Facebook Consumer Booth
Facebook participated on the community floor for the first time this year, creating a public booth activation highlighting creators including Huda Kattan, Laura Clery, Julius Dein, 80Fitz, the Crazy Gorilla, Nala Cat, and Doug the Pug. The booth featured a series of rooms where fans could pose with on-theme props and backdrops.
Photo: Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Consumer Booth
One photo op area featured the brand’s signature blue and thumbs-up icon, while others had 3-D emojis.
Photo: Courtesy of Facebook
Facebook Creator Booth
Facebook also created a tranquil, outdoors-meets-indoors booth specifically for creators. An oversize logo served as an area for photo ops, while a sky-blue backdrop added to the tropical vibe.
Photo: Trevor Muhler
Facebook Creator Booth
Comfortable seating areas featured florals and cactus plants.
Photo: Trevor Muhler
Facebook Creator Booth
Visitors to the booth could write inspiring messages on a chalkboard wall. Creators could also try out products such as the Oculus Go VR Headset.
Photo: Trevor Muhler
MTV 'Cribs' Booth
To celebrate the original MTV Cribs franchise but add a modern, D.I.Y. twist, MTV tapped creative agency MKG to design an eye-catching, interactive booth built for social media. The space was designed to resemble a house, with a kitchen, a living room, and a second floor that offered a unique view of the convention center. Rock Steady contributed scenic design to the booth.
Photo: Courtesy of MKG
MTV 'Cribs' Booth
The living room area was covered in colorful patterns on the walls, floor, couch, books, TV, and plants.
Photo: Courtesy of MKG
MTV 'Cribs' Booth
The kitchen was inspired by recent food trends of unicorn and mermaid toast. Cabinets were filled with MTV-branded cereal boxes, glittery slime bottles, Snooki pickle jars, and sand art.
Photo: Courtesy of MKG
MTV 'Cribs' Booth
On the kitchen table was a 3-dimensional MTV logo, which created a fun photo op: Guests could make it look like they were biting into the logo.
Photo: Courtesy of MKG
MTV 'Cribs' Booth
The kitchen fridge led to a secret tunnel constructed from pool noodles, as well as a fish wall installation where the fish said phrases such as “Okkkkuurrrrr” and “It’s T-Shirt Time!”
Photo: Courtesy of MKG
Twitter Green Room
Twitter worked with Los Angeles-based event agency The Say OK for its lounge, which featured multiple rooms designed in monochromatic colors. The green area, which also included branding for influencer network Niche, featured a rounded entrance lit with neon. A series of Twitter and Niche icons formed on-theme decor on the wall. Each colorful room featured props, furniture, carpets, and pillows that matched the color scheme.
Photo: Courtesy of Twitter
Twitter Green Room
In another area, a giant illuminated hashtag created a fun—and on-theme—photo op.
Photo: Courtesy of Twitter
Twitter Green Room
Guests could get customized hoodies printed with the hashtag of their choice.
Photo: Courtesy of Twitter
YouTube B2B Lounge
YouTube worked with MAS Event & Design for the third consecutive year. The Brooklyn-based event firm produced all the brand’s onsite lounge and party spaces inside the convention center, including the B2B Lounge, which included a presentation stage and lounge for advertisers, brand partners, and creators. A large YouTube logo featured names of the platform’s creators.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS Event & Design
YouTube Creator Lounge
For the second year in a row, MAS produced a lounge space dedicated exclusively to YouTube creators. It was designed to resemble a retro diner, with a soda counter, a dessert case, diner booths with mini jukeboxes, and a temporary tattoo parlor. The dessert case was filled with branded skateboards and sweatshirts, which were custom-made as giveaways for creators.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS Event & Design
YouTube Creator Lounge
An on-theme “menu” featured fun details such as a creator-name word search and fun facts about the brand.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS Event & Design
YouTube Partner Reception
This year's partner reception was themed after a movie-studio backlot, designed to celebrate YouTube’s original programming. The front entrance featured a custom-illustrated movie studio arch.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS Event & Design
YouTube Partner Reception
More illustrations throughout the space included a water tower vignette on the bars. The event also featured props and sets from YouTube original shows such as Liza on Demand and Escape the Night 3.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS Event & Design
YouTube FameBit Lounge
YouTube also capitalized on its acquisition of influencer marketing platform FameBit with a photo studio space and lounge where featured creators could go for makeup styling and professional headshots. A second FameBit lounge, which was open to all VidCon creators, had a pop-up beauty bar plus food, DJs, and other entertainment.
