10 Best Ideas of the Week: a Photo Opp With Al Capone, a Mexican-Style Tabletop, "Video Paint" Technology

Design Industries Foundation Fighting AIDS hosted its 16th annual Dining by Design event at New York’s Pier 94 March 21 to 24. Rachel Laxer Interiors with Robert Kuo designed an ode to Rococo painter Jean-Honoré Fragonard with a mural of an 18th-century woman falling from a swing and a centerpiece of moody floral arrangements and fresh fruit.

The 2013 South by Southwest music, film, and technology festival wrapped March 17, with an estimated 150,000 people turning out for all or part of the 10-day event in Austin, Texas. USA Network used a new "video paint" technology to promote its original drama series Graceland. On the evenings of March 9 and 10 attendees were invited to a pop-up location in downtown Austin's busy bar strip, where they could use a digital paint-brush roller to project Graceland images on the walls of buildings.

Orange County-based investment banking company Roth Capital Partners held its 25th annual O.C. conference from March 17 to 20 at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in Dana Point, California. Larger-than-life light-up letters spelled out the host group's name at a party that included a performance by rapper Macklemore.

Vendors brought some fresh—and Mexican-inspired—ideas to a launch party for Poladora.com at the Centered Chef in Chicago February 28. The new Web site is a wedding registry that supports local businesses, and the event brought that concept to by life by asking top vendors to style tabletops using items from area stores. For her table, Debi Lilly of A Perfect Event set the scene for what she called a "fun, festive bridal party celebration that gets the gals together to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and toast 'olé' in style."

Cirque du Soleil’s current touring production, Totem, had its New York premiere at Citi Field on March 14. To create an extension of the show’s nature-focused visuals for the after-party, Cirque’s internal events team tapped Vincent Reverdy of Connected Productions to transform the concession area into an enchanted forest. Merchandise stalls were disguised with burlap, as well as Spanish moss and ivy. A mix of green and blue gobos were used to bring the transformation to life.

To launch its Z10 smartphone with Hollywood-style panache, BlackBerry hosted a celeb-packed event at Cecconi's West Hollywood on March 20. Guests— including actors Josh Duhamel, Christina Ricci, and Rachel Bilson—were given the new devices upon arrival. "We created a group BBM number, and guests were encouraged to share the love of their new device via BBM messages sent to the group number," said Studio HS creative director and vice president Ryan Johnson, who produced the event. "The messages were then projected onto the screen graffiti-style for all the guests to see."

The 2,000-guest benefit took place Tuesday at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in Washington. A draped entryway created a welcoming environment from the main door of the convention center directly to the registration area.

Resembling a canopy bed, Croscill's table at Dining by Design was covered in a bright pink quilted tablecloth and surrounded by clear Chiavari chairs.

Capital C celebrated its 20th anniversary with a 1920s-themed bash at its Toronto headquarters on February 28. A gangster-themed area had a lineup of famous gangsters including Al Capone. There were outlined feet on the floor that guests could stand on to be photographed as part of the lineup.

In March, the Philadelphia Flower Show included an activity known as the Make & Take Room, where guests could design their own floral fascinator (headpiece), wristlet, or magic wand. Thousands of creative D.I.Y.-ers took part.