AFR's Coloring Book Tables
In 2016, national furniture rental company AFR introduced a new initiative called #ColorYourEvents, which allows guests to grab a marker and color in branded decals that are adhered to tabletops. Clients provide the artwork and markers, and AFR handles the decal printing and pasting. Pricing depends on the item and the size.
Photo: Michele Kyle Photography for BizBash
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Governors Ball
Decor included 2,000 yards of linens in elegant color tones including Oyster Metallic Mesh, Platinum Gemstone, Champagne Metallic Nusilk, Bronzine Nusilks, Coffee Bark Taffetas, Antique Ivory Taffetas, and Champagne Halo Circle.
“It was nonstop history, but it was presented with very cutting-edge, modern materials,” explained Cecchetto. “So I consistently used lucite to give the feeling of that was then and this is now.”
Flowers from longtime collaborator Mark's Garden included 5,000 succulents mixed with roses and ranunculus arranged in gold and copper containers. The flowers will later be planted at the Motion Picture Television Fund.
Photo: Jerry Hayes
Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences’ Governors Ball
For the 24th consecutive year, chef Wolfgang Puck catered. Eric Klein, Puck's vice president of culinary, worked alongside the famed chef to create more than 60 dishes, from one-bite hors d'oeuvres to small-plate passed entrees. Puck's signature dishes such as smoked salmon Oscars, potato with caviar, and truffle macaroni and cheese returned, alongside new items such as Miyazaki Wagyu beef tartare on puffed black rice, crab-stuffed hibiscus, taro root tacos with spiced eggplant, edamame and black truffle pot stickers, and black bass with salsa verde.
In a change this year, Cecchetto’s team decided that instead of having the dessert buffet on the balcony, massive dessert buffets with live-cooking demonstrations would be displayed on the west side of the ballroom. “It was such a hit,” she said.
See more about this event in our Governors Ball preview story.
Photo: Jerry Hayes
The museum, which is open April 5 to May 31 at a vacant space in Williamsburg, welcomes guests with a colorful balloon installation. The museum's preview for media and influencers took place March 29.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The Dream Machine's first room, "On Cloud 9," is designed to make guests feel as if they're walking through clouds. Rows of blue bulb lights were strung on the rooms walls and ceiling to create the effect of a sky, and clouds created with cotton were placed at different heights.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The second room features a fog machine that emits pink bubbles, which burst into mist when popped.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The third room is a hallway in which various props, framed illustrations, and furniture are all black and white. The hallway is a nod to the fact that some people only dream in black and white.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
![The fourth room, 'Spin Cycle,' resembles a neon-lit laundromat. A hidden space located behind the dryer replicas is a metallic room inspired by the popular art exhibit 'Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors.' 'Each room was inspired by common dreams and millennial culture. Laundromats are big part of living in New York. It was our way of playing tribute to our launch city,' said Solomon. 'Additionally, if you look up laundromat photoshoot [online], you’d be surprised to find that it’s a 'thing.' But how you make a neon-lit laundromat more than just that is where the secret door to infinity comes in, and the cotton candy comes out of a washing machine.'](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2018/04/tam_5182.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&q=70&w=400)
The fourth room, "Spin Cycle," resembles a neon-lit laundromat. A hidden space located behind the dryer replicas is a metallic room inspired by the popular art exhibit "Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors." "Each room was inspired by common dreams and millennial culture. Laundromats are big part of living in New York. It was our way of playing tribute to our launch city," said Solomon. "Additionally, if you look up laundromat photoshoot [online], you’d be surprised to find that it’s a 'thing.' But how you make a neon-lit laundromat more than just that is where the secret door to infinity comes in, and the cotton candy comes out of a washing machine."
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Blessed Kabasu, a New York-based actor, served guests cotton candy out of washing machines. Kabasu was one of a number of staffers dressed as "dream technicians," who wore blue uniforms at the museum's media preview.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The laundromat features a neon sign that riffed off the theme of the room and the pop-up's overall motto of encouraging guests to take photos and share them on social media.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
After leaving the laundromat, guests pass through a blue-lit room with a neon sign that reads "Follow your dreams."
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The next room is a hallway lit in rainbow, neon colors, which change with a lighting effect that's supposed to make guests feel like they're shrinking as they walk through.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The end of the rainbow hallway leads to a room painted in blue that has a ball pit filled with 38,000 balls. The ball pit was designed to make guests feel like they are underwater in a pool. Solomon said the ball pit, which is a common experience at pop-up museums, was inspired by the dream of breathing underwater.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
The second-to-last room is a psychedelic garden, lit in shades of green and pink, which showcases plants decorated in vinyl stickers. "Plants are in," said Solomon. "I’m not saying they were ever out, but the more greenery in your home, coffee shop, breakfast spot, or office, the better. Again, it couldn’t be just plants, so the question became, “What would plants look like in your dreams?”