Photo: Courtesy of MAS Event & Design
Cheez Booth
Video app Cheez worked with Santa Monica-based experiential marketing agency Mirrored Media on a booth. A stage area, where guests could see their Cheez creators, was surrounded by mylar walls, custom lighting, and a colorful branded exterior wall.
Photo: Mirrored Media/Lingerfree
Cheez Booth
The booth also featured a dance challenge stage. Guests stepped in front of a camera to try their best dance moves, which were broadcast in the Cheez app.
Photo: Mirrored Media/Lingerfree
Cheez Booth
Staffers were on hand to capture Polaroid pictures of guests, which were then displayed on a wall.
Photo: Mirrored Media/Lingerfree
Snapchat Creator Lounge
Snapchat created a tranquil space for meetings and networking. Greenery, umbrellas, and colorful chairs gave the indoor event an outdoor feeling.
Photo: Courtesy of Snapchat
Snapchat Creator Lounge
In one area, guests could pose for photos on a swing inside the Snapchat logo, which was displayed in front of a wall of greenery and florals.
Photo: Courtesy of Snapchat
LiveMe Consumer Booth
To celebrate its broadcasting community and app features, video platform LiveMe worked with Mirrored Media to create a two-story experience featuring a DJ booth and an adjacent stage. Other features included a branded rotating halo sign, a large die-cut logo, and TV screens showing both streamed content and top LiveMe broadcasts. A money machine doubled as a shareable photo op: Guests were challenged to grab as much LiveMe money as they could in the machine, which was then redeemable for custom swag and giveaways.
Photo: Mirrored Media/Lingerfree
Visit Anaheim Activation
Local tourism organization Visit Anaheim welcomed attendees with a social-media-friendly photo op in the convention center lobby. Guests could pose inside of a 6-by-8-foot magazine cover constructed by Lounge Logikk; attendees who posted the photo on Instagram were entered to win tickets to Disneyland.
Photo: Courtesy of Visit Anaheim
M.L.B. Assembly was an inaugural multi-day pop-up event that showcased designers, artists, musicians, and athletes in an exhibit curated by the league and advertising agency DMA United. The event took place from July 13 to 16 at District Pier at the Wharf in Washington during M.L.B. All-Star Week. Field by Snarkitecture, an interactive architectural installation made of baseball bats and wooden billets, was on display outside the venue.
Photo: Adam Glanzman
Visitors were able to wander through the field of Louisville Slugger bats. On the other side, a lathe operator was creating bats from the wooden billets, which were then added back to the “field” as completed bats.
Photo: Adam Glanzman
Visitors were encouraged to observe the process of creation and transformation, as the field shifted from billets to bats over the four days. Linder served as the project lead and lead vendor for M.L.B. Assembly, working with Design Foundry, Select Event Group, RSVP Catering, EventEQ, On Tap, and Hargrove.
Photo: Adam Glanzman
During the 118th U.S. Open Championship, which took place at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, New York, in June, U.S.G.A. partner American Express built its first-ever American Express Card Member Club on site. Located at the 10th hole green, the club offered card members and fans lounge seating, along with food and beverage items for purchase. The space was an extension of the brand’s marketing campaign called “Powerful Backing: Don’t Do Business / Don’t Live Life Without It;” some of the clubhouse's wall decor featured the messaging with the words “live life” spelled out in golf tees.
Photo: Michele Laufik/BizBash
Inside the club, guests were able to grab essentials like binoculars and radios, play Golden Tee arcade games, and sign golf balls, which were included in an ever-evolving wall display.
Photo: Michele Laufik/BizBash
During the 2018 World Cup in Russia, which took place in June and July, Visa, the official payment services provider of FIFA, set up two lounges for clients and guests, one of which featured a wall with rows of soccer balls.
