In the music room, hundreds of mylar balloons were strung across the ceiling and along the walls to create an elegant yet festive cocktail party atmosphere. The chandelier and wall and curtain treatments were preexisting elements, while all furniture was brought in.
Photo: David X. Prutting/BFAnyc.com
Hundreds of balloons from Balloon Trix hung from the ceiling during the V.I.P. dinner. The space changed colour with each course, starting with blue, morphing to pink for the main course, changing to orange for dessert, and ending in red.
Photo: George Pimentel
A balloon ceiling treatment covered the dance floor, where guests discoed to the Al Sofia Orchestra and DJ Rock City throughout the night.
Photo: Liliane Calfee
A massive archway of balloons loomed over guests as they entered the party. I'm not typically a fan of balloons unless the planners go all out. These helium-filled beauties get an A.
Photo: Kevin Yatarola
Balloons
At an Art Institute of Chicago gala in May, Kehoe Designs covered the ceiling of an all-white lounge area with hundreds of clear balloons.
Photo: Ryan Sjostrom
The American Folk Art Museum's Katie Hush and Matt Beaugrand used balloons to add some dimension and texture to the otherwise stark facade of Metropolitan Pavilion, which hosted the museum's benefit. Rows of large, stationary white balloons, attached to rigid ribbons and weighted down by silver stars, lined the red carpet.
New Museum of Contemporary Art director Lisa Phillips and gala coordinators Cybele Maylone and Livet Richard commissioned artist Jason Hackenwerth to design balloon sculptures for the museum's annual gala at Cipriani 42nd Street. His whimsical, colorful balloon sculptures, modeled after animals and sea creatures, hung from the ceiling.
Patrick McMullan
Hundreds of green balloons hung overhead in the cocktail area, the attached strings designed to look like blades of grass.
Photo: Roger Dong for BizBash
Purple ribbons anchored balloons to each of the 40 dinner tables.
Photo: Tay Kaune Photography
Multicolored balloons made a giant arch across 52nd Street that linked the show's home at the Neil Simon Theatre to the party at Roseland Ballroom.
Inside the dining area, Santiago and his team fashioned a hanging imitation of High Line Park using balloons and fluorescent light fixtures.
Photo: Roger Dong for BizBash
Giant pinwheels and green, white, and silver balloons sculpted into flower-like shapes hung over the gala dinner.
Photo: Roger Dong for BizBash
The event celebrated Marwen's 25th anniversary, or silver birthday. To underscore the theme, guests entered the dinner tent through a tunnel of silver balloons.
Photo: Joseph R. Palmer
Balloons wrapped in Hermès silk scarf prints stood at the entrance to the Palm Beach event.
Photo: Matthew Carasella
For a recent product launch in Los Angeles, skincare brand Kiehl’s worked with HL Group to create an immersive, Instagram-friendly pop-up with nature- and science-inspired details. Bars were covered in greenery, while oranges tied into the event’s overall vitamin C theme (a nod to the product's main ingredient). Orange-infused cocktails were poured from beakers and test tubes.
Photo: Hailley Howard
For Svedka’s Rio Carnival summer party in Los Angeles, event producers BMF Media Group used a variety of colorful fruits to decorate the space. Instead of vases, pineapples housed vibrant floral arrangements.
Photo: Michael Simon/StarTraksPhoto.com
J.C. Penney built its own garden patch in the middle of Times Square to herald the launch of the Joe Fresh Kids collection. The activation, produced by MKG, featured a wall of oranges that served as the backdrop to the bar, where staff poured complimentary cups of freshly squeezed orange juice.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Spanish gin brand Gin Mare celebrated its U.S. launch by bringing its international Med Rooftops series to New York. Produced and designed by BMF Media Group, the party featured a wall of wooden crates that showcased the Gin Mare bottles paired with fruit and greenery. The giant installation also served as an unconventional step-and-repeat.
Photo: Charles Roussel/BFA.com
The Coors Light booth was inspired by the brand’s tagline “Climb On,” featuring decor that evoked a mountain setting and motivational messaging in bold red. Stairs led guests up to a patio that offered a full view of the brand showcase. The booth offered guests Coors-branded Yeti Colsters and featured an LED wall showcasing its latest ads.
Photo: Clint Brewer
The Blue Moon bar went literal with the brand name, displaying an illustrated backdrop in blue and orange colors that depicted downtown Austin at night. The bar showcased oranges in vases and the brand’s signature glasses. An illuminated blue moon was suspended over the bar.
