| TED KRUCKEL 05.18.09 2:06 PM |
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Careful Spending and Energetic Staffing Net (Nearly) a Million for Sloan-Kettering
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 | Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center's Spring Ball
Photo: Mary Hilliard/PatrickMcMullan.com |
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“You know, it isn’t easy to raise $1 million at a dinner anymore,” co-chairwoman Muffie Potter Aston told me energetically at the Society of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center’s (M.S.K.C.C.) second annual Spring Ball, held May 13 at the Plaza Hotel. “The money just doesn’t come in automatically.” Tell me about it.
The next day, in a phone follow-up, the philanthropist admitted to being “a little tired; we danced til after midnight,” but relieved to have come very close to the seven-figure milestone. “We cut way back on decor spending, Andrew did a great job with a really tight budget.”
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RELATED TOPICS
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Robin Hood Foundation, Tribeca Film Festival, Sotheby's |
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| EVENT REPORT 05.14.09 8:00 AM |
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Stripped-Down Robin Hood Benefit Raises a Record $72 Million
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 | Robin Hood's bull's-eye-focused benefit
Photo: Roger Dong for BizBash |
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British philosopher Joseph Priestly once said, "The more elaborate our means of communication, the less we communicate." In that spirit, the Robin Hood Foundation used its annual gala Tuesday night to debut its new ad campaign and convey its mission with clear and unembellished visuals—at least compared to years past. The blockbuster benefit, which has become known for its sizable guest list, bevy of big-name performers and donors, and multimillion-dollar fund-raising ability, returned to the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center with more than 3,000 guests, host Jon Stewart, and musical entertainment from Aretha Franklin and the Black Eyed Peas.
"We wanted to make sure that nobody lost the message. To strip it down even more to our core values, so that nobody can walk out of here without a clear understanding of what we do," said Mark Bezos, the nonprofit's senior vice president for development and communications. Charged with that simple premise, Robin Hood's event team worked closely with David Stark Design & Production and Atomic Design to put images from the campaign front and center and accent them with bull's-eyes and arrows.
Jim Samalis, Robin Hood's managing director of events, and Amy Sinclair, manager of events, headed up the internal team for the first iteration of the gala in 10 years without the guidance of Laurie Fabiano, Robin Hood's former director of communications, marketing, and events, who left the organization at the end of last year.
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Robin Hood Foundation, Jon Stewart, Aretha Franklin, Black Eyed Peas |
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| TOP 100 EVENTS 02.16.09 8:00 AM |
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New York's Top Benefits 2009
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 | Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation's Kids for Kids Benefit
Photo: Joshua Cicerone |
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1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit
This fashion-centric party will be even more so on May 4, when it celebrates the Met’s new exhibit “The Model as Muse: Embodying Fashion.” The 2008 benefit attracted Tom Cruise, George Clooney, and Scarlett Johansson. Marc Jacobs is this year’s honorary chair, along with co-chairs Kate Moss, Justin Timberlake, and Vogue’s Anna Wintour.
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New York Top 100 Events, Robin Hood Foundation, Frick Collection, Central Park Conservancy, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Friends of the High Line, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Municipal Art Society |
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| EVENT REPORT 11.07.08 4:27 PM |
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Lucky's Shopping Event Returns With Charity Boutique, More Shoppers
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 | Lucky Shops
Photo: BizBash |
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Those eyeing the economic impact on the retail industry may note that consumer spending is down, but the hundreds attending Lucky magazine's Lucky Shops this weekend indicate otherwise. Back again for a fifth year, the publication's annual consumer shopping event at the Metropolitan Pavilion begins today, and this year features more than 70 clothing, beauty, accessories, and home brands selling wares at up to 70 percent off retail prices.
After an impressive turnout at the V.I.P. preview party on Thursday—guests included 30 Rock's Katrina Bowden and various Gossip Girl stars Leighton Meester, Jessica Szohr, and Kelly Rutherford—and more than double the ticket sales of 2007, the three-day consumer show looks to exceed expectations for this year.
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Lucky Magazine, Condé Nast, Robin Hood Foundation, Benefit Cosmetics, Nintendo, American Express, Chevy, Garnier |
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| EVENT REPORT 05.28.08 5:59 PM |
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Robin Hood Benefit Decor Uses $1 Million Worth of Reusable Products
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 | The entrance to the blockbuster benefit
Photo: Joe Fornabaio for BizBash |
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The somber state of Wall Street prompted the Robin Hood Foundation to keep thrift in mind for its annual benefit, held last night at the Jacob K. Javits Center, by relying on reusable goods in all of the decor. Installations made up of donated office supplies, clothing, and food were intended to inspire generosity from the 3,720 guests—many of them executives at banks and hedge funds—and ensure that every aspect of the night help the beneficiaries of the organization.
