10 Best Ideas of the Week: Peacock-Theme Emmys Decor, a "Love Tunnel," Britney Spears's Desert Stunt

HBO's huge bash, overseen by vice president of special events Cindy Tenner with designer collaborator Billy Butchkavitz, took place in the Pacific Design Center's fountain plaza. Organizers took inspiration for the massive, colorful alfresco party space from peacock feathers. Inside a clear tent, a 28-foot-high, 24-foot-round chandelier from Set Masters was the party's centerpiece; a lounge within the structure provided additional seating.

Among the biggest Emmy after-parties on Sunday night was the Academy's splashy annual Governors Ball, which this year had a far-out enchanted forest theme, produced for the 16th year by Sequoia Productions, led by Cheryl Cecchetto. Goodman Audio met the challenge of working with a circular, rotating stage for the live entertainment, and all the sound equipment was in the ceiling of the convention hall, out of sight. Icarus handled the rigging.

To announce the two-year residency of Britney Spears at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino in Las Vegas, organizers staged a dramatic card trick in the Nevada desert—with 1,300 volunteers. On September 17, the masses of fans and volunteers were taken to the desert on a bus. They lined up in height order (with the taller folks in back), each holding an individual card. When held up together, the cards formed a Britney Spears billboard.

Produced and designed by Bureau Betak, Rodarte's September 11 New York Fashion Week show at Center548 featured a striking grid of mirrors with red and blue fluorescent tubes (now a Rodarte signature), inspired by Los Angeles’s street grid at night in the '80s.

In keeping with the spring collection’s “California style—Melrose to Malibu” theme, the September 9 Tommy Hilfiger show at Pier 94 featured a 390-foot-long weathered wooden boardwalk-cum-runway that was flanked by 140 tons of sand trucked in from New Jersey.

Nike erected a three-day installation in New York's Gansevoort Plaza during Fashion Week to celebrate the launch of its Nike Free Hyperfeel running shoe. The black-on-black structure featured a tactile labyrinth comprising barefoot experiences that amplified nature. Three distinct physical spaces made up the labyrinth, which replicated common running surfaces like stone, sand, and grass. Equipped with neuro-headsets, visitors produced their own audiovisual installation—informed in real time by the brain's sensory reaction to the textures underfoot.

Macy's Passport Presents Glamorama “Fashion in a New Light” took to the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles on September 12. And at the after-party, guests saw a DJ station in a new light. DJ Brandon Olds held court over a 42-inch, LCD touch-screen, transparent DJ console. As he spun, guests could see what he was doing with song wavelengths, effects, and mixing techniques.

If you’re looking to disguise a staid-looking hallway in a hotel ballroom, check out Las Vegas–based FWR Rental Haus’s modular tunnel, which can display fully customized graphics. Mirrored surface tunnels are also an option. The rentable items are available nationwide.

Chicago design firm INDO uses sustainably sourced materials for installations, window displays, and interiors. Recently, founders Linsey Burritt and Crystal Hodges decked a tent ceiling with 200 sheets of red screen-printed polypropylene from a local recycling company. The duo is currently working on designing an event-friendly collection of rentable backdrops and self-supported structures.

While the sleek, contemporary look still has its fans, the popularity of The Great Gatsby and Downton Abbey has hosts moving towards a more classic aesthetic when it comes to events. Event pros say clients are favoring sophisticated looks, and New York rental company Prop N Spoon carries a large assortment of vintage furnishings (pictured) that can complement the theme.