See These Glamorous Takes on Unglamorous Event Themes

To introduce a new product, Beautyblender, which is known for its ubiquitous hot pink makeup sponges, created a bodega-inspired pop-up shop in downtown Manhattan in July 2018. Doused in the brand’s signature bright shade, the shop was open to the public and hosted events with guests such as makeup artist Mario Dedivanovic.

The raw space was transformed by HL Group’s event team with nods to the classic New York City bodega, including fridge cases that served as product display areas, branded grocery items like water bottles and paper towels, and hot pink milk crates. A newsstand-inspired step-and-repeat built with custom-branded magazines became a natural photo moment for guests.

Toilet paper isn't necessarily associated with the glamour of New York Fashion Week, but in September 2016 Cottonelle hosted an offshoot event that showcased its product in a creative, decorative way. The toilet-paper brand hosted a beauty lounge that offered pampering, photo ops, gift bags, and small bites for celebrities, media, and influencers—plus, a feature wall created with rolls of toilet paper, which was designed by BMF Media Group. Along with serving as an ornamental element, the wall was a backdrop for a photo booth that encouraged guests to pose with hygiene-related confessional signs. See more: See a Decorative Toilet-Paper Wall Created for New York Fashion Week

The California Science Center in Los Angeles mixed upscale elegance with playful touches for its Discovery Ball fund-raiser in March, which had a dog theme based on its latest exhibit. The evening, which was planned in-house, kicked off with a carnival-inspired cocktail party; highlights included dog-shape hedges (including some that appeared to be peeing on the furniture), a champagne wall where guests were handed drinks from sock puppets, human dog "treats" modeled after traditional dog snacks, and a custom-fabricated white bar shaped like a bone.

Dinner took place within the Samuel Oschin Pavilion, which was transformed to resemble an upscale dog park with 16-foot trees covered in twinkle lights, oversize floral centerpieces, street lights, and green linens. A 10-foot-tall dog, fabricated by florists CJ Matsumoto & Sons, sat on stage. See more: See a Black-Tie Take on a Dog Theme

Maybelline New York's "Best of" event, held in Los Angeles in October, had a New York City subway theme produced by Agency Guacamole. Different "subway lines" showcased Maybelline products for brows, eyes, face, and lips.

Inside the event, held at Casita Hollywood, painted lines on the floor led the audience of beauty editors to designated areas. Other on-theme touches included cookies shaped like New York's yellow taxis and MetroCard subway passes.

In February 2017, the Norton Museum of Art in West Palm Beach, Florida, celebrated the first year of construction of a new wing with a gala that featured design elements such as copper pipe, safety cones, and fencing. The entrance included live music and a road-work-style sign displaying the name of the event.

Centerpieces included yellow fencing paired with white flowers; additional seating arrangements included sawhorse tables with copper pipe centerpieces.

Servers and bartenders wore construction vests, and additional decor included safety cones. See more: See Inside a Construction-Theme Museum Gala

Daily Harvest, a direct-to-consumer brand that delivers organic, plant-based meals, hosted a pop-up inspired by a retro gas station in November 2018 in New York. The brand’s first offline activation, which was produced by the Gathery, served smoothies from “gas pumps." An avocado slice called “the 'Cado Car” served as a twist on the nostalgic kiddie rides often found outside gas stations, and servers were dressed in branded coveralls. The DJ booth was styled like a cashier counter, complete with faux lottery tickets. See more: Why This Brand Served Smoothies From a Gas Pump

For its annual summer party in June 2016, experiential marketing agency MKG chose a "car wash" theme. Guests were greeted by staffers dressed as car-wash attendees, and decorative Jerry cans were lined up throughout the space. The dance floor was constructed on elevated platforms designed to look like a car-wash conveyor belt, and guests could pose in an interactive photo booth that was decorated to resemble car-wash cloth strips.

Additional details included car-wash air dancers and props designed to look like life-size hanging car deodorants. A few of the party staffers were also dressed as these decorations. See more: Summer Entertaining Ideas: a Car Wash-Theme Party

For this year's Robin Hood Benefit, held in New York in May, the nonprofit worked with David Stark Design & Production to create a "Robin Hood to the Power of You" theme. The design included math-related classroom components, including an oversize desk and chair—with the organization's logo cleverly etched classroom-vandal style underneath the desk—and a digital blackboard with a hand writing messages tied to the foundation's mission. Other highlights included a tunnel of 7,000 backpacks displayed in colorful rows, plus math learning toys as centerpieces. (The backpacks and toys were donated after the event.)

The cocktail space featured large-scale shapes and symbols turned into decor, such as an oversize calculator, a ruler, a pencil, and the infinity sign. Some were rendered in 3-D while others were trompe l'oeil.

Movement artists, under the direction of choreographer Sarah O'Gleby, worked with one another to create shapes, a process that Stark described as "a poetic way of using the body." Dancers also performed on an abacus, underneath a giant pencil, and on a platform with a cyr wheel. See more: Do the Math: New York's Biggest Benefit Turned an Equation Into Event Design

For a first birthday party in Los Angeles in April 2018, C Rezende Events created an extravagant design out of something quite simple: rubber ducks. The outdoor event was decked in on-theme yellow, white, and blue colors, and decorated with giant kid-friendly props and plenty of balloons. Every aspect was designed to tie into the "Rubber Duckland" theme, including a specialty cocktail, the DJ set list, the food presentation, and even the staff outfits. One eye-catching highlight was the event's dessert table: A vintage bathtub was turned into a huge flower centerpiece, and clear balloons were used to resemble bubbles. A large blue birthday cake also adopted a bathtub theme, with bubbles and more rubber ducks.

An additional dessert station featured on-theme props such as rain boots. See more: How Rubber Ducks Became a Glamorous Birthday Party Theme

Dave’s Killer Bread hosted a prison-theme restaurant pop-up in early 2019 in Toronto. The space, which aimed to educate the public about ex-offenders, featured a station where attendees could pick up prison-style phones to listen to the stories of former inmates. A prison cell was designed to mimic that of Dave's Killer Bread's co-founder Dave Dahl, who spent 15 years in prison. Mosaic Experiential Marketing produced the pop-up, which also raised money for two charities that give ex-offenders and at-risk communities a second chance. See more: Does This Restaurant Pop-Up Glamorize Prison Culture?

At the Ulta Beauty GM Conference in Atlanta in April, MAC Cosmetics worked with JJLA to create a booth that evoked both a construction site and a beauty parlor. Designed to confront stereotypes of masculinity and femininity, the whimsical space told stories of people who are beautifying both themselves and the world around them.