Glitter, gold, & luxury
A night to remember with Toronto’s high society, designed as part of Seneca’s Event Management: Event & Exhibit Design program in partnership with ESP Inc. and CANFAR
Student designers (clockwise, L-R): Kirsten Burkard, Aishwaryaa Satam, Kelly Braendel, Josephine Chung
Faculty advisor: John MacBride
Professional photos provided by Alex Bruce Photography
With a glittering expanse of gold, silver, and glass, guests at Maison Birks felt as if they were looking through a jewelry case. The delicate arrangements of white roses and amaryllis added the perfect romantic quality to a venue familiar with stories of love, elegance, and opulence, allowing their guests to truly sit in the lap of luxury.
From concept to execution, the design process for Bloor Street Entertains was incredibly humbling. While it’s easy to assume the design is the most important element of a guest’s experience, we quickly realized that we were only one small part of the overall success of not only Bloor Street Entertains as a whole but our specific venue as well. Clear communication was the key to our success, and by emphasizing its importance at every stage we were not only able to deliver something we were proud of but something our venue and their guests will be talking about for years to come.
Partners
This event would not have been success without the generous support of these incredible industry partners
Goals
1. Raise money and awareness for AIDS research in Canada. In 2019, organizers set an aggressive goal of raising $1,000,000 — an amount that far surpassed any previous years’ efforts. In the end, the event raised $1,100,000.00 through a combination of ticket sales, individual donations, and bidding at the silent auction.
2. Provide Seneca’s Event Management students with positive, hands-on experience with logistics and design at a prestigious event. From conducting site visits, holding production meetings with ESP Inc., CANFAR, and venue partners, to designing and installing décor, these objectives were met as sponsors commended the students for their professionalism, attention to detail, and passion for the event.
Problem solving
As our first experience designing for a luxury client, we had many opportunities to flex our creative problem solving muscles
Problem: proposed table layout was not possible due to existing permanent fixtures in store
Solution: create intimacy and connection by limiting sightline obstructions and mimicking a banquet table set up
Problem: client has hosted many successful events using the same decor themes and pieces, making them hesitant to try anything dramatically different
Solution: introduce new decor elements that play on the themes they like while still making a bold, dramatic statement
The experience of a lifetime
This incredible evening taught us all a number of things we will carry with us over the course of our careers, and we are forever grateful to everyone who helped turn this dream into a reality
Complete list of project deliverables:
Concept boards with research on client, venue/sponsor (CANFAR, Birks), florist (Jackie O)
Decor concept boards (using rentals from event sponsors Chair Decor & Chair-man Mills)
Final concept boards (including full place settings based on chef’s request)
Venue site inspection
Venue floor plan and tablescape diagrams
Production schedule
Rental and event orders
Menu design
Event install and strike