| THE SCOUT 11.11.09 9:00 AM |
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3 Ideas for Stylish, Eco-Friendly Events
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 | FormDecor's box hedge planter
Photo: Courtesy of FormDecor |
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For a stylish event that makes a statement, check out these companies offering unfussy and Earth-friendly products.
1. Lilikoi Design & Letterpress creates understated letterpress work, including invitations, menus, and seating cards that can be customized with any logo or message. The company implements eco-friendly practices whenever possible by operating its letterpress manually, with no electricity required. Lilikoi also uses reclaimed cotton paper and recycled envelopes. Turnaround time for printing is approximately two weeks after art is approved. Prices vary depending on artwork, but a one-color, one-sided 5- by 7-inch invitation with envelope starts at $6, or $7.50 for two colors; a one-color, one-sided 8.5- by 4-inch menu starts at $4; or a one-color, one-sided 6- by 9-inch event program card starts at $7. Pricing includes custom design and delivery in the L.A. area.
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Going Green |
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| LOCATION SCOUT 09.21.09 11:50 AM |
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CityCenter—Las Vegas's 18 Million-Square-Foot Eco-Friendly Development—Set for December Debuts
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 | CityCenter
Photo: Courtesy of CityCenter |
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FROM LAS VEGAS
The Las Vegas Boulevard strip’s new CityCenter—a joint project between MGM Mirage and Infinity World Development Corp, a subsidiary of Dubai World—is on track for a slate of openings in December. Here's what to expect at the project, one of the world’s largest sustainable developments, which incorporates elements like the use of reclaimed water and on-site power generation to underscore its green efforts, and includes a $40 million public fine art program.
Vdara Hotel, expected to open December 1, is a crescent-shaped 57-story all-suite hotel and spa for non-gaming, non-smoking types. It has about 1,500 suites, ranging from approximately 500 to 1,650 square feet (along with residential units). Rooms have kitchens, plus open floor plans and horizontal windows for sweeping views of the city and mountains. Vdara Health & Beauty is an 18,000-square-foot, two-level spa, salon, and fitness center. Food and beverage options include the restaurant Silk Road and the lobby bar Bar Vdara. Sky Pool & Lounge has spa cabanas with semisecluded plunge pools. There is 10,000 square feet of conference space. The U.S. Green Building Council has awarded gold LEED certification to Vdara.
Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, expected to open December 4, has 392 hotel rooms and suites and 227 residences, including the Mandarin Penthouse Collection with two- and three- bedroom units ranging from 2,065 square feet to 3,900 square feet. Decor is modern and Eastern inspired. On the outside, Mandarin Oriental displays Typewriter Eraser, Scale X, 1998-1999, a piece by Claes Oldenburg and Coosje van Bruggen, which looks like a giant blue and red typewriter eraser.
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CityCenter, MGM Mirage, Going Green, LEED |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.21.09 10:50 AM |
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Emmy Governors Ball Goes for Jewel-Toned, Xanadu-Evocative Opulence
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 | The Emmy Governors Ball
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography |
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If there was an appropriate time to tone down a ballroom, at least one group of event organizers believed last night was not that time. The Academy of Television Arts & Sciences' Governors Ball at the Los Angeles Convention Center after the Emmys ceremony was a bold and colorful affair, awash in jewel tones inspired by the work of the late interior designer Tony Duquette and the concept of Xanadu. Dwight Jackson, Russ Patrick, and Joe Stewart chaired the ball along with a larger committee, and Sequoia Productions produced it for the 12th consecutive year.
"Everybody in the room has the recession monkey on their back, but once a year you have all these people—academy, nominees, winners—in one room, and it's like, enough already," said Sequoia's Cheryl Cecchetto. "They're not thinking about the recession. They're thinking about cutting the next deal. And it's our job to stimulate their senses [to inspire them]."
Nevertheless, Jackson noted that the budget shrunk about 30 percent from last year for the same guest count—about 3,500—and the group repurposed and repainted elements from last year's ball, like Deco columns. "We started this party as soon as [the previous] year's ended. We worked a whole year on the party, having meetings once a month," he said. Cecchetto reported that the party took nine days to load in, but had just 22 hours to load out. About 1,200 staffers were on hand to accomplish the feat.
