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How Do You Ensure That Staffers Treat Guests Well?
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Costume Institute Guests Like Superheroes, Hair
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Google Promotes Art Collaboration With Outdoor Projections
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Sports Museum Debuts With Dedicated Event Space
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Tribeca Drive-In Returns With Zombies, Michael Jackson Look-Alikes, and Lots of Dancing
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Tribeca Film Festival Producer Talks About Changing Budgets and "Being in Six Places at Once"
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New Yorkers for Children Still Stages a Chic, Stylish Benefit
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Real-Life Bride and Groom Marry at Made of Honor Premiere
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What Should You Know When Hiring a Speechwriter?
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Cry-Baby Opening Party Restages Musical's Fun '50s Kitsch
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The Met's Rafferty Named Chairwoman of NYC & Company
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A New Personalized Take on a Classic Notebook
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1. Evening Corporate Picnics on the Rise
2. Dark Knight Production Designer Stages Superman's Fortress for Costume Institute
3. 4 New Rooftop Spaces for Summer Gatherings
4. New Nokia Products Make Movies (and Take Drink Orders) at Gen Art Event
5. Crown Royal, In Touch Host Friday-Night Derby Fetes in Louisville
6. Google Promotes Art Collaboration With Outdoor Projections
7. Artists Dress Raw Space for Cultural Council's Downtown Dinner
8. High-End Hosts, Here's Where to Feel Cultured
9. Costume Institute Guests Like Superheroes, Hair
10. TV Upfronts Schedule Takes Shape With Notable Lack of Parties
FROM LOS ANGELES
Revlon Run/Walk for Women Draws 50,000 in 15th Year
Metallica to Headline Silverlake Conservatory Concert
Steve & Barry's Surf Collection Launches, Aptly, on the Sand
Silver Spoon Hosts Weekend Gift Suite for Dogs and Babies
Bar Association Favors Powell's Catering, Eddie's Printing for Meetings
Maxim "Hot 100" Invites Mimic Event's New York-to-L.A. Move
Oceanfront Del Mar Estate Opens for Events
Anthem Emails Memory Book From Coachella Pool Party
Hotel Palomar Opens Tomorrow
Victoria's Secret Launches Feminine, Flirty Fragrance With Party to Match
FROM WASHINGTON
Absolut Creates Neon After-Party to Match Kanye Concert
Vivid Projections to Light Up the National Cathedral
National Mall Trust Hosts Appropriately Rainy English Garden Luncheon
Chocolate Restaurant Finally Opening Monday; Event Space Coming Next
Goodwill of Greater Washington Counts on Showcall
Hill Vote Delays Will on the Hill Curtain Call
Sugary, Fairy Tale Fashions Take the Sweet Charity Runway
For Film Music Gala, Kennedy Center Stages Red Carpet in Dining Rooms
King Gala to Auction Off Cardiac Procedures
Asia Nine Sets Up Shop in Penn Quarter
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05.13.08
Wall Street Journal
2008 Infrastructure Summit
Business Development Institute
Global Communications 2008
Carnegie Hall
Discovering Music Luncheon
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network
Cookin' Up a Cure
City Bar Justice Center
Servant of Justice Award Dinner
Intelligence Squared US/Rosenkranz Foundation
Debate Event
ISEF
31st Gala Dinner
American Museum of Natural History
"The Horse" opening party and preview
Citizens United for Research in Epilepsy-CURE
First Annual Benefit
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Rapture Gala
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FROM TORONTO
Calgary-Based Brewery Brings Award Event to Toronto
New York's Buddha Bar Inspires Hospital Benefit
Nestea Launches New Beverage With a Twist on Afternoon Tea
Hugo Boss Canada Relies on McNabb Roick Events
Grace Opens With Seasonally Inspired Menu, Historic Photographs
Spice Route Features Asian Antiques, Outdoor Koi Pond
Barefoot Wines Targets Feet, Promotes Safe Beaches at Outdoor Event
Getting Guests on Film—and an Event on YouTube
Bridgepoint Fund-Raiser Adopts French Café Theme
Volunteers Throw Breast Cancer Benefit With No Budget
 
NEWS   05.12.08 2:11 PM

Unclear Motives Behind Today's Low-Key NBC Upfront

Today marks the first day of TV Upfront Week, and though NBC is still having some sort of affair in its traditional Monday slot, it does not include any kind of pomp and circumstance. The network announced its schedule last month at an “in front” where programming chief and co-chairman of entertainment Ben Silverman addressed small groups of advertisers and press in a 30 Rock conference room and over the phone.

The network claims that this decision is a response to the evolving TV landscape, but many think there are other forces at work. Most assume it’s a budgetary concern for the fourth-place network, and Lisa de Moraes at The Washington Post suggests that the decision may be the result of NBC Universal’s reservations that Silverman, a notorious loose cannon, might not fare well speaking before an auditorium full of thousands. READ MORE
RELATED TOPICS Upfront Week, Upfronts, NBC
ASK BIZBASH   05.12.08 11:05 AM

How Do You Ensure That Staffers Treat Guests Well?

