A Look Back at Event Design Ideas From Winter Benefits

For the Alvin Ailey gala, which was held at the Kennedy Center in Washington in February, the team at Events by Andre Wells used graphic black and white table linens, along with pops of red florals and Lucite chairs, to transform the space.

On March 7, Pérez Art Museum Miami (PAMM) hosted its sixth annual Art of the Party, presented by Valentino. Following dinner, guests partied on the venue’s waterfront terrace with DJ Gabby Mejia and posed at an hypnotic photo booth by Capture Pod and portrait studio with Veronique Jacquart. Catering was provided by Constellation Culinary Group and decor by Always Flowers. Art of the Party raises funds for PAMM’s arts education program.

The Los Angeles Ballet’s annual gala, held at the Broad Stage in Santa Monica in February, raised over $1.1 million and featured flowers by Mark's Garden and catering by Wolfgang Puck.

The Museum of the City of New York hosted its Winter (Basket) Ball Gala featuring the inaugural Gotham Icon Award in February. In addition to cocktails and a seated dinner, guests were able to preview the exhibition, City/Game: Basketball in New York. Guests also enjoyed a performance by Bounce: the Basketball Opera, which uses basketballs to create interactive music and dance, and the after-party included basketball-theme arcade games.

Over 600 guests gathered at the 2020 Grand Chefs Experience in February at the Field Museum in Chicago to raise money for the Greater Illinois Chapter of Cystic Fibrosis. The event featured over 35 tasting stations followed by a seated dinner in the museum’s Main Hall, which houses the world's largest dinosaur, Maximo. A costumed staffer dressed as a dinosaur helped guide guests from the upper level stations downstairs to the Main Hall.

In February at the Witte Museum in San Antonio, Aid the Silent, a nonprofit that supports deaf and hard-of-hearing children and teens, celebrated five years at its annual gala. The event was completely deaf accessible with ASL interpretation and live captioning to showcase how to create equal access for deaf and hard-of-hearing citizens. Liz’s Beautiful Things created colorful balloon installations for the event, including this ceiling design that hung over the dining area.

The National Development Council, which helps support low-income communities, marked its 50th anniversary with a celebration in January at the Kings Theatre in Brooklyn. To prepare for the gala, Glow Global Events removed the seats in the orchestra section of the venue, replacing them with tables and chairs. The night featured performances from community-based Brooklyn United Marching Band and Dancewave. Catering was provided by Peter X. Kelly. PanAvid provided lighting and Kiriba Logan of Atlas Floral Decorators handled floral arrangements.

The Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment Foundation’s annual “A Night With Blue & White” fund-raiser took place in January at the Fairmont Royal York. Donors were invited to mingle with current and prior members of the Toronto Maple Leafs during a three-course dinner and cocktail reception. The evening featured a mobile auction, a live segment by former Hockey Night In Canada host Ron MacLean, and a game of Family Feud with past and present Maple Leafs players. The gala raised $460,000 to support youth community sports programs.

In support of Share the Magic Foundation's Read With Malcolm literacy programs, guests gathered at the organization’s gala, which was hosted by author and former Super Bowl champ Malcolm Mitchell and event chairs Mandy and Knox Culpepper, in February at the Atlanta History Center. The evening included silent and live auctions, as well as cocktails, dinner, and an after-party. The stage backdrop, which was lined with open books, echoed the event’s mission. Event decor was provided by Barbara Roos Events and Topher Mack Floral & Events.

The 39th annual Atlanta Heart Ball, which was held at the St. Regis Atlanta in February, featured silent and live auctions and called special attention to sponsors via a wine display that included name tags. The wine was donated by Colby Red Wine. The event raised over $700,000 for the American Heart Association. Tony Brewer & Company handled the event decor.

At the MGM National Harbor in February, Alexandria, Virginia-based nonprofit Chance for Life raised $2.8 million for pediatric cancer research at its 15th annual Poker Tournament and Taste Experience, an event founded and hosted by RedPeg Marketing agency. This year’s event hosted 800 poker players during the day and 2,000 guests during the taste experience and after-party. Design Foundry curated the aesthetics and designs for the taste experience and speakeasy, while EastCoast Entertainment provided the performers including Champagne aerialists.

Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler hosted his third annual Grammys viewing party, which drew 500 people to Raleigh Studios in Hollywood in January. Presented by Live Nation and hosted by actor Terry Crews, the event raised more than $2.4 million for Janie's Fund, a nonprofit for girls dealing with abuse and neglect. The fund-raiser was produced by Virginia Fout of V Productions, with production design and lighting by 15/40 Productions. See more: Grammys 2020: What You Missed at the Week's Coolest Parties

During Super Bowl LIV weekend in February, the annual Big Game Big Give by the Giving Back Fund took place at a private mansion on Star Island in Miami Beach, which features two gigantic mesh head sculptures by artist Jaume Plensa at the entrance to the pool, and was co-hosted by director Michael Bay and actors Bryan Cranston, Aaron Paul, and Jamie Foxx. The event raised money for philanthropic efforts like Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center and was produced by Agency 21 Consulting. See more: Super Bowl LIV: 17 of Miami's Most Inspiring Activations, Concerts, and Events