This week's roundup includes the History channel's Vikings funeral activation and a life-size Broad City coloring book at San Diego Comic-Con, giraffe-shaped flatbreads at Lincoln Park Zoo's Zoo Ball in Chicago, and an ómbre macaron wall at Eatertainment's summer bash in Toronto.
To promote the upcoming fifth season of its scripted drama series Vikings, History lit a 45-foot-long ship on fire in the middle of the San Diego bay to simulate a Viking-style funeral. The procession ended at the Embarcadero Marina Park South with a waterfront ceremony that engulfed the ship and a lifelike Viking corpse in flames. Drinking horns were distributed following the ceremony, and guests could get temporary tattoos of the show’s logo written in ink that resembled blood.
This year’s edition of Comic-Con International took place July 20 to 23 at the San Diego Convention Center. Comedy series Broad City made its first appearance at the event with a life-size coloring book activation. Illustrations designed by Mike Perry, an artist from the show, covered the walls and furniture, and attendees used paint to add color. The activation—which took place at the San Diego Wine & Culinary Center—also offered Broad City-inspired manicures and temporary tattoos.
The first-ever Syfy pop-up Geek Love Chapel hosted more than 30 weddings and vow renewals over the course of the Comic-Con weekend. The ceremonies were officiated by American Gods star Orlando Jones, who came up with the idea as a way to celebrate fandom. Sharknado actor Ian Ziering (pictured) also got in on the action, renewing his vows with wife. The ceremonies were open to the public.
The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago held its annual Zoo Ball on July 14. The safari-theme event, which was produced by Jewell Events Catering and designed by Erin McDonald Design, featured a 32-foot bar decorated with vintage-inspired “sundowner” drink signs. Elsewhere in the tent, burlap-wrapped food carts held appetizers. The bar was designed by Northern Decor and Logistics.
Jewell Events Catering's dinner began with a mini iceberg wedge smeared with Green Goddess sauce. A giraffe-shaped flatbread underscored the evening's theme. The main course was filet mignon and fire-grilled prawn; guests had strawberry-lemon tarts for dessert.
Toronto-based catering and events company Entertainment Special Events & Catering celebrated its newly designed office and catering facility with a summer party for its clients, as well as venue partners, and suppliers. Using roses, Bloom Plus created a chandelier, building a focal point for the room that sat above the wine selection.
The event featured a peg wall of macarons arranged in an ombré display. Unique flavors included rose, grapefruit cayenne, and cotton candy.
The event served bar snacks on a suspended wood platter.
This year’s ASU GSV Summit—an education and talent technology conference hosted by Arizona State University and Global Silicon Valley—took place in March at the Grand America and Little America Hotels in Salt Lake City. The event, which was produced by AgencyEA, played GSV90 videos on large screens in the Town Square between streams of the general session. Planners invited attendees to record the 90-second videos of themselves using pre-event email communication, registration materials, and signage on site.
AgencyEA created a new look for this year’s event to match GSV’s new branding. Decorative elements carried through the conference's design scheme.
