The season-two premiere of The X Factor, which took place at the Grauman’s Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles earlier this month, used promotional banners to cover the barricades and most of the venue’s surface.
Photo: Dan Scott/AmericanImageGallery.com
Signage encouraged guests to share details from the event on social media sites.
Photo: Courtesy of Life Is Good
To encourage social media activity, signage surrounded by festive streamer paper indicated the special "Kate Young Target" Wi-Fi account and Twitter and Instagram hashtag.
Photo: BFA
Signs were inspired by the classic TV show.
Photo: Travis Farrenkopf & Michael Young
Ten street signs, each 10 feet tall and made of PVC pipe with a weighted wooden base, were placed throughout the 136,000-square-foot store to emphasize the neighborhood's iconic streets. Illustrator Bill Brown's art for Target's campaign was painstakingly hand-drawn, sketched, and scanned in for each sign.
Photo: Jim Shi
Fox Upfront After-Party
The large balloons marked with the names of Fox shows also led the way to the upfront's after-party at the Trump Wollman Skating Rink in Central Park.
Photo: Nadia Chaudhury/BizBash
Unicef Masquerade Ball
Designed by Shiraz Events, the event took place on December 13 at New York's Angel Orensanz and had a sinister, superhero-inspired look. Deriving inspiration from comic books, the dessert table had candies with phrases such as "pow!" and "blow!" written on bright signs.
Photo: Sean T. Smith
Tables were set up on the stage at the Ziff Ballet Opera House at the Adrienne Arsht Center. The concept for the event was to present the performing arts center in a novel way for children.
Photo: Justin Namon
Centerpieces included sweet treats as well as crayons and markers that offered immediate entertainment.
Photo: Justin Namon
Energizing music was part of America’s Got Talent finalist David Garibaldi and his CMYK dancers' performance. The event had a "paint brush" theme and used lots of bright colors.
Photo: Rodrigo Gaya for World Red Eye
Garibaldi created five portraits of familiar icons as part of the entertainment. He intended to auction two of the pieces to families, but because of their popularity, he auctioned four of them. The highest bid for one of the pieces was $15,000.
Photo: Manny Hernandez
Kids danced down a Soul Train-like aisle as part of a dance party hosted by DJ Uptown Dale.
Photo: Justin Namon
Gift bags held goodies such as stuffed animals, educational games, discount coupons to local attractions, and Kind bars. A "mommy bag" from Neiman Marcus had a tote, makeup, perfume, lotion, and other treats.
Photo: Justin Namon
Brightly hued furniture rentals from Taylor Creative came in children's sizes.
Photo: Hechler Photographers
Children wearing toques and JW Kids aprons posed for photos in the art-themed surround.
Photo: Hechler Photographers
Nutritious snacks had easy-to-handle presentations for little hands.
Photo: Hechler Photographers
Activities included art projects as well as a color-by-numbers Picasso cubist work and a Mona Lisa connect-the-dots game that are part of the materials JW Marriott gives children who order from its new menu.
Photo: Hechler Photographers
Colorful melon balls were presented like cake pops.
Photo: Hechler Photographers
The centerpiece also carried the healthy theme with fruits and vegetables arranged alongside the sunflowers.
Photo: Hechler Photographers
Children filled mini canning jars with their own trail mix at a station that included granola, dried fruits, nuts, and chocolate chips.
Photo: Hechler Photographers
8. Concern Foundation Block Party
#8 Benefit
The large fund-raiser for the cancer nonprofit celebrated 40 years last summer with a “Fiesta Grande” theme and 4,000 people. It raised $1.8 million, marking a steady increase in fund-raising over the years. Next: July 11, 2015
Photo: Courtesy of Concern Foundation Block Party
7. Share Our Strength's Taste of the Nation
#7 Food, Wine & Hospitality Industry Event
The event now draws foodies to Culver City, having moved from the Lot in West Hollywood. The benefit to end childhood hunger has seen culinary stars like Mary Sue Milliken, Susan Feniger, Ray Garcia, Neal Fraser, and Josiah Citrin attend. Proceeds go entirely to benefit Share Our Strength. Next: June 7, 2015
Photo: Courtesy of Share Our Strength
8. L.A. Loves Alex's Lemonade
#8 Food, Wine & Hospitality Industry Event
Chef Suzanne Goin and business partner Caroline Styne along with chef David Lentz host the annual event, which has established itself as a heavy hitter on the food event scene in just five years. It has raised nearly $2.7 million to fund childhood cancer research—with more than $700,000 raised at last year’s event alone. Next: September 12, 2015
Photo: Stefanie Keenan
10. A Culinary Evening With the California Winemasters
#10 Food, Wine & Hospitality Industry Event
Held over a large footprint on the Warner Brothers back lot, the event has raised $27 million in its quarter-century history. It draws 50 participating chefs and 75 California wineries and takes over Warner Brothers’ Midwest Street. The benefit for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation typically sells out its 1,400 tickets each year. Next: May 16, 2015
Photo: Courtesy of A Culinary Evening With the California Winemasters
Wedding Trend: Natural Elements
Guests created their own terrariums using succulents, moss, and twigs for a D.I.Y. take on the living elements trend.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
In November, when it was springlike in Los Angeles, baby brand Munchkin hosted a luncheon for bloggers, event planners, and influential mothers at the James Cagney estate. Jeannie Savage of Details Details designed the event with vibrant colors as well as Munchkin products and toys throughout the space.
