"The Primal lab at C2 Montréal was unlike anything I’ve ever seen at an event. Augmented reality has been experimented with at events for the past couple years, but this particular exhibit did a great job at combining visually attractive design with interactive technology. Guests were immediately drawn to the space, which was a colorful house interior. Then, staffers invited them to wear festive helmets straight out of a Dr. Seuss book, which used AR to make the space come to life as a surreal jungle. C2 introduces new interactive experiences for attendees each year, but this one definitely was the highlight for me." —Ian Zelaya, news editor
"One of the year's major events was the royal wedding of Meghan Markle and Prince Harry. There were watch parties across the globe, and we attended one hosted by event designer David Tutera and the craft retailer Michaels at New York's Crosby Street Hotel. Guests did more than watch the vows: There were stations for creating a fascinator, arranging a bouquet of faux flowers, personalizing tumblers using Cricut machines, and a centerpiece pink Union Jack created from fabric flowers. It was the perfect backdrop for photos of guests—or the queen's favorite, a corgi." —Beth Kormanik, editor in chief
"I've been obsessed with Alexa Meade's unconventional art since I first donned a painted hat at Refinery 29's 29Rooms, so I was thrilled to check out her first solo exhibit on the west coast. Part of Beverly Hills' BOLD Holidays events, 'Immersed in Wonderland' featured painted, three-dimensional holiday-theme vignettes. Visitors were invited to interact with the art by wearing painted clothing and accessories, sitting on couches and in chairs, and even playing at a grand piano. When photographed, it gave the appearance that they were part of the painting. Meade herself was even on-hand to live-paint models. The resulting photo keepsakes were so fun, and truly unlike anything I'd seen before." —Claire Hoffman, West Coast bureau chief
"The LED Halo screen at Charity: Water's fund-raiser in San Francisco was unlike anything I've ever seen. It was custom-fabricated for the event to immerse 522 dinner guests into the daily life of residents of Ethiopia who need clean water. The 'halo' consisted of 40,000 pounds of LED wall, truss, lighting, audio equipment, and cables. The LED wall was provided by Global Trend Productions; working with Trademark Event Production, they designed a way to hang this circular wall using the frames of the LED tiles. The second, third, fourth, and fifth layers of LED tile were hung from custom-machined L-brackets to lighten the load. Elle Chan from Trademark said that they couldn't have built such a big wall without the custom fabrication. Throughout the event, the Halo displayed a 360-degree view of the daily walk that one resident of Ethiopia takes to procure water, plus live totalizers of the amount raised at the gala. (The totalizer was powered through an app custom-made for the event by All of It Now.)" —Robyn Hagan Cain, San Francisco contributing editor
"I mean, who doesn't love balloons? These giant colorful trees (built by Founders Entertainment with balloon arrangements supplied by Katie Balloons) were sprouting up around the festival grounds at Governors Ball this year. Talk about instant photo bait! And such a clever way to reinvent what some may consider a tired design trope." —Michele Laufik, style editor
"The featured exhibit at the museum at the time of this April benefit was 'David Bowie Is,' and the event design from David Stark featured plenty of glam. After cocktails on the first floor—a space punctuated with columns of thin gold fringe streamers—guests went upstairs for dinner. The atrium was a riot of streamers in various materials and colors, draped at different heights and angles, announcing a sense of fun on a monumental scale. Spaced throughout the room, entertainers jumped on mini trampolines, generating energy but also drawing guests eyes upward to take in the decor. Shiny silver dome centerpieces reflected the drama overhead." —Beth Kormanik, editor in chief
"I love anything that gets guests involved, and a standout from this year was the first Destination San Diego music festival, sponsored by Adidas and Journeys. The free event engaged fans through large-scale art installations, specifically a 40-foot-tall living mural that visitors could contribute to throughout the day by pushing one of a series of buttons. Depending on the color selected, a new stripe of paint was added. Adidas calls itself the 'creator brand,' so putting fans in the drivers' seat was a natural—and memorable—fit." —Claire Hoffman, West Coast bureau chief
"One of the most creative event ideas I saw this year was at Jet’s townhouse in New York, for the brand's relaunch in the city. The event featured a replica of the New York skyline created entirely with products that can be ordered on Jet’s website. I thought the installation was an effective and fun way to show off what the brand sells while nodding to its new focus on consumers in the city." —Ian Zelaya, news editor
"To introduce media to its holiday offerings, Amazon hosted a festive preview event in Manhattan. The design from Shiraz Creative took guests into various parts of a home, including a posh library. A nearly ceiling-height set of bookshelves contained books painted in red and green to create a Christmas tree. It was a deceptively simple design that might be missed by some guests. But careful viewers are rewarded with the visual, like their own Christmas present." —Beth Kormanik, editor in chief
"Film and TV premieres are always fun and creative, but one that really stuck out to me this year was Netflix's Chilling Adventures of Sabrina premiere, designed and produced by MKG. There were so many Instagrammable details—like a seance room with 'Not today, Satan' written on the wall; customizable makeovers, nail art, and flower crowns; and spooky cocktails that used charcoal powder. But my favorite had to be the photo op, where attendees could walk down a high-school hallway in front of a fog machine. The resulting shareable video showed them moving in slow motion as lockers flew open around them. (Click here for an example.) Who wouldn't want a fabulously dramatic, witchy video keepsake?" —Claire Hoffman, West Coast bureau chief
"This year, for the first time ever, the event's dinner was actually held in the garden, as opposed to the Agnes Gund Garden Lobby. The greenhouse vibe with the clear tenting, faux grass carpeting, and the cheery springtime colors was an immediate mood-lifter, and fit the 'garden' theme of the annual event perfectly." —Michele Laufik, style editor
At Lonely Whale’s Into the Blue Gala, which took place at the Prince George Ballroom in New York in October, straw-sucking guests got “attacked” by a stray octopus-like tentacle in the #StopSucking photo booth by the Bosco, which debuted the technology at SXSW a couple years ago. Click here to see it in action.
