This week's roundup includes vignettes inspired by Janelle Monáe music videos at the artist's album launch party with Spotify in Los Angeles; a silent auction in library stacks at the Toronto Public Library Foundation's Biblio Bash; a tunnel created with oversize playing cards at CNN's brunch following the White House Correspondents' Association Dinner in Washington; and cocktails garnished with hotel and destination photos at Marriott's One Program announcement in New York.
A bedroom set recreated Monáe's new video for the song "Pynk." Bon Puf provided a cotton candy machine.
The Toronto Public Library Foundation hosted its annual black tie fund-raiser April 26 at the Toronto Reference Library. The event, which raised more than $692,000 for the library’s youth empowerment programs and services, incorporated its silent auction into the actual stacks with bold, purple signs promoting the auction lots. Candice & Alison designed the event.
Each table at the gala dinner portion of the event featured a Canadian author host. The list of the 43 authors and their notable books were featured on circular placemats in text printed in concentric circles.
NBC News and MSNBC brought its White House Correspondents’ Dinner after-party to the Organization of American States’ Art Museum of the Americas April 28 in Washington. A late-night treat from Occasions Caterers was cereal ice cream sandwiches. Other desserts on the menu were mini cake cones, mini housemade ice cream Drumstick-style cones, mini palmiers, and a duo of savory and sweet mini scones.
The network’s annual post-Correspondents’ Dinner brunch took place April 29 at Long View Gallery. A "House of Cards" tunnel featured oversize playing cards decorated with donkeys, elephants, the White House, and an orange-hued King. The event’s Alice in Wonderland theme was executed by event designer Adovc8.
Spotify invited 150 of Janelle Monáe’s biggest fans to celebrate her new album, Dirty Computer, April 26 at Mack Sennett Studios in Los Angeles. Four vignettes depicted various scenes from four of Monáe's new music videos. A nightclub-like space, which was inspired by the video for the song "Make Me Feel," featured graffiti, disco balls, and neon signage from Nights of Neon.
Marriott announced the merger of Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards with an event April 16 at Spring Studios in New York. The stage featured a main screen with five additional screens above the stage that were each programmed to sync with the main screen. Chefs Daniel Boulud, Stephanie Izard, and Jose Garces showed off dishes inspired by their travels to Peru, China, and Spain, respectively. During Garces's presentation, the screen changed to depict images of San Sebastián in Spain. IMG Live produced the event and Symmetry Event Solutions oversaw the stage fabrication and audiovisual elements.
Bartenders affixed hotel and destination photos to cocktails with mini clothespins.
TED’s flagship conference took place April 10-14 at the Vancouver Convention Centre East. An area called the Food Trend Lab offered samples of plant-based foods and various juices and elixirs. On the menu: puffed lily pad seeds from Lily Puffs; banana milk smoothies from Moola; kombucha floats from Betterwith; and plant-based cheese by Blue Heron.
Stair clings read, "This is going to be amazing," a riff on this year's conference theme of "The Age of Amazement."
