Now that the 67th annual Primetime Emmy Awards have wrapped, the numbers are in: The September 20 show, held at the Microsoft Theater and aired on Fox, hit a ratings low—up against Sunday Night Football—and was down 24 percent from last year's Monday-night affair. Nevertheless, host Andy Samberg got high marks, and there were history-making wins for women of color, plus a celebrated return to the stage by Tracy Morgan.
The Television Academy feted the night with its annual official after-party for 4,000 guests, the Governors Ball, billed as the largest formal dinner in the United States. This year’s Governors Ball Committee co-chairs Barbara Cassel and Geriann McIntosh worked with the event's longtime producer, Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions, on a theme known as “Reigning With Radiance,” which decorated the Los Angeles Convention Center space with 45,000 crystals from Swarovski and swirls of opulent crystalline chandeliers plunging 27 feet to tabletops.
Across town at the Pacific Design Center, HBO vice president of special events Cindy Tenner worked with longtime collaborator Billy Butchkavitz to design the network's annual production-heavy bash, which this year drew its inspiration from fire. The event had a hot color palette of red, orange, and golden yellow—with a fiery ombré carpet pattern covering 50,000 feet of party space and a 27-foot-high shimmering golden flame sculpture as the event's centerpiece, which rested atop a rotating floor.
In addition to Emmy night's blowout bashes, the awards brought the annual array of parties and suites, which blanketed town during the weekend and in the week leading up to the big event.
Jumping into the fray this year was Vanity Fair, which brought the Vanity Fair Social Club setup for a presence on Emmy weekend; previously, it was an Oscar-week affair. For the first time surrounding the Emmys, the event at the creative co-working space WeWork Hollywood hosted several panels, events, and activations aimed at bloggers and online journalists.
The Bafta Los Angeles Tea took over the SLS on September 19. Audi brought its typical A-list crowd to Cecconi's on Thursday night, kicking off the weekend of events early. (The brand is also the official automotive sponsor of the awards.) And Entertainment Weekly's annual preparty happened at Fig & Olive on September 18. Event Eleven produced the latter two.
Accompanying the parties was an array of suites, including the first-ever Extra and On 3 Weekend Of lounge, Kari Feinstein's Style Lounge, and Backstage Creations' lounge, which was located backstage at the show. However, traditionally a standby, HBO's Luxury Lounge did not participate this time.
Here's a look at some of the highlights from the glitzy events.
HBO’s party took over the outdoor space at the Pacific Design Center, with a fire theme appropriate for the sweltering day in Los Angeles. HBO vice president of special events Cindy Tenner once again worked with designer Billy Butchkavitz, who has been designing events for HBO since 1994. A 27-foot-high flame sculpture on a rotating platform was the party’s centerpiece, and ombré-patterned custom carpet covered 50,000 square feet underfoot. The event's 25-foot-high decorative perimeter walls were covered with flowing draperies embellished with iridescent paillette sequins and punctuated by 25-foot-high red lacquer columns.
This year, the Governors Ball went with a “Reigning With Radiance” theme executed with thousands of crystalline details from Swarovski. Governors Ball Committee co-chairs Barbara Cassel and Geriann McIntosh worked with the ball’s longtime designer and producer, Cheryl Cecchetto of Sequoia Productions, to bring the theme to life.
The Governors Ball included 30 chandeliers in all. The fixtures done in swirling shapes included Swarovski crystals supported with extra beads from Shop Wild Things. The intricate creations dropped a dramatic 27 feet to the tables.
A crowd of about 4,000 guests dined on a meal catered by Patina Catering that included a first course of wildflower honey-poached pear salad, a main course of filet of beef tenderloin, and a single-origin Ghana brownie for dessert.
The grand stage was the backdrop for a variety of performances by artists including Andrea Bocelli and David Foster. Dancing With the Stars' Maksim Chmerkovskiy and So You Think You Can Dance's Jacque LeWarne danced along with the musicians.
Designer 8 supplied furnishings, First Circle Design provided lighting design with equipment from ShowPro, and Goodman handled the sound. Dazian installed sparkle drape in the party space and created a perimeter of silver beaded curtains.
La Premier provided the flowers, which included arrangements of white calla lilies.
Advancing a formal look, staffers for the evening wore floor-length white gowns or tuxedos with white jackets.
Real fire was also a decorative element at the party: 24-foot-long reflecting ponds showcased multiple flaming sculptures. Inside the 120- by 100-foot dining pavilion, guests ate fare provided by Wolfgang Puck, such as burrata and peach salad, New York steak, and doughnut bread pudding.
HBO was a big winner at the Emmys, and awards dotted the elaborately clothed tables—done in full sequins—as did red and orange flowers in sculptural gold vessels.
Fox’s Emmy Post Party took place at Vibiana, following the network’s broadcast of this year’s show. 20th Television’s Jen Weinberg, FX’s Myesha Ward, and Fox's Bob Stillo oversaw the fete, designed once again by Mindy Weiss. Chef Neil Frasier’s Redbird set up a sizzling robata activation station, plus crudo and California-inspired cuisines. Mia Moretti was the DJ for the night.
Weiss's East Coast-meets-West Coast concept included a palette of muted blues, soft grays and greens, and textured pillow and linen patterns.
Oversize logo decor pieces dotted the party space.
Tony Schubert of Event Eleven once again designed and produced the 500-guest Audi party, which this year included custom eight-foot-tall LED towers that lined the outside portion of the party. Schubert said it’s the first time the team has ever tried such a look.
Custom monochromatic white seating arrangements complemented the LED tubes. Roses in modern containers topped tables alongside votive candles—all white.
For the Entertainment Weekly party, Event Eleven this year removed all the furniture and trees from Fig & Olive's main dining room and added custom cushions and furnishings to the space. The producers also added a projection against the wall of the interior and filled the room with hundreds of candles. Gray sofas with brass end tables and touches of navy blue decorated the space.
Presenting sponsor L’Oréal Paris offered its products in a logo-covered bathroom.
Caravents this year produced the Vanity Fair Social Club program, which had a new twist on a photo booth: An activation by sponsor Viktor & Rolf took the form of a floral bed, with a camera positioned above.
Grocerie by Foodink catered a menu for the digital media types who stopped by the weekend programming.
At the Kari Feinstein Style Lounge gifting suite at the Sunset Marquis, tropical foliage decorated a wood pallet wall, which served as an arrivals backdrop.
