The Olympics provide a reliable cultural moment for events to reference and celebrate—whether it’s an opening ceremony watch party, sports-themed fundraiser, or gala designed around the host city.
For the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics, which take place July 26 to Aug. 11, event planners have an opportunity to pay homage to the host city by incorporating always-on-trend French cuisine, culture, and fashion into design and catering presentations. At the same time, the summer games are also a moment for events to spotlight signature sports such as swimming, gymnastics, surfing, and tennis.
Ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, scroll down for a look at catering and design ideas that capture the essence of the games...
Wolfgang Puck Catering’s Tennis Ball Dessert
The pastry team at Wolfgang Puck Catering transforms sports equipment into edible art. Their “athletic” desserts include a white chocolate sphere, which the team spray paints to resemble a tennis ball. The sphere can be filled with fresh raspberry and yuzu cream or tiramisu.
Photo: Courtesy of Wolfgang Puck Catering
Sport Beach at Cannes Lions
At the 2024 Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity in June, marketing company Stagwell Global organized its second annual Sport Beach, a four-day business hub for attendees to network and attend panels focused on emerging trends and technologies in global sports. The activation’s centerpiece was a multipurpose court, which held daily activities including group workouts, pickleball, basketball, and VIP dinners. Stagwell partnered with Cheerful Twentyfirst to produce the activation.
Photo: Courtesy of Sport Beach by Stagwell
The activation, which was supported by more than 50 athlete partners and sponsors, included a bar area where attendees could watch the Euro 2024 soccer tournament. The bar featured a colorful wall of basketballs with custom designs.
Photo: Courtesy of Sport Beach by Stagwell
Other activities for attendees included sponsor The North Face’s branded rock-climbing wall. (Read more from Cannes Lions 2024 here.)
Photo: Robert Parfitt/Cheerful Twentyfirst
A Night in Paris Arsht Gala 2024
Galas are ideal events to incorporate Parisian flair. For the Adrienne Arsht Center’s annual Performing Arts Gala in Miami, Gilded Group Decor and Constellation Culinary Group created an environment designed to transport guests to Paris. The gala’s tablescapes featured Renaissance-style art set against a projection that evoked the interior of Versailles.
Photo: Claudia Rios
Event entertainment for the April gala included a performance by can-can dancers.
Photo: Claudia Rios
Dishes included a beef bourguignon wellington with beef, short rib, bourguignon demi, carrot parsnip puree, wild mushrooms, and haricots verts.
Photo: Michael Tamz
The event also featured a colorful patisserie station serving an array of desserts: créme brulé mousse filled with mango and passion fruit; strawberry cremeux; brownies with dark chocolate mousse; choux pastry and praline cream; and milk chocolate mousse with hazelnut praline cream and crunchy praline.
Photo: Michael Tamz
Relish Catering + Hospitality’s Corporate Event
Globally inspired cuisine can also elevate corporate events. Relish Catering + Hospitality recently organized an Olympics-themed summer intern welcome event for a corporate client, serving five hors d’oeuvres representing the five continents of the Olympic rings: European-inspired steak frites in a crispy potato cup filled with shallot jam; African-inspired succotash with millet, beans, zucchini, and corn; spicy jerk chicken salad served on crisp plantain chip to represent the Americas; Asian-themed spicy tuna toro pave on rice; and “footies,” an Australian version of pigs in a blanket with savory beef and pork sausage wrapped in crispy puff pastry (pictured).
Photo: Tanel Leigher, Silence ByK Photography
The event also had a French-themed dessert display arranged on tables representing the five Olympic rings. Surrounding an Eiffel Tower centerpiece, desserts included macarons, raspberry financiers, eclairs, pate de fruit, and mini mont blancs with chestnut, orange Chantilly cream, and chocolate.
Photo: Tanel Leigher, Silence ByK Photography
Stella Artois’ Miami Open Activation
As a sponsor of the 2023 Miami Open tennis tournament, Stella Artois hosted an on-site activation enhanced with tennis ball decor. Design moments included a fence outfitted with a silhouette of the brand’s signature chalice, created with branded red tennis balls.
Photo: Courtesy of Stella Artois
InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball
The 2023 InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball featured a Parisian, James Bond-inspired theme titled “OCULUS — Le Sceptre Rose.” The event’s consistent design element was Mona Lisa, with installations displaying moving eyes to evoke the feeling that Mona Lisa was surveilling guests.
Photo: World Red Eye
A leopard-printed pyramid shaped like the Louvre served as the cocktail reception’s focal point. It also doubled as the entryway into the main gala ballroom.
Photo: World Red Eye
Michelob Ultra Pure Gold Surfboard Installation
Surfing is one of the newest Olympic events, having debuted at the 2021 Tokyo Summer Olympics. In 2018, Anheuser-Busch partnered with Endeavor Global Marketing to debut Michelob Ultra Pure Gold as the presenting sponsor of the inaugural World Surf League Founders’ Cup of Surfing. The brand’s presence included a sunburst-style display of golden surfboards that served as a centerpiece and photo op.
Photo: Sepp Dasbach
Grey Goose French Riviera Pop-Up
While the Paris metropolitan area is the main hub for Olympics events this year, other regions like the French Riviera will host events including soccer. In 2018, French vodka brand Grey Goose brought the French Riviera to four Canadian cities, hosting pop-up markets inspired by the Cote D’Azur to celebrate limited-edition bottles. The step-and-repeat featured an installation of hanging blue-and-white-striped umbrellas.
Photo: Ryan Emberley
Screen Actors Guild Awards Parisian Street Gala
At the SAG Awards Gala in 2017, Event Eleven produced an environment designed to evoke a Parisian street complete with green trees, street lamps, and facades of bistros, cafes, and department stores.
Photo: Line 8 Photography
