| EVENT REPORT 06.25.08 2:05 PM |
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| On Location |
| For the Gen Art Film Festival's opening-night after-party, organizers needed a North Side venue that could hold 900 guests—and an Acura. |
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Monday night marked the beginning of the Gen Art Film Festival. Presented by Acura, the five-day event features movie premieres and after-parties held at locations throughout the city. Last night, guests caught a screening of Bart Got a Room—a film that centers on a young boy desperately seeking a prom date—at Lakeview's Music Box Theater before heading over to the nearby Ravenswood Billboard Factory for a 900-guest after-party in the new event space.
Chance Woodward, who led the party's planning process as event coordinator for Gen Art Chicago, had his work cut out for him when it came to choosing the after-party location. "Finding a venue for opening night is a huge challenge every year," he said. "[This year], we had to find a venue that could hold 900 people and an Acura car, which is hard to come by in Chicago." |
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PHOTO GALLERY |
 | Blue and green lanterns lit the Ravenswood Billboard Factory.
Photo: Courtesy of Gen Art |
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 | Event coordinator Chance Woodward wanted to infuse the venue with a "classy prom spirit."
Photo: Courtesy of Gen Art |
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 | The event featured an on-site vehicle display of an Acura TSX.
Photo: Courtesy of Gen Art |
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 | Metromix created a prom-themed installation that allowed guests to have their photo taken in front of a star-covered backdrop.
Photo: Courtesy of Gen Art |
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 | The evening started with a film screening at the Music Box Theater.
Photo: Courtesy of Gen Art |
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 | Guests crowded into the Music Box Theater to watch a screening of Bart Got a Room.
Photo: Courtesy of Gen Art |
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 | Lit blue candles and stones were part of the event's decor at the Billboard Factory.
Photo: Courtesy of Gen Art |
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After Woodward spent several weeks scouting out potential venues, a friend recommended the Billboard Factory, which just opened for events in March. "When I had my walk-through, I was like a kid on Christmas morning," he said. "The venue has so much space, it's insanely beautiful, and it's walking distance from the theater. And Gen Art would get to be the first group to have a large-scale event in the space."
Despite its perfect-fit qualifications, the venue still presented a challenge for Woodward as he tried to turn it into a space that would reflect the prom theme (inspired by the evening's film) that Gen Art had chosen for the after-party. "Figuring out the decor theme was the hardest part of the event," Woodward said, adding that the Billboard Factory "has so much space; it takes a lot to fill it up." Another decor-related challenge: keeping the prom theme from turning the event into a scene resembling a "cheesy, low-budget, high-school dance," said Woodward, adding that Gen Art was instead aiming for "a classy prom spirit in a gorgeous adult setting."
To help design the space, Woodward enlisted the services of design firm Heffernan Morgan. The prom atmosphere ultimately played out in highboy tables topped with tall paper lanterns in shades of blue and green; the lanterns sprung out of base arrangements filled with stones and lit candles. Also on the downstairs level was a special prom-themed installation set up by local Web publication Metromix. The installation allowed guests (some of whom were decked out in thematic outfits like pastel chiffon dresses) to have their picture taken in front of a backdrop covered in moons and stars.
Upstairs, a V.I.P. area that opened out onto a balcony—which seemed to be the choice congregating spot for many guests—featured lounge areas filled with leather furniture, with thick candles of varying heights lining the windowsills. At two bars (one on each level), specialty vodka cocktails came with thematic names like "Principal's Office" and "Last Dance," and servers from Blue Rooster Catering circulated the entire venue with prom-appropriate snacks like spring rolls and mini hot fudge sundaes.
To showcase event sponsor Acura, the Gen Art team created an on-site vehicle display featuring the brand's TSX model in front of a backdrop of the Chicago skyline. Acura ambassadors attended the display, encouraging guests to fill out entry forms to win a "Chicago night-out " package or to climb inside the car, where a product specialist waited to demonstrate its features. Another (less conspicuous) integration tactic: The evening's specialty drinks became glowing cocktails, thanks to blue Acura-branded LED ice cubes.
—Jenny Berg
RELATED TOPICS
Gen Art, Acura
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