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Changing for dinner takes on a new meaning during the Masters Golf Tournament week. Not only do the guests freshen up before an evening meal, but the hospitality spaces often do too. For WM Events, that meant creating multiple dinner looks for the 20+ events we produced and executed at this year’s tournament.
In case you’ve never attended the Masters or another golf tournament, let us begin by explaining how the hospitality works. First, organizations secure temporary housing in the lovely city of Augusta, and we’re not talking about hotel rooms or Airbnb. In this case, only really luxe, really big, really stately homes will do the trick. Some of these homes might be used as accommodations, but the truly grand spaces become the site of the organization’s invite-only dinners.
Because some guests come back for more than one dinner, we were asked to change the looks from night to night. So like we are big time Hollywood producers, we go in and get everything camera ready, then do it all over the next day.
For our team, this year’s Masters included 20 dinners at three houses, décor at a fourth space, and ongoing set-up and strike throughout the week. Was it a hole in one? Absolutely.
Read on to find out what we did in each house.
The Dock House
At a stunning home on a peninsula jutting into the Savannah River, an American multinational investment bank hosted four nights of dinners for 40 guests each night. Every event featured a distinct look right down to the napkin fold, which meant we developed four special designs for the cocktail hours and dinners. Looks were classic with farm tables and neutrals paired with hints of copper, verdigre, gold, jade or emerald, depending on the night.
The dinners took place outside on a 30-by-30-ft. platform we created with flooring, and guests also enjoyed a fireside chat at each event for which we fulfilled the audio-visual needs. The dining space next to a pool with floating decor was surrounded with lanterns and florals, while market lights and grapevine spheres were strung overhead. The fully outdoor nature of these dinners called for a rain plan, which we developed — deemed a winning task when it stormed one evening, and we were able to quickly adjust the dinner to a location inside the house.
We brought in a personal chef to create the dinners. She also provided breakfast and lunch every day in this busy hospitality house. At all hours, visitors were welcomed by a variety of white floral arrangements with hints of green and rustic succulents. We provided floral decor for the client’s additional properties too.
The Tent House
It was double the fun at the hospitality home hosted by a multinational shipping & receiving company that held eight dinners during the tournament. The number of guests started at 20 with earlier events then ramped up to 40. These dinners also took place outside, but in this case, we brought in a giant tent with glass walls, power, air conditioning and flooring. Smaller tents were added for catering.
The tent was dolled up with boxwood walls and plants, while three chandeliers hung from the ceiling. We created a farmhouse look with wooden tables and natural linen runners, as well as florals with warm spring hues like yellow, mustard and orange. To this context, we added three complete table looks, which were rotated throughout the week — all designs featured shades of green, white and metallics to easily coordinate with the overall look of the tent.
For this house, we also created the fireside chat setup, such as seating and AV equipment. It needed to be top notch because speakers included figures like Condoleezza Rice, UPS CEO Carol Tomé, Jack Nicklaus and more.
We had a rain plan for this house too, and when the skies opened, we moved dinner to the covered patio we had previously used for cocktail receptions.
The Pool House
The host of the Pool House dinners was a newcomer to the Masters and pulled out all the stops for eight intimate dinners and fun throughout the day. We started by placing a 30-by-30-ft. tent in the driveway to bring in a golf simulator and lounge. In the lounge, we incorporated homey foliage and a combination of highboys with stools and living room-style seating with coffee tables and branded pillows.
We decorated the entrance to the home with lanterns, LED candles, and an orange and white floral archway. To bring in the look of the client’s retail offerings, we used pieces supplied by the company like furniture and a pergola then added on-brand potted plants and wood elements. This theme continued into the backyard decor, which also featured a large floating logo in the pool and multiple boxwood backdrops with logo graphics.
Here, the dinners took place in a pool house, and guests first mingled in the backyard during cocktail hour, enjoying a whisky tasting. We created three total tablescape and floral looks for the numerous dinners, which were rotated each night. All looks leaned into the client’s brand by highlighting wood and natural elements. For Easter dinner, shell and ceramic plates were paired with peachy florals for a lighter style.
There was a lot to do at this house, even beyond the golf simulator. Guests had the option of stopping by the oxygen bar and lounge to sample flavored pure oxygen. Musicians provided entertainment each evening, and a cigar roller was on site for select events. For the fireside chats, we again provided the setup and AV, and we styled the entire home with large- and small-scale bright white floral arrangements paired with succulents. Our updates to the home also included pillows, table runners, shelf accessories and more to bring everything in concert with the client’s brand and look. This extended to the piano room and tournament ticket pick-up area too.
The Modern House
Our fourth project at this year’s tournament was for a sports marketing agency that needed assistance with creating a modern look in a home that was more traditional. We removed the existing furniture from the house and stored it on our truck then brought in pieces that were more contemporary. We styled the tables, chairs and bar to produce just the look the client desired.
We pulled all of this off by importing more than a dozen staff members from Atlanta. And of course, we relied on many great partners and vendors to supply just what we needed when we needed it. Come to think of it, this wasn’t just a hole-in-one, it was more of a Grand Slam.
