Event Spotlight: WeWork First Year Anniversary Party in Boston
WeWork celebrated its first year in Boston with an anniversary party as magnificent as the city itself. On the day of the event, stunning food, spectacular cocktails and upbeat entertainment welcomed 1,000 people from the Boston community.
Our challenge was to engage guests and encourage them to circulate among the floors, and we accomplished this by transforming each floor into a unique experience. Based on the chatter among guests, it was clear that the different food stations and specialty cocktails did their jobs.
Setting the Scene
The anniversary party venue featured wood panel walls and modern designs that lent themselves to a contemporary celebration. Boston Event Lighting and Films provided moving/intelligent lighting and A/V featuring blue and green hues to enhance the ambience.
In addition to a neon sign with the slogan “We Work Better Together,” we drove home WeWork’s message with these anniversary party decorations:
- Food signs: innovative dishes introduced by modern displays were one way we reinforced WeWork’s culture. We displayed menu items with framed clear panels that labeled dishes “WeWork” at the bottom.
- WeWork posters: grand signs delivered messages like “BECOME A MEMBER OF OUR COMMUNITY” and “BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED COLLABORATIVE WORKSPACE.” Intended to complement the anniversary party theme, these posters featured contemporary business backgrounds.
- Party favors table: as guests left, WeWork wished them a “good night” with mini notebooks and pennants that remind guests to “Do What You Love.”
Anniversary Party Food Stations
We created a custom anniversary party menu including several unique food stations as well as an open bar and signature cocktails. We also took care of the liquor liability and bar set up so WeWork could simply enjoy their big first year celebration. Most guests could not settle on one food station, so they visited multiple floors to enjoy several of these menu items:
Second Floor: “Work Hard, Play Hard”
Guests enjoyed a Cranberry Manhattan cocktail and these tasty bites:
- Seasonal crudité shooters: served in a creamy buttermilk basil sauce
- Italian meatballs: enjoyed in a crushed tomato sauce
- Popcorn bags: flavored with traditional butter or jazzed up with rosemary & sea salt or truffle flavors
- Warm buffalo chicken dip: alongside pretzel bites
Third Floor: “Head in the Clouds”
Guests’ spirits soared as they enjoyed beer, wine and Ginger Tangerine Sangrias with this Mediterranean cuisine:
- Tomato and walnut tabouleh
- Chickpea and parsnip hummus
- Whipped feta with sweet pepper relish
- Muhammarra
- Stuffed grape leaves
- Citrus roasted olives
- Pita chips + grilled focaccia
7th Floor: “Cheesy Goodness”
On this level, MassChallenge celebrated with WeWork guests as they enjoyed beer, wine, “Accelerator” Palmers, bloody Mary cocktails and grilled cheese sandwiches served 3-ways:
- Spanish Grilled Cheese: manchego, olives, red peppers
- BBQ Brisket Grilled Cheese: pepper jack, fried onions
- Italian Grilled Cheese: pesto, roasted tomatoes
8th Floor: “Free Your Mind”
Guests were energized and empowered by the words of WeWork co-founders and a raffle that gave away 10 Commons Memberships. We made sure our Boston catering service offered guests choices so they could explore them with open minds. Guests had access to a full bar as well as blood orange margaritas. In addition, there were plenty of options at the flatbread carvery and dim sum traveling cart.
Chef Flatbread Carvery
Our catering team baked crispy flatbreads and topped them with these exceptional garnishes:
- Portobello: gouda, crispy kale, truffle
- Smoked Salmon: creme fraiche, lemon, arugula
- Tomato + Basil
- Spinach + Artichoke
- Roasted Apple: leeks, cheddar Grab Some Dim Sum Traveling Cart A crisp display of dim sum circulated the room, offering foods like sushi that are known to foster socialization.
Grab Some Dim Sum Traveling Cart
These items allowed our team to bring the food straight to the guests:
- Steamed Vegetable Dumplings: soy lime vinaigrette
- Shanghai Noodle Boxes: julienned vegetables
- Sushi: spicy tuna, California roll, vegetable maki
Sales Tour Floors and Lobby
As guests meandered through the sales tour floors, sparkling grape fizz cocktails, nosh and colorful vegetable chips refreshed them. When they walked through the lobby, they were tempted by an elegant display of sweets including fresh baked cookies, blondies, s’mores and chocolate.
Cutting Edge Entertainment
Of course, no anniversary party is complete without great entertainment. There was no shortage of singing, dancing and celebrating to the music set out by the famous Jane Doze who flew in from NY for this special event. We knew they would raise the party’s energy level without overpowering the event goals.
It was a true pleasure sharing our creative anniversary party ideas and innovative cuisine with WeWork to plan and execute this extraordinary event. We invite you to take a walk through some of our other exceptional corporate events and contact our team to start planning your own.
Photography by Lauren Kallen
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Timothy Seeberg is the Director of Major Events at BG.