Photo: Courtesy of Visa
During the 67th N.B.A. All-Star Game weekend in February, N.B.A. partner Kia hosted a public activation at Hudson Loft in downtown Los Angeles. The space, which had athlete appearances throughout the weekend, was decorated with roughly 700 basketballs that were later donated to the Girls Inc. Center.
Photo: Courtesy of Kia
Throughout that same weekend, American Express hosted a free, open-to-the-public pop-up on South Hope Street, a few blocks from L.A. Live. The multi-sensory activation, dubbed the American Express Experience, featured several interactive rooms and installations. The main room included 18 crystal chandeliers crafted from basketball hoops. Design studio the Other Half used more than 9,000 crystals for the installation.
Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for American Express
A golden vault tied into American Express’s long partnership with the Los Angeles Lakers. A 500-pound door led to a room with 500 safety deposit boxes and 30 gallons of gold paint, along with gold basketballs and hoops on the wall.
Photo: Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for American Express
At the 2017 U.S. Open, which took place at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in the Flushing Meadows-Corona Park section of Queens, sponsor Grey Goose served the tournament’s official cocktail. The vodka brand also had its first-ever suite at the stadium. Decor included a branded step-and-repeat created with tennis balls and rackets in the brand’s signature blue color.
Photo: Ilya S. Savenok/Getty Images for Grey Goose
In November 2014, RJ Whyte Event Production produced the grand re-opening celebration, titled “Tennis Shoes, Ties, and After 5,” for the Southeast Tennis and Learning Center. The event was held in the 48,000-square-foot tennis center in Washington. Decor by Design Foundry included flying arches of tennis balls from hanging tennis racquets that bounced off of centerpieces of artfully stacked books. Large tennis balls were also stacked on glass vases to complement the high ceilings in the facility.
Photo: Chris Burch
During N.B.A. All-Star Weekend in New Orleans in February 2017, Foot Locker partnered with Nike to transform its Canal Street location into a brand hub that included a DJ booth with a backdrop of black basketballs.
Photo: Courtesy of Foot Locker
At the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools’ Connections gala, held in March at the Geraghty, Kehoe Designs created clever sports decor using sporting equipment such a golf balls, tennis rackets, and baseball bats.
Photo: Courtesy of Kehoe Designs
Ahead of March Madness, Marriott International—the official hotel partner of the N.C.A.A.—hosted a basketball-theme breakfast at the Renaissance New York Times Square Hotel's R Lounge in March. The event featured basketball-theme floral centerpieces by Olga Sahraoui, as well as brackets for attendees to fill out. The hotel handled event production in-house.
Photo: Courtesy of Marriott International
At the 2012 Hudson River Park gala held in May at the Hudson River Park in New York, Matthew David Hopkins of 360 Design Events created centerpieces that incorporated running shoes and bicycle wheels.
Photo: Jamie Watts Photography/Courtesy of 360 Design Events
At the Taste of Tennis event in Miami, held in conjunction with the 2015 Miami Open in April of that year, a wall of oversize tennis balls with the Evian logo served as branded decor.
Photo: John Parra/Getty Images for AYS
Bulletproof Pop-Up
Cartons of the brand’s cold brew coffee were used as decor to spell out “Upgraded.”
Photo: Brandon Ballard
To celebrate the public opening of the Broad in Los Angeles in September 2015, event producer Ben Bourgeois was inspired by the art museum’s unique design. Laser-cut paper foldouts as tabletop centerpieces represented the architecture of Grand Avenue and surrounding buildings downtown, including Disney Hall and the new Broad. LED lights illuminated the representations of the buildings so they appeared to glow from within.
Photo: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging
At Diffa Chicago’s Dining by Design in November 2013, the Coalesse table, designed by Gensler, had subtle twinkle lights and a wishbone pattern swirling on its walls. The table's centerpiece was a dense arrangement of wishbones, laid over a row of softly glowing electric candles.