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Emmys, Award Season, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, Governors Ball, Going Green, Dove Chocolate, Beaulieu, Grey Goose |
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| NEWS 09.08.09 11:52 AM |
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Fall Preview: What Los Angeles Event Pros Are Working on This Season
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With the unofficial end of summer now behind us (that would be Labor Day), event professionals are looking to the fall—a traditionally busy time—to see how the economic recovery will help the industry rebound from what has so far been a pretty slow year. We asked a group of local planners and vendors what they have in the works for the coming months. Here are some highlights.
"After a relatively quiet consumer event season during the first half of 2009, Hollywood & Highland Center anticipates a busy fall and winter to round out the year. We certainly saw an increase in activity during the summer months with our 'Wine, Jazz & Moonlight' summer concert series, and now the entertainment and consumer marketing events are kicking into high gear for the fall season. The uncertainty that brands, studios, and networks were feeling earlier this year seems to be subsiding as we prepare to host the A.F.I. Film Festival and promotional opportunities and events with Disney, a number of Fox properties, and brands including Nike, L’Oreal, Samsung, Subaru, and Maybelline. The center will welcome at least two free outdoor concerts with high-profile artists during the third week of September to kick off our live music offerings, leading up to an unprecedented Hollywood tree lighting celebration on November 28. [We are excited about] the recent opening of Madame Tussauds Wax Museum next door, weekly premieres at Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and the El Capitan Theatre, the Hollywood Chamber’s Walk of Fame star ceremonies, a new Hard Rock Café opening in 2010, and at least one other major tenant announcement on the horizon, plus the new resident Cirque du Soleil production [at] the Kodak Theatre."
—S. Dwayne Jones, senior director of strategic alliances and special events, Hollywood & Highland Center
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Going Green, Entertainment Tonight, Emmys, Award Season, What a Pair, Target, Asics, Hollywood Life, Paramount, Audi, Oakley, MTV Video Music Awards, American Association of Museums, California Science Center, Warner Brothers, The Invention of Lying, Sherlock Holmes Movie, Macy's Passport, Disney, Fall Preview 2009 |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.02.09 5:00 PM |
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Royal/T Pop-Up Offers Public Craft Workshops With Eco-Minded Themes
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 | Royal/T's "Forbidden Forest" pop-up
Photo: Suthi Picotte |
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Multi-use Culver City venue Royal/T—which includes a café, retail store, gallery, and costumed staffers—has launched a series of crafty public offerings in a 385-square-foot space within the 10,000-square-foot complex. The pop-up, dubbed "the Forbidden Forest," got under way in late August and runs through September 5, offering various public workshops on craft-making and environmental friendliness. Retail curator and store manager Judith Kyvik oversaw the event, and handled all of the production in house.
Workshops include whimsical programs such as a session on crocheting birds; a kids' craft session using only recycled materials; terrarium making; a moss graffiti class; and a flower fairy-making class this weekend. Artist Cheryl Cambras, environmentally conscious family business the Greenees, and lifestyle/fashion/culture blog Zippercut are among the vendors behind the workshops and crafts. A closing party for 300 to 500 guests—also free and open to the public—will take to the shop on Saturday.
"Our whole idea is to let people experience art who may be intimidated to go to museums or galleries, but who just come in off the street and want to have french toast or whatever," said Royal/T owner Susan Hancock. "And pop-ups are a fun way to get a lot of attention quickly."
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Pop-Ups, Going Green, Hello Kitty, Sanrio, The Greenees, Zippercut |
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| NEWS 08.20.09 7:14 PM |
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Emmy Preview: Jewel Tones Will Wash Tony Duquette-Inspired Governors Ball
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 | A tabletop look for the Emmy ball
Photo: BizBash |
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Exactly one month before the doors to the Emmys Governors Ball at the Los Angeles Convention Center swing open, the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences together with its participating vendors and sponsors hosted a preview of the event's look and feel this morning. In short, the decor—for both the Creative Arts Ball after the Creative Arts Emmys on September 12 and the Governors Ball after the Primetime Emmys on September 20—will be bold and colorful, with jewel tones and plush seating inspired by the work of the late designer Tony Duquette.
Dwight Jackson, Russ Patrick, and Joe Stewart chair the ball along with a larger committee, and Sequoia Productions will produce it for the 12th consecutive year. "We call it a kaleidoscope of color," said Sequoia's Cheryl Cecchetto at the reveal. "Duquette used incredible colors and materials. We want to stimulate guests' senses." Speaking for the rest of the committee, Jackson added, "We're all volunteers. We do this because it's fun—it's so much fun."
