Ford Presidents Gala

Transforming one of Canada’s oldest and most iconic hotels into a luxurious event environment, while ensuring a strong brand presence for our high-profile client was no simple task.

This event challenged us to overcome historical city ordinances, to load into a hotel with no loading dock, and to walk each and every piece of décor through the hotel without the aid of elevators.

Despite these obstacles, we successfully reinforced the client's brand through gorgeously lit lounges and a ballroom that respected the grandeur of the hotel while creating its own cohesive presence in the space for over 300 guests.

The choice of the historic event venue set the tone for the profile of this event, however the venue and its décor alone would not provide the necessary prestige for this event. We were tasked with ensuring we took the existing feel of the venue and expertly elevated it with contemporary yet classy focal points, gorgeous tablescapes and truly upscale brand reinforcement in our choices for accents and display pieces.

Our Approach

The venue for the event was the historic Chateau Frontenac, Fairmont Hotel in Quebec City, Canada, which was built in 1893. The existing interior design and architecture is ornate and beautiful, so our design needed to work with (not compete against) the existing design.

Our creative direction for was born out of the concept of ‘reflection’. The event was an evening to reflect on the successes of the past year so our design incorporated mirrors and shimmering accents.

By blending lighting with our choice of “reflection” as a theme the space was transformed into a world that shimmered and shone. The space made each attendee feel like they’d left the real world behind, if only for one night.

Modern elements with high-end ornate twists, crystal beading and sequin added sparkle. Silver, mirrors, crystals and blue accents throughout represented the client's brand with conviction and grace.

By employing a design which worked to elevate the look of the hotel, as opposed to try to mask it and waste budget completely transforming the space, we were able to utilize a relatively small budget to change the space with an entirely new and unique feel.

Our choice of hard goods and floral in combination for table designs allowed for a voluminous feel and look while keeping the costs relatively low when compared to all fresh floral.

The use of mirrors in conjunction with lighting, and the inherent reflections, made the space feel larger and worked to spread the lighting for an even more wondrous transformation.

Features

Registration Lounge - Guests were welcomed to the lounge space by an ornate gold floor-standing mirror, branded with the client's logo. Inside, two stylized lounges were designed in white and blue with accents of pillows, florals and flickering candles all featuring the brand palette of our client. Gold mercury vessels on both coffee and end tables complimented the rooms beautiful gold drum shaded ceiling lights.

Square gold cruiser tables featured white plexiglas Logo-branded tops and floral pauves while coordinating café tables in the space were paired with blue chiavari chairs with a white padded seat.

Foyer Space - Guests were welcomed off of the elevators by an 8’x 8’ mirror collage wall. The wall was painted out in silver with damask print graphic accents and collages of hanging mirrors displaying inspiring words such as “reflect” and “shine”.

Photo Opportunity - Guests had a keepsake photo taken in front of a custom beaded frame wall. Not only did this area offer a branded memory of the event, it also helped fill the room with additional themed décor in our color palette. The wall was flanked by two floral pieces with white on white blooms and candle collections set atop mirrored pedestals.

Bars - Two white Plexiglas double bars in the space showcased a blue damask graphic pattern on the front and were backed by reflective silver draping. Bar backs coordinated with the white Plexiglas and featured extensive chrome accents with collections of candles and floral in mirrored vases along the tops of each.

Statement Décor Pieces - Two mirrored 14’ x 10’ walls were featured as décor elements in the space and captured the reflection of the room beautifully as well as the view from the foyer floor. Coordinating mirrored fireplaces added depth to the mirrored walls. The fireplaces featured myriads of flickering battery operated candle collections and sterling vessels with white hydrangea blooms.

Dining Space - The hotel ballroom already features beautiful crystal chandeliers and wall sconces in the space, so we wanted to focus on stunning table designs that picked up the existing glamour of the room. We again mixed the contemporary vibe and upscale ornate aesthetic together. We did this in our table designs by using some long, white and chrome Plexiglas imperial dining tables and mixing in some round venue dining tables. This made for a very unique table layout in the space rather than one repetitive sea of rounds.

Design Concepts

Table Design #1 - White and chrome plexi dining tables were paired with clear ornate ghost chairs and caught the beautiful reflection of the tablescape design. Each table featured five crystal candlesticks and four cylinders with floating flickering candles. Two petite floral collections with white on white blooms were an added detail to soften the design. A hint of blue was brought in through tailor folded blue napkins, which sat atop a silver dahlia patterned charger plate.

Table Design #2 - The round tables featured silver sequin table linens and were paired with a smoke ornate ghost chair. This table design featured four crystal candlesticks and three cylinders with floating candles and two petite floral collections.

Stage Design - Our stage design was a multi-layered silver fabric wall that caught the reflection of the programmed lighting, which was cast on it.

Dancefloor - A custom white vinyl dancefloor wrap was an added detail and featured the client's logo central on the floor.

After Hours Snack Stations - To change things up, we added gold sequin table linens, mirrored risers and collections of candles for the snack stations after dinner in the foyer. We repurposed the lounges from the gallery space into the venue furnishings so guests could enjoy a late night high-end liqueur.

The Result

Our client was thrilled and so were the attendees... it was a great example of using design to reinforce, but not distract from, a unique venue and to set the stage for a truly memorable evening.