
“The 2008 Robin Hood Foundation gala is one of the most memorable events I’ve come across. What stands out to me is the simplicity of the concept—taking donated items and turning them into large-scale installations that could, in turn, be given to the charities the nonprofit serves after the event. Going green was just becoming popular in the event industry and it was a great example of how sustainable decor could be more than hemp tablecloths and biodegradable tableware.” —Anna Sekula, news editor
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash

“For me, it's the Super Saturday Night party from DirecTV at this year's Super Bowl. Just hours earlier, we had watched celebrities play flag football on an expanse of beach inside the 88,000-square-foot tent. But that evening, Jack Murphy Productions and CL22 Productions transformed the space from a sports arena to an Eyes Wide Shut-themed nightclub with two of the largest chandeliers I've ever seen framing the stage where Justin Timberlake performed.” —Beth Kormanik, senior editor
Photo: Sean Twomey/2me Studios

"The 2011 opening of the new Salvador Dali Museum in St. Petersburg, Florida, made a lasting impression. Grand Events of Florida created decor that clearly brought the artist’s surreal works to life, and yet it was minimal enough to allow the beauty of the building to be the focal point. My favorite decorative elements were the two skeleton-clad bicyclists on either side of the entryway, eerily portraying Dali's 'Sentimental Colloquy.'” —Mitra Sorrells, Orlando bureau chief
Photo: Ungala

“In an event that felt like a real piece of Chicago history, the Art Institute of Chicago celebrated Mayor Richard Daley and his wife, Maggie, right before the end of his 22-year mayorship in 2011. There were some touching, intimate moments I’ll always remember, like when Daley tearfully told the crowd, ‘Thank you for letting me be your mayor.’ He and Maggie also danced to their favorite song, 'What Are you Doing the Rest of Your Life.’ The song is inherently beautiful, of course, but this was especially poignant because Maggie was very ill then and she passed away several months later. She was truly beloved in the city—even now I get teary just thinking about that moment, and what the two of them must have been thinking.” —Jenny Berg, Chicago bureau chief
Photo: Robert F. Carl Photo

“The opening of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas over New Year's Eve weekend in 2010 had spectacular dinner decor by Colin Cowie, followed by an intimate concert in a ballroom by Jay-Z and Coldplay—plus appearances by Beyoncé and Kanye West. I can stay home every New Year's Eve from now on. For sheer fun, I'll never forget Anthem magazine's now-defunct annual Coachella pool parties. It was a no-rules, parents-out-of-town atmosphere that belied its corporate sponsorship. I'll always remember ducking as two hipsters jumped off the roof into the pool, swinging from a giant piñata that had formerly served as decor on the venue's roof.” —Alesandra Dubin, West Coast editor
Photo: Kevin Mazur/WireImage.com