Photo: Jessica Claire
Made by Meg catered the luncheon at a tabletop decorated with boldly colored ribbons and Munchkin products.
Photo: Jessica Claire
Old Navy invited an all-ages crowd to celebrate spring at Fig & Olive in Los Angeles with the brand's style ambassadors Emily Current and Meritt Elliott. The so-called “On the Road” event had an Americana road trip theme with a colorful map motif. A bluegrass band performed at the Old Navy event on an unfinished wooden stage in front of a colorful backdrop that resembled wide-open road trip scenery.
Photo: Michael Simon/startraksphoto.com
At the Old Navy event, a cheery bar display featured citrus in boxes labeled in chalk, potted succulents, and details of the Big Sur-theme signature cocktail in colorful frames.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
Last March, the Los Angeles PR firm BWR hosted an event for media to preview its clients' spring and summer products. Held in the company's offices, the intimate afternoon included a candy bar rendered in preppy pink and green.
Photo: Courtesy of BWR
Call It Spring celebrated its summer campaign last June at the Sixty Beverly Hills, where a Jamaica theme included playful island-style decor and hefty doses of color in the poolside space—as well actually in the pool, where toy roosters riding citrus wedge floaties caught the attention of many Instagrammers.
Photo: Courtesy of Call It Spring
Last summer, Svedka hosted a Rio carnival-inspired party in Beverly Hills to fete its new mango-pineapple and strawberry-lemonade flavors. The colorful event design included fruits arranged in a logo decor piece that floated in the pool.
Photo: Michael Simon/StarTraksPhoto.com
In 2013, Hermès hosted its “Les Jeux d’Hermès”—or Hermès games—in Palm Beach, where a croquet field section of the party space sat beneath colorful tenting inspired by the brand’s famous prints and scarves.
Photo: Matthew Carasella
At the Coachella festival last year, Forever 21 hosted its so-called “Party in the Sky,” where two cranes hoisted the event’s DJ booth into the air. The booth was made out of a shipping container painted in bright neon colors.
Photo: Courtesy of Forever 21
Also at last year’s Coachella fest, the Ace Hotel hosted its annual Desert Gold event program, where color-blocked flags at the hotel’s entrance nodded to the eyewear designs of new title sponsor Marc by Marc Jacobs.
Photo: Paige Jones Photo
In February, Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas feted their social stationery collaboration with a Los Angeles party meant to show off specific wedding trends represented in the new collection. Among them was Chinoiserie, represented at the event in an area decked with upturned blue parasols strung overhead.
Photo: Tiffany Rose/Getty Images for Wedding Paper Divas
Another of the wedding trends represented at the Mindy Weiss and Wedding Paper Divas event was color blocking. A white seating area demonstrated the look with jewel-toned pillows, and a vibrant runner topping a mirrored table.
Photo: Alesandra Dubin/BizBash
In February, the Anheuser-Busch-owned beverage brand Shock Top launched its summer seasonal Lemon Shandy beverage at a Southern California lemon grove. There, guests dined on warm-weather fare served at a long banquet table, dressed simply but eye-catchingly with citrus-colored buckets of the brand’s beverages.
Photo: Casey Rodgers
Held in Los Angeles in November, the J. Paul Getty Trust’s medal presentation at the Getty Center featured illuminated tabletops inset with distinctly springlike butterflies.
Photo: Ryan Miller/Capture Imaging
Last year, Chicago’s Moto Restaurant offered a new dessert that conjured sunny vibes: It painted coconut macarons to look like striped beach balls, and decorated the plate with chocolate seashells, pineapple starfish, and sand made from brown sugar.
Photo: Amy Stallard
Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS held its second annual Picnic by Design fund-raiser on a New York rooftop in 2013. There, the interior and lifestyle design company Steilish created a scene inspired by The Wizard of Oz that included fabric poppies, votive candles covered in ruby-red glitter, gingham napkins, and a picnic basket designed to mimic the look of a hot-air balloon.
