concepts

At the entrance, a mannequin with a 20-foot-long arm held shopping bags from Klarna partners, including Topshop, Mango, and H&M.

Inside, guests could make their own name badges with quirky stickers.

At a photo booth, guests could wear a shaggy brown coat and stand in front of a fan, which mimicked a Klarna ad starring an Afghan dog. The booth, from Smilebooth, printed lenticular photos and offered videos for social sharing. Oversize props came from 11th Street Workshop.

Hands poking out of a curtain served guests glasses of champagne at a “mystery bartender” station. Sequence created a “funky flavor” event design, which also included fur-covered bar fronts and walls wrapped with custom event collateral. The event’s furniture rentals, from Patina Rentals and Taylor Creative, had the brand’s muted color palette.

Pinch Food Design catered the event. Stations included dessert trays attached to oversize helium balloons. Catering staff guided the balloons through the crowd.

To get to the main Colgate experience, guests walked through an illuminated hallway that illustrated the brand’s history.

The event featured a variety of branded areas for photos, including one that invited guests to pose in a neon circle. 11th St. Workshop helmed fabrication for the event.

At branded stations, Colgate scientists held demos that showed different stages of creating the toothpaste.

A living mint wall created by B Floral served as a step-and-repeat.

Guests could learn about how toothpaste kills bacteria by interacting with a motion-activated screen.

Aerie’s intimate dinner took place at Il Buco Alimentari & Vineria. Decor included white floral centerpieces and a portrait of the brand’s newest “Aerie Role Models,” who include Busy Phillips, Jameela Jamil, and Samira Wiley.

Each place setting had branded menus and custom necklaces engraved with each guest's name. On the reverse side, "Aerie" was written in Braille, a detail inspired by one of the new brand ambassadors, Molly Burke, a YouTuber and motivational speaker who is blind.

Cocktails served were inspired the brand’s ongoing #AerieReal campaign, which promotes body positivity and self-love.

“It is an interesting time for art and activism this year,” Hueston said, “and for one of our rooms we collaborated with the New York Mayor’s Office to create a full NYC-inspired newsstand called ‘The Values Stand.’ We custom-designed newspapers, potato chip, and candy packets to raise awareness on issues that face our world today, and even had an ‘ATM’ where our audience could register to vote.”

The new Artists in Residence space allowed guests to experience the artistic process by attending drop-in art classes.

“In Light of You,” a stained glass-inspired installation in collaboration with José A. Roda, “celebrates the light that lives inside every one of us and the power this has to illuminate our world as a brighter, more colorful place.”

“Ace the Midterms" was created in collaboration with actress and activist Yara Shahidi and her eighteenx18 initiative and featured a high school-inspired look with lockers, bleachers, and voting booths.

“The Flavor Oasis,” in partnership with Bai, featured a reflective box in a desert setting with colorful oversize fruit inspired by the beverage brand’s products located inside.

Revlon promoted three of its lipstick shades from its limited-edition collection with bold Instagram-friendly setups.

Inspired by the California night sky and the 1970s, Nicole Richie’s space boasted a trippy atmosphere and on-theme cloaks for guests to pose with for photos.

In collaboration with House of Yes, the “Inner Beauty Ball” featured a nightclub vibe with neon signage and a DJ booth.

Reebok used its space to promote its PureMove Bra, which reacts to movement via a new responsive fabric. “The Support System” featured a maze of bright red swings that guests could sit on.

In a collaborative and ongoing experience, performance artist Cocovan invites guests to “write a love letter to the world.” So far, people from 115 countries have contributed to the letter.

Guests could take a seat in director’s chairs in front of marquee signage at the space devoted to Shatterbox, a new series by Refinery29 and TNT that aims to empower female storytellers in Hollywood.

In Aaron Taylor Kuffner’s Sonic Sanctuary, guests could take respite from the outside world and immerse themselves in soothing sounds from the Gamelatron, a mix of traditional Indonesian instruments and modern-day robotics.

Magenta Field’s “Reality Rendered” is inspired by old-school computer graphics, bringing to life the virtual space through reflective shapes. Magenta Field is a collaboration between Brooklyn-based artists Katherine Brice and Chris Lunney.

Skincare brand Dr.Jart created a bright lab setting with dangling beakers.

Inside the A.C.L.U. room, guests spun a Price Is Right-style wheel to learn about civic rights. They could also flex their muscles by swinging a hammer at a carnival strength test. “We are living in a charged time and seek to use art as a catalyst for our audience to engage with causes in entirely new ways,” Hueston said. “Throughout the history of 29Rooms we have partnered with important organizations such as Planned Parenthood, the Women’s March, and the Born This Way Foundation.”

In this interactive installation called “A Conversation with Your Inner Child,” Carlota Guerrero invited guests to write a message to their inner child and reconnect again.

The Moxy Play House evoked the playful nature of the Marriott’s Moxy Hotels with a vintage carnival fun house setting.

Refinery29 promoted its new book based on its popular Money Diaries franchise with a purple pyramid of piggy banks.

Pantene interpreted a good, flowing hair day with this psychedelic space that included a ball pit.

At the Aldo Artcade, attendees could play video games and shoot hoops. Transparent gumball machines held fortunes, and shoes inside clear display cases decorated the area.

