D PLUS D Events were once again delighted to help style the annual kick off to VIP’s in the events industry: Av1’s Long Summer Lunch. Leading audio visual provider AV1 hosted its annual Long Summer Lunch in January, taking guests on a whimsical journey into a Wonderland-inspired setting, this year at the breathtaking MCA venue in Sydney.

The Event

Each January, our friends at AV1 host their Long Summer Lunch in MCA’s Harbourside Room as a thank-you to their clients for their support throughout the previous year. The lunch has a fun, summery, relaxed vibe to be reflected through the styling and décor.

The annual event in late January has been mostly held at the MCA in their Harbourside room. Located on the rooftop of the Museum of Contemporary Art Australia, the understated but luxurious interior finishes of the Harbourside Room provide a sleek contemporary backdrop. Fitted with lime-washed cedar ceilings, Australian hardwood flooring and floor-to-ceiling glass windows, this venue provides an uninterrupted view across Sydney Harbour, the Opera House and the city skyline.

The Brief

The themed event is exclusively for 130 VIP guests of AV1. Being talented innovators and at the top of their game in the industry, AV1 approached us with some fabulous creative and inventive ideas for how they envision the space. They always bring a fun challenge to the table and this years theme was no different.

The chosen theme for this year was AV1derland – a blend of Alice in Wonderland and The Secret Garden with a bright, celebratory summer vibe. Their vision was for guests to enter through a garden maze as they step out of the lifts, leading through to the main space styled with three long kings tables. Also to help accentuate the theme, a feature vine wall was to be installed along the windows and a forest floor of synthetic turf and scattered leaves. In essence transforming the venue into an enchanted secret forest.

The Proposal

Although the theme is usually styled with a more European, winter style, we put a bright summer twist on this Alice in Wonderland and The Secret Garden theme. We managed to accomplish this by brightening the colour palette to whites, greens and pastels, using lush green ferns and vines and bright colourful garden blooms. The large venue windows looking out over Circular Quay were draped with a mix of assorted synthetic green vines and pops of synthetic ferns, creeping up to the ceiling with vintage tea cups hanging overhead.

For the long tables we used eclectic white and timber chairs and clustered centrepieces consisting of vintage books, teapots, clocks, assorted vases and ornaments and pops of fresh blooms and greenery. We ran long synthetic turf runners between the tables with fresh green leaves scattered over top, to give guests a feel of walking over a forest floor as they moved through the space.

The Execution

Our skilled stylists and production team spent weeks organising the level of detail required for the event. We split bump-in over 2 days, used three truckloads of décor & seven crew members to bump in all the items into the MCA and up to the Harbourside Room level. Once everything was on-site, the team diligently went about transforming the space into an enchanted Wonderland secret forest. Liaising with MCA staff, our client AV1 and their team to ensure all the areas were in sync and styled to theme.

Although it rained on and off all morning with storms threatening to creep in, the sun came out just in time to dry off the outdoor terrace. This allowed our crew to set-up the feature bar and all the cocktail decor for the guests pre-lunch drinks.

The much anticipated event was again another resounding success.

All guests entered through an overgrown garden and vintage gate, while garden sounds played overhead. Inside, the venue was transformed into an Alice in Wonderland-inspired secret garden, with an artificial grass floor scattered with leaves, greenery framing the windows and tea cups hanging from the roof.

A custom wall projection, took over the entire length of one wall, completing the atmosphere with whimsical garden scenes.

Guests loved the fun and quirky setting as they enjoyed their afternoon in the warm summer sunshine.

Some encouraging feedback from the client: AV1:

Thank you SO much for everything on Friday and in the lead up. We had so many comments about the styling and the entrance in particular was a huge hit.

It was a seamless process working with you throughout and you made everything look beautiful and on theme. Love your work!

 

From A-List Guide – the leading corporate event directory and only A–Z Guide for organising events in Australia:

“Overall, the event was a huge success, and the secret garden theme was executed flawlessly.”

There was also a news article from respected Event Industry Publication: Spice Magazine

“Divine Events were behind the styling for the day, creating an Alice in Wonderland vibe with quirky, vintage elements throughout the space.”

Huge thank you to AV1 for letting us help style this important event for them, along with all the other suppliers involved in pulling this event together:

Registration Kiosks | Sprinter by AV1
Venue | Museum of Contemporary Art Australia
Catering | The Fresh Collective
Entertainment | Chutney
Photographer | Feather & Birch