| EVENT REPORT 09.22.09 1:01 PM |
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Tommy Hilfiger Caps Fashion Week With Flagship Unveiling
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 | The illuminated entrance at Tommy Hilfiger's Fifth Avenue flagship
Photo: Kevin Tachman for BizBash |
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The largest party to cap off Fashion Week was Tommy Hilfiger's splashy unveiling of his sprawling global flagship store on Fifth Avenue and 53rd Street. Held from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday evening, the event drew a who's who—of those left in town anyway—including Alicia Keys, Russel Simmons, Anna Wintour, January Jones, Naomi Watts, Mary-Louise Parker, and Emily Blunt.
Produced by Tommy Hilfiger’s vice president of special events, PJ Reynolds, in conjunction with OBO’s Campbell Bromberg, the event was relatively bare-bones in terms of decor, relying instead on lighting to highlight the four-story 22,000-square-foot space. “We wanted to embrace the store as designed so that guests could enjoy the atmosphere and get a feel for the store itself,” said Reynolds.
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Tommy Hilfiger, Fashion Week |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.16.09 1:44 PM |
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Fashion Week Pics: Rodarte and G-Star Use Dramatic Lighting Effects, Mulberry Builds Carousel at Soho House
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 | The smoky and spooky backdrop at Rodarte's show
Photo: Rob Loud/Getty Images |
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Busy with shows from some established labels—Vera Wang, Catherine Malandrino, Marc by Marc Jacobs, and Dennis Basso—as well as those from up-and-coming designers, yesterday's schedule yielded some of the most visual events of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week.
Still relatively new to the scene, Kate and Laura Mulleavy's Rodarte made a big impression at the Gagosian Gallery with a theatrical display of smoke, green lighting, and a pebbled catwalk. The Tim Burton-style setting matched the black, almost ragged-looking garments inspired by California condors. Equally as dramatic was the lighting at the Hammerstein Ballroom for G-Star, a denim brand that has garnered attention in recent years for its crowded shows and runway appearances by Dennis Hopper, Benicio Del Toro, Heather Graham, and Alan Cumming.
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Fashion Week, Mulberry, Rodarte, G-Star, Betsey Johnson |
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| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 09.15.09 1:21 PM |
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Event Security: The Twitter Effect
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 | The Black Eyed Peas at a tweeted party
Photo: Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images |
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Texting, blogging, and online social networking have already made it a breeze for guests to send out tips to their friends and readers on scoring access to private parties. Now, with the increasing popularity of Twitter, the volume of recipients is growing exponentially and the details are leaking in real time. Crashers, gawkers, and paparazzi have instant access to more information than they’ve ever had before—on an easy-to-search platform—and security professionals and planners agree that 140 characters are more than enough to cause some trouble.
Barry Meyerson, president of Manhattan-based security firm Meyerson Associates Inc., first noticed Twitter’s impact during New York Fashion Week in September 2008. As celebrities and partygoers shared details online, queues outside venues got longer, and throngs of paparazzi seemed thicker.
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Twitter, Security, Secuity Leaks, Black Eyed Peas, Fashion Week |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.14.09 3:12 PM |
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More Photos From Fashion's Night Out: A Dunk Tank in Williamsburg, Kenneth Cole's Concert
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 | Carnival games at Bird's Fashion's Night Out block party
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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As photos, tweets, blogs, and news articles have shown, Thursday's "Fashion's Night Out" initiative brought a carnival-like atmosphere to hundreds of stores throughout the city. Crowds swarmed Midtown, SoHo, the West Village, and other retail districts for live music, free food, games, and other activities, which as a new report reveals, helped boost sales numbers. On Friday afternoon, Chicago research firm ShopperTrak released data that points to a 36 percent increase in foot traffic in Manhattan shops, compared with the same day last year.
“The overwhelming turnout in Manhattan lifted sales throughout the country, providing some welcome good news for participating retailers in an otherwise difficult 2009,” said ShopperTrak co-founder Bill Martin in a statement. Retail executives also agree that the initiative had a positive impact from just getting customers into the stores. “It was worth doing,” Claudio Del Vecchio, chairman and C.E.O. of Brooks Brothers, told WWD. “We do a lot of events, and we generally don’t get a lot of business from them. It’s more to show people what we do and who we are, rather than sales that night. There is always a certain percent that comes back to shop. The best thing about Fashion’s Night Out is that a lot of people came out and are still looking at shopping in a positive way, even if they didn’t shop.”
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Vogue, Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, Fashion Week, Bird, Vena Cava, Kenneth Cole, Ports 1961, Tory Burch, Payless, Aveda |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.14.09 3:05 PM |
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Fashion Week Pics: Lacoste and Band of Outsiders Go Seaside, Live Music Adds Energy to Shows
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 | The Plastiscines at Alice & Olivia's Fashion Week presentation
Photo: John Minchillo for BizBash |
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Almost eclipsed by the pandemonium of Fashion's Night Out, Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week got off to a quiet start Thursday. However, following some relatively modest shows in the Bryant Park tents, the fashion community's big trade show started gathering steam with Vena Cava's lively presentation on Thursday afternoon. Held at Milk Studios, the M.A.C.-sponsored alternative to the tents, the show kept the mood light by bringing in Brooklyn-based musical duo the Fiery Furnaces. Others also recruited indie rock bands to spice up their showings—Erin Wasson chose Gang Gang Dance to open for her Friday-night gig at Bryant Park and French girl group the Plastiscines headlined the Alice & Olivia presentation in the meatpacking district on Saturday.
