Beginning five days after Yom Kippur, the week-long Sukkot celebration commemorates the years that the Jewish people spent in the desert on their way to the Promised Land. Traditionally, the celebratory holiday is spent with family in a temporary structure called a “sukkah”. The sukkah represents the shelters in which the Israelites lived during their forty years of wandering in the desert after escaping from slavery in Egypt.
“Today, many have taken to glamming up the sukkah to resemble a luxe dining pavilion for entertaining guests during this holiday,” Ty Kuppig, Founder & Creative Director at TYGER | Event Design + Production told us. “We’re seeing a growing request in the event industry for the creation of more elegant environments — and the intimate gathering dovetails perfectly into the current trend of micro-events.“
Get the look and inspiration behind the sukkah along with commentary from Ty, who opens up to how he got his start in the industry, his design philosophies, and creating “wow” moments in the new era of intimate gatherings.
Listed in the Top 50 Event Designers in America by Bizbash, Kuppig thinks of experiential events as meeting places for different worlds of design. “Our projects are a crossroads between architecture, theatrical production, interior design, and classic entertaining. This unique mix of inspirations is a direct result of my journey as a designer. In my early days in New York City, I studied production design for theater and film at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts, before continuing on to Columbia University for architecture. These two programs gave me a solid, holistic understanding of how to construct an experience: not only how to create stunning, impactful visuals, but also how to guide people through a space and leverage the aesthetics of movement.“
With such an impressive collection of clients and big brands, what led you to where you are now in your career?
“The ability and desire to evolve is something that has always been important to me, both personally and professionally. With TYGER, I see the ability to learn, grow, and change as a key component to the success of the business. When I founded the company in 2009, in the middle of the credit crisis, it was crucial for us to be as resourceful as possible when planning events for our clients, particularly those in the financial services sector.
Through the years, I have maintained that resourcefulness and cost-effectiveness on client projects, while also focusing on developing techniques for delivering impressive new design concepts. We have built an infrastructure that allows us to provide a streamlined and cost-effective experience for our clients with in-house lighting, floral design, and scenic decor elements to complement our planning services. This approach, combined with our visionary designs, has come to be a hallmark of the TYGER brand, allowing us to stand out in our industry.“
Could you tell our audience what goes into planning, styling, and producing those unforgettable moments for your clients?
“When we begin a new project, the first step we take is sitting down with our client to discuss their objectives for the event. No matter if the event is a corporate event, brand launch, a high-visibility gala, a wedding, or a bar mitzvah–there are always key goals for the project, some obvious and others underlying and subtle.
Identifying these components from the start is crucial for building a foundation for the project and setting the right expectations with our clients. Once we have built this foundation, we begin to focus on the more tangible elements including the location, the design concept, the visuals and lighting, the food and beverage, and entertainment–all of the components that make up the guest experience of the event.
We create renderings, mood boards, and even sample mockups of portions of the event design to fully communicate our concepts to our clients and provide an exciting preview of what they and their guests will experience at the event.“
With the shift toward micro weddings and private celebrations in homes are there any unique themes, colors, or design trends that you’re seeing?
“In every event, no matter the size, my team and I pride ourselves on our attention to detail. In the most recent era of micro-events, we have found ourselves challenged to convey the high impact of our larger events through the small details of our more intimate gatherings, creating ‘wow’ moments in unexpected and often overlooked places.
For events in private homes, I always suggest taking inspiration and cues from our clients and their personal tastes. The design of a micro event does not need to match the surroundings, but it does need to acknowledge them. What colors, textures, and patterns does the client surround themself with? What interests do they have? An element as small as a painting on the wall or a favorite book can become the starting point, if not the entire theme, for the rest of the design! Something as subtle as embroidering quotes onto custom linen napkins can be a personal and memorable touch to make the client and their guests feel truly special.“
GET THE LOOK: CONTEMPORARY SUKKAH
“I wanted to commemorate the Sukkot holiday by creating a sukkah design that respects the traditional form while creating an elevated experience and atmosphere for celebration.“
GET THIS LOOK: Ziva Red Print Linen, Alexander Elmwood Chairs, Vanderbilt Gold Flatware, Smoke Glass Charger 12″, Glacier Dinner Plate, Aster Matte Gray Lunch Plate, Sussex Sapphire Tinted Goblet, Premier Collection Stemware, Taupe Natural Irish Linen Napkins
Could you tell us about a few of your favorite/most unique events?
“We are unique in that we work with a diverse mix of clients across the event industry ranging from corporate and brand to non-profit to private celebrations. While many companies focus on just one type of event, we love working across the different sectors of the event industry. Doing so allows us to have full visibility of everything happening in the industry from design trends to new technology.
It is difficult to pick a favorite event as our work varies so much by industry, but some highlights include a recent destination wedding we designed and produced for 250 guests in Iceland for which we shipped an entire 40’ container of our decor inventory across the Atlantic to add the perfect touches to the event design.
On another occasion, we also had the pleasure of teaming up with Rolex, National Geographic and Hollywood director James Cameron to design and produce the Premiere for his documentary “Deepsea Challenge.” For this project, we took over an entire wing of the American Museum of Natural History in New York and positioned the expedition’s actual submarine in the middle of Central Park West.“
Anything interesting on the production side that most people wouldn’t know about experiential events and making day-of “room-ready” magic happen?
“Even with the best planning, there will always be factors outside of our control which could impact an event–whether it be weather, unexpected guests, etc.–so it is important to always have backup plans. For each project, my team and I take time to brainstorm all possibilities of what could come up so that we can be proactive and in the case that one of the scenarios becomes a reality, we can react immediately and effectively.
For example, we always incorporate a margin of surplus decor, rentals, and other pieces of equipment in case anything is damaged during setup or in the event guest count fluctuates and we need to add to the plan. Also, whenever possible, we coordinate early load-ins with our venues, typically at least a day before the event to allow a buffer for any adjustments that need to be made so that every detail is perfect.“
About TYGER
Boston-based TYGER | Event Design + Production is a nationally-recognized event company sought out by private, non-profit, and corporate clients (including Rolex, American Express, Deutsche Bank, Ocean Spray, and NASCAR) in the U.S. and abroad precisely for their originality and creative designs. “With each project, we adapt our skillset and curated tastes to the needs and preferences of the client, succeeding time and time again at producing memorable, one-of-a-kind events.”
Follow Ty Kuppig and the TYGER team on Instagram to see more of their amazing events! And for more information visit www.tygerproductions.com.