The annual Tablescape Competition drew a crowd and got the creative juices flowing on the tradeshow floor. Sixty participants broke into teams, received a design prompt (following the formula of a celebrity client and an event scenario), and had limited time to design and build their tables. The competition was co-chaired and judged by Michelle Howard (Flora Couture), Colton Staver (The JDK Group), and Matthew Crowe (Hilton Norfolk The Main), and also judged by Laura Schwartz (Laura Schwartz Live) and Ron Ben-Israel (Ron Ben-Israel Cakes). All the tables were colorful, resourceful, and a delight to behold!
This year's judges.
Here's a look!
All photos courtesy Ivan Piedra Photography/AGNYC Productions/SpotMyPhotos
Spectators were encouraged to shoot photos of all the entries. The winning tablescape used vibrantly colored dishware and linens, as well as lush greens for the centerpiece.
There were several styles of tables and chairs participants were assigned to work with, like this set of cocktail tables pushed together. David Merrell (AOO Events) predicted during his annual trend session that event professionals will be avoiding the standard banquet hotel rounds this year, instead looking to mix shapes and scale.
Participants had a limited amount of time to assemble their design.
The color green made its way into nearly all of the designs, even if it was a small touch. According to Kristin Banta (Kristin Banta Events) chartreuse will be one of the colors of the year.
Each team worked together to identify the florals and decor they wanted to use, then build the look as quickly as they could.
Dopamine decor ( bold, vibrant, patern play, whimsical colors and elements) will be trending this year as a way to evoke joy, playfulness, and positivity.\
This tablescape incorporated Patone's Color of the Year Peach Fuzz.
"Preppy" inispired design, such as stripes, will be big in 2024.