Waiters from Great Performances
Waiters from Great Performances
Photo: Elizabeth Lippman
An event could have exquisite flowers, food prepared by a world-famous chef, and Oscar-presenter-worthy gift bags, but if a check-in person is less than friendly or the caterwaiters are standing around chatting, that’s what guests will remember. So how do you make sure service is up to par when there are so many people performing so many different tasks?

Gregory Boroff, senior vice president of external relations for the Food Bank for New York City, says a thorough interview process for volunteers is a big part of how the nonprofit keeps its quality of service (and proceeds from events) high. “We don’t send out mass emails asking who would like to volunteer for an event. Everyone is hand-picked. When people say they want to volunteer, we meet them first to see if it’s a good fit between the person and the organization,” he says. “We make sure they are friendly, that they understand what our organization is about and what we try to accomplish. Are they are there to help [us], or to further a personal agenda?” While many volunteers want to work the celebrity-studded Can-Do Awards dinner, Boroff says those jobs are often reserved for people who have proven themselves in other positions, like working in the office, or at another event. READ MORE
RELATED TOPICS Food Bank for New York City, Grammys, Luminato
VENUE NEWS   05.09.08 3:57 PM

Nobu Announces Downtown Hotel-Condo Development

A rendering of Nobu Hotel and Residences
A rendering of Nobu Hotel and Residences
Rendering: Courtesy of Nobu Hotel and Residences
Yet another downtown development was announced today—the Nobu Hospitality Group (that would be the company formed by the partners of Nobu restaurants) and real estate development, investment, and management firm Swig Equities are planning to construct a hotel and residential property. In the financial district, at 45 Broad Street, Nobu Hotel and Residences will be a 65-story building with 128 guest rooms, 77 luxury condos, and, of course, a Nobu restaurant.

Also in the plans for the project are 13,000 square feet of retail space on the ground and second floors as well as a 13,000-square-foot health club and spa with an indoor swimming pool and outdoor terrace. Executing the design for the interior is David Rockwell and the Rockwell Group, which is also responsible for the designs of Nobu and Nobu 57; architectural firm Moed de Armas & Shannon will handle the design of the all-glass exterior.

Currently, Nobu Hotel and Residences is projected to be complete by 2010.   —Anna Sekula

RELATED TOPICS Nobu Matsuhisa
EVENT REPORT   05.09.08 3:00 PM

New Nokia Products Make Movies (and Take Drink Orders) at Gen Art Event

The Nokia-branded bar
The Nokia-branded bar
Photo: Brian Choi
On Wednesday, a face-painted man wearing a pink shirt and toting a green water gun wove his way through the stylish crowd assembled at the River East Art Center for Gen Art and Nokia's Art in Motion event. The colorful guest was part of one of three films that were shot on site, as emerging filmmakers commissioned by Gen Art made short movies using Nokia's N95 8GB device.

The moviemaking was only one of the ideas that Gen Art Chicago's regional event director, Laura Lachman, cooked up for the event, which was intended to showcase the cutting-edge capabilities of Nokia's N95 and N810 devices.

Guests had the option of ordering drinks the old-fashioned way (by bellying up to the bar) or by taking a more technological route: Nokia reps standing at three highboys held N810 Internet tablets that they used to type in guests' drink requests. The orders went electronically to a computer behind the bar, and a server brought the drink orders to the tables within a matter of minutes. READ MORE
RELATED TOPICS Gen Art, Nokia
THE SCOUT   05.09.08 11:32 AM

An Affordable Source for Invitations

An array of Fabulous Stationery's offerings
An array of Fabulous Stationery's offerings
Photo: Courtesy of Fabulous Stationery
For stylish thank-you notes or invites on a budget, Fabulous Stationery has a wide range of cards that can be personalized. The Philadelphia-based company, owned by three advertising-agency veterans, offers more than 300 designs, including Pop Art prints, masculine stripes, and organic shapes. For bulk orders of 10 or more sets of 25 cards and envelopes, the designers can tailor both the text and the look of the cards and add a company logo. Corporate clients include Marie Claire and the Hyatt Regency Boston. Individual sets range from $35 to $55; bulk orders receive 15 percent off. The company ships worldwide.   —Lisa Cericola
NEWS   05.08.08 6:41 PM

TV Upfronts Schedule Takes Shape With Notable Lack of Parties

Fox's 2007 party
Fox's 2007 party
Photo: Mark Yumkas
The upfronts are proving to be a hotter topic than usual this year, though most of the attention is focused on the presentations’ departure from tradition and not the content they plan to unveil. As we reported last week, there just aren’t as many pilots to announce in the wake of the writers strike.

The New York Times Magazine went so far as to call the upfront concept “kind of dumb” this past Sunday. Columnist Virginia Heffernan wrote, “They are overblown tributes to a bygone style of salesmanship, and from the point of view of advertisers, they are almost pointless.... Today, when media buyers can screen shows online and study a network’s demographics and ad platforms, the upfronts function chiefly as an ostentatious corporate week on the town.” Networks might be noticing this themselves, because this year’s schedule is even more pared down than previously expected. Here's a rundown of the week.

