On October 2, Columbia College Chicago hosted a gala to celebrate the opening of its new media production center. Architect Jeanne Gang handled the building's design, and drew her inspiration from the color-bar test patterns that appeared on television sets between programs in the early days of the medium.
Diana Cazares, the college's director of event operations, oversaw the panning process. One of its greatest challenges, she said, was "transforming the media production center, which has a primary function of being a state-of-the-art educational facility, into a workable event space." She and her team tapped Event Creative's Jeffrey Foster to help with the strategy.
To overcome space constrictions for the 400-guest dinner, the planning team rented tents to serve as the catering team's prep area. They also tented a courtyard to serve as a dance floor. Because "storage was an issue," Cazares said, some unusual items became part of the decor, withโfor exampleโroad cases serving as cocktail tables.
Foster's decor scheme also nodded to the building's inspiration. Dinner took place on two soundstages, and in lieu of linens, gel lighting colored the tables in the bright hues of the test pattern. (After the event, the gels were cleaned and donated back to the college's lighting department.) Crystal candlesticks held old studio lightbulbs instead of candles, and custom bars had bases with backlit strips of film. "It was one of the best examples of decor relating to a space that I've ever been involved with," said Foster.