Toronto, Canada
Legendary Toronto Event Dynamos Do it Again
So when the team there was tasked with making the “ultimate desert room” for kids, they naturally turned to the classics.
With inspiration from the beloved story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, they orchestrated an event not soon forgotten.
“There is no life I know to compare with pure imagination.”
– Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder)
What better setting to stage a fantasy?
Toronto’s legendary Sunnybook Estates provided the perfect venue to overlay the theme. As an admirer of classic architecture, let me just say that this building is a gem. And rather than cover it, Lead Creative Director Sebastien Centner challenged his team to work in harmony with the surroundings. An instinct that paid off.
The space
With 3 walls of windows overlooking a lush ravine, I imagine this room would be perfect for grown ups to sit and admire the view. But this event was a celebration of youth. So the room needed to become the “unexpected”. It needed to dazzle and capture the imagination. Have you ever tried to catch the imagination of a 12 year old? Not an easy task. Eatertainment nailed it.
It starts with a Doodle
Measuring tape in hand and a sketch pad within reach, the group mapped out a plan. Uncovering hidden opportunities and limitations. Lighting, decor, deserts – I’m getting a cavity just thinking about it.
The entrance
To maintain a sense of mystery, the entrance way was covered with a velvet curtain and revealed after dinner. With beautiful winding carpets and a bubble machine to pull you right into the action.
Exterior Windows
Printed on translucent stock at one of Canada’s leading retail print experts – Proprint. Once the lighting team had their shot at it, the interior of the room was bathed in stunning colour and sweet treats. Outside the windows – not so pretty. Except to the installation team anyway.
Let there be light
Vector art allows designers to be accurate with shape and bold with colour. This project is a living example of that principle in practice. A marriage of math, design, imagination and technique.
This factory really works
We had fun with the look of the custom inserts. Drawing upon a steampunk style with a clean polish. You become enveloped in an idea. And for a brief moment, transported to another world.
That’s what Eatertainment does. They make moments like this really count for their clients. Manufacturing memories that punctuate and inspire.
Proprint Printing
Both Eatertainment and Vectorvault turn to Proprint to turn technical nightmares into works of art. Using vector art as the language and state of the art material and technique, everything fit together perfectly. How ’bout that?
Proprint specializes in retail production, but they never seem to turn their backs on an opportunity to do something that no one has ever done before. They are worth a bookmark.
A blast to work on
While we were working on this, you can’t help but think about the kids that were going to enjoy it. But I also thought allot about the parents behind this event. They turned to Seabastien and his team to create something that would express the love that they had for their son. I actually found that quite inspiring.
It shows the kind of trust that this event company has earned and is a testament to the reputation they have earned.
Vector illustrations and design by
Adam Jarvis
Q and A with Sebastien Centner – Entertainment
How do you design a menu for a room full of celebrating tweens and families?
Where do you start?
Whether we’re designing a menu or an overall event concept we also start with two things: the Client and the theme. Every event is about bringing an idea to life and in the case of our clients they typically have a vision in mind and its our job to develop a menu that matches that vision while also meeting all the other necessary criteria (budget, feasibility, etc.)
So, does the classic story theme hold up with this high tech generation?
Absolutely! Certain concepts of course work better than other in terms of themes, but classic story themes are ideal. Also with the advances in digital, social media, and print all these high tech additions can easily be included in an overall concept and design to further enhance the experience and interact with guests via new and exciting ways (e.g.: live twitter feed, photos sent direct to FB, etc)
Why did Sunnybrook “fit the bill” for this one?
Funny enough Sunnybrook was selected for the main event before the Chocolate Factory idea even came to be. We were brought in for this specific portion of the event and originally were given another room to work with but when I saw the solarium, between the concrete walls, lead-windowed archway and the massive windows looking outside I immediately saw the concept come to life and we decided to move the chocolate factory into that room!
Special Thanks
Many individuals helped to bring this project to reality.
A special appreciation to the following talented individuals:
MeeLee Ryu
Elisabeth Pachner
Patricia Sandriesser
Stefanie Ringhofer
Tammi Taylor
Andre Agate
and the staff at Sunnybrook Estates.
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