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.