“In difficult times, that’s when it counts to step up to the plate,” said Laurie Fabiano, Robin Hood’s director of communications, marketing, and events, of the current economic climate. “It factored into our planning in every way, shape, and form. This year was all about making everything count, and the theme of giving 100 percent echoed that in every element of the night."
Fabiano once again recruited Dan Parise at Live Nation to produce the epic affair—known for its lavish installations, star-studded entertainment lineup, and multimillion-dollar take—and brought back David Stark Design and Production to reinvent the space. Stark upped the ante of last year’s recyclable decor with sculptures made of reusable household items that could be passed along to charity when the party ended.
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RELATED TOPICS
Robin Hood Foundation |
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| NEWS 05.14.08 1:36 PM |
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Robin Hood Gala Will Put Reusable Objects in Decor
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We just got details on the decor for the Robin Hood Foundation's annual gala—the blockbuster fund-raiser produced by Live Nation and designed by David Stark, which will take place at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center on Tuesday, May 27. While last year's event included a gigantic castle made from paper coffee cups, this year Stark is taking the idea of green events to a whole new level with vignettes created from every-day items to be used afterward in programs funded by the foundation.
Art installations, walls, signs, and even the facade of a house will be made from thousands of alarm clocks, calculators, shoes, books, water bottles, backpacks, blankets, clothing, towels, and socks. Stark has also extended the concept to the tabletops, replacing flowers with laptop computers that will broadcast messages as well as show an image of a floral centerpiece. —Anna Sekula
RELATED TOPICS
Robin Hood Foundation |
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| TOP 100 EVENTS 02.29.08 3:22 PM |
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New York's Top Benefits 2008
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 | The Met's Costume Institute benefit
Photo: Joe Fornabaio |
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1. The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Costume Institute Benefit
“Superheroes: Fashion and Fantasy” will be the theme of this year’s most anticipated night for fashion and social types, presented by the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Vogue on May 5. The gala will celebrate the Met’s superhero fashion exhibit, with honorary chair Giorgio Armani joining co-chairs George Clooney, Julia Roberts, and Anna Wintour. The Met’s Nina Diefenboch, Ashley Potter, and Kristin McDonald will return to plan the event along with Vogue’s Stephanie Winston-Wolkoff.
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RELATED TOPICS
New York's Top 100 Events, Robin Hood Foundation, American Ballet Theatre, Whitney Museum of American Art, Frick Collection, Metropolitan Opera, Museum of Modern Art, New York Public Library, Central Park Conservancy, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, New York Botanical Garden, New York City Ballet, Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation, Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Neue Galerie, New York City Opera, Municipal Art Society, Museum of the City of New York |
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| EVENT INTELLIGENCE 02.19.08 11:30 AM |
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How to Choose an Auctioneer
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 | Sharon Stone served as auctioneer for Amfar's Cinema Against AIDS fund-raiser in Rome.
Photo: Daniele Venturelli/Getty Images |
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As event professionals well know, one of the key aspects of producing a successful live auction occurs months out, as staffers, board members, and friends of the organization secure (read: often beg for) items so unique, so desirable, that attendees (with the added bonus of helping a good cause) will open up their wallets to get them. Let’s say you’ve scored walk-on roles on Grey’s Anatomy and The Office, a private performance by Hannah Montana, and the guitar on which Bruce Springsteen wrote “Born to Run.” Your work is done: This stuff sells itself, right?
Unfortunately, no. On the night of an event, the duty of moving live auction items, ideally for impressive sums, falls to the person taking—and, hopefully, nudging up—the bids. So what makes an effective auctioneer, and how much can your choice affect the success of an auction—and ultimately, the bottom line?
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Auctions, Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, Robin Hood Foundation, Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, Byrd Hoffman Watermill Foundation, N.F.L. Players, Shakespeare Theatre Company, Make-A-Wish Foundation, Catalina Island Conservancy |
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| NEWS 02.11.08 8:50 AM |
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Load-In Logistics Push Back Robin Hood Benefit Two Weeks
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The Robin Hood Foundation broke the news to us on Friday afternoon that its annual benefit (see last year's coverage here) will move to Tuesday, May 27, this year, rather than the originally scheduled May 12 date. According to Robin Hood associate manager of marketing Marianne McCrae, the event was pushed back two weeks so that the Javits Center could accommodate the benefit's lengthy load-in time.
David Stark, who is handling production for the event for the seventh consecutive year, told us that other than the schedule shift, all the planning is going smoothly. —Lauren Matison
RELATED TOPICS
Robin Hood Foundation |
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