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Emmys, Governors Ball, Award Season, Going Green, Beaulieu, Dove, Grey Goose, Academy of Television Arts & Sciences |
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| INFLUENCES 08.10.09 10:00 AM |
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Exploring the Latest in Green Design
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 | Ellen Lupton in the "Design for a Living World" exhibition galleries
Photo: John Madere |
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FROM NEW YORK
The exhibit “Design for a Living World” at the Cooper-Hewitt, National Design Museum in New York focuses on the work of 10 top designers (including Yves Behar, Maya Lin, Isaac Mizrahi, and Hella Jongerius), who were commissioned to create products made from sustainable materials from various regions. Even the show's installation makes use of green practices. We talked with co-curator Ellen Lupton about what eco-friendly design really means. The exhibit is on view at the museum through January 4, 2010, and then it travels to additional U.S. locations.
What are some common misconceptions about green design?
Green design has become a huge term that encompasses nearly anything—from herbal shampoo in a green plastic bottle to genuine innovations in solar energy. Designers, marketers, manufacturers, and inventors are looking at sustainability from every possible angle. Some of it's legitimate, and some of it's just green-washing. Almost all of it involves compromise, and I believe that the future of sustainability will necessitate give and take.
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Going Green, Ellen Lupton, Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Isaac Mizrahi, Maya Lin |
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| THE WALKTHROUGH 06.03.09 9:00 AM |
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Element Hotel Opens in Summerlin With Earth-Friendly Approach and Intimate Meeting Space
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 | The Element
Photo: Opulence Studios |
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FROM LAS VEGAS
The Element hotel by Westin, located in Las Vegas's Summerlin master-planned community, opened in December 2008 with an environmentally focused approach. Eco-friendly materials include Energy Star appliances, recycled laminate flooring, and recycling bins throughout the facility.
The non-gaming property offers 123 contemporary-style nonsmoking suites. Guest rooms include ergonomic desks and full kitchens. The 542-square-foot executive suites include a large table for six and a conference speakerphone.
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Going Green |
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| EVENT REPORT 05.19.09 11:45 AM |
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Wine and Food Tasting Fund-Raiser Blankets Warner Brothers Lot With 800 Silent and 48 Live Auction Lots
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 | The live auction at the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation's tasting fund-raiser
Photo: Nadine Froger Photography |
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Last year, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation had to think fast to save its perishable offerings during record heat in Burbank for its "Culinary Evening With the California Winemasters" tasting event. This year, for the milestone 20th benefit at Warner Brothers, the temperature was considerably milder, and even the slumping economy didn't wilt the program, which was a sold-out affair this year with about 1,400 attendees; general tickets went for $350 apiece.
"We were so lucky, I can't believe it," said the foundation's director of special giving, Barbara Balik, whose husband, Allen, is the event's founder and co-chairman. "We had more corporate sponsors than any other year, and those sponsors bought tables. Corporate sponsors still want to bring their clients to something, and the [clients] love the Warner Brothers back lot. Everything just came together and worked in our favor. We raised close to $1.5 million, absolutely on par with the goal, and we are thrilled." That haul kept pace with previous years; last year brought in $1.6 million, 2007 garnered $1.5 million.
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Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Going Green, Riedel, Dole |
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| FRESH FACE 04.29.09 12:00 PM |
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Clover Chadwick Creates Eco-Friendly, Locally Sourced Floral Arrangements
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Clover Chadwick is the owner and principle designer at Dandelion Ranch, a floral design firm that opened a new studio and storefront in October. With a name like Clover, you might say working with foliage comes naturally: After stints as a restaurant manager at spots such as Nick & Stef’s and the French Laundry in Napa, she eventually moved on to do flowers for eateries including Campanile, Grace, Mozza, and Lucques. That was the start of what is now Dandelion Ranch, which has a full-time team of six employees.
Chadwick calls her style “natural, organic, balanced, with lots of movement.” Her philosophy emphasizes seasonal and sustainable designs. “We start with local growers and we never use anything dyed,” she says. She also uses an alternative to floral foam that is fully biodegradable and environmentally sound. “We’re trying to figure out different methods for defying gravity that are eco-friendly and safe. Eventually, we want to get away from that altogether and just do natural flowers—not flowers in the shape of animals. We’re not trying to reinvent the wheel like those extreme florists, and there’s no floral snobbery going on. If the carnation is the prettiest thing at the market these days, then so be it.”
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Going Green |
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