been a favorite of event professionals since 2013, but the shop is now expanding to serve a wider clientele like at-home hosts. The bakery specializes in events such as charity affairs and birthday parties, with a menu of unique treats like ghuvikelz (a filled pastry), one-bite smidgens with marshmallow and chocolate, and mini pies that are the size and shape of a cookie.
The Los Angeles premiere of the new Fox horror-comedy Scream Queens took place September 21 at the Wilshire Ebell Theatre. The event decor was inspired by scenes and characters from the show, and bloody knives were placed inside table centerpieces.
French cognac brand Martell celebrated its 300th anniversary on an unoccupied floor of One World Trade Center September 16. A wall of greenery bore the message “tweet to enter” in front of a private room. Select guests who tweeted using the #Martell300 hashtag were granted entry.
Epson celebrated the launch of its new EcoTank printer by partnering with Ideko Productions to create a 17,000-gallon transparent swim tank in Times Square for its "Swimming in Ink" event September 24. Members of the U.S. National Synchronized Swimming Team gave hourly performances for passersby in the tank, which had bottom and rear panels designed with ink-cartridge-inspired colors of cyan, magenta, and yellow, to provide the illusion the swimmers were performing in ink.
For New York Fashion Week: The Shows, Givenchy held a one-off show at Pier 26 in TriBeCa on September 11 as a powerful tribute to New York City. A multisensory experience orchestrated by artist Marina Abramovic greeted guests at sundown. The wooden and scrap metal set was constructed solely of recycled materials with performance artists suspended on platforms against the skyline, as was a monk, whose live chanting set the preshow mood.
Air Miles, a Canadian loyalty card program, launched its Smile Booths in May. Created by Wondermakr and experiential agency TrojanOne, the booths provide a new twist on the photo booth and vending machine: It only takes a photo when the person in front of it is smiling and holding up an Air Miles card. After taking a photo, the machine dispenses gifts including headphones, concert tickets, and bonus miles.
Paul Frank Industries aimed to engage parents and children with its circus-theme show September 10 for New York Fashion Week. The runway set had circus tent silhouettes and bold black-and-white stripes.
From September 24 to 26, alcohol delivery service Minibar and St. Germain liqueur teamed up to provide companies and residents in Manhattan and Brooklyn with "biketenders." Those who requested the service on the Minibar website or app were greeted by local mixologists peddling on custom-built, vintage-style bicycles who prepared carafes of St. Germain's signature cocktails for $33.
The groundbreaking of the new Virgin Hotels New York City, slated to open in 2018, took place September 25 at its future location between 29th and 30th Streets in the NoMad neighborhood. Attendees at the ceremony included members of project partner Lam Group, Virgin Hotels C.E.O. Raul Leal, and Virgin Group founder Richard Branson, pictured with a time capsule that was buried with mementos from significant Virgin moments that have happened in New York.
The fifth annual Streamy Awards, which honor online video content and its creators, took place September 17 at the Hollywood Palladium in Los Angeles. Fullscreen partnered with Caravents to host an after-party at the W Hollywood, where guests could discover and share decorative objects—including owls—that were meant to conjure emoji in real life.
NBC partnered with LeadDog Marketing Group to produce interactive fan experiences to promote new fall shows. The activation for new crime-mystery drama Blindspot, which came to Times Square September 19 and 20, featured an on-site tattoo bar. Visitors were able to get temporary half-sleeves inspired by the show.
