MIAMI—On Saturday, Nov. 4, the 28th annual InterContinental Miami Make-A-Wish Ball welcomed 900 of Miami’s best-dressed movers, shakers, and philanthropists, who walked the red carpet into a lavish eight-hour affair to raise more than $5 million for Make-A-Wish Southern Florida. The gala was hosted by InterContinental Miami general manager Glenn Sampert; presented by president and CEO of Make-A-Wish Southern Florida Norman Wedderburn and chairman Shareef Malnik; and emceed by Malnik's wife, actress, and filmmaker Gabrielle Anwar. Other notable guests included Alonzo Mourning, Karolina Kurkova, Ana Navarro, Naeem Khan, and Romero Britto, all in attendance to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the first “wish.”
Mona Lisa served as a consistent design element throughout the cocktail reception. In line with the spy theme, some depictions contained moving eyes to evoke the feeling that Mona Lisa was “watching” guests.Photo: World Red Eye
Sting delivered an intimate ballroom set of his best hits around midnight, while Fat Joe headlined the official after-party. However, the star of the ball was the production itself. The 2023 theme was Parisian-set, James Bond-inspired “OCULUS — Le Sceptre Rose,” which took over a year to conceptualize.
“Planning this ball is a work of art in itself,” shares the ball’s 19-year creative director, Maxwell Blandford. “This year, 1960s spy dramas were the inspiration. We wanted a setting that was high drama and chic, telling a story through design and choreography.”
Upon arrival at the InterContinental Miami valet, guests walked a bubblegum-pink carpet under 10-foot OCULUS entry signage fashioned after a pop-up-book-styled marquee.Photo: World Red Eye
The tone was set at the valet, where guests walked through a 10-foot-high OCULUS pop-up-book-styled marquee entryway into the lobby set with giant decor pieces, various Instagrammable backdrops, a bubblegum-pink carpet, and a pink vanity-style step-and-repeat. “We turned the arrival into a scene,” says Blandford.
Once checked in, guests ascended the stairs to the hotel mezzanine, which played host to the two-hour cocktail reception modeled after the “World Museum of Art | Musée Mondial D’art.” The most abundant design theme was the use of Leonardo da Vinci’s “Mona Lisa,” which had a presence in various mediums, from a 12-foot-high panel with moving eyes to bars outfitted with works incorporating the famed muse.
An artful platter featuring Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” was bordered with mini Eternal rose vases filled with cheese and charcuterie.Photo: World Red Eye
Additionally, Johannes Vermeer’s “Girl with a Pearl Earring” made appearances on ice sculptures and a massive platter that housed cheese and charcuterie jars. Guests took in the repurposed art while sipping welcome Champagne, feasting on raw bar and sushi delicacies housed on an 80-square-foot ice sculpture, along with tasting French-inspired crepes, croissants, and fondue offerings.
Some attendees bid on silent auction items ranging from opulent Ammrada jewels to an Aston Martin DBX 7070 courtesy of THE COLLECTION, while actors and performers immersed guests in the evening storyline inspired by a “chasing Thomas” scene from The Thomas Crown Affair on a hunt for “Le Sceptre Rose.” Next, all 900 guests entered the ballroom through a leopard-printed pyramid reminiscent of the Louvre, where live performers posed as famous artworks, including “The Frame” featuring Frida Kahlo and “The Son of Man.”
Husband-and-wife duo Shareef Malnik and Gabrielle Anwar hosted the main programming, which featured a large LED panel carrying digital images of Mona Lisa into the ballroom.Photo: World Red Eye
Inside the ballroom, 80 tables were draped in dramatic hues and stunning rose-filled floral arrangements. “I was inspired by Monet and Vincent van Gogh, along with my long walks through my neighborhood in Beverly Hills," Blandford shares. "I am obsessed with giant roses and their colors and emotions. The ballroom was designed to be decadent, chic, outrageous, and animated. A giant LED wall would tell the story of OCULUS, but the tables would immerse the guests in the art. Since OCULUS was a spy drama set in Paris, in a ‘faux’ Paris museum, the ballroom had to exude serious drama. I wanted the tables to be decadent and feel like the setting of a masterpiece or masterwork of art.”
An 80-square-foot ice sculpture sporting the OCULUS theme housed an endless array of sushi, snow crabs, shrimp cocktail, and oysters for the two-hour cocktail reception.Photo: World Red Eye
Blandford worked in conjunction with the ball’s leading event production agency, DECO Productions, to execute everything to scale. “The hotel was transformed into a stunning museum of art and jewels from all over the world,” says Blandford. “With this being said, we had to source tableware that fit the combination of elegance and intrigue.”
Interactive live spy actors engaged ball attendees to become OCULUS spies, tasked with recovering the stolen "Le Sceptre Rose" masterpiece during the cocktail reception.Photo: World Red Eye
Another first was incorporating the ballroom’s giant LED in the design. The screen not only projected digital art of the evening’s themed works, but was also used as an entertainment component to share Malnik and Anwar’s prerecorded spy stunt video, along with sharing the story of a featured Make-A-Wish recipient named Libbi.
While world-renowned mentalist Lior Suchard took the stage to wow guests with his mind-reading skills, InterContinental Miami executive chef Jhonnatan Contreras and his team curated a seated, three-course meal featuring a lobster ceviche appetizer, wagyu beef Wellington entree, and full-circle dessert, which was an edible work of chocolate mousse art called “The Stolen Rose.” The culinary team also crafted a chocolate rose sculpture and mini rose-themed desserts for the cocktail reception.
In support of the “Le Sceptre Rose” theme, the culinary team crafted mini profiteroles topped with heart-shaped chocolates served in bubble bowls for guests to pair with welcome Champagne at the cocktail reception.Photo: World Red Eye
Following dinner service came the famous live auction, which featured everything from luxury vehicles and live art to culinary experiences and exotic vacations. At this time, Blandford and his team worked swiftly to turn over the mezzanine for the after-party, Le Gogo Paris Cabaret, presented by E11EVEN Miami.
“The after-party is typically designed to feature a different theme from the ball, offering a brand-new experience,” explains Blandford. “However, this year, we leaned into the Parisian vibe and aimed to create the atmosphere of a 1980s vintage French cabaret. We have an hour and a half to erect stages, install props, set up a completely new sound system, and completely shape-shift into the nightclub. This aspect has evolved into a major signature of the Ball.”
A leopard-printed pyramid shaped like the Louvre served as a focal point during the cocktail reception and doubled as the entryway into the main gala ballroom.Photo: World Red Eye
When unpacking the event production learnings from 2023, Blandford says there’s always room for growth as his team aims to enhance and create a more memorable experience while continuing to propel and reinvent the next ball.
“We anticipate that next year's event will be distinctly different from this year's.” He also says it’s the synergy, great communication, and ultra-engagement of the entire production team that ensures the gala’s success. “Each year, we evolve as a team, and that is significant in getting things done. It is essential for us to evaluate every part of the ball and improve. Generally, we know by the next morning what worked and what did not work. We treat this event as professionally as delivering a Broadway musical.”
