Simple, Yet Inventive, Events

Events are a dime a dozen, and so many people who throw events have no business doing so. (That’s a bolding opening sentence — we’re just being honest!) Really though, you can’t just pass around hors d’oeuvres, hire a DJ, slop together a bar that serves beer and wine, and call it an event.

No, an event requires endless hours of meetings and preparation, subtle or in-your-face touches that convey a specific message, strategy — we could go on. A professional event planner would consider an event a success if guests walked away with a clear understanding of why they actually attended the event.

With an industry that’s so saturated, it’s hard to come up with innovative and original ways to make a lasting impression on your audience. Recently, we’ve seen some awesome trends that have inspired us to be better event planners and think more outside the proverbial box.

Disclaimer: We bet these brands had legit budgets….an event planners dream!

In Goop Health

Talk about thoughtful touches! Goop.com, Gwenyth Paltrow’s health-inspired brand that offers wellness advice, held a wellness summit last June. The summit was cleverly named after the famous “in good health” saying, and guests and V.I.P.’s walked in front of an enormous step and repeat made of vegetables (lettuce, artichoke, radicchio, radish, red chard, broccoli, and more). Eye-catching, connects brilliantly to the theme — we love it.

Museum of Contemporary Art Chicago’s Art Edge 50

In June, The Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago celebrated its 50th anniversary with the opening of famed Japanese artist Takashi Murakami’s octopus-inspired exhibit. The museum held an ultra-exclusive event (tickets started at $2,500) where the all-white tables were topped with bright ping pong balls resembling octopus tentacles. A pop of color to draw the eye in and an abstract, creative tie back to the theme — awesome.

Brooklyn Brewery Mash’s Beer Mansion

This summer, Brooklyn Brewery is throwing a beer festival with 2-day beer bashes around the world called Beer Mansion. Guests get to enjoy rooms upon rooms of unlimited craft beer, awesome food, tech, games, art, and music.

In April, the brewery celebrated the opening night of its first event in Brooklyn, and it was impressive. They leveraged the latest adult coloring trend and had paint-by-number canvases for guests to paint. And you could also make your own spin art coasters. Good beer, kid-like activities — we’ll take it. The festival travels until October, so check it out. (Maybe we’ll call these planners. Beer Mansion sounds like it needs a silent disco!)