Photo: Clint Brewer
17. New York Academy of Art's Tribeca Ball
#17 Benefit
The Tribeca Ball showcases the New York Academy of Art’s emerging artists while raising money to fund the school’s public programming and scholarships. In 2018, the 23rd annual celebration will honor artist Mickalene Thomas and feature one-night-only exhibitions, interactive installations, musical performances, and dinner from chef Daniel Boulud. Next: April 9, 2018
The Tribeca Ball showcases the New York Academy of Art’s emerging artists while raising money to fund the school’s public programming and scholarships. In 2018, the 23rd annual celebration will honor artist Mickalene Thomas and feature one-night-only exhibitions, interactive installations, musical performances, and dinner from chef Daniel Boulud. Next: April 9, 2018
Photo: Joe Schildhorn/BFA.com
Large, antique-gold candelabras with 24- and 48-inch-tall candles fitted with battery-powered bulbs flickered on the Great Hall stairs; some 70 candlesticks in three-armed candelabras lined the steps. The ethereal setting served as the backdrop to this year's receiving line.
Photo: Getty Images
In the Petrie Court, wooden rectory tables with gold-tasseled burgundy velvet runners and matching wooden chairs upholstered in burgundy cushions with antique-gold studs comprised the foundation of the dining setup. Arrangements with large white dogwood branches dotted the room. "It was exciting to design the dinner in a fresh space," said Avila. "And the gallery was perfectly suited to the theme."
Photo: Getty Images
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
Street sign and lamp post props enhanced the atmosphere of a bustling downtown Austin street.
Photo: Clint Brewer
L’Oreal Hair Fashion Night
L’Oreal Professionel hosted a one-night consumer pop-up on June 7 at the Symes in Toronto. The event celebrated hair trends of the summer and offered guests professional hair-styling sessions, YSL Beauty makeup tips, and a pop-up shop. The event was produced by Tim:Tam and featured a pink and white color scheme.
Photo: Carlos Bolivar
Ace Brand Park
Ace Brand, which specializes in bandages and adhesives, hosted a family-friendly activation June 6 in New York's Washington Square Park to celebrate its 100th anniversary and National Get Outdoors Month. The activation had a “visitors center” pagoda, which offered virtual-reality headsets that transported guests to U.S. National Parks. The event was produced by Hunter Public Relations.
Photo: Courtesy of Ace Brand
Governors Ball
This year’s Governors Ball music festival took place June 1 to 3 at Randall’s Island in New York. Giant trees built by Founders Entertainment with balloon arrangements supplied by Katie Balloons sprouted up throughout the festival grounds.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Another way badges can increase effectiveness is through the addition of a Poken. The device attaches to a badge's lanyard and comes in dozens of conversation-starting designs such as a panda bear, a ninja, and a bumblebee (as well as a simple black-and-white model). The device uses near-field communication, so simply tapping two together exchanges the information stored on them, such as contact information, social network profiles, documents, videos, and Web sites. After the event, users plug the Poken into their computer's USB port to see all the people and information collected.
Photo: Courtesy of Poken
For Be Inspired PR’s Tassels and Tastemakers networking event, held in Los Angeles in 2016, name badges added to the event’s simple yet upscale design. The multicolored tags, which simply listed attendees’ first name and social-media handle, were displayed on a wall designed by Couture Events.
Photo: Anna Delores Photography
4. Sometimes, less is more.
For smaller events, name tags don’t have to break the budget—or stick to a standard format. Artist marketplace Minted suggests a D.I.Y. option for event hosts using a simple button maker. The colorful round buttons are a simple, unobtrusive way to share guest names plus a small fun fact about them—which encourages conversation. Read more about the process on Minted’s Julep blog.
Photo: Melanie Blodgett for Julep
For New York Fashion Week in 2009, sponsor YKK—a zipper manufacturer—created unique lanyards for the badges every attendee needed to access the tent. Instead of a branded fabric strap, YKK supplied an oversize, functioning zipper, which gave attendees something to fiddle with while waiting for shows to start.
Photo: BizBash
2. Kill two birds with one stone.
Badges are also an opportunity to give attendees necessary information—without making them carry around a heavy event program. At C2 Montréal last month, attendees wore klik name badges from Montreal-based technology company PixMob. In addition to displaying guest credentials in a large, easy-to-read format, the badges connected them to the klik technology—an audience engagement solution that can be used for ticketing and registration, data and analytics, event communication, and much more. The LED wearable can light up in 16-million different colors in response to remote control commands. In addition to badges, the klik technology can be used in wristbands and in buttons on lanyards; event organizers can rent or buy the wearables.
Photo: Mateo Casis
Bai at Lollapalooza
In the V.I.P. area, guests could pose for a photo in a booth hosted by Bai. As the photo was snapped, a spurt of cool, cloudy air shrouded the booth.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen/BizBash
Tito's at Lollapalooza
The Austin-based vodka brand hosted the Love, Tito's experience to showcase the efforts of its charitable initiative. Highlighting Chicago-based charity Bunker Labs, the activation taught guests about the local nonprofit; it also served as a digital time capsule that invited guests to make a video pledge to initiate positive change in the world. The videos will be emailed to festivalgoers a year later.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen/BizBash
Tito's at Lollapalooza
Guests could also play Plinko for the chance to win festival swag. Above the game board, information about Bunker Labs was displayed.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen/BizBash