Photo: Barry Brecheisen for BizBash
In January 2016, the Walrus Foundation hosted its annual gala at the Fermenting Cellar in Toronto. The event paid homage to the Canadian city, and the skyline appeared in imagery at the bar, on the walls, and more. Tabletops were decked with miniature renderings of the Toronto skyline, created in paper by artist Kalpna Patel.
Photo: Tom Sandler
The Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum's Butterfly Ball, held in Chicago in May 2013, had a farm-like atmosphere. Playing off the event's “Savour Nature” theme, which highlighted the new exhibition “Food: The Nature of Eating,” Event Creative brought in vegetable-centric decor. Tables were decked with miniature gardens potted with tomatoes, colorful peppers, asparagus, and kale; around the centerpieces, fairy lights in miniature Mason jars added to the elegant yard-party vibe.
Photo: Steve Becker/beckermedia.com
At a film benefit honoring Quentin Tarantino, held in December 2012 at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the museum’s in-house event department adopted a monochromatic, masculine look. A mix of round and rectangular clear Lucite tables formed the dinner setup in the atrium. The sleek look was matched by clear chargers and ghost chairs; clusters of pillar candles replaced flowers as centerpieces.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Designer David Beahm hosted a 20th-anniversary event in New York in March. Dubbed “A Riot of Color,” the evening asked guests to come dressed in their most colorful outfits, and an eye-catching step-and-repeat featured large, round collections of flowers on a wall of greenery.
Photo: Roey Yohai
The ninth annual Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic took place in June 2016 at Liberty State Park in New York. A floral wall used greenery to spell out the brand’s name and surrounded it with orange flowers and bottles of the champagne.
Photo: Courtesy of Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic
Forbes Travel Guide celebrated its 60th anniversary with a star-studded dinner in Beverly Hills in March. Designer Marc Friedland handled decor, and an elegant step-and-repeat floral wall formed the shape of a V—a nod to the guide’s “Verified” listings.
Photo: Courtesy of Forbes Travel Guide
Shoe brand Sole Society hosted a lunch at Marie Gabrielle Restaurant in Dallas in April. The influencer-heavy event had Palm Springs-inspired decor, including a simple-yet-eye-catching floral photo backdrop.
Photo: Courtesy of Sole Society
At the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s 2013 Costume Institute gala in New York, the staircase was flanked by oversize American and British flags made entirely of 150,000 red, white, and blue roses, designed to represent the punk movement's origins in New York and London.
Photo: Courtesy of the Metropolitan Museum of Art/BFAnyc.com
For a multi-day event at Resort at Paws Up in Montana in 2016, event designers EventWorks went for an upscale western theme. A decorative wall with hanging vases and greenery was used to mask the kitchen prep area.
Photo: Courtesy of EventWorks
Hair-product brand Creme of Nature hosted a launch event for four new products catering to women with natural hair last June in New York. The event featured a floral wall installation—conceived by Fluid Content and created by Summit Atlantic Productions—that was designed to look like a woman’s hair. The event was designed and managed by First and Last PR.
Photo: Tihany Luna
An ombré wall of blooms including cabbage roses and hydrangeas was created by Todd Fiscus for a Fort Worth wedding in 2015.
Photo: Courtesy of Sara Donaldson
The inaugural In Goop Health event took place in June 2017 in Culver City, California. A unique step-and-repeat embraced the day’s healthy theme: It was made of vegetables including lettuce, artichoke, radicchio, radish, red chard, broccoli, broccoflower, mini romaine, and wheat grass. The wall was created by floral designer Eric Buterbaugh.
Photo: Emma Feil
At the 2017 Revolve Festival, held at the Merv Griffin Estate in Indio during Coachella weekend, a photo backdrop included a bold logo against a vibrant tie-dye-like succulent wall.
Photo: John Sciulli/Getty Images for Moet
At the Veuve Clicquot Polo Classic in Los Angeles in 2013, a 3-D arrivals area evoked a vintage flower stand with bottles potted as plants and logo plaques on wooden sticks growing up from moss.
Photo: Claire Barrett Photography
Wine brand Meiomi celebrated the launch of its new rosé in at a private townhouse in Greenwich Village in New York. Misty Copeland, a principal dancer for the American Ballet Theatre, posed in front of an intricate floral wall that combined roses and succulents, created by Ellen Robbin Creative.
