In April, the Friends of Dana-Farber Cancer Institute hosted its annual gala at the recently-renovated Hotel Commonwealth and the Hawthorne lounge in Boston. Tyger Productions created an Italian countryside theme with rustic salvaged wood farm tables, rosemary plants, begonias, and towers of fresh lemons. Succulents served as party favors for guests.
Upon arrival, guests received small American and Brazilian flags, as well as Olympics-branded hand-clappers to use when the U.S. delegation of athletes entered the opening ceremony.
The event offered guests custom cookies created by Cake and Art bakery.
Sustainability can carry over from one event to another. Intel created 400 messenger bags from large vinyl banners that had been used at a 2010 conference. The bags became giveaways at future Intel events and some were donated to schools, saving 5,500 square feet of material from landfills. "We do re-purpose other signage. The trick is to not date your material," says Lou Cozzo, Intel's corporate event marketing manager.
On the second floor of the activation, which was produced by Shadow and Live Nation, card members could pick up festival essentials like sunscreen, hair ties, ponchos, and more.
At the Lay's tent, attendees could taste four different chip flavors and cast their votes for their favorite by scanning their festival wristbands at the corresponding station.
One of the primary functions of a name badge is to increase conversations and networking. For the ninth iteration of the Engage! luxury-wedding business summit, held in Las Vegas in 2012, name badges served as an icebreaker: The number of crystal charms on the tag identified how many times the badge-wearer had attended an Engage! conference. Veteran attendees had nine balls, while first-timers had one.
Guests could fill up branded tote bags with full-size samples in the gifting area.
Guests can recover from one too many cocktails with the Original HangOver Kit Kup. The 22-ounce reusable cup contains mini packs of brand-name remedies like Pepto-Bismol, Propel drink mix, Drinkwel multivitamins, Alka-Seltzer, Bayer aspirin, Colgate toothpaste and toothbrush, LA Fresh travel wipes, and breath mints. The kits are sold in cases of 6 ($50) or 12 ($90).
To help soothe any impending colds in the chilly holiday season, planners can send guests home with the Comfort Kit ($35) from Gifts for the Good Life. The winter survival pack contains hand warmers, lip balm, stress patches, tissues, tea, and bath salts.
To get guests to and from the event easily and safely, Lyft lets companies cover the cost of an entire ride or offer a coupon code good for as much as $20 (valid only for rides to or from the venue on the night of the party). The ride-share service will only bill for rides used. For example, if a company has 100 guests and everyone receives $20 in Lyft credit, but only 20 people use the credit, the company will only be charged $400. A pricing breakdown by city and ride estimates between two locations are available on lyft.com.
For guests who want a nightcap or need a strong wake-up call, Gifts for the Good Life's Haute Toddy Kit ($35) includes all the necessities to make the warm seasonal cocktail—a lemon, tea bag, liquor, tumbler, and instructions.
Similar to the hangover cup, Gifts for the Good Life's Good Night/Good Morning Kit includes bedtime treats and morning must-haves such as effervescent tablets, eye drops, and mints, plus popcorn for a midnight snack.
Nonprofit homeless youth resource center My Friend’s Place hosted its 30th-anniversary gala in April at the Hollywood Palladium. Each of the six awards presented was a sculpted piece of art handmade by one of the organization’s youth artists.