Headphones with a custom recording guided blindfolded guests through ASMR spa Whisperlodge’s space, allowing them to experience the beauty of touch.

The Hoodwitch’s enchanted crystal cave featured nods to astrology and magic.

Artist Uzumaki Cepeda invited guests to enter a fuzzy time warp and revisit their teenage years with a bold bedroom that contained throwback items like Nintendo and Spice Girls posters.

This surreal installation called “Dream Doorways,” in collaboration with Kali Uchis, featured open doors that revealed various dream-like scenarios.

At the merchandise area, attendees could get custom psychedelic airbrushing to personalize purchases. Hueston said the idea was inspired by feedback from past events. This year, Mastercard served as the event’s official payment partner, allowing cardmembers to tap and pay on site for swag.

Held at the Beverly Hilton on January 6, the 20th annual Warner Bros. and InStyle Golden Globes party had an elegant, living room-inspired atmosphere designed by JOWY Productions. Black-and-white artwork was framed by a series of bold, glossy bookshelves that featured black and white books and gold accessories.

Fox's Golden Globes party on January 6 also created a living room-inspired atmosphere, this one designed by 15/40 Productions. Deep blue and red tones accompanied by eclectic pillows and rugs created a warm, intimate atmosphere inside the tent. Situated around the room were a series of artificial bookshelves that added to the cozy feel.

To introduce media to its holiday offerings, Amazon hosted a festive preview event in New York in August. 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.

FX celebrated the premiere of its series Pose with an authentic 1980s queer ball in a former church in Harlem, New York, in June. The event had a series of vignettes, including a library dotted with colorful neon books and other props.

Event designers have used the bookshelves-as-decor look before. For the opening of Hermès's Beverly Hills flagship store in 2013, organizers created a residential-style library room lined with faux books. Hermès memorabilia referenced the history of the brand, while one set of windows overlooked a Paris nighttime scene and the opposite wall held a view of downtown Los Angeles.

Hermès also used the idea for a 2010 launch party in New York, which celebrated the first dedicated Hermès men’s store. The event included a 3,000-square-foot library, where the focal point was a wall of 8,000 hand-dyed books.

Another older example comes from an additional InStyle and Warner Brothers Golden Globes party, this one held in 2011 and designed by Thomas Ford. Ford was inspired by a luxury penthouse and constructed a tent over the hotel pool to transform the space, creating the feel of a dark, chic library with custom black leather tufted couches and 3,000 wrapped books on elaborate bookshelves.

Bulgari's 2011 fund-raiser for Save the Children and Artists For Peace and Justice used real books—and graphic versions—to create a lavish library look at Ron Burkle's private Los Angeles manse. Sketched fabrics on the tent walls imitated library shelves, while children's books redone with white book jackets served as centerpieces for the tables.

At the 2012 Diffa Dining by Design showcase in New York, David Stark's whimsical installation for sponsor Benjamin Moore played off the slogan “A whole new chapter in paint color technology is being written.” The library-inspired setting featured a table made from handcrafted books, plus monochromatic bookshelves.

Acer's 2010 press conference in New York used floor-to-ceiling projections of books to create a cozy area within the white-walled event venue.

The inaugural Marriott Hotels' Bourbon Battle took place March 29 at Washington Marriott Georgetown. The event, which was hosted by Food Network's Rossi Morreale, featured branded bars and a backdrop that displayed the event's hashtag.

Judges, including the Washington Post's Carrie Allan, were served the bourbon cocktails at a custom judging panel.

The judging panel, which also included Addison and food writer David Hagedorn, included on-theme score signs.

The event featured a blind tasting station, which offered guests samples of locally made bourbons.

Southern-inspired eats including ribs were served at the event.

Decor included branded bourbon barrels that served as a photo op.

Local mixologist Jessica Weinstein won the Bourbon Battle trophy.

Branded cocktail kits were on display for guests to take home.

Some of the cast members of Netflix’s Queer Eye test out the Video Glam Cam Kit at a gifting suite produced by Backstage Creations.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights, Citi hosted exclusive events for cardmembers at the Hollywood Palladium. Featuring intimate performance from Pink, Muse, and Chris Stapleton, the events also featured a capsule collection designed by artist Trevor "Trouble" Andrew. A photo op at the events was made from speakers and oversize records.

Spotify hosted its Best New Artist 2019 party on Saturday night at the Hammer Museum. The event featured performances from Best New Artist nominees including the eventual winner, Duo Lipa, along with Jorja Smith (pictured), Margo Price, Chloe x Halle, Bebe Rexha, and H.E.R. For a stage backdrop, vibrant lighting accentuated the museum's existing trees.

On Sunday night, Republic Records hosted an after-party at Spring Place Beverly Hills. The night, which featured a DJ set from SG Lewis, had a photo booth from sponsor Crocs that displayed a series of black and white shoes. Guests could also decorate their own Crocs to take home.

Universal Music Group C.E.O. Sir Lucian Grainge hosted his annual artist showcase, presented by Citi, on Saturday at the Row. Attendees such as rapper YG signed their names on a mirror; the mirror theme continued throughout the event.