Photo: Benjamin Lozovsky/BFA.com
At the Indie Beauty Expo, held in New York in 2016, a large paper flower wall served as the photo booth backdrop.
Photo: Taylor McIntyre/BizBash
Held in Beverly Hills in 2015, Hallmark’s TCA event had a 20-foot-long step-and-repeat made from plum carnations with cream-colored roses, hydrangea, and plum orchid accents. Along Came Mary Events produced and designed the event, and L.A. Premier provided the flowers.
Photo: Sean Twomey
Floral designer Michelle Tran, co-owner and lead designer at With a Flower, decorated the Ritz Carlton, Toronto, in 2015 with $80,000 worth of flowers for a personal engagement party designed to look straight out of a fairytale. One-thousand Pink Floyd roses lined the entryway walls and ceilings, while more than 25,000 gloriosa blooms decorated the walls, floors, and light fixtures.
Photo: Rebecca Wood
Patrons' Dinner
The event’s 3,500 attendees split off to four concurrent dinners, the largest of which took place in a 12,000-square-foot tent outside the Louise M. Davies Symphony Hall. More than 300 gold- and rose gold-illuminated glass pendants hung from the tent’s ceiling, and eye-catching floral bouquets created focal points.
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Patrons' Dinner
To make all 700 dinner guests feel included, organizers used varied seating arrangements accented with custom-fabricated floral glass installations that created a series of vignettes.
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Patrons' After-Party
After dinner, while guests went inside the symphony hall for the performance, the Blueprint Studios team had 90 minutes to transform the tent into an after-party space. The overhead pendants remained, and dinner tables were replaced with a bar area, cocktail tables, and couches.
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Patrons' After-Party
The floral glass installations were also worked into the after-party design.
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Patrons' After-Party
Local band the Cheeseballs performed against a floral backdrop.
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Grove Street After-Party
During the 90-minute window, workers—including more than 100 staffers from Blueprint alone—also transformed the outdoor area that had previously held the event's entrance area. A long printed carpet recalled the floral backdrops inside the tent, and vignettes featured plush lounge furniture. Blankets and heaters were used to keep guests warm.
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Grove Street After-Party
A colorful bar with gold accents furthered the evening’s floral theme.Â
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Grove Street After-Party
In a fun touch, a wall of doughnuts created the shape of the symphony’s logo.Â
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Aria Reception
The evening featured a total of nine events, including cocktail receptions and additional dinners. A reception at Zellerbach Hall was illuminated with 48 crystal chandeliers.
Photo: Show Ready Photography
South Light Court Reception
Another cocktail reception, held at San Francisco City Hall, had an airy gold and cream color scheme.
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Symphony Supper
The South Light Court reception was followed by a dinner in City Hall’s grand rotunda. Simple white textured tablecloths and lucite chairs allowed tall floral centerpieces to take center stage.Â
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Symphonix Dinner
Another dinner, held at North Light Court at City Hall, had a black, white, and gold color scheme with red and burgundy florals.Â
Photo: Show Ready Photography
Symphonix Dinner
Centerpieces included tall round arrangements made with branches and flowers.Â
Photo: Show Ready Photography
The BOLD campaign shut down the 200 and 300 blocks of Rodeo Drive to traffic for weekend nights in August, allowing tourists and locals alike to browse the stores and enjoy live entertainment, food trucks, and photo ops.
Photo: Courtesy of AGENC
A big part of the BOLD campaign was creating photo ops designed to be shared on social media—therefore promoting Beverly Hills and Rodeo Drive as destinations. AGENC created a series of five photo boxes, including a popular flower-filled one on Two Rodeo Drive.
Photo: Courtesy of AGENC
At each colorful photo box, the #BOLDBH hashtag was prominently displayed, encouraging guests to use it on social media. Overall, the BOLD campaign garnered more than 280 million social impressions.
Photo: Courtesy of AGENC
While many of the activities were centered on Rodeo Drive, the campaign took place all around the city; AGENC set up this photo box at Beverly Canon Gardens.
Photo: Courtesy of AGENC
One of the most popular photo boxes was a three-sided floral wall.
