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1. New Moon Premiere Beckons 10,000 People and 2 Live Wolves

2. 6 New Venues for Los Angeles Holiday Parties

3. $4 Million MOCA Gala Breaks Fund-Raising Records

4. Us Weekly Takes to Voyeur With Scantily Clad Models, Burlesque Feel

5. American Music Awards Begin With Redesigned Arrivals, End With Downsized After-Party

6. Bouchon: Thomas Keller in Beverly Hills, With Indoor/Outdoor Dining, Private Room

7. MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute

8. 8 Handy Gifts for Meeting Attendees

9. Masked Raconteurs Tell Tales at Moth Ball, and I Have a Blast

10. Mandarin Oriental: High-End Lodging With 12,000 Square Feet of Function Space

FROM WASHINGTON

Obama's First State Dinner Calls on Marcus Samuelsson, Jennifer Hudson

Eldon Luxury Suites: Spacious Penthouses for Receptions

National Geographic Debuts Exhibit With Chinese Dragon, Tented Lounge

P.C.M.A. Honors Wardman Park, Fairmont at First Nighttime Annual Meeting

8 New Venues for Washington Holiday Parties That Won't Break the Bank

MSNBC and Rodale Fete Jeff Corwin's New Book and Documentary at the Occidental

Againn: A Modern Gastropub in Penn Quarter

Café Milano Offers Corporate Catering

More Photos From Fight Night/Knock Out Abuse: Stogies, Laser Shows, and a VW Bus Bar

Fight Night/Knock Out Abuse: Joan Jett for Men, Shirtless Hippies for Women

FROM NEW YORK

Sustainable Label Opens SoHo Pop-Up With Community Center Sensibility

Clinique and Teen Vogue Bring Young Women to Beauty Tour, Send Them Online

Masked Raconteurs Tell Tales at Moth Ball, and I Have a Blast

Gap, Banana Republic, American Eagle Open Stores With Musical Performances

MoMA Gets Suitably Whimsical and Macabre for Tim Burton Tribute

3 New Hotel Restaurants for Business Entertaining, Private Groups

Nintendo Launches New Mario Game With Look Back at Franchise History

Scripted Models Play Up Key Notes at Victoria's Secret Fragrance Preview

Ad Age Looks to Boost Conference Interaction With Beer Tasting, Lounge Seating

More Photos From Louis Vuitton's Garden-Style Launch: Life-Sized Trees, Mounds of Mums

News Archive for Chivas Regal

NEWS 03.26.09 10:30 AM

Mindful of the Recession, Planners Open Doors to New Vendors

Elton John's Oscar party organizers considered bids from multiple vendors.
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

Once upon a time—say, roughly prior to the autumn of 2008, when the economy took its dramatic turn—many planners enjoyed a committed relationship with vendors. For annual events, tried-and-true vendors got the job year after year based on demonstrated performance and an understanding of the specific challenges of those projects. But now, in tough financial times, many planners are being forced to look outside the bonds of existing vendor relationships, instead sending out multiple requests for proposals—or at least keeping an open mind to pitches from new vendors—in the hopes of sealing a better deal.

“I am often accused of being overly loyal to my vendors, [but] I have sincerely come to enjoy the peace of mind that [they] give me when I ask them to assist us with a large event. They know what I like, have proven themselves, and instill confidence that all will go smoothly,” said California Science Center vice president of food and event services Chris Sion. “That being said, this is the perfect time for the savvy vendor to offer goods or services at a discounted introductory price."

For this year’s Discovery Ball at the museum, Sion had a reduced budget, and was consequently more open to cost-saving ideas. "I listened to sales pitches more carefully when [vendors] dropped a too-good-to-be-true price," Sion said. "It’s a win-win situation because if all works out well, I wouldn’t hesitate to include them on my vendor list for future events, and I did not have to risk as much to try them out in a year when every dollar counts. A good deal was definitely a driving factor in vendor selection more than usual during this economy.” Paying special attention to deals when they were offered up led Sion to include six new vendors at this year’s ball. MORE >>

Budgets, Elton John AIDS Foundation, Discovery Ball, U.C.L.A., Warner Brothers, Chivas Regal

EVENT REPORT 03.11.09 11:07 AM

Chivas Regal Channels Scottish Roots for Dinner Promotion

Chivas's branded projections
Photo: Line 8 Photography

An intimate group of 60 gathered downtown on Sunday night for a dinner party hosted by Chivas Regal as part of a traveling event series to showcase its premium blend, Chivas Regal 25. The liquor brand is planning similar events in six markets across the country, and L.A. was the fourth stop, after Houston, Dallas, and Miami. Chivas Regal parent company Pernod Ricard tapped Legacy Marketing Partners to run the event, and turned to Chad Hudson Events for event design. “L.A. is the first market we’ve gone into a completely raw space, into an empty penthouse,” Legacy Marketing Partners’s Elizabeth Baldi said.

To transform the raw penthouse into a space suitable for an elegant dinner, event organizers had to bring in all decor, including carpeting to cover concrete floors, draping to hide exposed kitchens, and a custom bar. Guests walked into a cocktail hour dressed with scattered blossoming white dogwood trees, custom gobos incorporating Chivas Regal branding, and crimson floral arrangements infused with black ostrich feathers. MORE >>

Chivas Regal