Trends and Pop Culture: I Love Hollywood

Photo courtesy of Hollywood-blog.net

As I think I have mentioned before... I love Hollywood and all of the celebrity nonsense that surrounds it.  Celebrity gossip reads are a personal favorite and it seems a day is not complete without getting the latest updates.  I consider Pop Culture an area of expertise if you will - as there are times I know more about Britney's upcoming album or Kim Kardashian's next photo shoot than I do about what might be considered "real news".  Whether or not you might consider that somewhat sad, the reality is that Hollywood and Pop Culture play a major role in the trends of the events world.  They ultimately influence most aspects - from color choices to design elements to food selection and beyond.

Let's look at last night's Super Bowl for example - and no, I'm not referring to Christina Aguilera's National Anthem faux-pas... whether we like it or not, the game is part of the Hollywood experience.  Not only is the sport glamorized to begin with, but the Super Bowl is a major trend-setting, A-list attending, glitter covered Hollywood event at its core.  Sure,  many very dedicated and passionate sports fans tune in purely for the football, but many of us - not totally invested and/or interested sports fans - tune in for the trends.  Did you watch that half-time show?  Commercials aside, it's my favorite part.  I took note of the overall presentation and pondered (in awe) the technical elements that were incorporated.  The visuals of the field as a whole with the lit stage pieces and color-changing lit-up costumes totally amazed me.  I was wishing at that very moment that I had an event to plan where I could incorporate light-up dancers.  

While attending The Special Event Conference a few weeks ago, I took a session titled "New Trends Inspired by Hollywood and Pop Culture 2011" with Hillary Harris, the Director of Special Events for Warner Bros. Studios.  Hillary gave us some insight into popular trends, as inspired by Hollywood and Pop Culture that I'd like to share with you:

•  3D Cad Software is the wave of the future.  Products like Vectorworks are taking things to the next level.  Elevate your event layout from drawing to 3D - where you can view the event as it might look in reality from a variety of angles.
• Jewelry is hot.  Incorporate jewelry-making stations at your event where artists are creating pieces in real-time and displaying them on creative decorative elements.  Use bead-work instead of precious stones and if you've got the budget for it - offer the pieces as take-aways.
• Incorporate creative ways of recognizing your sponsors.  Print acrylic transfers with sponsor logos and apply them to different surfaces.  Like a glass tabletop or even a mirror (transfers can be printed to look like they are etched).
• Lounge furniture is still king.  Incorporate more negative space in between vignettes as ultimately, most guests like to stand and mingle. 
• For a traditional sit-down style event, look at incorporating oval tables versus the traditional circle.  Or, use square tables with banquettes for seating instead of chairs.

I've got more to share... enough for multiple blog posts anyways.  So stay tuned... but in the down time - read up on that celebrity gossip! I also recommend checking out Hillary's Blog Hill on Hollywood for more tips and trends.  Many of the events referenced in her presentation are featured. 


Kate Sepe joins Let's Party Magazine.com as the Event Trends Blogger with a background in nonprofit event planning and management. Kate is currently a Special Events Manager with the National Kidney Foundation of Arizona. Kate is a board member with the International Special Events Society (ISES) of Arizona. She expresses a true love and passion for the event industry and is thankful for the opportunity to share unique ideas and popular trends with readers.