Photo: Courtesy of AGENC
Guests could take three different photos in the same spot. The #BOLDBH hashtag was, of course, prominently displayed on each side.
Photo: Courtesy of AGENC
AGENC worked with the Petal Workshop to create a different, intricate floral display dubbed "the BOLD Girls" for each week in August. This shopping-theme display, which stood for one of the weekends, featured bags displaying the #OnlyonRodeo hashtag, the street's year-round hashtag.
Photo: Jasmine Lord
The floral displays created fashion-theme photo ops.
Photo: Jasmine Lord
The Instagram-friendly displays didn't stop there. A variety of 3-D chalk art was placed throughout the streets of Beverly Hills, further promoting the campaign.
Photo: Jasmine Lord
Jazz group the Amanda Castro Band performed on a custom-built stage throughout the month.
Photo: Courtesy of AGENC
The kick-off and closing parties included fireworks displays.
Photo: Courtesy of AGENC
Festival Street
The fifth edition of the festival's public street party, held on King Street West between Peter Street and University Avenue, offered a variety of community activations and events. Passersby could pose in front of the festival's official red sign.Â
Photo:Â J. Countess/Getty Images
DirecTV House presented by AT&T
AT&T returned to take over Momofuku Toronto for the second consecutive year from September 7 to 10. The venue hosted daily lunches, pre- and post-premiere parties, industry and filmmakers panels, and the Variety Studio. PMK-BNC handled the public relations and programming, while Best Events helmed production.Â
Photo:Â Michelle Quance
DirecTV House presented by AT&T
Signage wrapped the building to display the DirecTV and Variety branding, and transparent signs at the entrance featured additional branding and on-theme slogans.
Photo:Â Michelle Quance
DirecTV House presented by AT&T
The Variety Studio featured a colorful graffiti wall with the phrase "Tell Your Story."Â
Photo:Â Michelle Quance
DirecTV House presented by AT&T
Celebrities who stopped by the studio lounge were asked to sign the graffiti wall.Â
Photo:Â Brian Patterson
Hudson's Bay Striped Carpet
Hudson’s Bay served as the festival's red carpet sponsor and brought back its signature striped carpet. The carpet served as the base for numerous celebrity photo ops, including Lady Gaga for the festival premiere of A Star Is Born.
Photo:Â George Pimentel/Getty Images for TIFF
"First Man" Premiere Party
Nespresso and Audi hosted the premiere for the Neil Armstrong biopic First Man, which took place September 11 at Patria. The event, which was produced by Brilliant Consulting Group, served cocktails made with Nespresso, reposado tequila, and cinnamon sticks.Â
Photo: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images
"First Man" Premiere Party
Guests could also take home coffee-flavored popcorn created by Nespresso and the Toronto Popcorn Company.Â
Photo: Sonia Recchia/Getty Images
'Driven' Premiere Party
The festival hosted the North American premiere of Driven, a thriller starring Jason Sudeikis about the rise and fall of engineer and automotive kingpin John DeLorean. An original 1981 DeLorean car was placed outside of the Princess of Wales Theatre for the premiere. Peer-to-peer car sharing platform Turo provided the vehicle.
Photo:Â Sarjoun Faour
Dosist Pop-Up
Dosist, a Los Angeles-based startup that aims to rebrand cannabis for the wellness community, held its first Toronto pop-up September 8 to 16 at King Street West and Spadina. The greenhouse-style pop-up, which was produced and designed by the brand in partnership with the Mint Agency, aimed to educate the public about the brand's product.
Photo: Courtesy of Dosist
Dosist Pop-Up
The sleek but colorful pop-up featured displays highlighting the brand's white vape pens and custom cannabis formulas.Â
Photo: Courtesy of Dosist
Dosist Pop-Up
A wall of greenery served as the pop-up's step-and-repeat, boasting the slogan "Plants over pills."
Photo: Courtesy of Dosist
Dosist Pop-Up
The opening day of the pop-up included a workout lead by BOLO gym trainer Caleigh Rykiss and a guided mediation with the Quiet Company.
Photo: Courtesy of Dosist
