Wolfgang Puck catered a 10-foot-tall dessert display on which doughnuts on pegs spelled out the party's purpose.
A 20-foot hashtag wall and projections brightened the after-party space exterior. Inside, live hedgerow walls surrounded raised lounges on either side of the stage and dance floor. Tying it all together was a 48-foot stage wall projected with video imagery of elements of nature. Falling rose petals, kaleidoscope effects, bubbles, and other looks provided eye candy throughout the evening until the walls opened to reveal the evening’s headline entertainment. ESPN's Bianca Gomez, Timi Jordan, Eden Ghebresellassie, and Anne Powers worked on the event along with producer 15/40 Productions.
Decor included a raw wood plank back bar and buffet walls and a dramatic six-foot flower arrangement in vibrant oranges. A chandelier-like ceiling treatment made from 1,000 Edison bulbs hung over the party space for a big impact over a large crowd.
Target’s “The Daring Truth of Design” Dinner at TED2015
Submitted by Deutsch
As part of its TED2015 sponsorship, Target invited V.I.P. conference guests to an intimate dinner, bringing together creative leaders and innovators in the fields of technology, entertainment, and design. Late celebrity chef Homaro Cantu of Moto Restaurant in Chicago designed the menu of molecular gastronomy, along with the Four Seasons Vancouver. Each course included a “daring twist,” such as edible packing peanuts, “cigar” sandwiches, and carbonated fruit, all designed to match the conference’s truth-and-dare theme.
Amusement Park-Theme Bar Mitzvah
Submitted by Penncora Productions Inc.
Inspired by a teen’s love of amusement parks, the ceiling in the main dining room of the bar mitzvah featured trussing designed to resemble roller coaster tracks. Petah Bashano Floral Design adorned the tracks with elaborate all-white floral cascades. Orbs with glowing tea light candles accented the dangling arrangements, offering an elegant interpretation of an amusement park theme.
AltaSea Preview
Submitted by Megavision Arts
AltaSea—a project that will transform the Port of Los Angeles’s public waterfront into a marine research campus—created an immersive multimedia display to introduce the concept to the local community. A multiscreen 360-degree video showed viewers the history of the port, while additional imagery was played in synchronization on 31 screens made of tension fabric. Images of sea life were also projected onto the floor and ceiling.
Catchbox Pro
Submitted by Catchbox
Catchbox is a wireless microphone to pass—or even throw—among speakers or audience members. The device consists of a microphone capsule secured with a magnet inside a soft cube. Catchbox communicates with an included receiver that can be connected to any sound system. To avoid unwanted noises, internal sensors turn the audio off when the cube is in motion. The outer cover of the microphone can be customized with specific colors or prints.
For a recent event at the Perot Museum of Science and Nature in Dallas, Wolfgang Puck Catering employed a "chef shadowbox." Meant to provide a strong visual behind a more standard food station, a chef in a shadowbox prepared appetizers as guests looked on.
In Chicago, catering firm Limelight has an innovative format for serving fruit skewers. The fruits are inserted into a custom wall with thematic wallpaper design (which varies for different events). Guests approach the wall and pull of a skewer and can dip the fruit in sauces that are arrayed on a nearby table.
Roar Events produced a summertime event at Estancia La Jolla Hotel and Spa in Southern California. The dinner had a modern Mexican theme and featured an interactive margarita station. Guests chose the type and flavor of their tequila, as well as one of many specialty salts.
Bringing a special pop-up edition of its holiday catalog to life, Pier 1 Imports created a living pop-up book installation in an empty storefront in New York’s SoHo neighborhood. The space used vignettes to highlight Christmas style and decor trends, including one called Plaid Tidings (pictured).
For the pop-up’s press preview, Pier 1 chose Mariah Carey for a brief appearance. Carey made remarks and posed for photos at the December 1 event. A video presentation of the pop-up storybook features narration by Carey.
A 14-person table featured a fully loaded holiday table, complete with place settings for Santa and Mrs. Claus and Santa’s reindeer.
At the pop-up’s entrance, decor extended overhead to a display of ornaments, greenery, and holly berry garlands. The pop-up was open from December 2 to 6.
Target Wonderland, a 16,000-square-foot pop-up shop in New York’s meatpacking district, turns toys, homewares, and other goods from the retailer into holiday decor. In one example, a Christmas tree is made from 320 Hulk hands.