L’Oréal Paris hosted its 13th-annual Women of Worth awards, a philanthropic program that honors women who are making a difference in their communities across the country, at the Pierre hotel in New York in December. Jes Gordon handled the event’s design, framing out the entrance to the dining room with an archway of branches and using a palette of rich purple hues, along with sparkling table linens.
The 25th anniversary of the Knock Out Abuse Gala raised $1 million in November to benefit women and children who are survivors of domestic abuse. Notable speakers at the event, which was held at the Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. ballroom and designed by Events by André Wells, included former Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe, Senator Mark Warner, and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser. The decor featured plenty of sparkly silver sequins and glitter, accented with red, to commemorate the silver anniversary.
In November, Tyger Productions transformed the Cyclorama at the Boston Center for the Arts into a sparkling purple space for the Boston Purple Party 2018, benefiting the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network. The gala's co-chair Ty Kuppig of Tyger Productions and his team suspended floor-to-ceiling panels of reflective paillettes to create a more intimate setting within the large venue.
For this year’s event, Stoelt Productions ditched the traditional gala format, instead creating mini “studios” based on those at the Inner-City Arts campus so attendees could experience what the organization offers its students. The event was held at City Market Social House in Los Angeles in October.
The New York Public Library hosted the 2018 Library Lions Gala in November, with honorees Ron Chernow, Francis Ford Coppola, Jessye Norman, Claudia Rankine, and Elizabeth Strout. The event raised more than $2.7 million. Once again, event designer David Beahm transformed the Rose Main Reading Room into the gala’s dining room with floral projections by L&M Sound and Light cast on the walls and table decor that included white blooms.
The dinner, which was held in November at New York Hilton Midtown, honored designer Diane von Furstenberg with the Freedom Award and Larry Fink, chairman and C.E.O. of BlackRock, with the John C. Whitehead Humanitarian Award. The annual dinner raised $16.8 million to support the organization’s humanitarian work. The table centerpieces were mirrored cubes featuring photos of refugees.
In December, Catholic Charities hosted the 29th-annual Spirit of Saint Nicholas Ball at the Hilton Chicago. The event raised almost $1.5 million, with proceeds benefiting the child development centers, after-school programs, counseling services, and teen parenting centers the organization provides for children throughout the Chicago area. The tables featured Father Christmas figures as centerpieces.
At this year’s event, held at the Four Seasons Centre for the Performing Arts in Toronto in November, guests enjoyed a dinner created by Nota Bene executive chef David Lee on the stage of R. Fraser Elliott Hall. A close-up shot of roses was projected on the large screen behind them.
Gabrielle’s Angel Foundation for Cancer Research hosted its Angel Ball, which raises money for blood cancer research, in October at Cipriani Wall Street in New York. Artist Fer De Silva was on hand live-painting his iconic hearts; he also created an interactive installation. (Pictured: One of the evening’s performers, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, poses in front of the installation.) Event decor was provided by Birch Event Design.
In November, the Ontario Science Centre in Toronto hosted its annual RBC Innovators’ Ball, raising more than $730,000 to support the center’s community access programs. The event featured science fair-style experiences including a hair-raising Van de Graaff generator, an electrostatic generator that uses a moving belt to build up an electric charge.
Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum honored the 2018 National Design Award winners with a cocktail reception and award ceremony at the museum’s Arthur Ross Terrace and Garden in New York in October. The decor by David Stark Design & Production was inspired by Cooper Hewitt’s exhibition “Tablescapes: Designs for Dining” and featured gravity-defying light fixtures made from chairs and a red-carpet backdrop of plates.
In October, the Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County and Arsht Families hosted its children’s Imagination Ball. The afternoon event featured immersive activities and a light and dance show by iLuminate on the Lynn Wolfson Stage of the Ziff Ballet Opera House.
To celebrate Rethink Breast Cancer’s 17th-annual Boobyball fund-raiser, which was held at Rebel in Toronto in October, guests dressed in denim and cowboy boots for the “Wild West” theme. Partygoers even rode a mechanical bull.
At this year’s gala, held at the New York Public Library in October, guests were greeted by a 10-foot globe created by L'Atelier Rouge.
In November, the seventh-annual gala, which was held at 3Labs in Culver City, California, raised more than $4.3 million to support its work providing low-income children with basic necessities. Designed by Yifat Oren of Oren Co, the evening featured a stage backdrop created by Los Angeles painter Jennifer Guidi.
This year’s Harlem School of the Arts Masquerade Ball and after-party raised more than $1 million for the second year in a row. The event was held at the Plaza Hotel in New York in October. The dining setting included tall palm leaf centerpieces and African-inspired fabric chair tie-backs.
The event’s photo wall was created with disco balls, and it invited guests to pose under hanging disco balls that served as helmets.
