This week's roundup includes highlights from the Toronto International Film Festival—where models carried pigs and celebrities drank shots from syringes—the launch of 5,000 balloons in Las Vegas, a new audiovisual technique called "reflection mapping," and a steampunk-theme conference in Phoenix.
The Mint Agency produced a fete for Toronto International Film Festival flick The Grand Seduction at Brassaii on September 8. The film centers on a doctor character, and the catering from executive chef Chris Kalisperas played up the theme. Menu items included lemon vodka shots served in syringes.
Lifestyle and hospitality brand Nikki Beach once again set up a pop-up lounge on the rooftop of the Spoke Club during TIFF. The venue hosted a Sunday brunch and fashion shows for beachwear from several lines, including Kochon (pictured). Models held baby pigs as a cheeky nod to the brand's name.
The Mint Agency recently took on SodaStream's public relations, so staffers decided to host a media lunch during TIFF. The afternoon's drinks included a basil-yuzu mojito, a ginger-tarragon lemonade spiked with vodka, and a gin and tonic with cucumber-infused gin. The cocktails, of course, all contained SodaStream soda.
Inspired by the tree-bound elves that represent the Keebler brand, Leo Burnett and City Eventions recently partnered on the Tiny Doors Project, which promotes the snack company. Purposefully under-the-radar, the Keebler campaign has commissioned artists in a variety of cities to carve little, elfin doors into trees around the country; the locations are announced on a Tumblr page.
Ben & Jerry's recently wrapped its City Churned campaign, which included events in five cities this summer. In addition to flavor launches in each city, the ice cream makers organized community events with local organizations. In San Francisco, for example, volunteers painted over graffiti at San Francisco’s Ocean Beach.
The E4 (Escape, Experience, Encounter, and Engage) 2013 conference was planned by the Experient team for both Experient and Maritz clients August 11 to 14 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel. For the closing reception, the dessert bar setup included a working conveyor belt, and plasma screens displayed the food station menus.
Staff dressed in steampunk costumes carrying an oversize (but lightweight) gilded frame wandered the reception room, encouraging guests to pose for photos while framed inside. A stationary green-screen photo booth was set up in the foyer, along with steampunk accessories such as goggles, hats, and parasols.
To celebrate the return of Crossfire to television after an eight-year hiatus, CNN threw a homecoming party at the Carnegie Library at Mt. Vernon Square in Washington on September 10. Guests couldn't miss the larger-than-life images of the Crossfire hosts in Carnegie Library's main room, and Events by Andre Wells created a modern look that incorporated branding and the show’s signature silver, red, black, and white.
You've heard of projection mapping, but you've likely never seen this before: so-called “reflection mapping” is an innovation from V Squared Labs that uses mirrors, light, and sculptural form to dramatic effect—and it's just debuting on the live event scene this month.
To celebrate its 10 millionth visitor on September 5, the Eiffel Tower Experience at Paris Las Vegas launched 5,000 balloons into the air. The balloons were in France's national hues of red, white, and blue, and the unwitting 10 millionth visitor—an English tourist named Martin Layton—won a seven-day trip for two to Paris (the real one).