Photo: Courtesy of Dream Machine
The final room, also inspired by "Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors," has guests walk through a series of metallic streamers to reach the end of the museum. The streamers create a sensation that guests might never reach the end.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Guests are invited to sign or write about their experience on a chalkboard.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
YSL Beauty Festival
Neon signs enticed guests to try out vending machines stocked with YSL beauty products.
Photo: Zachary Patino
BMF Media Group designed 25 activations that each were reflective of a specific Marriott hotel brand. For the Aloft Hotels “Listen Up” section, the design reflected the brand’s passion for music and technology innovation. A structure with four cube-shape directional speakers was built to allow guests to place their heads inside and listen to artists from brand’s “Live at Aloft Hotels” concert series.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Moxy, which is known for having a fun, millennial-focused aesthetic, showcased a “Play On” area that featured a ball pit hanging from a truss cube. Guests were invited to jump in and search for prizes in the hot pink plastic balls. The station also had a bar that served cocktails in Capri Sun-inspired pouches.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Courtyard’s “Classics with a Twist” was inspired by the game Twister, featuring a structure that resembled an oversize game board on the floor that extended to the walls. The dots on the game board represented Courtyard’s brand positioning, food and beverage concepts, partnerships, and the breadth of the brand’s portfolio. Attendees were encouraged by brand representatives to participate in a game of Twister as a photo op.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Element’s “Balancing Act” featured a living wall of moss and greenery with letters spelling out the eco-conscious brand’s tagline. The floor mimicked a natural bike path with wood chips and grass. Three green bicycles were mounted in front of the greenery as a photo op for attendees.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
As the brand positioning of Autograph Collection is that every property has “its own unique story,” BMF created a library-inspired installation with a massive book staged in the center of the space. The book highlighted Autograph properties and brand pillars.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
While many stations incorporated color, Delta Hotels “Clean/Chaos” featured a white bedroom set staged in front of a string art installation. The string material spelled out the brand’s name and tagline: “Delta Hotels. Simple Made Perfect.”
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Le Meridien’s “Swings of Glamour” featured a chic travel-theme swing set photo op, designed to remind guests about the meaning of savoring a travel experience. The activation was inspired by the “France is in the Air” campaign from Air France—the founder of the hotel brand.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
The Renaissance Hotels “Navigators Hot(e)line” was designed to highlight the local and personalized service offered by the brand’s Navigators—hotel employees that give guests tips on finding local experiences. Five rotary phones were placed on plinths in front of a black wall showcasing quotes related to destinations including Dubai, New York, and Beijing. Guests who picked up the phones heard pre-recorded audio from Navigators offering tips for that particular destination.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
For W Hotels “Color Boldly,” BMF built an all-white room that served as a blank canvas. The room’s centerpiece presented six paint colors that corresponded to six W experiences, which were described on labels.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Guests were invited to take brushes and rollers to paint what they wanted on the walls. The word “luxury” was displayed on the back wall.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Sheraton’s “Revolution” scratch-off wall was inspired by the brand’s transformation and the power of community. The initial black matte wall displayed gloss black negative connotations about the brand, including “old” and “tired.” Guests could take hotel keycards to scratch away those worlds.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
The wall was gradually scratched off to reveal new Sheraton brand messaging, which offered terms such as “community,” “modern,” and “global exchange”—nodding to the guests’s team effort.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
For TownePlace Suites “Closet Essentials,” BMF created a custom walk-in closet. To emphasize the brand’s appreciation of guests’s D.I.Y. attitude, the closet had hanging racks displaying paper fashion pieces that attendees could pose with. Additional items on closet shelves nodded to the hotel’s brand partnerships.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
The Ritz-Carlton “#RCMemories Shop” was inspired by the brand’s mission of selling memories, rather than simply room nights. The activation featured shelving units styled and displayed like a retail shop with all-white framed photos of travel images and social media posts. A brand representative was on site to speak about what memories were “for sale.”
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
SpringHill Suites’s “Space to Infinity” provided guests with an indoor planetarium experience. The exterior of the cube featured constellation-style brand messaging.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Inside the SpringHill Suites cube, guests could walk around and “stargaze.” A 360-degree fiber optic installation provided the starry night effect.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
For St. Regis, BMF created an illuminated tree installation to demonstrate the history of the brand, which has roots that go back to 1904 in New York. The installation, which was inspired by the brand’s modern indulgence aesthetic, hung over a long table that displayed key milestones in the history of the brand.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
The Luxury Collection offered guests three “portals” designed to virtually transport them around the world. Guests were greeted by a “concierge” who directed them to the closed doors. When guests looked through the door peep holes, they saw digital vignettes of locations in Peru, Thailand, and off the coast of the western U.S.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Tribute Portfolio’s “Add Your Own Color” featured a life-size coloring book, inspired by the brand’s colorful aesthetic. The content of the coloring book design offered illustrations and names of Tribute destinations.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Attendees were encouraged to color in the book using a variety of colored pencils.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
Wellness-focused hotel brand Westin showcased a modern take on the apothecary shop. The shop consisted of shelves with curated items including herbs, fresh fruit, fitness items, essential oils, and Westin sleep balm.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott
