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Meet the Team: Event Design | Jason

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Meet Jason: The Creative Mind Helping Great Performances Events Come to Life

At any Great Performances event, you’ll find beauty in the details—from thoughtful signage to imaginative food displays and custom design elements that transform spaces into immersive experiences. Behind much of that magic is Jason, a member of GP’s in-house design team. We sat down with him to talk about how his team brings events to life, what craftsmanship means in their work, and why collaboration is everything.

Tell us a bit about the design team—who you are and what you do at Great Performances.

GP’s design team is a group of creative individuals that work to help elevate Great Performances’ food, events, and venues through thoughtful and meaningful visuals. We provide events with a large breadth of brand and printed customization, as well as fun ideas to elevate the look and aesthetic of our food presentation when there isn’t another event designer involved.

How do you approach design for each event? What’s your starting point?

Every event is different, and that’s what makes them so fun! As such, the approach often varies as well. When we get an event brief, the first thing we like to do is have a kick-off meeting to make sure we’re all on the same page and have aligned goals and expectations. From there, we go through an ideation phase and try to define the overall feel and aesthetic behind the event. After the vision and mood boards are aligned, we define the design details and make sure all design elements are sorted and accounted for.

What about challenges? Are there any standout events where your team had to get especially creative?

We solve design challenges by dividing and conquering and playing to our strengths. Not everyone can be great at everything, so knowing who should take the lead on which parts of a project is crucial to our success.

How do you collaborate with the Event Directors, Event Producers, and clients?

We utilize forms to get notified about upcoming events and gather preliminary information. Following the initial “event design order,” we embark on a series of conversations—many in person—to capture continued event planning and changes. I find in-person or phone conversations to be so much more productive. There’s so much information that you can get through voice inflection and gestures that can’t be conveyed in an email.

What’s the creative exchange like with the chefs, floral designers, or venue teams? Can you walk us through a recent collaboration that brought a vision to life?

GrowNYC is a nonprofit providing essential sustainability services and opportunities to make NYC a greener city. At their gala this year, we were asked to build a farmer’s market stand that would display and provide the donated vegetables that guests were invited to take home at the end of the evening. It was beautifully photographed and perfectly conveyed the message and atmosphere we aimed to create: an inviting, plentiful, and authentic farmer’s market experience. What made it especially meaningful was the collaborative effort behind it. We were able to take our client’s idea and the beautiful produce of local farmers to create an abundant display of food that perfectly captured GrowNYC’s mission.

What does craftsmanship mean to you in the context of event design?

Craftsmanship means care, intention, and precision in the details—both big and small. It’s the collaboration of going beyond just making something look good; it’s about creating a thoughtful experience that feels unified and elevated from every angle. From fabricating custom pieces, designing signage, or finding a long enough extension cord—it shows up in the quality of execution and the impact it leaves not only on the client, but on the guests and staff.

How do you balance aesthetics with practicality, especially for large-scale or high-pressure events?

Balancing aesthetics with practicality means understanding limitations and knowing when to say no if something isn’t feasible, while always proposing alternative solutions to meet the vision halfway. At the end of the day, we feed people. Our designs must serve the function of getting food into people’s hands. If a design can’t do that, then it needs to be modified. Design must always serve function and work for the benefit of the food, the event, our chefs, and our guests. For large-scale or high-pressure events, we take time to review every detail, plan, and order extra materials to ensure that the overall experience exceeds everyone’s expectations. By thinking beyond just design and focusing on functionality, along with clear communication and collaboration, we ensure the event is a success.

How important are visuals—like sketches, mockups, or renderings—in your process and in telling the story of the event?

Incorporating visuals is a key component, as they clearly communicate how the result will look while ensuring all elements fit and harmonize within the space. They’re also a valuable tool during planning, making it easier to gather feedback from other teams and refine both the functionality and aesthetic of the overall design.

Do you work closely with the photographer or marketing team to capture your work? What kinds of photos make you proudest?

GP has an excellent internal marketing team that works tirelessly to go to and photograph as many of our events as possible, in addition to making sure those photos are of the highest quality. They make sure we have an online presence that visually tells GP’s story and showcases the incredible and vast catalog of events and venues that all of GP’s teams work so hard to create.

How does your team embody the values of Great Performances—creativity, sustainability, and excellence?

Our team brings events to life with creative, thoughtful ideas that leave a lasting wow factor as we stay up-to-date with current trends and personalization. Sustainability is always on our minds, whether it’s choosing eco-friendly materials, reusing elements from past events, or using our scrap paper as sketching and writing materials. We strive for excellence—always thinking about the details and making sure every piece feels intentional and well-executed. We want the work to feel not just beautiful, but meaningful.

What makes the GP design experience different from what clients might find elsewhere?

Our level of collaboration, creativity, and care we bring to every detail is different from the rest. We design beyond looks—we think about the impact, flow, and functionality. Our team works closely with clients and other departments to understand their vision, then brings it to life in a way that feels thoughtful and specifically curated for them.

What do clients most appreciate about the design team’s contributions to their events?

Our clients know that when they hire GP, they will get great food and great service. People love beautiful things, and I think that our clients really appreciate when we can deliver something that is highly visual, impactful, and interesting on top of what they know they are already going to get when working with Great Performances.

What’s inspiring you and your team these days? Are there any new trends or materials that have caught your attention?

I’m very excited about 3D printing and the world of opportunities that that technology unlocks. In addition, the design industry is making so many huge strides in sustainable materials and how to manufacture them in more responsible ways.

What’s one thing you wish more people understood about what goes into exceptional event design?

We wish more people understood how much thought, teamwork, and time go into event design. It’s more than making things look pretty—we are carefully planning, refining, and collaborating behind the scenes. Food and station designs take a lot of time and attention to detail to make sure they not only taste amazing but also look beautiful, fit the theme, and are functional. Every detail is thought out and intentional.

Is there an upcoming project you’re especially excited about?

We’re really excited about some of our upcoming holiday parties. It’s an annual event for most companies, but this year we’ll be choosing new themes and finding ways to bring fresh energy and creativity. The projects will involve collaboration with many vendors and include lots of interactive features designed to engage guests of all ages, making it a fun and memorable experience for everyone.

Stay tuned to see more of Jason’s work at upcoming events, or follow along on our blog and social media to catch the latest behind-the-scenes stories from the Great Performances team.

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