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.
For the Francis W. Parker gala, held in March at the Geraghty in downtown Chicago, Kehoe Designs created whimsical Alice in Wonderland-inspired chandeliers for the independent school's event theme: “Through The Looking Glass.”
In February, the Great Plains Regional Office of Unicef USA hosted the inaugural Unicef Gala Dallas at the city's Ritz-Carlton. The event honored Rob and Sheryl Lowe with the Global Philanthropist Award for their work in raising awareness for women, education, and children’s rights. More than 370 guests attended the event, which raised over $1.3 million in support of the organization’s mission.
Nearly 400 people attended the museum’s annual benefit and after-party in West Palm Beach, Florida, in February, which honored trustee Gilbert Maurer for spearheading the New Norton, the expansion project that’s in its final year of construction. The evening raised more than $1 million to support the museum’s programs and exhibitions.
In February, the Boston Ballet hosted its annual gala at the Castle at Park Plaza. This year’s event, titled “Juliet's Ball,” featured decor inspired by the Ballet’s spring show, Romeo & Juliet. The event raised $1.7 million, with more than 500 guests in attendance.
In January at the Bomb Factory in Dallas, the Birthday Party Project, which hosts monthly birthday parties at homeless and transitional living facilities across the country, celebrated its own birthday with help from Gifts for the Good Life. The design duo created the Joy Store, in collaboration with Emily Clarke Events, for the event, a pop-up fund-raising station that featured goods, including watches, hoodies, hats, and superhero costumes, for kids and adults with low price points, allowing all guests to participate.
The Canadian Film Centre kicked off its 30th anniversary celebrations in February with its annual gala and auction at the Ritz-Carlton, Toronto. In honor of the anniversary milestone, the decor featured a navy blue and silver color scheme with large crystal candelabras as table centerpieces.
Held at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington in February, the 800-guest gala, which was produced by Events by André Wells, featured a tropical decor theme with lush palm centerpieces. The 19th annual gala raised more than $900,000.
Presented by the Illinois Chapter of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the Grand Chefs Experience brought together Chicago chefs, pastry chefs, and mixologists who prepared signature dishes and drinks for some 900 attendees. Held at the Field Museum in February, the event raised money to support the foundation. Kehoe Designs provided the decor for the event.
The Phillip and Patricia Frost Museum of Science in Miami hosted nearly 900 guests at its fund-raiser, the Big Bang: Sonic Odyssey, in January. At the end of the evening, the dance floor lit up with a performance by DJ Irie and LED robots provided by Light Up The Night.
In January, the National YoungArts Foundation in Miami held its largest annual fund-raiser, the Backyard Ball. The evening honored Academy Award-winning playwright and YoungArts master teacher Tarell Alvin McCraney with the 2018 Arison Alumni Award and featured a cocktail reception and seated dinner catered by Starr Catering Group. The benefit raised more than $1.5 million to support aspiring and emerging artists.
At the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools’ Connections gala, held in March at the Geraghty, Kehoe Designs created clever sports decor using sporting equipment such a golf balls, tennis rackets, and baseball bats. Plus, guests were given donation “leaves” on necklaces where they could indicate their donation amount and add it to a large “giving tree.”
Steven Tyler and Live Nation joined forces for the inaugural Janie’s Fund gala and Grammy Awards viewing party at Red Studios Hollywood in January. The evening featured a live viewing of the awards telecast, along with a multi-course dinner designed by Trisha Yearwood, plus performances. Proceeds from the event benefited Janie’s Fund, an initiative created by Tyler in partnership with Youth Villages to help young women who have suffered the trauma of abuse and neglect. The benefit raised more than $2.4 million.
Held in January at Capitale in New York, this year’s Louis Armstrong House Museum gala raised over $230,000 to benefit the construction of the museum's new, 14,000-square-foot Louis Armstrong House Museum Education Center, which will include an exhibition gallery, a 68-seat jazz club, museum store, and the Louis Armstrong archives. At the event, guests celebrated the 50th anniversary of the release of "What A Wonderful World" with a special performance by Wycliffe Gordon and the InterSchool Orchestras of the New York Wind Symphony.
Housing Works hosted its fund-raising event, Design on a Dime Miami, in February at the Moore Building. For the third year in a row, participating interior designers created one-of-a-kind room vignettes with new furniture, art, and home decor merchandise. The two-day benefit raised more than $400,000 in support of Housing Works’ mission to end AIDS. The “Chairman’s Dinner” honored the chair of Faena Art and executive creative director and partner at the Faena Group Ximena Caminos, chief creative officer of Design Miami Rodman Primack, and design entrepreneur Rudy Weissenberg (pictured).
The nonprofit hosted its 11th annual celebration in January at the Barker Hangar in Los Angeles. The evening, which is traditionally held the night before the Golden Globes, featured event production by Event Eleven and honored John Legend. Hospitality and catering firm Schaffer handled food for the evening, which was inspired by the themes of “Love, Light, and Laughter,” including LED trays to illuminate monochromatic hors d’oeuvres with saturated color.
The Voices For Children Foundation held its “Moments Of Brilliance” Be A Voice gala at the Mandarin Oriental, Miami on Brickell Key in January. Presented by Harry Winston, the gala raised more than $740,000 to support children in foster care in Dade County.