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Fashion Week, Mercedes-Benz, IMG Fashion, M.A.C. Cosmetics, Vena Cava, Erin Wasson, Band of Outsiders, Lacoste, Alice & Olivia |
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| EVENT REPORT 09.11.09 5:22 PM |
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"Fashion's Night Out" Turns City into Frenzied, Celeb-Filled Carnival
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 | Sarah Jessica Parker, Barbara Walters, and Bette Midler's musical appearance for Oscar de la Renta's Fashion's Night Out festivities
Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Oscar de la Renta |
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In what may be considered the biggest citywide event since the economic downturn, more than 800 retailers in Manhattan and the outer boroughs banded together for yesterday's "Fashion's Night Out" event. Launched by Vogue, the Council of Fashion Designers of America, Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and NYC & Company, the attempt to boost flagging sales and build consumer confidence blossomed into one of the fashion trade's largest efforts to target the public at large.
"The participation of over 800 retailers in New York City combined with incredible buzz surrounding the evening far exceeded our wildest dreams," George Fertitta, C.E.O. of NYC & Company, said this morning. "The objectives for Fashion’s Night Out were to celebrate fashion, promote the retail apparel industry, restore consumer confidence, and get consumers excited about shopping again and paying retail prices for merchandise. We are also using Fashion’s Night Out as a way to give back to the New York City community through our charitable efforts on behalf of the September 11 Memorial & Museum and the NYC AIDS Fund."
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Vogue, Council of Fashion Designers of America, NYC & Company, Fashion Week |
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| NEWS 09.09.09 12:23 PM |
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In the News: Virtual Trade Shows Thrive, Industry Still Prefers Face-to-Face
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Rise in Virtual Trade Shows Predicted: A lengthy feature in the October issue of Wired highlights the many ways people and businesses are using technology to get satisfactory results with minimal budgets. One trend on the rise is virtual trade shows, where vendors send avatars into cyberspace to meet with potential clients and customers. It's not a new concept, but analysts expect 5,000 online expos in 2010, a 500 percent increase from 2009. [Wired]
Planners Still Favor Person-to-Person: Virtual trade shows, meetings, and conferences may be on the rise, but they are facing a bit of resistance from industry professionals. At the Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International's recent Affordable Meetings National and Event Technology Expo, attendees in a poll said they used technology for marketing efforts and presentations but still avoided virtual meetings. Among the key conference elements they thought got lost in translation were spontaneous networking, identifying attendees, and a free and open dialogue between all parties. Many also noted that the available technologies still weren't up to snuff to hold a seamless virtual event. [Reuters]
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Virtual Meetings, Hospitality Sales & Marketing Association International, Oprah Winfrey, Lady Gaga, Fashion Week, Marc Jacobs, Givenchy, MTV Video Music Awards |
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| NEWS 09.08.09 3:30 PM |
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"Fashion's Night Out" to Encourage Singing, Sipping, and Shopping While Shows Focus on Clothes
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 | February's Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Photo: Alison Whittington for BizBash |
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The event calendar this week, the first full week of September (and the unofficial start of the fall season), is already stuffed with premieres, big cocktail receptions, and large-scale public promotions. Among the events is Fashion Week, which starts Thursday and looks to be as subdued as the February outing was, as well as the Fashion's Night Out frenzy on Thursday, September 10.
The latter, an initiative announced less than four months ago, has taken off in a big way, with reports putting the total number of participating retailers in the city at 800. Meanwhile, shops in England, France, Spain, Japan, China, and Russia are also joining in the fray with similar outings. Beyond extended hours, discounts, and free flutes of champagne, each store has a different strategy to draw shoppers and, hopefully, boost spending and confidence. For instance, BCBG Max Azria has partnered with The Daily to recreate its spring 2010 show inside its Fifth Avenue store. And Teen Vogue is closing Bleecker Street to put on a block party that will include a runway presentation and a performance by Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen's band. Trainer Tracy Anderson is hosting a public fitness class at Diane von Furstenberg's flagship, while the private shindig at Oscar de la Renta will have the designer serenading a group of clients and friends.
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Fashion Week, IMG Fashion, Mercedes-Benz, M.A.C. Cosmetics |
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| NEWS 09.08.09 12:24 PM |
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Fall Preview: New Season Brings Busier Event Schedule, More Last-Minute Business
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Planners, producers, and vendors seem to agree with recent declarations that the worst of the recession is behind us, as fall calendars are crowded with events and business appears to be picking up for many. This resurgence in activity marks a return to business as usual for some, while for others the season could be even busier, thanks to short-notice commissions from clients and sponsors just deciding to get back in the event game.
New Jersey-based producer Michael Cerbelli, president of special events at Total Entertainment, said business never got particularly slow, thanks in part to late bookings from clients. “What's making us even busier is that everything is last minute," he said. "Two to six weeks out, and we're get calls for lighting, staging, and, production. We're working 10 times harder because we have less lead time, but looking to the fourth quarter, 9 out of 10 of our past holiday party clients are already back on the books for this year."
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Fashion Week, MTV Video Music Awards, Toronto International Film Festival, Fall Preview 2009 |
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