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When the best teams in the NFL go head to head in the season-ending game of champions, the host city floods with international VIPs. That’s exactly what happened last month when Super Bowl LIII, that’s 53 to you non-Romans, took place in Atlanta. Pitting the zillion-time defending New England Patriots against the Rams from sunny Los Angeles, this year’s matchup brought Maroon 5, Big Boi and even Gladys Knight to perform at the acclaimed Mercedes-Benz Stadium. For the WM Events team, the week of Super Bowl was taken up with doing what we do best – producing events. Here are two that we think really scored.
Sumptuous Speakeasy
On pre-game Friday evening, WM Events secured admission to one of Atlanta’s best-kept secret locations for NBCUniversal’s 40 dinner guests. Within the award-winning Italian steakhouse KR SteakBar, The Bureau is a private speakeasy with a nod to the 1920s and a rich, masculine vibe. It proved to be a fitting location for these sports execs and fans who dined on a five-course meal served family style in this intimate atmosphere.
To accommodate guests, we created two long tables and topped them with arctic velvet linens in seafoam then lined them with a mixture of tall and short moody centerpieces in heavy silver vases. With the addition of 40 mercury glass votives, a sumptuous impression was created. Oversized versions of the centerpieces were placed in the room, which was illuminated with uplighting. The evening’s sole branding, embroidered napkins displayed the NBCUniversal logo.
Completing the prohibition-era theme, the evening’s entertainment included songstress Kayce Grogan-Wallace and pianist Judy Cole. Paired with Chef Kevin Rathbun’s menu, which featured dishes like Pappardelle with Duck Confit and Wagyu Spinalis, the décor, music and surrounding leather banquettes ignited all the senses.
Pre-Game at Paschal’s
For a much larger Super Bowl party, we decked out event spaces at the famous Southern restaurant Paschal’s where a corporate client welcomed 150 guests during the hours before the big game. In the historic downtown space located just blocks from the stadium, we again incorporated a masculine décor that was brightened with metallic accents and crystal, gold and brass chandeliers.
Guests entered the venue through the Carousel Lounge courtyard and were greeted by all the fresh kettle corn they could eat. Inside, we used drapery to transform space and meet the needs of the event, constructing a coat check and registration area with tall sheers. By lining the tunnel into the larger event space with satin drapery and projecting colorful lights onto it, we created an impactful, celebratory entrance.
The main event space featured a variety of seating, always maintaining a rich, Southern traditional feel, with subtle gridiron accents like mini footballs in hexagonal centerpieces and helmets serving as planters. Other sports were honored too with antique equipment placed throughout the perimeter. The historic, sporting theme was apparent yet not overdone.
Combining brown leather sofas, wood tables and metal accents with gold and jewel tones imparted a total sense of richness from the seating to the farmhouse food tables. Muted, spiny greenery and succulents provided an on-theme exchange for floral centerpieces. Nevertheless, the sparkle was omnipresent in the form of golden, lit votives placed everywhere.
Now on to Miami in 2020 for Super Bowl 54!
Photography: PWP Studio
