The Metropolitan Transportation Authority partnered with Arcade Creative Group to design a digital billboard for public transportation board's security awareness campaign on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day in Times Square. Selfies from attendees who posted to social media with the hashtag #KeepNYSafe appeared for 15 seconds at a time on the LED billboard, which was one block long and featured the campaign's yellow border.
New York Road Runners partnered with New Balance to open its new community running center in Manhattan on January 11. The center, which was designed by Gensler Architecture, Design & Planning, features the N.Y.R.R. logo created in a wall of greenery.
Olympic bronze medalist and New Balance athlete Jenny Simpson helped launch the center with a running exercise demonstration. The center is home to the 1 for You 1 for Youth shoe donation program—for every pair of shoes purchased at the venue, New Balance will donate a pair of shoe's to the N.Y.R.R. youth programs.
The 128th annual Rose Parade presented by Honda took place January 2 along Colorado Boulevard in Pasadena, California. The event, which was produced by Corporate Magic and led by senior creative director Stephen Dahlem, kicked off with an opening performance with a cast of more than 250 honoring the flowers of the parade.
The event had an aquatic-theme ball pit with bumble bee inflatables and a costumed bear entertainer.
The Hollywood Foreign Press Association's 74th annual Golden Globes took place January 8 at the Beverly Hilton. Warner Brothers Pictures and InStyle hosted a "Matrix Glam" party, which was designed by Tom Ford Designs. A chandelier took inspiration from Purple Rain and The Matrix. The 20-foot-wide metallic gold structure included 500 feet of LED neon.
Best Events produced Weinstein Company and Netflix's party. Sponsor Lindt offered a bar serving craft cocktails using ingredients inspired by its chocolate bars. Grey Goose also sponsored the event.
W magazine celebrated the Globes with Audi and Moët & Chandon at the Chateau Marmont on January 5. Guests could stroll wallpapered halls lined with faces of Hollywood stars from the magazine.
Beauty brand Kiehl's celebrated the launch of its new facial cream with a beach-theme event on January 5 at Bleecker Event Hall in New York. The facial cream’s natural ingredients—manuka honey and Korean red ginseng root—inspired various decor elements, including honeycomb cubbies that served as coat check storage. Entertainers also roamed the space dressed as bees.
Chicken burritos with yellow rice, pinto beans, ranchera salsa, and queso blanco were served in a cluster of white tubes framed by matte walnut wood slabs branded with a custom yellow trim.
For a fun cocktail idea, Korean restaurant Thursday Kitchen in New York serves drinks inspired by old-school Capri Sun pouches. The cocktails, which come in lemon, strawberry, lychee, and cucumber flavors, are mixed with soju, a vodka-like rice liquor.
Amazon Web Services hosted an over-the-top party on December 1 at the High Roller Parking Lot in Las Angeles. Produced and designed by Production Club, the party featured a ball pit with 140,000 blue balls and oversize inflatables.
A installation called "Light Sync Revolution" allowed attendees to control elements on stage such as lighting, visuals, and special effects.
Another experience, given to guests who bid $1,000 (including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, pictured), was a 10-minute dinner prepared by Schwa chef Michael Carlson. Along with the rapid meal, bidders were treated to a private opera performance and champagne service from the theater's champagne chandelier. Dishes included melon with carbonated peaches, short ribs with dehydrated corn, and a caramel-apple-style dessert.
An amenity that was offered to all guests: snacks from the "Cyclone Grill." Stationed at the entrance to the event, the fixture contained 16 grills donated by Weber. At the start of the night, the grills held roasted pig, plantains, and black beans. Later in the evening, the grills held slices of pizza.
Nonprofit educational organization Outward Bound hosted its National Benefit Dinner on October 18 at Cipriani 25 Broadway in New York. Artist Michael Arthur, who specializes in live drawings of key moments, sketched on a visible screen as nine current and former students—including featured speaker author Michael Lewis—spoke about their experiences in the organization. The artistic showcase was designed to capture the impact and inspiration created by an Outward Bound experience.
The inaugural Red Bull Sound Select's 3 Days in Miami festival took place September 1 to 3 at the Hangar in Miami. Artist Brian Butler handed out limited-edition posters he drew onsite each night, along with custom-made artist portrait pins.