Photo: Becky Yee Photography
At the TEDActive conference in the Southern California desert in 2013, the La Quinta Resort & Club provided a sprawling venue where individual seating groups in intimate settings encouraged interaction. Oversize orange lettering spelled out words to inspire conversation and creative thinking.
Photo: Marla Aufmuth
For an Arizona Jeans Company event targeting millennials in New York last year, Mexican-style paper lanterns and flowers hung from the ceiling for a vibrant look and feel.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images
The Savannah Series Tents from Sperry Fabric Architecture are wooden-framed tents with cloth canopies and clerestory windows. The windows, above an adjacent roof, allow sunlight in during the day and indoor lighting to project out at night. The tents seat as many as 350 guests. The units are available for purchase in the United States through Sperry Fabric Architecture and licensed Sperry Tent providers; prices are available upon request.
Photo: Courtesy of Zephyr Tents
Sperry Tents’ Signature Blue Star Tent is handcrafted with genuine navy sailcloth panels dotted with white stars by sailmakers in coastal Massachusetts. It sports geometric support patches and festive pennant flags atop each peak. Support poles are wooden and hand-milled at a 1930s sawmill. The tent is available in six sizes: The largest, at 46 by 85 feet, holds 150 guests for a seated dinner. Prices are available upon request.
Photo: Lauren Methia Photography
The Double Decker Tent from Regal Tent can be topped with a flat-top façade (pictured), which hides the peak of the tent and creates a more boxlike shape, providing an area for customization. The structure can be built with glass, hard, or vinyl walls. The smallest size, at 50 by 16 feet, holds about 150; larger formats hold as many as 1,500. The tent is available for rent anywhere in North America and the Caribbean; prices vary.
Photo: Courtesy of Regal Tents
The Flex Tent from the Flex Tent Company, a subsidiary of Event Labor Works, can be stretched around trees, structures, and rocks and has expandable tent poles that adjust to uneven surfaces. Sizes start at 20 by 10 feet and can increase to any size. As the tents are modular, they can be guttered together or with other structures to form larger spaces. Flex tents are available for rent or purchase in a variety of colors and designs. Prices are available upon request.
Photo: Courtesy of Event Labor Works
The Jet tent from Classic Party Rentals is available in 16-, 32-, and 50-foot depths and custom lengths in 16-foot increments. It is available with clear, white, or custom colored fabric and accommodates large graphics. The tent is offered for rental or purchase throughout the United States; prices are available upon request.
Photo: Janis Davis
The safari-style Tipi Marquee tents from Under Canvas Events are canvas and wood structures that can be joined into custom configurations to seat 500 or hold 800 for receptions. Each marquee can accommodate a central open fire. Available throughout North America, the tents rent for $3,000 to $5,000 per marquee, based on the location and duration of the event.
Photo: Ian Norman
The 24 Metre Trident Inflatable Dome from Brand Interactivation provides almost 4,000 square feet of floor space with no internal support poles or trussing and holds as many as 350 people. The unit is available for rent nationwide for $11,500 for three days, or it can be purchased for $70,000 and customized with colors and logos.
Photo: Courtesy of Brand InterActivation Zone SRL
The Tidewater Sailcloth Tent from Aztec Tent is a highly translucent pole tent built with a catenary-accented perimeter and starburst design eave and peak reinforcements to give it a unique shape. The Tidewater ranges from 20 by 17 feet to 59 by 159 feet; depending on the configuration, it can hold as many as 700 people. It is available for rent in the United States from Tidewater Tents or for purchase from Aztec Tents. Prices are available upon request.
Photo: Kelli Boyd Photography
The Grand Marakesh from Raj Tents is a 27- by 44-foot Moroccan-theme tent that includes arches and silk string drops on all openings, a full lighting package, and furniture for 24 guests with low tables and area rugs. It has room for as many as 120 people and is available for rent throughout the United States for $9,950.
Photo: Courtesy of Raj Tents
Street Art: Mercedes-Benz Evolution Tour
To introduce its new GLA SUV, Mercedes-Benz enlisted Los Angeles-based street artist Mr. Brainwash to perform a live art exhibition during the car brand's Evolution Tour, which kicked off in July at Terminal 5 in New York. He continued to add to his freestyle design on the exterior of a brand-new GLA as the tour progressed.
Photo: Cornelia Stiles/BizBash
At a laboratory-inspired booth, the Museum of Science and Industry served margarita shots in on-theme test tubes.
Photo: Jenny Berg/BizBash
