From a dinner onstage at a historic theater to a family-style feast inspired by a royal banquet, Clarks's annual award dinner gets a lush, distinctive setting and look every year. For this year's event at Boston's Royale Nightclub on June 11, the footwear company's senior director of corporate events and community relations, Jane Feigenson, drew inspiration from two very disparate sources: street art and the opera.
"The nightclub was originally an opera house and has a cool vibe," Feigensen said. "I played off the opulence of opera and mixed in splashes of graffiti and grunge." Here's a look at how the event went a little bit grunge and a little bit glam, all while maintaining a cohesive look.
As guests entered, they tagged a graffiti wall created by Artists for Humanity. The banner now hangs in Clarks's customer service department.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
The dinner took place at Royale Nightclub, a former opera house. Some 500 guests sat to dinner at long and round tables.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
Tables were decorated with brocade linens, busts, and candelabras.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
Marble statues were cheekily decked with wigs and "Clarks" sashes.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
Golden shoes decorated the space and matched the evening's black-and-gold collateral.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
For an onstage award presentation, Frost created a grunge-inspired backdrop made from crumpled-up screens. Colored lights illuminated the arty fixtures.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
Max Ultimate Catering set the first course on wooden slabs that had the Clarks logo burned into them. The first course was a fire-roasted shrimp stake with heirloom tomatoes, cucumber, watermelon, radish, and asparagus, all drizzled with a wine vinaigrette.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
A chocolate shoe sole decorated the dessert of lemon-blueberry pound cake with white-chocolate glaze. The plate was garnished with "side textures," which included chocolate shavings, toasted coconut, pistachios, and berry compote.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
Musicians from the Boston Arts Academy played Latin jazz "with pockets of funk," said Feigenson.
Photo: Michael Blanchard Photography
![The event for 500 Clarks employees took place at Boston's Park Plaza Castle. 'The space was [given] a global, castle-like feel, with a 30-foot dome that represented Clarks new global direction,' said planner Jane Feigenson.](https://img.bizbash.com/files/base/bizbash/bzb/image/2012/06/h4c7244png.png?auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=crop&h=167&q=70&w=250)
