The events team at the Art Gallery of Ontario held their annual Industry Night this past week, and it was truly an evening to remember! Toronto’s top industry professionals descended upon the landmark, Frank Gehry-designed building to enjoy the venue’s renowned cuisine, be inspired by the latest in decor, and hob nob among fellow peers and colleagues. The event gave a nod to the upcoming AGO exhibition Yayoi Kusama: Infinity Mirrors, focusing on the idea of creating inspiration, meaning, and possibilities. It definitely lived up to its inspirational roots and the photographers at Ikonica and videographers at Images Life Media were fortunately onsite to capture the magic.
The evening’s experience begins even before you enter the magnificent space to the white glove valet service provided by our friends at Northern Valet. Guests then entered through Walker Court, underneath the iconic staircase. Reznick Event Carpets set the tone for the event with a lengthy, runway-esque entrance. Following the path of lush spring-inspired florals from Stemz and the murmurs of distant crowds, the dramatic and suspenseful entryway lay promise to a fantastic evening ahead. It was a pleasant start to the night and a great spot to snap a selfie!
Upstairs in Baillie Court, you could truly see the exhibition inspiration come to life. For anyone who hasn’t seen it yet (spoiler alert!), Yayoi Kusama’s exhibit is a mirror-lined chamber housing a seemingly endless LED light display. Palettera Custom Correspondences designed and Emerson Design printed floor to ceiling graphics that mimicked the dazzling lights. The light-inspired motif was carried across the entire space including above the central bar, backdrops and even into the lounge pillows.
The fine folks at FireDog Creative did a fantastic job providing full technical event support from hanging the fabulous acrylic and light ceiling install designed by Stemz to building the gorgeous walls.
All tableware courtesy of Element Event Solutions
Peter and the team at Contemporary Furniture Rentals always bring their A-game! The gorgeous furniture rentals struck the perfect balance of both form and function.
The AGO culinary team never disappoints. Their innovative food stations took inspiration from Asian cuisine, with delicacies like seared tuna tataki, squid ink dumplings and hibiscus panna cotta. It was fine dining in small bites, allowing everyone to mix and mingle with ease. Staffing from The Butler Did It kept the food coming all night long – no guest left hungry!
Guests were invited to sign their autograph and added it to the infinity-inspired photobooth backdrop – anything interactive is always a great idea!
There were so many great people to see, amazing food to feast on, and so much inspiration to take with us into the upcoming event season. Impressing a steady flow of over 600 special industry professionals year after year is no easy feat, and the AGO has managed to outdo themselves once again! A big thanks to the entire AGO team for inviting us along for the ride!
