“The circus idea came out of a planning session where we were looking at past ideas and I saw a picture of a stilt walker,” Haber said. “The circus is all about having fun, and we wanted to create a circus with a twist, where adults could be a kid for the night.”
The tone was set early as a carnival barker and a fire swallower greeted guests the moment they arrived and will-call tickets were available in a large red and white striped tent. Inside, juggling clowns and stilt walkers mingled through the crowd of 1,500 people, performing tricks along the way. Luckily, all the food was well above typical circus fare as more than 70 area restaurants doled out one or two dishes at their individual tables.
Although most of entertainment was of the old-school variety, planners also embraced technology and added a new level of interactivity to the event. Guest photos taken in the photo booth instantly appeared on a massive overhead screen in the middle of the museum. Five roaming photographers also sent food and group shots from the floor to a behind-the-scenes photo editor, who uploaded them to the screen. Sponsor Verizon Wireless also got in on the action, setting up a text-to-win program for the evening’s best dish. Using a code at each restaurant’s table, guests could text in their favorite dish, which eventually went to Co Co. Sala's German chocolate whoopie pie.
