project graduation 2

May 17, 2018

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

Deadpool and Espolon’s “Deadpool 2” Screening

As part of Espolon’s Deadpool 2 campaign, the tequila brand hosted a screening of the film May 16 at Alamo Drafthouse Downtown Brooklyn. Inspired by the Marvel superhero’s irreverent, childish personality, the event featured a low-rent catering station that offered movie theater snacks in brown paper bags and popcorn buckets, with labels such as “carbs with butter” and “candy no butter.” The station also had a water cooler that dispensed Espolon tequila. A Creative Force produced the event.

Photo: Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Espolon

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

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

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

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

A Vertical Buffet

In Los Angeles, Wolfgang Puck Catering & Events uses vertical buffets. The bookcase-style shelf takes up minimal floor space and lets guests grab their own dishes from various levels of shelves.

Photo: Courtesy of Wolfgang Puck Catering & Events

The Experience

New this year was the Experience, a space from Grandesign in collaboration with the San Diego Padres that aimed to bring fans closer to the action. A three-acre space at the Lexus Premier Lot (formerly known as Petco Park) was transformed with food trucks, a beer garden, and evening entertainment such as Spider-Man: Homecoming and Cloak & Dagger screenings, music performances, and Fortnite tournaments. While the experience was open to the general public, Comic-Con badge-holders received V.I.P. perks.

Photo: Jorge Vargas/Grandesign

Chicago hosted the U.S. Travel Association’s IPW conference in 2014. At the splashy opening-night party, hanging letters and signs served to divide the space and add a sense of intimacy throughout.

Photo: Timothy Musho Photography

For the Whitney Museum of American Art’s final gala in the historic Breuer Building in 2014, dining room decor included hanging paper lanterns with the names of honorees.

Photo: Cornelia Stiles/BizBash

Larger-than-life letters spelled out the show name and served as a popular photo op.

Photo: Dorothy Hong

The Max Community Pavilion gave attendees a place to relax in an unconventional, inspiring setting.

Photo: Courtesy of Adobe

In one installation, guests shot water guns full of paint at a white office setting.

Photo: Courtesy of Adobe

Adobe Max attendees were invited to sign and decorate an oversize chalkboard.

Photo: Courtesy of Adobe

Girlboss Rally

Sophia Amoruso’s company Girlboss hosted the second Girlboss Rally at Industria Studios in New York in November. The event brought together top female entrepreneurs including Ashley Graham, Elaine Welteroth, Leandra Medine, and Whitney Wolfe, plus 600 attendees from 14 countries. Decor from the Gathery included a pink-lit hallway with hanging signs that said “No-Shame Zone,” “Start Your Own Shit,” and other inspiring phrases.

Photo: Cindy Ord/Getty Images for Girlboss Media