Visitors can climb aboard a Lego pirate ship dubbed the S.S. Free Shipping. The store opened December 9 and runs through December 22.
A wall of Disney’s Tsum Tsum characters is the backdrop for a photo opportunity. The pop-up contains a number of digital elements such as R.F.I.D. badges that can be scanned at various stations to a digital shopping list. Before leaving, guests can purchase the items.
The Washington bar Mockingbird Hill has temporarily changed its concept to become the holiday-theme Miracle on Seventh Street through December 24. The venue redecorated with kitschy Christmas decor and included a “Hanukkah Hangout” complete with a dreidel chandelier. Along with a list of holiday cocktails named after holiday references in pop culture, the bar is offering activities such as Christmas classic movie nights and Manischewitz Pong competitions.
On the Wednesday before Thanksgiving—traditionally one of the busiest travel days of the year—J. Crew and JetBlue offered a respite for harried travelers. A pop-up installation at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport had four claw machines offering treats such as jewelry, hats, and gloves from J. Crew as well as JetBlue travel certificates.
Brooklyn-based artist Greg LaMarche designed the colorful space. Complimentary catering came courtesy of vendors from J.F.K.’s Terminal 5: Starbucks, Baked By Melissa, Cibo, and Ben & Jerry’s. Other activities included a temporary tattoo station and a photo booth.
Another riff on the claw game idea came from Barclaycard, which offered passersby in New York’s Union Square a chance to play the classic arcade game in a tricked-out truck. Gift cards of various values were wrapped in presents that people tried to grab with the claw. The December 5 event also had a give-back component: Each card contained a secret dollar amount that Barclaycard will put toward buying toys for the charity Toys for Tots. BMF Media produced the activation.
Guests at Nintendo’s Winter Wonderland could play games on new Nintendo 3DS XL systems in a festival holiday atmosphere. Alongside the blue and white holiday decor were figurines of Nintendo’s Amiibo characters. ESE Lifestyle produced the event, which took place in November at the London West Hollywood hotel in Los Angeles.
The millennial-friendly office supply company Poppin hosted a Friendsgiving event at its New York showroom in November. The event combined elements of Thanksgiving and Christmas by encouraging guests to give thanks and pick out gifts for friends, family, and co-workers. Gift-wrapping services using Knot & Bow’s quirky paper were available, and cards from Crumple & Toss along with ink stamps and markers let guests compose their own notes.
Viceroy Santa Monica library has taken a sweet turn as the Sugarfina Holiday Lounge Pop-Up. The boutique candy company collaborated on a set of holiday-theme cocktails inspired by its treats, including the Love Story, which mixes creme de mure, lemon juice, white wine, and sparkling wine, along with a Sugarfina Kir Royal candy garnish. Groups who host their holiday party at the hotel can add a Sugarfina holiday candy cart with the brand’s sweets arrayed in apothecary jars and martini glasses. Guests can sample the treats or assemble take-home bags as gifts.
Bringing a physical presence to an online marketplace, the Tictail Market NY is a holiday pop-up for the brand, which features emerging designers of apparel and home goods. Stockholm-based Tictail brings a Scandinavian cool to the store, located on New York’s Lower East Side, with custom-designed blond wood displays and white painted bricks. It’s Tictail’s second version of the pop-up, and this year it also is adding markets in Paris and Stockholm. “Having a physical pop-up is a complement to our online community,” says Livia Moore, Tictail’s community manager. “It becomes a meeting space for our brands.” The market will remain open through December 22.
To raise money for Cure SMA, which supports those affected by spinal muscular atrophy, the Gala of Hope took place on November 12 at Ferrari-Maserati of Fort Lauderdale. The event was inspired by an Italian circus and featured entertainment from speed painter Michael Israel.
The splashy, upscale launch party for Plum Miami, a Miami-based luxury lifestyle magazine, took place in 2011 at Raleigh. The DJ booth was set on top of the pool's diving board, with water cascading down from it.
The space was marked by vibrant colors. Michelle Pesce was the returning DJ for the event, where guests were among the first to try the new Aquafina Sparkling beverage.
Under pierced metal chandeliers, long communal tables dotted with candlelight were the focus in the middle of the room.
The majority of the lighting in the party utilized LEDs that use less electricity than traditional incandescents, as part of an ongoing environmental effort. Large items such as carpeting and Astroturf will be recycled rather than destroyed, as a way to minimize landfill impact.
