An LED drum line was among the eye-catching ways that Downtown Summerlin kicked off its grand opening in Las Vegas in November. The opening included a four-day street festival that Extraordinary Events produced for the Howard Hughes Corporation. The first night had a "Light Show" theme, and Howard Hughes C.E.O. David Weinreb cut a laser ribbon that cued multicolored lasers to shoot down the street.
When George Washington's presidential library opened in September 2013 on his estate at Mount Vernon in Virginia, the dedication featured patriotic bunting and a kabuki drop to reveal the library nameplate, as well as glittery red, white, and blue streamers. The Mount Vernon Ladies’ Association built the library and hired Hargrove to provide staging design, fabrication, and production.
To inaugurate the new SLS Las Vegas hotel in August, musician Lenny Kravitz participated in a ringing of the bell ceremony. Kravitz and his Kravitz Design team designed a collection of suites at the property.
To mark the opening of New York City's first Ikea store in 2008, dignitaries opted against a ribbon-cutting and instead sawed a log. The log had been prepped in advance to expedite the process.
During Art Basel in 2014, the artist Mr. Brainwash finished an art installation at the launch party of new restaurant Cibo Wine Bar South Beach. He spray-painted over a collage of luggage tags marked with Miami's "MIA" airport code.
When Whole Foods Market opens a new location, it dedicates the space with a bread breaking ceremony. The grand opening of its downtown Miami location in January featured such an event with a long, braided loaf broken in front of the store.
