As the event industry gets ready for a jam-packed fall benefit season, we take a look back at this summer’s galas, benefits, and fund-raisers. From glowing penguins to Prince tributes to inventive centerpieces, here are the ideas and designs that made an impact.
World Wildlife Fund Canada's inaugural Pandamonium fund-raiser took place in June at Andrew Richard Designs in Toronto. Toronto cocktail bar BarChef offered guests cocktails from a garden-like station inspired by the event's theme, "Doom & Bloom," celebrating the resilience of nature.
In July, Tanglewood, the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra located in the Berkshires, hosted its Tanglewood Opening Night Gala. The event, which raised $475,000 and was attended by 410 guests, featured oversize wreath-like installations made of greenery and cascading blooms, along with a mix of floral and herb centerpieces.
The Watermill Center’s 23rd annual benefit and dinner, held in July, featured a number of interactive art installations including John Margaritas's "One Ton Tank." It consisted of a hand-poured concrete tank filled with water with windows that created "an almost prismatic light effect." A performer who wore weights entertained guests in the tank.
The benefit’s dinner portion concluded with a performance by Norwegian artist and vocalist Tori Wrånes, who was suspended from the ceiling. It was followed by a dance party with DJ Mia Moretti featuring an impromptu, surprise performance by Ja Rule.
On September 7, politicians, philanthropists, and business executives gathered at Cipriani on Wall Street in New York to honor the fallen and raise money to support the memorial and museum. The dining tablescape featured a mesmerizing hologram prism, which displayed the Survivor Tree through the four seasons (the charred trunk of a Callery pear tree, which became known as the “Survivor Tree,” was pulled from the rubble of the World Trade Center site after the attacks and remains alive on the grounds today). The centerpiece was created by Gramercy Tech. 360 Design Events handled the styling, decor, and video art direction for the event.
Pasadena, California-based events and experiential marketing agency Innovate Marketing Group created a glam gala for local nonprofit Five Acres in June. Inspired by the historic Pasadena Gamble House, the agency designed a 1900s-theme event called “Soiree Under the Stars,” with cigar girls, vintage cars, and a jazz band. The annual fund-raiser also included silent and live auctions, a wine raffle, and a chance to win a diamond necklace.
Held at the Navy Pier’s Grand Ballroom in Chicago in July, the H Foundation’s 16th annual Goombay Bash featured its usual casual Caribbean theme, where guests dress in Hawaiian shirts and leis. The event included more than 200 silent auction packages and a live drawing, plus signature cocktails and a fireworks show. The bash raised $638,705 to benefit Basic Science Cancer Research at the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center of Northwestern University.
On September 7, Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS hosted its Picnic By Design New York fund-raiser, which brought in more than $50,000. Some 200 people filled the indoor and outdoor spaces of the Mercantile Annex to view and bid on themed picnic baskets filled with essentials created and donated by 20 designers, including Andrea Algaze Design Concepts’ bright, tropical offering. Picnic By Design is also hosted in cities throughout the country including Las Vegas and Austin.
Inspired by minimalist decor and clean lines, organizers of the seventh annual Luminato Festival hired Toronto architecture firm Partisans to custom design futuristic centerpieces for the opening gala, which was held at the Hearn Generating Station in June.
In August, VH1 Save the Music held its third annual Hamptons Live benefit in New York. The event raised more than $1 million toward the foundation’s work bolstering music education in public schools across the country. Guests joined co-chairs and hosts Julie and Billy Macklowe at their home for the event, which was presented by Bai Beverages. New York caterer Peter Callahan provided seasonal summer fare for guests.
More than 1,000 philanthropists gathered at the Shedd Aquarium in Chicago in August for the 10th annual Blu gala, a fund-raiser for the institution’s rescue, rehabilitation, conservation, and education initiatives. The benefit, hosted by the aquarium’s Auxiliary Board, provided lots of social media moments for guests to pose with sea life such as sharks, stingrays, and scuba divers.
The Apollo Theater’s 11th annual Spring Gala in New York—held on the cusp of summer on June 13—included a ceremony inducting late recording artist Prince into the Apollo Walk of Fame. The induction ceremony took place under the Apollo marquee and included performances and appearances by saxophonist Maceo Parker, members of Prince’s band the New Power Generation, Prince protégé and musician Andy Allo, and R&B singer Meli’sa Morgan.
The evening culminated with an after-party held in a tent designed by event planner and Apollo board member Bronson van Wyck and featured a special “Let’s Go Crazy” dance tribute with a dedicated DJ set of Prince songs. The event raised $1.7 million for the Harlem theater’s artistic and community programming initiatives.
The 39th annual Zoo Ball, presented by the Women's Board of the Lincoln Park Zoo, was held in Chicago in July. Dubbed “Penguins in Paradise,” the black-tie event was inspired by the endangered African penguins that will move into the zoo in the fall and featured nods to the birds, including a lemon parfait dessert with fresh berries that was accompanied by glowing penguin ornaments.