Monday, May 12: “The NBC Universal Experience,” which is rumored to be anything from a quiet branding initiative to an actual carnival, finally reveals itself at 30 Rockefeller Center throughout the afternoon. A limited number of media buyers are invited to the presentations that will take place in small groups and not one large event. A reception at Rockefeller Plaza’s Rink Bar will follow. READ MORE
RELATED TOPICS Upfronts, Upfront Week, ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, The CW, NBC Universal, MTV Networks
NEWS   05.08.08 3:49 PM

Maxim "Hot 100" Invites Mimic Event's New York-to-L.A. Move

Maxim's lenticular invitation
Maxim's lenticular invitation
Photo: BizBash
Maxim is announcing its "Hot 100" party with invitations that appeal to the bicoastal set. Arriving this week, lenticular cards show a dramatic photograph of the Empire State Building when viewed from one angle and a very L.A. scene of a palm tree against a blue sky when viewed from another. The text reads, "Maxim brings the Big Apple to L.A. with a little Hollywood magic."

The party, which has been in New York in the recent past, will take over the New York street at Paramount Studios on May 21, with music by DJ Vice. David Rodgers is producing in association with Fingerprint Communications. The magazine group created the invitation in-house.   —Alesandra Dubin

RELATED TOPICS Maxim, Maxim Hot 100
EVENT REPORT   05.08.08 3:43 PM

Artists Dress Raw Space for Cultural Council's Downtown Dinner

The dinner area of the Downtown Dinner
The dinner area of the Downtown Dinner
Photo: Alison Whittington for BizBash
Avant-garde installations capturing the structure and color of New York City decorated the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council’s fourth annual Downtown Dinner last night. Some 650 art patrons filled the 52nd floor of 7 World Trade Center, where the bird’s-eye view of the city accentuated the Manhattan-inspired exhibits.

A former participant in the council's residency program, McKendree Key, created a hanging grid made of yellow mason twine that covered the expanse of the dining area. The display played on the city’s symmetrical design, with horizontal strings spaced five feet apart met by intersecting vertical lines. Adjacent to this, Katie Holten, another program alum, showcased “Old News,” a composition of papier-mâché tree trunks seemingly rooted in the floor’s concrete, reminiscent of city sidewalks. And across the room stood current resident Mary Mattingly’s “Kart,” a winged bicycle stacked with an endless stream of packages that literally hit the ceiling.

The nonprofit's director of development, Elaine Bowen, and its marketing and communications manager, Savannah Gorton, combed through dozens of artists’ portfolios before the three artists were chosen. And inspired by the color palette of yellow and gray in the invitation for the event, the team looked to work it into the decor. Bowen hired producer Bruce Rayvid of Bruce Rayvid Projects—who suggested playing up McKendree’s piece with an overall theme of connectivity—to execute the vision with help from designer Susan Holland. READ MORE
RELATED TOPICS Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
EVENT REPORT   05.08.08 11:54 AM

The Bronx Museum Highlights Borough Cuisine at Spring Gala

Food was the focus at the Bronx Museum.
Food was the focus at the Bronx Museum.
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash
Patrons, artists, and art lovers gathered at the Bronx Museum of the Arts on the Grand Concourse on Tuesday night for its 2008 spring benefit and silent auction, “A Bronx Feast.” The museum treated the 350 guests with a cocktail reception, free tours from teen docents, live jazz, a dinner highlighting Bronx cuisine, and an award ceremony recognizing four prominent local artists.

The night began in the museum's north wing, with plates of assorted Bronx treats like chicken dumplings and beef empanadas and an open bar with wine and mixed drinks, but guests gravitated toward the Kettle One martini bar at the center of the room, where the bartender combined drink mixing with performance.

Kettle One contracted the Canadian-based Iceculture to create an ice sculpture with two large Kettle One bottle carvings, each with a hollow spiral that started at the bottle’s opened cap and went down to a small opening at the base. Vodka and different juices met at the summit of the seven-foot sculpture, twisted down, chilling and mixing, and finally siphoned into a waiting martini glass. The line was 10 deep for most of the cocktail hour. READ MORE
RELATED TOPICS Bronx Museum of the Arts
LOCATION SCOUT   05.08.08 9:35 AM

4 New Rooftop Spaces for Summer Gatherings

The rooftop space at the Empire Hotel
The rooftop space at the Empire Hotel
Photo: Courtesy of the Empire Hotel
With summer just around the corner, it's time to start looking into outdoor spaces for events and entertaining.

1. Highbar, the indoor-outdoor lounge from Greg Brier (owner of Aspen and Amalia) is set to open in a couple of weeks. Designed specifically for events, the rooftop space in Times Square will have an advanced sound system, a DJ booth, and technology that will allow companies to brand the space with logos and video. Highbar will hold 200 outside, with room for 75 in the adjacent indoor lounge.

2. The Peninsula's popular bar and terrace got a makeover and will reopen in mid-May as Salon de Ning. Housed on the 23rd floor of the Midtown hotel, this bar and lounge will feature a mix of decor—like Chinese daybeds, Moroccan lanterns, and Venetian mirrors—inspired by a Shanghainese socialite. With indoor and outdoor space, Salon de Ning is open year-round; it holds 250. READ MORE
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