This week's roundup includes a giant Mr. Potato Head sculpture in Orlando, a pancake tasting flight in Chicago, an emoji fortune-teller at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and arcade games for bankers at a conference in Orange County.
BuzzFeed's BFF Cluhouse at SXSW in Austin featured an emoji fortune-teller for the day. By looking at guests’ most recently used emoji on their smartphones, the fortune-teller picked the person’s fortune, including an emoticon to use more.
Taking over the Gatsby in Austin, Pandora created a meeting-friendly connected home during SXSW Interactive. Produced by Stoelt Productions, the activation included five rooms featuring different devices, including iPad Air, Google Chromecast, and TiVo.
The annual financial conference hosted by Orange County-based investment banking company Roth Capital Partners was held at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel in March. Two parties took place during the conference, and a beer bar and vintage arcade games provided a casual look and feel to the second event.
The annual AIPAC Policy Conference set an attendance record this year, with about 16,000 people coming to the Walter E. Washington Convention Center March 1 to 3. To mimic the look of live olive trees in one lounge, Hargrove created café tables with stainless steel trees sprouting from them. The trees were topped with translucent lampshades printed with an olive tree pattern. Contemporary furnishings and bright accents rounded out the look.
Be Inspired PR hosts and produces the Tassels and Tastemakers event twice each year for event and wedding industry professionals, plus media, bloggers, and other influencers. The most recent iteration on March 25 brought a Western theme to Carondelet House in Los Angeles. Place settings on a rustic tabletop included napkin rings made from vintage leather belts atop slices of tree branch. Mindy Weiss designed the table with milk glass from Borrowed Blu.
A floral sign on the Tassels and Tastemakers wall, created by Beth Helmstetter, spelled out “Yee Haw” with flowers from Art With Nature.
Gin brand Tanqueray took over Chicago event space Ovation for the Tanqueray Trunk Show on March 28. The activation offered a custom "Tanqueray and Tonic" bar, where bartenders served specialty drinks using the gin.
At the Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Hotel in Orlando, executive chef Laurent Branlard creates Easter-theme chocolate sculptures that weigh between 44 and 100 pounds. One such sculpture resembles the classic toy Mr. Potato Head, made out of dark chocolate, cocoa butter, cocoa food coloring, and fondant.
A whimsical dessert from Truffleberry Market in Chicago is a flight of miniature pancakes, served with sweet toppings such as chocolate hazelnut, Meyer lemon curd with berries, and maple bacon.
The 28th Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Ball took place on April 28 at Walter E. Stephens Convention Center. Hargrove set up the ballroom in a theater-in-the-round configuration with the main stage in the center of the space surrounded by dinner tables.
